Quote:
Originally Posted by obloquy
He may have been, yes. He was not the same type of being, but the gap in potency between the lesser Maiar (the Balrogs are described as such) and the greater Eldar was very narrow--the tiers may even overlap.
I see this claim a lot, but I'm unaware of the references. Maybe you could share which scenarios you're talking about.
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The point i was making is similar to yours
obloquy. Just because the character is of different status or what have you, doesn't make that character confined to achieve only what is deemed possible from an outward perspective. Ecthelion was not as powerful as Gothmog, i see no indication to support the possibility that he was - being that Gothmog was a particularly powerful and potent force within Melkor's ranks, and his alledged son for that matter. Ecthelion was a lord of Gondolin and of the Noldor, not royalty or of the elite echelon, yet he was revered.
We know the lesser Maija and the High Elves have a power not totally unlike the other, we have seen evidence that High Elves can endure physical conflict with the Maija - and it was physical conflict. The emphasis of 'power' in various writings of the encounters between Elf and Maija or Valar is minimal, it takes rather a more hardy standpoint on the physical prowess of those concerned.
A common example of the "seemingly" weaker foe is Glorfindel. You may argue that his status as one of the Elite Eldar gives reason enough for him to triumph over a balrog, a demigod. Who can say they saw it coming that Glorfindel on the impression they had already gained of him would win? I know i thought he was a terrific character, but defeating a Balrog in a 1 Vs1, i may have doubted.