Balrogs

The Balrogs, or Valaraukar (singular Valarauko, Quenya for "Demon of power"),Parf Edhllen - valarauko were three to seven Maiar seduced and corrupted by Morgoth into his service, turning into dreadful Úmaiar and scourges of fire cloaked in shadow., Valaquenta: "Of the Maiar" It is unknown whether or not they had wings.
== History ==
=== Origins ===
Originally, the Balrogs were Maiar (lesser spirits serving Valar) that were persuaded by Melkor's might and splendor to join his cause, and corrupted by him into Úmaiar. Their first dwelling was in Utumno, the great fortress of the Iron Mountains, but after their master's defeat during the Battle of the Powers, the Balrogs and other creatures in Melkor's service escaped to Angband and hibernated there., Quenta Silmarillion, Ch. III: "Of the Coming of the Elves and the Captivity of Melkor"
=== First Age ===
==== Years of the Trees ====
The Balrogs were present as early as the Years of the Trees when Melkor and Ungoliant destroyed the Two Trees of Valinor. By then, the Balrogs remained in the pits of Angband. After Morgoth fled Valinor with Ungoliant, he came to Lammoth near the ruins of Angband to renew his rule in Middle-earth. A disagreement with Ungoliant led to her attacking him, and Morgoth gave out a great cry that roused the Balrogs from their slumber. In a tempest of fire, they came and drove Ungoliant away, prepared to pursue her. However, they were halted by Morgoth and returned to Angband, which shortly thereafter was constructed anew., Quenta Silmarillion, Ch. IX: "Of the Flight of the Ñoldor"
==== Years of the Sun ====
When the Ñoldor won the battle Dagor-nuin-Giliath, Fëanor furiously pressed on toward Angband. He came even within sight of Angband, but was ambushed by the Balrogs with few Ñoldor around him. Soon he stood alone, but long he fought on with the Balrogs alone as mightiest all the Children of Iluvatar, even though he was wrapped in fire and wounded with many wounds. But finally Gothmog, the first Lord of Balrogs, felled and mortally wounded Fëanor, and his sons bore him away.
Maedhros, Fëanor's son, persuaded the forces of Morgoth for a feigned treaty, but Morgoth sent the Balrogs. The entire company was slain, except for Maedhros, who was taken to Angband., Quenta Silmarillion, Ch. XIII: "Of the Return of the Noldor"
Years later, during the Dagor Bragollach, the Balrogs, along with the Dragon Glaurung and an army of Orcs, issued forth from Angband to assault the fortresses of the Elves and to kill their allies, the Edain., Quenta Silmarillion, Ch. XVIII: "Of the Ruin of Beleriand and the Fall of Fingolfin" According to one account, Morgoth's chief agent, Sauron, led a "host of Balrogs" to conquer the Elvish isle of Tol Sirion in the battle's aftermath., Vol. V: , "Quenta Silmarillion"
The Balrogs fought in the Nírnaeth Arnoediad, where Gothmog led the invasion. He threw aside Húrin and Turgon, turned upon Fingon and killed him with the help of the second Balrog-lord named Lungorthin, securing the field for Morgoth's forces. He also captured Húrin, after Húrin was buried under a mountain of slain foes. He bound the human warrior and delivered him to Angband, whereupon Morgoth attempted unsuccessfully to pry the location of Gondolin from him,, Quenta Silmarillion, Ch. XX: "Of the Fifth Battle: Nirnaeth Arnoediad" even despite torture by Lungorthin.
In FA 510, on the day of the Fall of Gondolin, the Balrogs rode upon the backs of dragons to reach the hidden city. The Lord of the House of the Fountain, Ecthelion, managed to kill Gothmog at the cost of his own life. While attempting to escape the burning city, Glorfindel and his companions were blocked by a Balrog. To save Tuor, Idril and their young son Eärendil, Glorfindel fought the Balrog on a cliff and cast it down, but he was pulled down with it to their deaths., Quenta Silmarillion, Ch. XXIII: "Of Tuor and the Fall of Gondolin"
The remaining Balrogs fought in the War of Wrath. While most were destroyed, at least one managed to escape and hide in deep caverns far away., Quenta Silmarillion, Ch. XXIV: "Of the Voyage of Eärendil and the War of Wrath"
=== Second Age ===
In the Second Age, Sauron gathered "all the evil things of the days of Morgoth that remained on earth and beneath it", starting the Accursed Years, however no Balrogs are explicitly mentioned as being active at this time.
=== Third Age ===
In TA 1980, the Balrog who fled the War of Wrath awoke beneath Khazad-dûm, roused by the Dwarves' mining for mithril or "by the malice of Sauron". It drove the Dwarves out of their home and slew the king at the time, Durin VI; this Balrog was thereafter called "Durin's Bane". Its presence made way for Sauron's creatures to infest the mines, while preventing Durin's Folk from reclaiming Moria., Appendix A: Annals of the Kings and Rulers, III: Durin's Folk
During the War of the Ring, the Fellowship of the Ring passed through Moria and encountered Durin's Bane, which pursued them to the Bridge of Khazad-dûm. Gandalf the Grey fought the Balrog, allowing the Fellowship to escape Moria., , Book Two, Ch. V: "The Bridge of Khazad-dûm" Both fell into the abyss, but the battle continued at the peak of Zirakzigil. The duel between the two Ainur ended with the Balrog's death. While Gandalf also died, he was later "sent back" by the Valar, as Gandalf the White., , Book Three, Ch. V: "The White Rider"
== Known Balrogs ==
*Gothmog - the first Lord of the Balrogs and High-captain of Angband; slain by Ecthelion during the Fall of Gondolin.
*Lungorthin - The second Lord of Balrogs and Gothmog's right-hand; died at some point before or during the War of Wrath.
*Durin's Bane - awakened in the Third Age; slain by Gandalf at the peak of Zirakzigil.
== Appearance ==
The Balrogs generally had the form of menacing beings roughly humanoid in shape, at least twice the height of Men or Elves, and seemed to consist of or be surrounded by smoke and flame., Vol. II: The Book of Lost Tales Part Two, III: "The Fall of Gondolin" The Balrogs encapsulated or projected power and terror before them, perhaps meant to be a mockery of the majesty that the Valar radiate. Additionally, Tolkien refers to the Balrogs having hearts of fire, tongues like red stabbing blades, yellow eyes that glowed like furnaces, and long arms tipped with steel claws. They had hair described as streaming manes, which could be kindled to cause a blaze behind it., Vol. III: , III: "The Lay of Leithian"
It is disputed whether or not the Balrogs had wings, but Tolkien's only allusion to wings is that, in , dark shadows "like two vast wings" appeared behind Durin's Bane at the Bridge of Khazad-dûm., , pg. 330 Durin's Bane, and the two Balrogs at the Fall of Gondolin each fell helplessly down from high places with no aerial recovery.
== Powers & abilities ==
The Balrogs were exceptionally powerful creatures. It took at least three or at most seven Balrogs to drive away Ungoliant, a large spider powerful enough to devour the fruits of Telperion (the "Silver Tree of Valinor"), which produced the light for billions of stars., Quenta Silmarillion, Ch. III, Of the Coming of the Elves and the Captivity of Melkor
They wielded swords coated in ever-burning fire, maces that appeared molten, and flaming whips that whistled with many thongs, while being attired with helms and armor made of iron. Gothmog, the Lord of Balrogs in the First Age, used a great black axe in battle, and Dúrin's Bane possessed a flaming whip and a molten sword. He managed to expell the Dwarves of Khazad-dûm from their ancient and supremely fortified home, which was the greatest kingdom of Dwarves that had ever been. He also contended with the wizard Gandalf, and each killed the other.
The Balrogs were fast and agile, able to leap or run vast distances in a short span of time. Their passing is once even described as a "tempest of fire".
Gothmog fought against and overcame Fëanor, an Elf who was considered the mightiest of the Children of Ilúvatar. Another, in the same battle, also spread chaos through Gondolin, a city filled with Elves of great power.
== Etymology ==
In Sindarin, the word Balrog means "Demon of Might",, Index of Names from the words bal ("power") and raug, rog ("demon")., Vol. V: , Part Three: "The Etymologies" Balrogs are called Valarauko or ValaraukarAlso spelled Valarauco and Valaraucar in Quenya, from the words vala ("power") and rauco ("demon").Parma Eldalamberon 17, "Words, Phrases and Passages in Various Tongues in The Lord of the Rings"
== In other versions ==
In earlier drafts, Balrog is derived from ñgwalaraukô ("demon").
== Background ==
In Tolkien's later writings, he noted that there were no more than three or seven Balrogs., Vol. XI: The War of the Jewels, Part One: The Grey Annals, Notes
In an early draft, there was a Lord of Balrogs named Lungorthin. According to Christopher Tolkien, it is likely that Lungorthin is not another name for Gothmog, as the name Gothmog was mentioned in the earliest Middle-earth writings, as well as the final version of Tolkien's mythology., Vol. III: , I: "The Lay of the Children of Húrin"
Initially, the Balrogs were far less menacing in size, while being described as immense in numbers:
In later writings, however, Christopher Tolkien notes that:
== In adaptations ==
=== Video games ===
*A parody of the Balrog of Moria, "the balhog", appears in the 1985 adventure game Bored of the Rings, loosely inspired by the "ballhog" in the 1969 parody Bored of the Rings.
*"The Balrog" is a computer-controlled character in MUME ("Multi-Users in Middle-earth") residing in Khazad-dûm. Currently, it is the toughest foe in the game, and players that beat it can loot the greatest spoils available.
*The Balrog is a final boss in the 1994 SNES game J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Volume 1 that the player has to defeat before exiting the Mines of Moria and to the end of the game.
*The Balrog is a boss character in and video games, on Game Boy Advance, and . In the latter, the Balrog is fought by Gandalf on the player's side, and becomes a usable hero for the duration of the battle.
*In the video games and , the Balrog is summonable as a Power option of the Goblin faction and Mordor, costing 25 power-points. The Balrog's appearance and abilities directly reference the rendition of Durin's Bane in the films.
* The Balrog appears in , resembling the movie version.
*Two Balrogs appear in : Thaurlach, located deep within the Rift of Nurz Ghashu in Angmar, and Durin's Bane, encountered several times in visions and flashback sequences, first during introduction "quests" to Moria. Its remains are located at Moria's peak. An illusion of Durin's Bane is encountered in the Ost Dunhoth Instance Raid, and the true version is encountered in The Fall of Khazad-dûm, another Instance Raid.
*In , players can play as Gandalf and fight the Balrog. The Balrog is also an enemy in LEGO Dimensions.
*The Balrog is a playable hero in , in Mission 4 - The Mines of Moria and Mission 7- The Shire (Evil Campaign).
* A Balrog named Tar Goroth appears in the game as a boss. He is fought in multiple stages, and meets his end frozen in a lake by Carnán. Though he is almost resurrected by the Uruk necromancer Zog, Talion and Celebrimbor manage to stop him.
== Gallery ==
== Trivia ==
*Some fans of the Doom series claim that the Balrog of the movies looks similar to a cross between the Maledict and Cyberdemon from Doom 3, inheriting similar wings to the former and a similar overall shape to the latter.
*A demonic monster in the popular 2D side-scrolling game Maplestory, bears many similar qualities and characteristics, and thus many believe the monster was represented on behalf of the fictitious one depicted in the Tolkien series.
*A certain antagonist in the MMORPG Wartune, Merloch, is identical exactly to a Balrog, save for an additional two horns.
*A demon in Dungeon Hunter: Alliance called the "Cremator" has the same head and fiery presence as a Balrog, but without wings.
*Many fans claim that the Balrog inspired Games Workshop's Bloodthirster in Warhammer, which is known as the Greater Daemon of Khorne.
**In the 1st Edition of Warhammer Fantasy, the Balrog itself was used as a type of Greater Daemon in the lore. However, as Warhammer Fantasy became more mainstream, the Balrog was changed likely for copyright reasons, first being changed to a different type of Greater Daemon known as a Baalrûkh, then seemingly being abandoned entirely.
*The main antagonist of Prince of Persia: Warrior Within, the Dahaka, strongly resembles the book rendition of Balrog (bigger than man but not a giant; seemingly comprised of shadow), but has one horn bent downward and one upward, and it does not have wings.
*The Balor from Dungeons and Dragons is clearly based on the Balrog. 
**In early editions of the game, it was in fact referred to as the Balrog. The name was changed due to copyright claims made by the Tolkien Estate.
*The hero named Hellbringer from the MOBA game Heroes of Newerth can summon Malphas, whose appearance is very similar to the cinematic rendering of the Balrog.
*War, the first horseman and main playable character from the game Darksiders, has a chaos form that looks very similar to Durin's Bane.
*"Balrog" was the name of a masked Spaniard who made his debut as the second boss in the original Japanese version of Street Fighter II. However, when the game was localized in the United States, the game's first boss, M. Bison, had his name changed out of fear of a lawsuit from boxer Mike Tyson. As a result, the character "Balrog" was changed to have the name of the game's final boss, Vega. The boxer M. Bison became known as Balrog, and the final boss Vega became known as M. Bison.
*In the manga and anime series Saint Seiya, Balrog Rune (or Balron Lune) is a servant of Hades clad in armor modeled after Tolkien's monster.
*The Juggernaut and its upgrade the Ravager in Heroes VI, also resembles the Balrog's looks, especially the head region. Whether this is on purpose or just a coincidence is not known.
*The boss Fyrus from Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess bears a slight resemblance to the Balrog, in its height and black, fiery form.
*The form of the character Chaos in Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy, Feral Chaos ("Desperado Chaos" in the Japanese version), bore a strong resemblance to the Balrog (particularly its depiction in Peter Jackson's ) due to his being massive, demonic, possessing horns, and being constantly wreathed in flame.
*Various monsters from the Diablo game franchise are visually similar to the Balrog.
*In Devil May Cry 5, one of the weapons Dante has access to is named Balrog, which uses the element of fire. A character named Balrog is also present in the Devil May Cry 5: Before the Nightmare manga, being a fire-based demon who is defeated by Dante, which grants him the weapon. In an interview with the developers, it was stated that the name of Balrog is a reference to the character present in Street Fighter.GAME Watch - 「デビル メイ クライ 5」、「ダンテ」の武器や戦闘システムが明らかに
*A Balrog (named "Firelord Balrog") appears in the game The Legend of the Cryptids as a playable card.
*In Kingdom Rush: Origins, Godieth and Shadow Champions, main antagonists of the game's Forgotten Treasures mini-campaign, are inspired by Balrogs. Somewhat similar to Durin's Bane, they were awakened from their slumber by dwarves who dug too deep while mining and unwittingly stumbled upon their resting place somewhere in the underground. Godieth's flavor text described him having some serious jealousy issues against his 'more famous' big brother, who is arguably his inspiration Durin's Bane.
== Translations ==
Foreign Language 	Translated name
Amharic 	ባልሮግ (Balrogs)
ቫላራኩራ (Valaraukar)
Arabic 	بالروجس
Armenian 	Բալրոգ
Belarusian Cyrillic	Балрог (Balrogs)
Валараукар (Valaraukar)
Bengali 	বল্রোগ
Bulgarian Cyrillic 	Балрог
Catalan 	Bàlrogs (Balrogs)
Valaràucar (Valaraukar)
Chinese 	炎魔
Georgian 	ბალროგი (Balrogs)
ვალარაუკარი (Valaraukar)
Greek 	Βαλρογ
Gujarati 	બલ્રોગ
Hebrew 	(Balrogs) באלרוגים
(Valaraukar) ואלאראוקאר
Hindi 	बल्रोग
Japanese 	バルログ (Balrogs)
ヴァララウカール (Valaraukar)
Kannada 	ಬಾಲ್ರೋಗ್ಸ್
Kazakh 	Балрог (Cyrillic) Balrog (Latin)
Korean 	발록
Kyrgyz Cyrillic 	Балрог
Macedonian Cyrillic	Балрог
Marathi 	बल्रोग
Mongolian Cyrillic 	Балрог
Nepalese 	बल्रोग
Pashto 	بالروګ
Persian 	بالروگ
Polish 	Balrogowie
Punjabi 	ਬਾਲਰੋਗ
Russian 	Балроги (Balrogs)
Валараукар (Valaraukar)
Sanskrit 	बल्रोग्
Serbian 	Балрог (Cyrillic) Balrog (Latin)
Sinhalese 	බල්‍රොග්
Tajik Cyrillic 	Балрог
Tamil 	பால்ராஹ்
Telugu 	బల్రొగ
Thai 	บัลร็อกส์ (Balrogs)
วาลาเราคาร์ (Valaraukar)
Ukrainian Cyrillic 	Балроґ
Urdu 	بالروگ
Uzbek 	Балрог (Cyrillic) Balrog (Latin)
Yiddish 	באַלראָג
== References ==
== External links ==
*The Truth About Balrogs essay series by Conrad Dunkerson
*
Category:Ainur
Category:Balrogs
Category:Demons
Category:Evil
Category:Maiar
Category:Organizations
Category:Races
Category:Servants of Morgoth
Category:Sindarin names & words
Category:Villains
ca:Bàlrog
de:Balrog
es:Balrogs
fr:Balrogs
he:באלרוגים
it:Balrog
pl:Balrogowie
ru:Балроги