Varda's Wilwarin: that's quite all right, don't worry about it. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] That which we love makes us vulnerable, particularly when the forum is new. Hope things are going better for you.
Dwarin: I'm sure the balrog WOULD have flown out, except his 'wings' were ... no! I'm going to WITHHOLD my counter-argument from you! Hahahaha! [img]smilies/evil.gif[/img]
Yes, I tend to go with those who think that Gandalf slid right over because he was attached to a whip attached to a Balrog in freefall. I don't think Gandalf deliberately let go to sacrifice himself. macaroni, welcome to the Downs, enjoy being dead! I agree with you.
Mithuial and Neferchoirwen, I agree it was a dramatic scene in the movie, but I think it was too stretched out, long enough for us to feel like the company (at least Aragorn) could have pulled Gandalf out --not the impression I got from the book. I think we're meant to think he went over too quickly for anyone to help; the editing just wasn't tight enough to convey that-- it was a huge moviemaking endeavor after all. Considering that, it's not surprising if the timing slipped a little.
Gandalf wasn't guaranteed that he'd come back and help; as far as he knew, getting killed put him out of the quest and out of Middle Earth and he was going to end up wandering Valinor obsessing about whether all his friends had gotten themselves killed or captured and begging Manwe to tell him the news. (I'm not clear on whether everyone there could see Middle Earth, but I'm sure the Valar could, the Silmarillion talks about the far-seeing ability of the Valinor being inflicted on Hurin so he could see how Morgoth (and fate and bad judgement) were tormenting his family.)
Being out of the quest and unable to help in Middle Earth would have driven Gandalf as nuts as it is possible for a law-abiding and spiritually advanced Maia to be. Gandalf made his sacrifice when he decided to stay on the bridge and stop the Balrog: he knew that that would almost certainly cost him his life, although he hoped of course he'd be able to kill it and escape. In the First Age, everyone who killed a Balrog (a select group of Elven-lords and Gandalf) died in the process; that's what Gandalf realistically expected to happen. He just accepted that he had to do his duty by the company, and if it cost him his life, he'd have to accept it; he was sworn to use his power in a limited way and if he broke his word he'd quite likely corrupt himself into becoming another Saruman or Sauron. That's another question: if Gandalf went wrong, would he be more dangerous than Saruman or Sauron? I think yes-- he was more energetic than Saruman, cleverer than Saruman (if less patient and skilled in craft), and he was much, much braver than Sauron.
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