Do Balrogs Have Wings?

[Folwren]

davem did a good job pointing out all the 'likes' in the books and proving that points, but Morsul wasn't hoping to disprove the like in that sentence, rather the two.

Originally posted by Morsul the Dark:
like two vast wings

you use like to support your argument why would tolkien say like

but heres the other half of the sentence:

like two vast wings

why use the word two...this implies that the shadow spread out from him in two directions. not in all directions why would they only go in two directions unless they were wings?

Quite frankly, in my opinion, I think he said 'like two vast wings' simply because it sounds better than 'like wings'. Part of what makes a writer good is being able to add description that will raise emotion from the reader in the parts that need it. Tolkien's trying to show this thing that's over here absolutely terrifying Gimli and Legolas and he's a chance to explain it's shadow in comparing it to wings. What's more, he can make it even more impressive by adding the word 'vast'. But wings come in pairs, and 'vast' needs to have something to hang onto, so he adds the 'two'.

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Chances are. all these thoughts about doors being able to be wedged closed with broken bits of weaponry, small openings, and a huge Balrog being able or not able to fit through it, probably didn't even occur to Tolkien. Why should they? Who do you know (personally or otherwise) that ever wrote stuff that was able to be torn apart, word by word, and proved one way or another? I think Tolkien wanted a big Balrog, but he didn't think as far as, 'is it going to be able to go through that door in the that chamber?'

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Originally posted by The Saucepan Man:
Ah, there we are! As it draws itself up to a great height (hmm, how high is great?), it flexes its actual wings and they are no longer obscured by the wing-like shadow.

I knew it'd be only a matter of time until someone found that quote and started using it. But it still doesn't make sense to me.