Okay, there are a few things being said in this thread that need some attention.
1. The suggestion that if a Balrog's fire is 'extinguished' by water, he will die:
Quote:
'Long I fell, and he fell with me. His fire was about me. I was burned. Then we plunged into the deep water and all was dark. Cold it was as the tide of death: almost it froze my heart.'
'Thither I came at last, to the uttermost foundations of stone. He was with me still. His fire was quenched, but now he was a thing of slime, stronger than a strangling snake.
'There upon Celebdil was a lonely window in the snow, and before it lay a narrow space, a dizzy eyrie above the mists of the world. The sun shone fiercely there, but all below was wrapped in cloud. Out he sprang, and even as I came behind, he burst into new flame. '
-Gandalf's account of his battle with Durin's Bane
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That seems to put the matter to rest. Not only did the Balrog survive his fire being extinguished, he doesn't seem to have lost any power and he later relit his fire.
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2. Gandalf never actually said 'Swords are of no use here!' that was only in the movie. He only said 'This is a foe beyond any of you.' There is simply not enough information to decide if traditional weapons could harm a Balrog. It might seem unlikely, but then again _if_ a long fall is indeed enough to kill a Balrog, who knows.
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Quote:
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3. It would definitely take more than a mortal man to defeat a Balrog. They were fiery demons from Morgoth's time, and they could only be defeated by something that could match them in strength and power.
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Unless you have text to back this up, please don't state it as a fact, it's only speculation.
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4. Will a long fall kill a Balrog:
Quote:
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"I threw down my enemy, and he fell from the high place and broke the mountain-side where he smote it in his ruin." -Gandalf
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Quote:
"Many are the songs that have been sung of the duel of Glorfindel with the Balrog upon a pinnacle of rock in that high place; and both fell to ruin in the abyss."
-The Silmarilion
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While this seems like good evidence to say yes, a long fall will kill a Balrog, it is still a matter of contention. It simply seems too easy.