* * Revised Fall of Gondolin pt.4 -- >end [the remaining sections] * * - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Aiwendil · 10-13-2003, 09:38 PM

I've just finished examining the Last Writings as well as the evolution of Balrogs through HoMe in general. The alteration of "Balrog" to "Demon" in Glorfindel II is certainly interesting, but it's quite hard to know what to make of it. This is the only place where such a change is found; but then references to Balrogs are sparse in the post-LotR writings and, as far as I can tell, this is the only reference later than 1960.

The point is that without any contemporary texts to help us out, it is nearly impossible to guess what the significance of the change was. Perhaps it is as Olorin suggests, and "Demon" was meant to represent a more general class of beings than "Balrog". Or perhaps it is exactly the opposite - perhaps he had decided to resolve the conflict between the old balrogs and the new by calling the newer, more powerful conception "Demons". Or perhaps he simply decided he liked the way "Demon" sounds better than "Balrog". I actually tend to think that Olorin's answer is slightly more likely, but the point is that we don't know what lay behind the change. Moreover, we don't have any idea what specific steps would have been taken to carry out the change. So, as intriguing as this emendation is, I think that we simply can't apply it.

10-13-2003, 09:38 PM	#14
Aiwendil Late Istar Join Date: Mar 2001 Posts: 2,224	I've just finished examining the Last Writings as well as the evolution of Balrogs through HoMe in general. The alteration of "Balrog" to "Demon" in Glorfindel II is certainly interesting, but it's quite hard to know what to make of it. This is the only place where such a change is found; but then references to Balrogs are sparse in the post-LotR writings and, as far as I can tell, this is the only reference later than 1960. The point is that without any contemporary texts to help us out, it is nearly impossible to guess what the significance of the change was. Perhaps it is as Olorin suggests, and "Demon" was meant to represent a more general class of beings than "Balrog". Or perhaps it is exactly the opposite - perhaps he had decided to resolve the conflict between the old balrogs and the new by calling the newer, more powerful conception "Demons". Or perhaps he simply decided he liked the way "Demon" sounds better than "Balrog". I actually tend to think that Olorin's answer is slightly more likely, but the point is that we don't know what lay behind the change. Moreover, we don't have any idea what specific steps would have been taken to carry out the change. So, as intriguing as this emendation is, I think that we simply can't apply it.