In the long history of Middle-earth, there have been many creatures and individuals that threatened the world. Among them are the powerful Balrogs. One can see one of them in the films of The Lord of the Rings, but before they became monsters, they were something entirely different.
What are Balrogs, actually? Balrogs are among the most dangerous beings in Middle-earth. As a movie viewer, one sees a Balrog, Durin’s Bane, for the first time in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. In the Elvish language Sindarin, Balrog means Demon of Strength
and this is also reflected in their design.
They are usually depicted as large, humanoid beings imbued with flames. Long before the events of the films, Balrogs existed as servants of Morgoth. However, they were not always such demons. Balrogs were, like Gandalf, once Maiar.
From the very beginning, the Balrogs were a weapon of Morgoth
How did Balrogs come into being? Originally, Balrogs were Maiar. These are beings that were meant to help the Valar shape Arda, the world of The Lord of the Rings. The Valar are directly under Eru Ilúvatar, the god of this world. Among the Valar was also Morgoth, who turned against them.
As a result, he also corrupted a handful of Maiar, turning them into Úmaiar, namely the Balrogs. They were loyal minions of Morgoth who fought for him in many wars and battles.
What happened to the Balrogs? After Morgoth lost his first battle, the Balrogs fled to Angband and awaited, together with Sauron, the return of the dark lord. They fought repeatedly with and for him against his enemies. They were led by the Balrog Gothmog (not to be confused with the orc of the same name). They were, along with orcs and dragons, Morgoth’s fighting force.
At the end of the First Age, the War of Wrath occurred, a final battle in which Elves, Men, Dwarves, and Ainur fought against Morgoth’s armies. Although Morgoth had a powerful army, he lost the battle and was imprisoned.
Most of his allies perished, including the Balrogs. However, at least one was able to survive and flee to the mines of Moria. He slept for thousands of years until he was awakened by the activities of the dwarves in the Third Age. The Balrog awakened and killed Durin the 6th and his son. Hence the name Durin’s Bane
.
After a fierce battle with Gandalf, he was finally defeated.
They were among the most powerful beings in Middle-earth
How powerful were Balrogs? Balrogs were among the strongest beings in Middle-earth, also due to their past as Maiar. From the film, one knows the flaming whip, but from the First Age, it is known that they also used other weapons.
Gothmog, the leader of the Balrogs, used among other things an axe. Additionally, Balrogs in the past also wore helmets and armor.
The example of Durin’s Bane shows how strong a single Balrog was. He was able to drive the dwarves from Khazad-dûm and fought with Gandalf for 8 days, during which Gandalf also died. According to Gandalf, he could even use magic. Another powerful ally of Morgoth was a gigantic spider: An evil creature in The Lord of the Rings terrorized the world of Middle-earth long before Sauron.
