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Balrogs

2009-04-23T04:54:26Z

Crodobottkins:

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{{redirect|Balrog|the [[Durin's Bane|Balrog of Moria]] or [[Balrog (band)|bands named Balrog]]}}
{{race
|image=[[Image:Rob_Alexander_-_The_Balrog_of_Moria.jpg|250px]]
|name=Balrogs
|dominions=
|languages=
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|distinctions=Surrounded by fire, shadow, and fear
|lifespan=Immortal
|members=[[Gothmog (Lord of Balrogs)|Gothmog]], [[Durin's Bane]]
}}{{Pronounce|Balrog.mp3|Ardamir}}
'''Balrogs''', or '''Balrogath''' were menacing creatures about twice the height of a man consisting of fire and shadow. Balrogs induced great terror in all and were among [[Morgoth]]'s most feared minions. The wizard Gandalf fell fighting a Balrog when the Fellowship escaped [[Moria]] in ''[[The Fellowship of the Ring]]''. In the First Age notable Elf Lords [[Ecthelion of the Fountain|Ecthelion]] and [[Glorfindel]] each fell fighting separate Balrogs during the sack of [[Gondolin]].

== History ==
Balrogs were originally [[Maiar]] spirits, of the same order as [[Sauron]] and [[Gandalf|Olórin]] (Gandalf), but they were seduced by [[Morgoth]], who corrupted them to his service in ancient times before the coming of the [[Elves]]. During the [[First Age]], they were among the most feared of Morgoth's servants. When Morgoth's fortress of [[Angband]] was destroyed by the [[Valar]] in the First Age, most Balrogs were destroyed, but some fled and lurked in the pits of Angband or escaped across the [[Blue Mountains]] to eastern [[Middle-earth]]. In the Third Age the Dwarves of [[Khazad-dûm]] unwittingly released a Balrog while mining for ''[[mithril]]'' and were driven out of Moria by the creature. This is the same Balrog that Gandalf ultimately encountered in The Fellowship of the Ring.

The Balrogs were first encountered by Elves during the [[Dagor-nuin-Giliath]] ("Battle under the Stars") in the First Age. After the victory of the [[Noldor|Noldorin Elves]] over Morgoth's [[Orcs]], the Elf Lord [[Fëanor]] pressed on towards Angband, but Balrogs came against him. He was surrounded by Balrogs and fought long before being mortally wounded by [[Gothmog, Lord of Balrogs|Gothmog]], Lord of Balrogs (the only Balrog known by name). Though Feanor's sons fought off the demons of fire, Fëanor died of his wounds soon after, and his spirit departed for the [[Halls of Mandos]].

Just one Balrog appears after the First Age in Tolkien's writings. If Sauron had any in his service during the [[Second Age]] or the [[War of the Ring]], they were never revealed. The sole Balrog described by [[J.R.R. Tolkien|Tolkien]] after the [[War of Wrath]] was [[Durin's Bane]]. It is possible that it was the last Balrog in [[Middle-earth]].

After the last battle of the First Age some Balrogs escaped the [[Valar]]'s wrath and hid deep underground inaccessible at the roots of the earth.

Of the 'few' that remained only one, '[[Durin's Bane]],' was revealed in the process. Thus there may be other Balrogs lurking in Middle-Earth.

== Other versions of the Legendarium ==
In one of Tolkien's early Middle-earth writings, ''[[Lay of the Children of Húrin]]'', "[[Lungorthin]], Lord of Balrogs" is mentioned. It is not, however, certain if it was another name for Gothmog, or it simply meant "a Balrog lord". According to [[Christopher Tolkien]], the latter is more probable, as the name Gothmog was mentioned in the earliest Middle-earth writings, as well as the final version of Tolkien's mythology.

The Balrogs were originally envisioned as being immense in number:
{{quote|The early conception of Balrogs makes them less terrible, and certainly more destructible, than they afterwards became: they existed in 'hundreds' (p. 170), and were slain by [[Tuor]] and the [[Gondolin|Gondothlim]] in large numbers: "thus five fell before Tuor's great axe [[Dramborleg]], three before [[Ecthelion of the Fountain|Ecthelion's]] sword, and two score were slain by the warrior's of the king's house.|''[[The Book of Lost Tales 2]]'', commentary by Christopher Tolkien on "The Fall of Gondolin"}}
{{quote|There came wolves and serpents and there came Balrogs one thousand, and there came Glomund the Father of Dragons.|''[[The Lost Road and Other Writings]]'', ''Quenta Silmarillion'', Chapter 16, §15}}

As the [[legendarium]] became more formidable and internally consistent, and the Balrogs more terrible, this number was much reduced. In the end Tolkien stated that there were probably "at most" seven Balrogs:
{{quote|In the margin my father wrote: 'There should not be supposed more than say 3 or at most 7 ever existed.'|''[[Morgoth's Ring]]'', Section 2 (AAm*): note 50}}

It should however be noted that these texts postdate the published ''The Lord of the Rings'', but predate the materials from which the published ''The Silmarillion'' was drawn. The exact number of Balrogs is therefore very uncertain, but Tolkien's note above seems to have been his final word. However, the number of 3 would require the rewriting of much of ''The Silmarillion'', and even the number of 7 causes conflicts. At least two Balrogs were killed at Gondolin. Others were destroyed during the [[War of Wrath]], and the Balrog that ultimately became Durin's Bane fled from that battle unnoticed. While "thousands" clearly is not according to the author's intent a more probable number, taking into account the writings, is that there were at least a dozen.

==Etymology==
Balrog is [[Sindarin]] for "Demon of Might"; [[bal]] = power; [[rog]] = demon; the [[Quenya]] form is '''''[[Valarauko]]''''' or '''''Valarauco'''''
== Portrayal in Adaptations ==
[[Image:Peter Jackson's Balrog.jpg|thumb|A Balrog as envisioned in [[Peter Jackson's The Fellowship of the Ring]]]]
If adaptations were to be counted as canon, the matter of Balrog wings would be decided.

'''1978: ''[[Ralph Bakshi's The Lord of the Rings]]'':'''
:The Balrog has wings and appears capable of limited flight. The head resembles a lion but the rest of the body was rendered in matte black, a technique commonly used for shadowy surreal effect in rotoscope animation.

'''2001: ''[[Peter Jackson's The Fellowship of the Ring]]'':'''
:Durin's Bane has wings, albeit wings that were purely decorative as the Balrog could not fly. [[Peter Jackson|Jackson]]'s Demon of Might was indistinct, a real blend of shadow and fire. Only its horned head, cloven feet, and clawed hands could clearly be seen.

'''2002: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (video game)|Vivendi's The Fellowship of the Ring]]'':'''
:The Balrog has, once again, wings. The fight sequence, in which the player is Gandalf, takes considerably longer: only after a short fight on the bridge odes Gandalf let it collapse.

'''2002: ''[[Peter Jackson's The Two Towers]]'':'''
:The chase up the [[Endless Stair]] and the slime Balrog were omitted due to budget constraints.

'''2003: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: War of the Ring|Sierra's The War of the Ring]]'':'''
:Balrogs are evil units. They have horns and wings.

'''2007: ''[[The Lord of the Rings Online]]'':'''
:The Balrog is a red demon with wings and horns.

== See Also ==
* [[:Category:Images of Balrogs|Images of Balrogs]]

==References==
<small><references/></small>
== External Links ==
* [http://tolkien.slimy.com/essays/TAB.html The Truth About Balrogs], an essay series by Conrad Dunkerson.

[[Category:Maiar]]
[[Category:Balrogs]]
[[de:Balrog]]
[[fr:encyclo:personnages:ainur:maiar:balrogs]]
[[fi:Balrogit]]

Wizards

2009-04-21T22:05:54Z

Crodobottkins:

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[[Image:Enis Cisic - Gandalf and Frodo.jpg|thumb|''Gandalf and Frodo'' by [[Enis Cisic]].]]{{quote|Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger.|[[Gildor Inglorion]], "[[Three is Company]]"}}

The '''Wizards''' of [[Middle-earth]], also known as the '''[[Istari]]''' in [[Quenya]] and the '''Ithryn''' in [[Sindarin]], were a small group of beings outwardly resembling [[Men]] but possessing much greater physical and mental power.

==History==
They were of the [[Maiar]], spirits of the same order of the [[Valar]], but lesser in power ([[Sauron]] himself was one of the most powerful of the Maiar), sent by the Valar to help and assist the peoples against Sauron. While many were sent out, only five are known to have been sent to the north. Their [[Quenya]] names were [[Curumo]], meaning "Skilled One"; [[Olórin]], meaning "Rememberer", "Dreamer", or "Thinker"; [[Aiwendil]], meaning "Bird-friend"; [[Pallando]] and [[Alatar]].

They came to Middle-earth roughly around the year 1000 of the [[Third Age]]. It seems that each was assigned with a colour for his clothes, white being indicative of the chief. Two of them were blue. It is not known if the colour had a special meaning concerning their rank, abilities or nature.

The wizards already appeared old when they entered Middle-earth. They were deliberately "clothed" in the bodies of old Men, as the Valar wished them to help the inhabitants of Middle-earth by persuasion and encouragement, not by force or fear. However, they aged very slowly and were in fact immortal. Thus, they were, physically speaking, "real" Men, and felt all the urges, pleasures and fears of flesh and blood. While in this form, although immortals by age, their physical form could be destroyed by violence — thus, Gandalf truly dies in the fight with the [[Balrogs|Balrog]], but is "reborn" as his mission is not yet complete.

[[Image:John Howe - Gandalf 01.jpg|thumb|left|''Gandalf'' by [[John Howe]]]]
Very few of Middle-earth's inhabitants knew who the Wizards really were; the Wizards did not share this information. Most thought they were Elves or wise Men (''Gandalf'' represents this interpretation, meaning ''Wand-elf'', because the Men who gave him the nickname believed he was an Elf). They attracted few questions due to their gentle nature and dislike of direct interference with other people's affairs. In spite of their specific and unambiguous goal, the Wizards are nevertheless capable of human feelings; thus [[Gandalf]] feels great affection for the [[Hobbits]]. On the flip side, they could feel negative human emotions like greed, jealousy, and lust for power. It is hinted in the essay in ''[[Unfinished Tales]]'' that the Blue Wizards (see below) may have fallen prey to these temptations.

Two of these, the [[Blue Wizards]], went into the East and do not come into the stories of Middle-earth. Their [[Quenya]] names were Morinehtar, ''Darkness-slayer'' and Romestamo, ''East-helper'', respectively (in ''Unfinished Tales'' their names were Alatar and Pallando). The other three were called [[Saruman]], also known as Curunír; [[Gandalf]], or [[Mithrandir]]; and [[Radagast]].

Saruman originally had the greatest power of the five Istari and was the head of the White Council. In the year 2759 of the Third Age, he was invited by the rulers of Gondor and Rohan to settle in [[Isengard]]. Saruman was learned in the lore of the [[Rings of Power]], gradually becoming corrupted by the desire for the Rings and by Sauron's direct influence on him through the ''[[Palantíri|palantír]]'' of [[Orthanc]]. Eventually he became ensnared in Sauron's power, and assisted him in the War of the Ring until he was defeated by the [[Ents]] and Gandalf, who broke his staff and cast him out of the White Council. Saruman's death came at the hands of his servant [[Wormtongue]] in [[The Shire]], after the destruction of the [[One Ring]].

During the [[War of the Ring]], it was Gandalf who led the Free Peoples to victory over Sauron. He also defeated Saruman. After the destruction of Sauron, Gandalf left Middle-earth and went over the Sea, along with the [[Ring-bearer]]s and many of the Elves.

In the course of ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', it is never made clear what exactly Gandalf and Saruman are (though Treebeard informs Merry and Pippin that they landed in the Grey Havens from across the Great Sea 2,000 years ago, little else is revealed in the narrative). In a certain point, Pippin seems to wonder what his friend Gandalf really was, and notices that it was the first time in his life he did so. The essay given in ''Unfinished Tales'' was originally begun in order to be included in the appendices of ''The Lord of the Rings'', but was not completed in time.

== Etymology ==
Some have objected to ''The Lord of the Rings'' because it features ''wizards'', which can mean a 'caster of spells.' However, Tolkien's Istari were not wizards in that common sense of the word, but rather more like 'wise men' or even 'messengers.' [[J.R.R. Tolkien|Tolkien]], a lifelong philologist and devoted Catholic, deliberately used the word wizard, as it connoted 'wisdom' and conveniently conveyed to the reader the 'other worldly' powers of the characters. These sentiments were best worded by Tolkien himself in the first paragraph of the essay ''The Istari'' in the [[Unfinished Tales]]:

<blockquote>Wizard ''is a translation of Quenya istar (Sindarin ''ithron''): one of the members of an "order" (as they call it), claiming to possess, and exhibiting, eminent knowledge of the history and nature of the World. The translation (through suitable in its relation to "wise" and other ancient words of knowing, similar to that of ''istar'' in Quenya) is not perhaps happy, since ''Heren'' Istarion or "Order of Wizards" was quite distinct from "wizards" and "magicians" of later legend; they belonged solely to the Third Age and then departed, and none save maybe Elrond, Círdan and Galadriel discovered of what kind they were or whence they came.''</blockquote>
{{wizards}}
[[Category:Maiar]]
[[Category:Characters in The Hobbit]]

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