Balrog and The One Ring

[Marwhini]

A few points:

1) Yes... Gandalf was a "Spirit of Fire," akin to Arien, the Maia who guided the Sun through the skies.

So... Gandalf and the Balrog fighting was as siblings fighting, one pure and faithful, the other corrupted, and perverted.

2) We do have an indication of the personalities of the Balrogs.

In the Book of Lost Tales Tolkien indicates that the Balrogs were rather keen on Torture. Throughout the first volumes of The History of Middle-earth this theme returns. Morgoth threatens Húrin with being "given to the tortures of the Balrogs" in the Lays of the Children of Húrin.

The Balrogs are also said to be "Spirits of Fire and Destruction."

Collectively these are akin to the Demons we see Danté describe in his work Inferno; that the Demons charged with the torture and torment of the Damned are essentially akin to the Balrogs. They would be sadistic, chaotic, violent, destructive, malevolent, etc...

But we also have another aspect of their personality that is very well defined:

Their Loyalty to Morgoth.

In Morgoth's Ring, where we have Tolkien giving them their ultimate conception, Tolkien describes them as:

"The first and most Faithful" (With a Capital-F) "of Morgoth's Servants."

And that they are his most Faithful servants date back to their very first conception, where they are Demons Morgoth creates himself (when Tolkien still conceived of the Ainur being able to Create in their own right) to be the backbone and Enforcers of his Dominion.

p. 65 of Morgoth's Ring:

Seeing that all was lost (for that time), he sent forth on a sudden a host of Balrogs, the last of his Servants

So the Balrogs, even knowing that Morgoth was losing, and (at least "for that time) all was Lost, the Balrogs remained by his side, and were the last to fight for his cause in the Battle where he lost his Freedom prior to the First Age.

Later.. It was the Balrogs who rush to his aid when he is taken by Ungoliant, and she throws a web about him, and then sets to crushing him.

p. 165 of Morgoth's Ring

. . . the Balrogs become the chief of 'the evil spirits that followed him . . .

For of the Maiar many were drawn to his splendour in the days of his greatness, and remained in allegiance down into his darkness; and others he corrupted afterwards to his service with lies and treacherous gifts. Dreadful among these spirits were the Valaraurik, the scourges of fire that in Middle-earth were called the Balrogs, demons of terror.

. . . my father emended at this time very hastily to read:

These were the (ëaler) spirits who first adhered to him in the days of his splendor, and became most like him in his corruption: their hearts were of fire, but they were cloaked in darkness, and terror went before them; they had whips of flame. Balrogs they were named by the Noldor in latter days.

And we have many other such quotations to illustrate that the Balrogs were the first of the most powerful of the Maiar to be corrupted/drawn to Melkor, and that they were the most faithful.

They are like unto Holy Warriors for Morgoth (even if there are only Seven of them), or his personal "Knights" (I cannot think of any word other than Arch-Demon or Arch-Fiend).

I imagine they are like the Nazi SS, or Muslim/Fremen Fedaykin (More the former than the latter).

So you would have fiercely loyal, sadistic, violent, dark, fiery, chaotic personalities.

That does give a rather broad domain of Personality, but it is a Foundation from which to work with.


3) What is it that people have with worrying about whether Sauron would be beaten by the Balrog if the Balrog had the One Ring?

Is this some sort of Video Game Concept, where you pit them in a Fighting Video Game, like Street Fighter, Mortal Combat, or Blaze Blu?

Is this like:

Which would win in a fight?

•*The Enterprise, or an Empire Star Destroyer?
• Spock or Legolas?
•*Harry Potter or Gandalf?

Why would the Balrog WANT to fight Sauron (especially given their loyalty and allegiance to Morgoth - see above)?



MB