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for my viewers redeemable at LordofMaps.com! They are among Morgoth’s most
dreadful and dangerous servants. Maiar who joined the dark lord in his
rebellion, becoming demons of shadow and flame. Today, on Nerd of the Rings, we
cover the Balrogs of Morgoth. The Balrogs were originally maiar - the
same type of being as Sauron, Gandalf, and Eonwe. These maiar were likely
those who joined Melkor in his discord during the Music of the Ainur
- the very creation of the world. After Melkor makes his way to Arda, he creates his first fortress of
Utumno, where these maiar join him… ... in Utumno he gathered his demons about him,
those spirits who first adhered to him in the days of his splendour, and became most like him in his
corruption: their hearts were of fire, but they were cloaked in darkness, and terror went before
them; they had whips of flame." (Silmarillion) Over the years, Melkor brings many to his
service. While some may have been with him since the beginning, others he corrupted
afterwards with lies and treacherous gifts. In The Silmarillion we are
told of all Melkor’s servants the balrogs were most to be feared...Dreadful
among these spirits were the Valaraukar, the scourges of fire that in Middle-earth
were called the Balrogs, demons of terror. After Melkor destroys the Two Lamps, he gathers
his servants about him in his first fortress of Utumno, in the northern part of the world.
Eventually, with the awakening of the elves, the Valar would seek to protect them from the
Dark Lord and move against him. Melkor would be defeated in this Battle of the Powers, in
which his fortress of Utumno is destroyed. At their master’s defeat, the balrogs flee
west, to Melkor’s secondary fortress of Angband. There, along with Sauron, they would await
many long years until their master’s return. Ages later, Melkor escapes Valinor with the
Silmarils alongside Ungoliant. Meanwhile, the balrogs are still waiting in Angband.
After Melkor and Ungoliant arrive in Beleriand, Ungoliant demands the jewels they had
stolen so that she may consume them. After handing over the lesser jewels voluntarily,
Melkor attempts to withhold the Silmarils. Ungoliant, now grown to an even more massive
size, threatens to destroy a weakened Melkor. Hearing Melkor’s cry from Angband, the balrogs
run across the lands of Beleriand like a tempest of fire. Using their whips, they
drive off the great spider-like creature, saving their master. While Ungoliant would learn
of these great fire demons and make her way to Nan Dungortheb, the elves would not learn
of these foes until the Dagor-nuin-Giliath. As we covered in our video on Feanor, the King
of the Noldor leads his people to victory in this battle over Morgoth’s orcs. Feanor,
in his eagerness to defeat Morgoth himself, pushes on to enemy lands, where
he is ambushed by an entire group of balrogs. Here, we meet Gothmog
- the Lord of the Balrogs. Gothmog mortally wounds Feanor, who dies of
his wounds after being rescued by his sons. Gothmog and his balrogs would play major,
frontline roles in Morgoth’s wars against the elves and men of Middle-earth. In the
Dagor Bragollach, a force of balrogs are unleashed alongside Glaurung - the very first
dragon. They break a 400-year siege of Angband and the area of Ard-galen is consumed in rivers of
flame - becoming the desert plain of Anfauglith. In a later counterattack by a great
alliance organized by Feanor’s son Maedhros, the balrogs fight alongside the orcs
and dragons in an eventual overwhelming victory for Morgoth - known as the Nirnaeth
Arnoediad. In this battle, Gothmog kills Fingon, the second High King of the Noldor to die at his
hands. In the closing moments of this battle, it is Gothmog who captures Hurin alive
at the order of his master. He binds this lord of men and drags him back to Angband,
where he would be interrogated by Morgoth. It would not be until the Fall of Gondolin that we
would see an elf best a balrog in battle. In fact, this victory for Morgoth would cost him two
of his greatest servants. Having learned the secret location of Gondolin, Morgoth sends
forth an army of orcs, balrogs, and dragons. As a group of surviving elves are taking a
hidden pass through the mountains, they are waylaid by a balrog. In this moment, Glorfindel
- the very same we meet in the Fellowship of the Ring - stays behind to battle the demon
alone, so that his kin may flee to safety. Glorfindel and the balrog fight upon the pinnacle
of a rock, and both fall into the abyss below - to their deaths. Meanwhile, within the city in the
very square of the King, the elf-lord Ecthelion comes face to face with Gothmog. In their battle,
Ecthelion drives the spike of his helm into the belly of the balrog, and pulls the creature
with him into the deep fountain of Gondolin. The balrog’s fire is extinguished and both Gothmog
and Ecthelion drown in the waters of the fountain. With two of Morgoth’s balrogs having
been lost, we are left to wonder - just how many balrogs were there? In Tolkien’s
earliest writings, he envisioned there being as many as hundreds or even one thousand
balrogs. However, in his later writings, as it becomes clear that these were creatures
of immense power, he says they were actually few in number, otherwise Morgoth would
have quite easily dominated Middle-earth. Now, if there were indeed only three
balrogs, this means that after the Fall of Gondolin, Morgoth would have been
left with only a single balrog - the very same that the Fellowship would meet in Moria. However, with the possibility of
there being seven total balrogs, this would mean there could be as many as five
at the time of the War of Wrath to end the First Age. We are told that the balrogs are among
Morgoth’s massive army - great beyond count - that battles in the War of Wrath. However, it
availed him not. The Balrogs were destroyed, save some few that fled and hid themselves in
caverns inaccessible at the roots of the earth.... We know for certain of the balrog in Moria
- but this passage from the Silmarillion leads us to believe that while some
were destroyed in the War of Wrath, there may very well have been other balrogs,
left hidden in the roots of the earth. As for the great Balrog of the Third Age, he
would hide himself deep in the roots of the Misty Mountains, beneath the dwarven realm of
Khazad-dum. There, he would rest for over 5,000 years, missing the entirety of the Second Age,
and most of the Third. However, in 1980 of the Third Age, the dwarves of Khazad-dum are led by
King Durin the 6th. In their attempts to further mine more mithril - the great treasure
of their realm - they wake the balrog. A creature that would at this time, be nothing
more than an ancient legend to the dwarves. The balrog kills King Durin
the 6th, earning it the name Durin’s Bane. While the dwarves would
attempt to fight off the great demon, its power is far too great, and they are driven
from their home in 1981, after Durin’s heir King Nain I is also killed by the balrog. The elves
of Lorien were made aware of these events, and begin calling Khazad-dum “Moria” - meaning “The
Black Pit.” These silvan elves simply referred to the creature as the “Nameless Terror”, as they
did not realize what it truly was at the time. For the next 500 years, Moria
would belong to the balrog. In 2480, Sauron begins to lay the foundation for
his eventual new war in Middle-earth. He sends orcs and trolls to the Misty Mountains in order
to make strongholds, which would prevent people from passing into Eriador. The balrog allows
these other dark beings to populate Moria. Now, there is some debate and speculation on
whether the balrog would ultimately submit to Sauron. One one hand, Sauron
was Morgoth’s chief lieutenant. However, Sauron and the balrog are both
maiar, so there’s an argument that they would be seen more as equals. Either way, the
balrogs actions regarding the orcs and trolls lead one to believe that he would at least have
been open to coordinating with the new dark lord. The balrog would largely remain unseen
for hundreds of years. One of the few to see the creature before the Fellowship was Dain
Ironfoot. In the Battle of Azanulbizar in 2799, Dain kills Azog and helps the dwarves
defeat the orcs. Arriving at the gate, he catches a glimpse of the balrog and feels
the terror of the demon, and the dwarves go no further. Choosing instead to return to former
homes, and find new ones in the Blue Mountains. Finally, in 3019, Durin’s Bane would
finally meet its match. That January, the Fellowship of the Ring travels through Moria on their quest to Mount Doom. After discovering
the tomb of Balin in the Chamber of Mazarbul, Gandalf first comes into contact with a
mysterious creature that is neither orc nor troll. Suddenly at the top of the stair there was
a stab of white light. Then there was a dull rumble and a heavy thud. The drum-beats broke out
wildly: doom-boom, doom-boom, and then stopped. Gandalf came flying down the steps and fell
to the ground in the midst of the Company. After some time, the company
finally comes to a rest, and Gandalf tells of the interaction
with this mysterious and dreadful foe. Gimli took his arm and helped
him down to a seat on the step. The Fellowship makes their way
to the Bridge of Khazad-dum, where they finally realize the dreadful foe they
are facing and see the balrog with their own eyes. Though balrogs are often depicted as being
incredibly large and looking like traditional demons, the passage in Fellowship of the
Ring points to them looking a bit more human than you might expect. "[It] was like a great
shadow, in the middle of which was a dark form, of man-shape maybe, yet greater; and a power and
terror seemed to be in it and to go before it...." While there are many incredible
illustrations of balrogs over the years, Tolkien’s description indicates they were
possibly more man-like in appearance, though certainly larger - cloaked with shadow
and flame. Also worth noting is Gandalf’s earlier interaction when attempting to seal the door
- Gandalf says the counter-spell was terrible. The balrogs were not creatures of simple brute
strength, but also incredible magical power. Given the description in the book, this particular
illustration is one of my absolute favorites of a balrog, because it embraces the demonic, yet
almost human shaped description found in the book. As for the other common question regarding
balrogs, I’ve made an entire video covering the debate on balrogs and wings.
Now, back to the story at hand... As the balrog reveals itself at the Bridge of
Khazad-dum, Legolas, despite never seeing one himself, instantly recognizes what this creature
is, and cries out that a balrog has come. Gimli, in despair, drops his axe, covering his
face. Despite being already weary, Gandalf stands upon the bridge, blocking the balrog from
exiting the mountain. Gandalf and the balrog fall through the depths of Khazad-dum - to the
uttermost foundations of stone. For eight days, Gandalf pursues Durin’s bane from this lowest
dungeon, to the highest peak - Zirakzigil - the pinnacle of the SIlvertine. There, the wizard and
the balrog fight for three days and two nights. In the end, the balrog is cast down, and his
body breaks the mountain-side as it falls to its ruin. Gandalf the Grey gives his own
life in order to destroy this balrog of Morgoth. One of the greatest and most
terrible of Morgoth’s servants, such a creature would have wreaked havoc the
likes of which never seen since the First Age. As we look at the wonderful map of Middle-earth,
we can only guess where the other surviving balrogs may have buried themselves, but I also
love gazing at a great map of our own world. Which is why I’m a big fan of Lord of Maps - the style
is beautiful, its a great conversation piece, and even the packaging itself is
a piece of art. As my viewers, you can use the exclusive discount code
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selection of maps from all around the world! As always, I want to say a huge thank you to my Patreon supporters who make this channel possible.
