Balrogs

Quick Facts

Timeline:
Dates:	Entered the World at its beginning; most were destroyed in c. I 583
Race:	Ancient spirits from before the beginning of the World
Division:	Beings seduced to his service by the first Dark Lord
Meaning:	'Demons of power'

Dread Servants of Morgoth

The Balrogs originated as lesser beings of the same kind as Sauron himself. They were primordial spirits of fire that had allied themselves with the first Dark Lord in ancient times, and became the most feared of his servants, especially during the wars of the First Age. Details of their numbers are hard to state with certainty, but there seem to have been relatively few of them - probably no more than seven.

In appearance, the Balrogs were man-like, but fire streamed from them, and they were swathed in dark shadows. They carried whips of flame and induced great terror in friends and foes alike. In the great battle at the end of the First Age, Morgoth was assailed by the forces of the Valar. Most of the Balrogs were destroyed in that war, but some few escaped over the Blue Mountains and hid in Middle-earth. Durin's Bane, the creature that drove the Dwarves from Moria, was one of these.

The Balrogs Before the First Age

The Balrogs were in origin beings of the same order as Sauron or Gandalf. The first Dark Lord corrupted them to his service in the distant past of the World, in the days of his splendour. They were originally gathered by him in his ancient northern fastness during the earliest epoch of the World's history. When this fortress was destroyed by the Valar, at least some fled and lurked in the pits of Angband (whether any of the original Balrogs were slain in the Valar's attack is not known).

Balrogs in the First Age

When Morgoth and Ungoliant escaped from Valinor three ages later with the Silmarils, the Balrogs were still to be found in the ruins of Angband. Ungoliant trapped Morgoth in her webs, demanding the Silmarils for herself, but the Balrogs issued from their hiding-place and rescued their lord.

The Balrogs were apparently first encountered by the Elves during a starlit battle in the years before the first rising of the Sun. After the great victory of the Noldor over Morgoth's Orcs, Fëanor pressed on towards Angband, but the Balrogs came against him, and he was mortally wounded. Though his sons beat off the demons of fire, Fëanor died of his wounds soon after, and his spirit departed for the Halls of Waiting.

The Appearance and Nature of Balrogs

Balrogs were spirits of fire - their hearts were of fire, we are told, and they carried whips of flame. They could, however, shroud themselves in darkness and shadow. The Balrog that Gandalf fought in Moria, for example, at first gave no hint of his fiery nature apart from the flames that issued from his nostrils.