He is among the greatest maiar to serve the Dark Lord Morgoth. Taking on a
dreadful hue in his servitude, he would be the lord of his kind and would
personally kill two High Kings of the Noldor. Today, on Nerd of the Rings, we cover
the life of Gothmog, the Lord of Balrogs. Like all balrogs, Gothmog was originally one of
the great Ainur created by Eru Iluvatar. It is likely that he, along with all future
balrogs joined Melkor as he sewed his discord within the Music that created the
world itself. Tolkien describes the maiar, like Gothmog, who fell into the service
of the dark lord in The Silmarillion: ...of the Maiar many were drawn to [Melkor's]
splendour in the days of his greatness, and remained in that allegiance down into his
darkness; and others he corrupted afterwards to his service with lies and treacherous gifts.
Dreadful among these spirits were the Valaraukar, the scourges of fire that in Middle-earth
were called the Balrogs, demons of terror. In the early days of Arda, these maiar
took on a form of shadow and flame, and after Melkor destroys the Two Lamps - the
first source of light for the world - they gather with Melkor in his first fortress
of Utumno. During the ensuing Battle of the Powers between Melkor and the Valar, Utumno
is destroyed and Melkor captured. The balrogs, along with Sauron, would hide in the pits of
Melkor’s secondary fortress of Angband in YT 1099. There, Gothmog and his balrogs would await the
return of their master for nearly 4000 years. When Morgoth returns to Middle-earth in YT 1495,
the great spider-like creature Ungoliant is ready to destroy Morgoth for withholding the silmarils
from her insatiable appetite. Morgoth’s cry is heard by his balrogs, who are still hiding
in Angband, and they travel to his aid in Lammoth like a tempest of fire. Here, we see
the balrogs wield one of their iconic weapons, whips of flame, which they use to destroy
Ungoliant’s webs and cause her to flee. While the balrogs are well known to have been
maiar, the same category of being as the wizards, it’s interesting to note that Tolkien
at one time imagined their origin quite differently. In some of his earliest writings of
Middle-earth, collected in The Book of Lost Tales, Gothmog himself is referred to as a son
of Melko (the original name of Melkor). It was only later that Tolkien discarded the
idea that the Valar would have children, and instead made the balrogs fallen maiar. Returning to the story, at this point,
nearing the dawn of the First Age, it’s entirely possible and even likely that the elves
knew nothing of the balrogs of Morgoth. Indeed, they knew very little of the Battle of
the Powers that occurred in the spring of their existence and had no direct contact
with the demons themselves. Their first would come in the Dagor-nuin-Giliath, when
Feanor’s followers arrive in Middle-earth. Arriving via the stolen Teleri ships in YT
1497, they make their way up the Firth of Drengist. They pass into the lands of Hithlum
and make camp on the northern shore of Lake Mithrim. There, they are attacked. Orcs
of Morgoth greatly outnumber the elves, but the Noldor, who were still empowered by
the Light of Valinor defeated their foes. In the aftermath of this battle, Feanor in his
wrath pursues a small group of surviving orcs across the plain of Ard-Galen toward Angband. In
this moment, with his enemy upon his doorstep, Morgoth sends out his balrogs. These demons
come forth out of Thangorodrim. Their hearts were of fire, but they were cloaked in
darkness, and terror went before them. There upon the confines of Dor Daedeloth,
the land of Morgoth, Fëanor was surrounded, with few friends about him. Long he fought
on, and undismayed, though he was wrapped in fire and wounded with many wounds; but at the
last he was smitten to the ground by Gothmog, Lord of Balrogs…. There Feanor would have
perished, had not his sons in that moment come up with force to his aid; and the
Balrogs left him, and departed to Angband. Feanor is mortally wounded, and with his death,
Gothmog kills his first High King of the elves. The balrogs would next be seen in the Dagor
Bragollach in 455 FA. After a period of 400 years when the elves lay siege to Angband,
Morgoth breaks the siege - sending out rivers of flame as the Iron Mountains spewed fire and
fumes. Gothmog and his balrogs are once again unleashed alongside multitudes of orcs and a
fully-grown Glaurung, first of the dragons. It is a decisive victory for Morgoth’s forces
as many elves are slaughtered in the chaos. Seeing what he believed to be the beginning
of the downfall of his people, the High King Fingolfin challenges Morgoth to single combat.
While Morgoth would kill Fingolfin in the duel, he would be injured in the foot by the blade of
the mighty elf lord. From this moment onward, we see Morgoth would stay within his
stronghold and instead send his balrogs, orcs, and dragons to fight his battles. The next such battle would be the Nirnaeth
Arnoediad, where a great alliance of elves, men, and dwarves seeks to make a final
war upon Morgoth. In this battle, Gothmog is named the high-captain of Angband,
solidifying his position as one of Morgoth’s most important servants. As mentioned
earlier, Sauron is also under Morgoth’s servitude at this time, but it is Gothmog who
leads his armies in war. It seems that Sauron, like his master, takes on commanding roles
that don’t involve direct combat. Instead, his works of the first age are often
using his trickery and sorcery. As for Gothmog and the Nirnaeth, he would come face to face with yet
another High King as the battle rages on… But now in the western battle Fingon and
Turgon were assailed by a tide of foes thrice greater than all the force that was left to them.
Gothmog, Lord of Balrogs, high-captain of Angband, was come; and he drove a dark wedge between
the Elvenhosts, surrounding King Fingon, and thrusting Turgon and Húrin aside towards
the Fen of Serech. Then he turned upon Fingon. That was a grim meeting. At last Fingon
stood alone with his guard dead about him; and he fought with Gothmog, until another Balrog
came behind and cast a thong of fire about him. Then Gothmog hewed him with his black axe,
and a white flame sprang up from the helm of Fingon as it was cloven. Thus fell the High
King of the Noldor; and they beat him into the dust with their maces, and his banner, blue and
silver, they trod into the mire of his blood. Thus Gothmog kills his second High
King of the Noldor. After this feat, we are told Gothmog captures the man Hurin
alive by order of Morgoth. Though Hurin would kill 70 orcs and trolls as they attempt the
capture. Eventually, Gothmog’s troll-guards capture Hurin. The Lord of Balrogs drags a bound
Hurin back to Angband to deliver to his master. While this account shows Gothmog weidling
a black axe, and we know also of their whips of flame and maces, we don’t see
the Lord of Balrogs wielding another of their weapons - magic. In the Fellowship
of the Ring, Gandalf mentions that as he was putting a shutting spell on the door to
the Chamber of Mazarbul, the counter-spell was terrible and nearly broke him. While we
don’t see Gothmog wield such magic himself, there is no doubt it was within his power.
Perhaps I’ll make a future video on the powers of balrogs or maiar in general, but for now, let’s
conclude the story of the Lord of their kind… Gothmog would make one final appearance in
the Wars of Beleriand. After the location of Gondolin is betrayed to Morgoth, he once again
sends Gothmog to lead his army. This force, comprised of orcs, balrogs, and dragons,
would come to the hidden city in 510 FA. Also within the Book of Lost Tales, we
find an account of Gothmog leading his force to the northern gate of Gondolin
and ordering them to pile their siege equipment against it. The gate breaks from
the weight of this mass of iron and the city is breached. Gothmog’s army would bring
fire and destruction to the great elven kingdom. While not at Gothmog’s own hand, the
High King Turgon would die in this battle. As for Gothmog himself, he would
come face to face with the elf lord Ecthelion. While the result of
the story remains in later writings, the most complete account of the battle
comes also from the Book of Lost Tales… Tuor stood then in the way of that
beast, but was sundered from Egalmoth, and they pressed him backward even to the
centre of the square nigh the fountain. There he became weary from the strangling
heat and was beaten down by a great demon, even Gothmog lord of Balrogs, son of Melko. But
lo! Ecthelion, whose face was of the pallor of grey steel and whose shield-arm hung limp
at his side, strode above him as he fell, and that Gnome drove at the demon, yet did not
give him his death, getting rather a wound to his sword-arm that his weapon left his grasp.
Then leapt Ecthelion lord of the Fountain, fairest of the Noldoli, full at Gothmog even
as he raised his whip, and his helm that had a spike upon it he drove into that evil breast,
and he twined his legs about his foeman’s thighs; and the Balrog yelled and fell forward; but those
two dropped into the basin of the king’s fountain which was very deep. There found that creature
his bane; and Ecthelion sank steel-laden into the depths, and so perished the lord of the
Fountain after fiery battle in cool waters. Thus ends Gothmog, the Lord of Balrogs.
With him would perish one other balrog in Fall of Gondolin - this one at the hands
of Glorfindel. With two balrogs killed, it likely leaves at most five balrogs in the
service of Morgoth for the War of Wrath. While Tolkien originally envisioned armies of balrogs,
he later said that 3 or at most 7 ever existed. We know for certain only one balrog to survive
the climactic battle of the First Age - the one that would hide in the depths of the Misty
Mountains and come to be known as Durin’s Bane. While Gothmog, greatest of balrogs would perish
in the pools of Gondolin, his name would appear once more in Tolkien’s works. In the Battle of
the Pelennor Fields in the Return of the King, we find the second in command behind the Witch-king
is one named Gothmog. In Peter Jackson’s films, this character was depicted as an orc chieftain.
However, it is never explicitly stated what kind of being this Gothmog is. Many fans believe him
to be an orc or an uruk, though theories abound. Some say he could be a Black Numenorean like the
Mouth of Sauron. Even more deep cut theories say he was a Boldog - which is a fallen maia that
takes the form of an orc. While I personally think an orc or uruk most likely, I do find it
interesting that the Third Age Gothmog could be a fallen maia like his namesake - though
he would be far lesser in power and rank. While the Gothmog of later history would likely
be wiped out with nearly all of Sauron’s forces at Minas Tirith, Gothmog the balrog would
be remembered in the legendary tales of the elves. And the appearance of Durin’s Bane
in the Lord of the Rings would give us a mere inkling of the power and ferocity of their
Lord Gothmog, the greatest of their kind. as always I want to say a huge thank you to
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