Balrogs - How did the Dwarves find Durin's Bane? Do they have Wings? - LotR Lore

How did the dwarves awake Durin's Bane? Do Balrogs in Lord of the Rings have wings? Today we answer two lore question from the comments in-depth. We also look a bit at their lore, Gandalf's encounter, why they are good at hiding below the earth and how they look in Tolkien's lore.

I hope you enjoy this episode, feel free to post more lore questions in the comments.

Sources:

Books:
The Lord of The Rings (1954-1955) by J. R. R. Tolkien
The Silmarillion (1977) by J. R. R. Tolkien; Editor: Christopher Tolkien
The Hobbit (1937) by J. R. R. Tolkien
The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien (1981) by Humphrey Carpenter and Christopher Tolkien
Unfinished Tales (1980) by J. R. R. Tolkien; Editor: Christopher Tolkien
Morgoth's Ring (1993) by J. R. R. Tolkien; Editor: Christopher Tolkien
The Book of Lost Tales Part Two (1984) by J. R. R. Tolkien; Editor: Christopher Tolkien

Pictures from:
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)
Middle-earth: Shadow of War

The Philosopher's Games / TPhGames / TPhLore

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[curiouscatalyst]

Peter Jackson's take on the Balrog is actually one of my favourite things about his adaption of LOTR. I think it's very clever visual storytelling - by hearkening the Balrog in form back to the medieval devil, those watching the film and engaging with this story for the first time do not need an on screen explanation for what this creature is or stands for; they know it already, can recognise it from their own stories/religion/culture. Given that you can't spend time in a film as you can in a book explaining each detail or backstory, I thought this was a brilliant way of impressing the idea of what a Balrog is on new audiences.

[WarWolfeX]

Man Durin's Bane just wanted to sleep lol

[stonedwookiee]

According to the book, Legolas nearly shit his tights in fear when he saw the Balrog.

[jmitterii]

The movie interpretation of the Belrog in Moria and how they did the coming of a beast was just perfect. Reminds me of many nightmares where there is something after you, and you must run... and whatever it is terrifying... and eventually do see it and it is scary.
Plays on a primal nightmare we all probably have or will have had at some point of our lives.

[alexandercarder]

I would have talked more about the Balrog’s intelligence and his ability to cast spells/use of magic. As much as I loved Peter Jackson’s rendition, I found it missed out on a lot. Gandalf when putting a shutting spell upon the door “felt something enter the room” even though the door was shut. He said that the Orcs fell silent and were afraid. He also said “It laid hold of the iron ring and then it perceived me and my spell. The counter spell was terrible, it almost broke me” it’s one thing being able to cast a spell but it’s on a whole different level to be able to cast a counter spell. That’s highly advanced magic. I was very impressed by Jackson’s Balrog but the more I’ve watched it, I’ve felt it comes across as a little more than a senseless beast of just a far far more powerful with fire magic. Also in the book when the cave trolls throw slabs over the crack to make a gangway, it says the Balrog suddenly raced over it and the fire rose up to greet it. So the book Balrog has great speed as well. But I love how Peter Jackson gave it a real Demon look. And I love Gandalf’s description of it being “A demon from the ancient world” and the noise and light glittering from pillar to pillar.

[PhineasPhule]

As for PJ's Balrog, it was very well done, although I recall thinking 'That beast has the worst case of chili breath I've ever seen', when I saw it open its mouth the first time...

[alexandercarder]

I loved how you drew a comparison between the balrog and Gandalf’s shadows. That was very well said and well observed.

[fiddleback]

Most likely it was diminished in power after Gandalf broke his staff. And thus fell with the bridge being sundered.

[nosaurian]

why did Gandalf's encounter with the Balrog last so long? Gandalf = many fire spells, some fire resistance.
Balrog = fire damage, fire immunity. he had to wait until they were open air and switch to electricity spells to end him

[andydudley]

LETS face it we need a full morgoth battle film

[DanIel-flvc]

The only visuals we've got of maiar spirits at full strength in the movies are Sauron in the prologue and the balrog in Moria. If they had hinted at Gandalf's and Saruman's origin instead of giving them no backstory at all I think some scenes in the movies would be more powerful.

[johns]

If Balrogs had wings they would have found Gondolin several hundred years earlier than it was. I really prefer the description in the books, a flame concealed in shadow, in the shape of a man. I like to think of an angelic looking flame spirit casting a shadow all around it like the "unlight" of Ungoliant. A spirit of fire that casts shadow instead of light. Seems to be a common theme among evil in this universe.

[beanclay]

Gandalf, " You shall not pass!!"

Balrog, "Here's my Hall Pass."

Gandalf, " My bad, sorry. Go ahead."

Lame I know

[lhadzyan]

the Dwarves just happened to awaken the Balrog from his hibbernation state how he was resting waiting for Morgoth´s return and command to action that might happen in the Last Battle, he was awakened and unsettled by mistake. The Balrog, as well the others hidden since the War of the Wrath´s end just used again the tunnels made by the Nameless Things to find proper places to hid themselves and wait there. The Dwarves happened to connect their dwelling tunnels with the ones made by the Nameless Things, which I still consider more fascinating and unsettling than the Balrog, as Gandalf chooses not to talk much about them for getting more fear and depression on his friends, as they were something that might not be able to handle or fight in all - pretty much a Lovecraftian cosmic horror impotence feeling about how smaller the humans might be when confronted by those forces.
They might be linked with the Watcher in the Water too, and might be the original builders of the underground labyrinthic hiddeout of both Angband and Uttumno for Melkor in the first place, as I don´t see him tunnelling the earth properly as the Silmarillion states literally but rather having help to do it indirectly or at his command.

[sharpthecat]

I think of the Balrog wings like the wings of the gargoyles from the ol Disney cartoon. They have them but cannot actually fly with them. Glide, intimidate and use as a cloak is how they used them and I feel that it really does fit with the Balrogs. Like when they rode on the dragons, (and glided off them to do battle). Leaving the wings down (cloaked) and then raising and flexing them to intimadate.

[EmrysMerlin]

So, I do wonder this: what if the extension listed for Gandalf and the Balrog was more a 'revealing' of power/greater form? That is to say, when Gandalf's shadow covered the room, it was actually him exerting enough of his greater power that some physical manifestation of his true being was brought forth. Thus, with the Balrog, it was much the same: the 'wing' like shadow was a revelation of his greater power.

[MichaelNagar]

As for all your videos, (that i just discovered last week), very clear with great attention to details, and great narrative skills! Thanks!

[Lightwish]

Balrogs are one of the most interesting of Tolkien’s creations that is as terrifying as they are sinister. Considering that Balrog’s used to be very powerful soldiers in Morgoth’s grand army of the first age, it truly puts into perspective just how powerful Morgoth must have been in his day. Sauron, a servant of Morgoth was powerful enough on his own also, so with servants as powerful as both Sauron and Balrog’s one can only imagine the incredible powers at the disposal of Morgoth.
After learning as much as I can from your video here on Balrog’s I am going to go and re-study up on your Morgoth video.
Any Valar that can control and make these Maiar their servants has to control energies and powers beyond mortals comprehension. All of this excitement has me pumped up to go study some Morgoth now!

[ThePhilosophersGames]

A bit late for my post, but as always I hope you like it :) Balrogs are also a very interesting topic for me and I get a lot of questions about them. It was also on the vote so I thought I'll just cover this topic next ^^ How do you like the depiction in Peter Jackson's first LotR film?
Have a nice Advent Season and happy holidays :)

[winstonmiller]

Yea balrogs do seem to have wings. But give notice to the narrow place it fell into with Gandalf. Even with wings it would be bounced off jutting rocks. On top of that it was being hacked by Gandalf.
Looking back to the lotr cartoon, balrogs seemeed to have wings, but were depicted as moving with a jirky half glide. This movement gave a more threatening approach to the creature, making it more scary.