Today’s video is brought to you by Lord of Maps,
creators of some of the most fantastic maps you’ll find anywhere. Be sure to stick around
after the video for an exclusive discount code 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 NERDOFMAPS to save 15% off your order!
Visit LordofMaps.com to check out their great 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.