Dread Horseman
Posts: 678
Re: Were Balrogs winged?
I have often wondered whether there was such a controversy in Tolkien's day. Surely Christopher is aware of the controversy.
The optimist in me thinks that perhaps Tolkien never really solidified his conception of Balrogs (e.g., an entire species -- or only seven individuals -- or only three individuals?) and so Christopher has no definitive document, sketch, or painting which remains unpublished.
The pessimist in me senses a sort of resentment that Tolkien's heirs harbor against their father's rabid fans -- fans who have in many ways prevented them from living quiet, anonymous lives -- and wonders if Christopher refrains from settling these kinds of controversies as a sort of vengeful retaliation.
Then there's a part of me that just wonders what's on tv.
Quote:
|
I wonder why it is necessary to dig so deep to find evidence of the possibility of flight and wings.
|
As a pro-winger, and with all due respect, my response is that it's not necessary to dig so deep to find evidence -- only to try to convince non-wingers of the error of their ways.
It seems to me that the non-wing camp's arguments more or less hinge on the "like two vast wings" phrase in "The Bridge of Khazad-dûm". If one accepts the thesis that the wings are metaphorical only (certainly not an unreasonable position), then one can easily convert what appears to be clear evidence to pro-wingers into more metaphors -- "...its wings were spread from wall to wall..." is taken to mean its metaphorical wings; "...flying from Thangorodrim..." is read as "to flee" instead of as "to move in or pass through the air with wings"; "winged speed" is read as "swiftly", or "as if with wings", rather than a more literal reading. To pro-wingers, evidence abounds!
The most significant find in my research of this go-round (to my mind, anyway) is the parallel use of the "like...wings" in the case of the eagle in FotR. If we view this use of the simile followed by the reveal as a curiosity of Tolkien's style, repeated again with the Balrog, then the basis for reading all the other evidence metaphorically is (I think) considerably weakened.
Anyway, I just enjoy the discussion, as always! I expect this argument will reach no definitive conclusion unless CT does publish that secret Balrog sketch in HoME Vol. XXXVII - Leave Us Alone Already!