Balrogs vs Dragons

[Bêthberry]

Originally Posted by Mister Underhill

I've known a dragon-lady or two, and seen a pint-sized Kimodo dragon or three at the zoo, but if Tolkien-esque dragons are still around, they're doing a pretty good job of keeping it on the down-low. What good is it to be the last man standing if you have to hide out at the root of some mountain or other? I'd say it's a push here in the present day.

Well, isn't there the possibility that hobbits are hanging out in their smials, hiding from the Big Folk, still? And I seem to recall Mithadan once arguing that at least some elves stayed behind and made it into the Fourth Age, in addition to the sons of Elrond.

I'd say the good would be the potential for more stories--and that's a good I'm sure Tolkien wouldn't resist.

[Mister Underhill]

Well feh -- who needs to be concerned about a little thing like survival for there to be stories? Look how well dinosaurs have made out over the years. Dragons arguably have the slight edge on that "survival" scale, though Balrogs (the rightly interpreted winged kind) haven't done too shabbily either.

[Bergil]

in my opinion, dragons have more raw power, but are weak defensively and vulnerable to stealth. Balrogs are weaker, but it takes many good hits to take them down, so stealth is useless.

not that I'd like to take on either alone.

[Boromir88]

in my opinion, dragons have more raw power, but are weak defensively and vulnerable to stealth. Balrogs are weaker, but it takes many good hits to take them down, so stealth is useless.

Actually Balrogs were quite agile. They aren't the big lumbering, bulky, beasts that Jackson portrays. Tolkien describes them as about the size of a man, or greater (so 6-8 feet?) and they were quite agile...

It came to the edge of the fire and the light faded as if a cloud had bent over it. Then with a rush it leaped across the fissure.~Bridge of Khazad-dum

Then later as Gandalf tells us.

In that despair my enemy was my only hope, and I pursued him, clutching at his heel...
"From the lowest dungeon to the highest peak it climbed, ascending in unbroken spiral in many thousand steps, until it issued at last in Durin's Tower carved in the living rock of Zirakzigil, the pinnacle of the Silvertine."~The White Rider

So, when the Balrog does flee from Gandalf he was able to "outrun" him, until he reached the top that is.

If you have read the Silmarillion, and read about Gothmog's battles. He slew Fingon with his axe, he slew Feanor, he bounded up Hurin and dragged him away. Then his fight with Echthelion, which is told in a another tale, that I have not read yet.

[Eonwe]

dragons vs. balrogs, eh? well, in the tales of dragons, they are usually more free agents, sort of. they seem to kind of do as the please, at least more so than balrogs. also, maybe that is why stealth doesn't work on balrogs: they are always holed up on a tower or on the field in a huge battle, whereas dragons make themselves comfy on a pile of someone's gold in a deep cavern somewhere by themselves. it is interesting to note, thought, that dragons very precise senses of hearing and smell (Bilbo and smaug episode), so they seem to have some defenses against stealth.

other than that, there is the obvious difference in flight capabilities.

[Bergil]

where, exaxctly did I say they were slow?

[Boromir88]

You didn't say they were slow, but you did say...

Balrogs are weaker, but it takes many good hits to take them down, so stealth is useless.

Which makes it seem like they didn't have stealth.