What if a demon of shadow and flame were to
obtain the greatest weapon in the history of Middle-earth? What power could such a
being wield? And with whom would it ally? Today on Nerd of the Rings, we
put our regular research into determining… what would happen
if the Balrog got the One Ring! As always, we pick up our tale at the most likely
point of deviation. Unquestionably, today’s scenario is when the Fellowship is making their
way through the now decrepit realm of Khazad-dum. Moria, the Black Pit, it is now called, and it
is home to bands of orcs and a great dark menace. The date is January 15, 3019. The Fellowship
discovers the Chamber of Mazarbul, where they are attacked by a group of orcs before making
their escape. As the other 8 members flee through the Eastern Doorway, Gandalf stands to hold
the passage. There, through the closed door, he senses a great power - a counterspell working
against his own. As the door bursts asunder, he sees the room enveloped in shadow.
The wall and the chamber collapse, and Gandalf returns to the Fellowship,
leading them to the Bridge of Khazad-dum. It came to the edge of the fire and the light
faded as if a cloud had bent over it. Then with a rush it leaped across the fissure. The flames
roared up to greet it, and wreathed about it; and a black smoke swirled in the air. Its streaming
mane kindled, and blazed behind it. In its right hand was a blade like a stabbing tongue of
fire; in its left it held a whip of many thongs. Here, Gandalf and the Balrog known as Durin’s
Bane face off upon the bridge. But what if, rather than falling together, the
balrog is victorious? With a snap, the balrog lashes his whip and the grey wizard,
binding his arms to his side. With a great tug, Gandalf is flung forward,
impaled upon the fiery blade. In this, his final moment, Gandalf knows
he has failed. The balrog lifts the wizard and with a casual flick, drops him into
the abyss below. Before they know it, the fellowship is attacked by the
great demon - and no horn, nor bow, nor sword can withstand its coming. With great
swipes of his sword and whip, the balrog kills the fellowship. Last of all stands a small
creature, with drawn sword glowing blue. For reasons not fully known to himself, the
balrog grabs the creature in his hands - and it is enveloped in flame. The creature is reduced
to ash, and it’s blade is but a melted pool of metal…and yet. Something remains…a gold band with
a glowing red script…a mysterious object that withstood the great fire of Durin’s Bane. The One
Ring rests in the hand of the Balrog of Morgoth. But what would the Balrog do with such a Ring
of Power? To better inform his next moves, we must debunk a common misconception about
balrogs - they are no mindless beasts. While their depiction is often gigantic monsters
of brute strength, their power was more magical and their presence more human.
Moments before his faceoff with Gandalf, the balrog is described as a dark form of somewhat
man-shape, yet greater. Given its counterspell against Gandalf, it clearly has more than just
size and strength at its disposal - though, their stature was certainly great and their
fire and power wrought great destruction. Standing in Moria, his enemies vanquished, this
being of the same order as Gandalf and Sauron looks upon the One Ring in his hand. It perceives
the great power contained within as the ring seems to grow in size - just as both Isildur and Bilbo
had observed during their time possessing it. The balrog places the ring upon his finger,
feeling his own power amplified. He finds the orcs of Moria flocking to his side, drawn to
the leadership of the balrog. Just as Gothmog the lord of the balrogs of old, Durin’s Bane now
captains a great force of orcs. And with his now greater power, he seeks to resume his glorious
purpose from the days of Morgoth - bring wanton destruction and darkness. For it was the balrogs
- not Sauron who were most like Morgoth himself. As we find in The Silmarillion: in Utumno Melkor
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. The balrog and his orcs exit the nearby East
gate of Moria, and looking out upon the lands of Middle-earth for the first time in over 6000
years, he espies the nearby forest of Lorien. Over the coming week, the realm of Lorien is
consumed in fire and death. Ultimately the power of Galadriel and her ring are no match
for the power of the One and its wielder. In the early days of this struggle, Sauron
becomes aware of the balrog wielding his ring and is forced to act even earlier than the
canon story by nearly two months. However, rather than dealing with a mere mortal claiming
his ring, he knows the danger the balrog poses to his very existence. His only option is to come
forth from Mordor personally with a show of force to meet the balrog in hopes it will ultimately
choose to serve him - Morgoth’s chief lieutenant. Orcs are summoned from throughout Mordor, along
with the Nazgul. After two weeks of preparation, the dark lord leads what forces
he can out from the Black Gate. All the while, there are others who have learned
of what has transpired. Saruman and Denethor, both possessing palantiri and having similar -
though different - connections to the dark lord, are also aware of the great threat in
Lorien. Sauron orders Saruman to send his forces to join his own in the
eastmark of Rohan - a realm still under Saruman’s sway as there is no
visit from Gandalf to healTheoden. But Saruman sees this move for what it is
- further manipulation by the dark lord. Should the balrog fall in line under Sauron, the
wizard would be at best, third greatest in the new power structure of the world. Saruman
instead forms plans of his own - through his servant Wormtongue, he manipulates
Theoden into contacting Denethor for aid. For Denethor’s part, he is aware that there
is a great danger approaching north of Rohan, though unlike Saruman he does not have a
full picture of what that danger is. Thus, when the call for aid comes from
Theoden, Gondor will answer. Now, we don’t know the exact number
of soldiers that Minas Tirith has at their disposal at this moment. We know that
they will eventually receive 3,000 soldiers from the southern fiefs, but that will
not have happened at this point. Thus, Gondor will send a more conservative 1500 soldiers
from Minas Tirith, while simultaneously putting out the call to the southern fiefs earlier
than the canon tale for reinforcements. Meanwhile, the Rohirrim muster their riders
- not under Theoden, who remains ill, but his son Theodred - who was never killed as
Saruman had not yet made his first attack upon Rohan to do so. With a Rohan that has not suffered
the losses of two battles at the Fords of Isen and the Battle of Helm’s Deep, they have more soldiers
than they would have otherwise. Instead of the 6,000 they take in the canon tale to Minas Tirith,
they assemble at least 8,000 Rohirrim - possibly closer to 10,000. Bolstered by the fighters of
Gondor, they now amass a 10,000 strong army. As these armies of Isengard,
Rohan, and Mordor assemble, the Balrog is likewise unexpectedly
bolstered. For in nearby Dol Guldur, Sauron had a secondary force of orcs - the ones
that in the canon tale lead attacks on Lorien and Thranduil’s Realm in March 3019. Viewing
the destruction of Lorien across the river, the orcs of Dol Guldur join those of
Moria in their destruction of Lorien. We will see the ring have an effect on the
balrog. It begins to feel a pull toward the south, the home of the ring’s creator. And as with any
creature, the ring enhances the natural abilities of its wearer. For hobbits and other mortals,
it makes them invisible. For great commanders, it would lead soldiers to flock to their
banner. And for powerful beings of an angelic order - demons of shadow and flame - it would
increase this power. Thus the balrog would, like Sauron, send forth a darkening cloud
of foreboding - concealing the sunlight in the lands to which it moved. Thus, fire consumes
the forest of Fangorn, and the ents are no more. Due to proximity, and being most prepared
for action, Saruman’s army of orcs, Uruks, Goblin-men, and half-orcs meet the forces of
the balrog south of Fangorn Forest. There, the white wizard makes his move. His orcs deliver
Saruman’s message - warning that even now Sauron himself was approaching with an army, made
of as many as 30,000 to take the ring by force. Due to the earlier time frame, Sauron’s
forces are not yet bolstered by the Haradrim and Easterlings. As a token of his loyalty,
Saruman’s orcs align with those of the balrog. Should the balrog prove victorious, Saruman
will be on the winning side and perhaps through later treachery, will take the ring from his
fellow maia. Should Sauron prove victorious, he will claim that his orc army betrayed
him after encountering the balrog, wielding the One Ring. Yet, his insurance
is the Rohirrim - a 10,000 strong cavalry which will wreak havoc upon whatever
force remains and weaken the force of Sauron or the balrog - enough perhaps
for Saruman to betray the victor. The balrog and Sauron and their forces meet
upon the Wold, where the Mouth of Sauron, face to face with the great demon, makes the
best case for victory - that the balrog should fall in line, giving the ring back to Sauron
himself - the chief lieutenant of Morgoth. But would the balrog view Sauron as
his superior? The case can be made either way. Sauron was indeed Morgoth’s
chief lieutenant, yet the balrogs were no mere underlings. They were the mightiest
of Morgoth’s forces - Gothmog their lord was the high-captain of Angband. Yet, Sauron
was certainly the heir apparent to Morgoth. The balrog walks past the Mouth of
Sauron, approaching the dark lord himself, submitting to him. Sauron approaches, his prized
ring returning at last. But through the ring, the balrog had perceived the Dark
Lord’s mind. Far had he strayed from their master’s ways. Sauron
sought to lord over Middle-earth, Morgoth would have brought destruction and
chaos. No, Sauron was not worthy of this prize. The balrog grabs Sauron by the neck, the ring is
his. Claiming the ring for his own and putting forth his full power, Sauron is consumed in
flame and his body is once again destroyed. Sauron’s forces are consumed with fear at
seeing their great leader defeated before their eyes. The balrog would be the destroyer his
captain once was - yet greater. In awe and fear, just as they served Sauron, the
orcs of Mordor join the balrog. When the Saruman-influenced army of men arrives,
it is to find not a battlefield of two decimated armies, but a unified force of darkness. The men
of the west fight valiantly to defend the lands of Rohan, and bring great destruction upon
the unmounted orcs. Yet, they are no match for the might of the balrog. Eomer, Theodred,
and all save a couple hundred men are slain. The survivors ride back to Edoras, bringing
word to King Theoden. Realizing everything has gone wrong, Wormtongue abandons
Rohan, riding with all speed to Orthanc, hoping for the protection of Saruman. Eowyn
now aids the king, and they lead their people to Helm’s Deep to prepare for a potential
attack by the orc armies of the balrog. In their care are the wounded from the previous
battle, including a young captain of Gondor. Yet the balrog does not make for Rohan, instead
traveling to the stronghold of his unforeseen ally - Saruman. For his part, Saruman pledges
fealty to this new ultimate power in Middle-earth and seeks to become his chief advisor.
Meanwhile, the Nazgul are dispatched to Mordor, summoning the remainder of Sauron’s armies to
make their great war upon the world of men. Thus the power and might of the balrog wreaks
havoc upon the world. And Middle-earth is engulfed in darkness and flame. The Witch-king
leads the southern armies in a successful siege upon Minas Tirith, crippling the final realm
of men standing in their way. Meanwhile, the balrog and his northern forces travel north
from Isengard, heading toward Rivendell and the last remaining elven ring of power possessed by
Elrond. The power of the balrog only grows in its mastering of the One Ring and it begins
to realize that the complete destruction of Middle-earth is not only within its grasp, but
inevitable. And maybe, with its newfound power, it can destroy the very Door of Night and
summon Morgoth himself back from the void. This is definitely one of the more wild and
crazy theories I’ve had - there just simply isn’t a lot to go off of when it comes to the
balrog possessing the ring. Though, it is a very safe bet that nothing good would come of it.
But now, I turn it over to you - how would you have this scenario play out? And what other “What
ifs” would you like to see here on the channel? *pause* The fires of the balrog have spread throughout
the lands of Gondor and have begun to take the northlands of Eriador. Saruman is for now, safe in
his role as a lieutenant of Durin’s Bane, though if he wishes for any of Middle-earth to be left
for himself to rule, he knows he must act soon. Meanwhile, word has spread to the few remaining
kingdoms left standing - the dwarves of Erebor, the men of Dale, and the elves of Mirkwood.
As they unite and begin debating what to do, a old figure exits the east gate of
Moria. Resurrected, given new power, and risen from the depths of Moria,
Gandalf the White returns to Middle-earth. as always I want to say a huge thank you to
all my patreon and YouTube supporters who make this channel possible Tom de Bombadil
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Debbie if you enjoyed the artwork in this video check out the artists in the description
to purchase prints of their great work for yourself thanks so much for watching and
we'll see you next time on ner of the Rings
