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{{short description|Race of evil fire-demons in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth}}
{{about|J. R. R. Tolkien's Balrogs}}
{{good article}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}}
'''Balrogs''' ({{IPAc-en|'|b|ae|l|r|Q|g|audio=LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-balrog.wav}}) are a species of powerful demonic monsters in [[J. R. R. Tolkien]]'s [[Middle-earth]]. One first appeared in print in his [[high-fantasy]] novel ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', where the [[Company of the Ring]] encounter a Balrog known as Durin's Bane in the Mines of [[Moria (Middle-earth)|Moria]]. Balrogs appear also in Tolkien's ''[[The Silmarillion]]'' and [[Tolkien's legendarium|his legendarium]]. Balrogs are tall and menacing beings who can shroud themselves in fire, darkness, and shadow. They are armed with fiery whips "of many thongs",<ref group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1977}} and its early drafts speak frequently of the whips of fire. ''The Lays of Beleriand'' describe [[Morgoth]]'s prisoners tortured by Balrogs with scourges; and the Balrog in Moria (''[[The Fellowship of the Ring]]'', "The Bridge of Khazad-dûm") is armed explicitly with a "whip of many thongs" or strands.</ref> and occasionally use long swords.

In Tolkien's later conception, Balrogs could not be readily vanquished—a certain stature was required by the would-be hero. Only [[Dragons in Middle-earth|dragons]] rivalled their capacity for ferocity and destruction;<ref group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1984b}}, "Turambar and the Foalókë", p.85: "yet of all are they [dragons] the most powerful, save it be the Balrogs only."</ref> during the [[First Age]] of Middle-earth, they were among the most feared of [[Morgoth]]'s forces. Their power came from their nature as [[Maiar]], angelic beings like the Valar, though of lesser power.
Tolkien invented the name "Balrog", providing an in-universe etymology for it as a word in his invented [[Sindarin]] language. He may have gained the idea of a fire demon from his philological study of the Old English word ''[[Sigelwara Land|Sigelwara]]'', which he studied in detail in the 1930s.
Balrogs appear in the film adaptations of ''The Lord of the Rings'' by [[Ralph Bakshi]] and [[Peter Jackson]], in the streaming series ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power|The Rings of Power]]'', and in [[Middle-earth in video games|computer and video games based on Middle-earth]].

==Context==
{{further|Tolkien's monsters#Fallen angels}}

According to the mythology in ''[[The Silmarillion]]'', the evil [[Vala (Middle-earth)|Vala]] [[Morgoth|Melkor]], later called "Morgoth", corrupted lesser [[Maia (Middle-earth)|Maiar]] (angelic beings) to his service, as Balrogs, in the days of his splendour before the making of [[Arda (Middle-earth)|Arda]].<ref name="The Silmarillion p. 31" group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1977}}, "Valaquenta"</ref><ref name="Of the Coming of the Elves" group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1977}}, ch. 3 "Of the Coming of the Elves and the Captivity of Melkor"</ref> After the awakening of the [[Elf (Middle-earth)|Elves]], the Valar captured Melkor and destroyed his fortresses Utumno and [[Angband (Middle-earth)|Angband]]. But they overlooked the deepest pits, where, with many of Melkor's other allies, the Balrogs fled into hiding.  When Melkor returned to Middle-earth from [[Valinor]], he was attacked by the evil giant spider [[Ungoliant]]; his scream drew the Balrogs out of hiding to his rescue.<ref name="Of the Coming of the Elves" group=T/>

== Characteristics ==

[[File:Gandalf fighting the Balrog on the bridge of Khazad-dûm.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Gandalf]] fighting the Balrog on the [[bridge of Khazad-dûm]]. [[Scraperboard]] illustration by [[Alexander Korotich]], 1981 ]]

Tolkien's conception of Balrogs changed over time. In all his early writing, they are numerous. A host of a thousand is mentioned in the ''[[The Silmarillion#Quenta Silmarillion|Quenta Silmarillion]]'',<ref group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1987}}, p. 312, "there came Balrogs one thousand".</ref> while at the storming of [[Gondolin]] Balrogs in the hundreds ride on the backs of the [[Dragons (Middle-earth)|Dragons]].<ref group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1984b}}, p. 170.</ref> They are roughly of twice<ref group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1984b}}, p. 194: "... it pierced the Balrog's belly nigh his own face (for that demon was double his stature) ...". For comparison, other Maiar are of human size: Olórin ([[Gandalf]]), [[Melian (Middle-earth)|Melian]]. In {{harvnb|Tolkien|1993}}, p.69, a note by Tolkien states: "The Valar.... most often used shapes of 'human' form, though taller (''not'' gigantic) and more magnificent."</ref> human size,<ref group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1989}}, p. 197.</ref> and were rarely killed in battle.<ref group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1984b}}, p.179 "the number of Balrogs that perished was a marvel and a dread to the hosts of Melkor, for ere that day never had any of the Balrogs been slain by the hand of Elves or Men."</ref>  They were fierce demons, associated with fire, armed with fiery whips of many thongs and claws like steel, and Morgoth delighted in using them to torture his captives.<ref group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1984b}}, p. 169.</ref>

In the published version of ''The Lord of the Rings'', however, Balrogs became altogether more sinister and more powerful. [[Christopher Tolkien]] notes the difference, saying that in earlier versions they were "less terrible and certainly more destructible". He quotes a very late marginal note<ref group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1993}}, p.80.</ref> that was not incorporated into the text saying "at most seven" ever existed;<ref group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1984b}}, "The Fall of Gondolin", pp. 212–213.</ref> though in the ''[[Annals of Aman]]'', written as late as 1958, Melkor still commands "a host of Balrogs".<ref group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1993}}, pp. 75, 79</ref> In later writings they ceased to be creatures, but are instead [[Maia (Middle-earth)|Maiar]], lesser [[Ainur (Middle-earth)|Ainur]] like Gandalf or [[Sauron]], spirits of fire whom Melkor had corrupted before the creation of the World.<ref name="The Silmarillion p. 31" group=T/> Power of the order of Gandalf's was necessary to destroy them, as when Gandalf at the [[Bridge of Khazad-dûm]] tells the others "This is a foe beyond any of you."<ref name="Bridge of Khazad-dûm" group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1954a}}, book 2, ch. 5 "The Bridge of Khazad-dûm"</ref>

As Maiar, only the physical form of a Balrog could be destroyed. Tolkien says of the Valar and the Maiar that they can change their shape at will, and move ''unclad in the raiment of the world'', meaning invisible and without form.<ref group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1977}}, "[[Ainulindalë]]", p. 21.</ref> But it seems that Morgoth, Sauron, and their associated Maiar could lose this ability: Morgoth, for example, was unable to heal his burns from the [[Silmaril]]s or wounds from [[Fingolfin]] and the eagle Thorondor;<ref group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1977}} ch. 18 "Of the Ruin of Beleriand and the Fall of Fingolfin"</ref> and Sauron lost his ability to assume a fair-seeming form after his physical body was destroyed in the downfall of [[Númenor]].<ref group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1955}}, Appendix A, Part I, Section (i).</ref>

Tolkien does not address this specifically for Balrogs, though in his later conception, as at the Bridge of Khazad-dûm, the Balrog appears "like a great shadow, in the middle of which was a dark form, of man-shape maybe, yet greater". Though previously the Balrog had entered the "large square chamber" of Mazarbul, at the Bridge of Khazad-dûm it "drew itself to a great height, and its wings spread from wall to wall" in the vast hall.<ref name="Bridge of Khazad-dûm" group=T/>
The Balrog's size and shape, therefore, are not given precisely. When Gandalf threw it from the peak of [[Zirakzigil]], the Balrog "broke the mountain-side where he smote it in his ruin".<ref name="White Rider" group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1954}}, book 3, ch. 5 "The White Rider"</ref> 
Whether Balrogs had wings (and if so, whether they could fly) is unclear.<ref name="Abbott 1989"/> This is due both to Tolkien's changing conception of Balrogs, and to the [[Tolkien's ambiguity|imprecise but suggestive and possibly figurative]] description of the Balrog that confronted Gandalf.<ref name="Bridge of Khazad-dûm" group=T/>

The Balrog of Moria used a [[flaming sword (mythology)|flaming sword]] ("From out of the shadow a red sword leapt flaming") and a many-thonged whip that "whined and cracked" in its battle with Gandalf. In ''[[The Silmarillion]]'', they also used black axes and maces.<ref group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1977}}, "Of the Fifth Battle", pp. 193-4.</ref> Earlier writings also speak of steel claws and iron mail.<ref group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1984b}}, pp. 169, 181, 194.</ref>

In earlier drafts of ''The Lord of the Rings'', some further indications of Tolkien's evolving conceptions appear, as when

{{blockquote|A figure strode to the fissure, no more than man-high yet terror seemed to go before it. They could see the furnace-fire of its eyes from afar; its arms were very long; it had a red [?tongue].<ref name="Treason Bridge" group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1989}}, "The Bridge", pp. 197-198</ref>}}

At this writing Tolkien contemplated an edict of the Valar concerning Balrogs, having Gandalf challenge the Balrog by saying "It is forbidden for any Balrog to come beneath the sky since Fionwë{{efn|Eönwë in later versions}} son of Manwë overthrew [[Thangorodrim]]."<ref name="Treason Bridge" group=T/>

==Individual Balrogs==

===Gothmog===
[[File:GOTHMOG-1 (detail).jpg|thumb|upright=1.25|''Gothmog at the Storming of Gondolin''.<ref group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1984b}}, "The Fall of Gondolin": "… seven dragons of fire are come with Orcs about them and Balrogs upon them …"</ref> Artwork by [[Tom Loback]] ]]

Gothmog is developed in successive versions of ''[[Silmarillion]]'' material. He is physically massive and strong, and in one version he is some 12 feet tall.<ref group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1984b}}, p. 194: "... it pierced the Balrog's belly nigh his own face (for that demon was double his stature) ..."</ref> He wields a black axe and whip of flame as his weapons. He holds the titles of the Lord of the Balrogs, the High Captain of [[Angband (Middle-earth)|Angband]], and Marshal of the Hosts. In the Second Battle, [[Dagor-nuin-Giliath]], he leads a force that ambushes [[Fëanor]] and wounds him mortally.<ref group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1977}}, ch. 13 "Of the Return of the Noldor"</ref> He leads Balrogs, [[Orc (Middle-earth)|Orc]]-hosts, and Dragons as Morgoth's commander in the field in the Fifth Battle, Nírnaeth Arnoediad, and slays Fingon, High King of the [[Noldor]]. In that same battle, he captures [[Húrin]] of Dor-lómin, who had slain his personal guard of Battle-[[Troll (Middle-earth)|trolls]], and brings him to Angband.<ref group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1977}}, ch. 20, "Of the Fifth Battle: Nirnaeth Arnoediad"</ref> As Marshal of the Hosts, he is in command of the Storming of [[Gondolin]]. He is about to kill [[Tuor]] when Ecthelion of the Fountain, a Noldorin Elf-lord, intervenes. Gothmog fights Ecthelion in single combat, and they kill each other.<ref group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1977}}, ch. 23, "Of Tuor and the Fall of Gondolin"</ref>

In ''[[The Book of Lost Tales]]'', Tolkien describes ''Kosomot'', the original version of Gothmog, as a son of Morgoth and the ogress Fluithuin or Ulbandi.<ref group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1984}}, Part I, p. 93.</ref> ''Gothmog'' is Sindarin for "Dread Oppressor".<ref group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1987}}, "The Etymologies", p. 359, 372.</ref> ''Kosomot'' is often considered Gothmog's Quenya name;<ref group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1984b}}, p. 216.</ref>  however, in the Quenya name-list of ''The Fall of Gondolin'' another version appears, ''Kosomoko''.<ref group=T>''[[Parma Eldalamberon]]'', No. 15, p.26, the 'Name List to The Fall of Gondolin'.</ref>

In Tolkien's early ''[[The Lays of Beleriand|Lay of the Children of Húrin]]'' is "Lungorthin, Lord of Balrogs". This might be another name for Gothmog, though [[Christopher Tolkien]] thought it more likely that Lungorthin was simply "a Balrog lord".<ref group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1985}}, p. 102.</ref>

===Durin's Bane===
[[File:Durin's Bane.jpg|thumb|Durin's Bane, the Balrog in Moria. Artwork by Markus Röncke. ]]

This Balrog appears in ''The Lord of the Rings'', encountered by the [[Company of the Ring]] in the [[Moria (Middle-earth)|Mines of Moria]].<ref name="Abbott 1989">{{cite journal |last=Abbott |first=Joe |title=Tolkien's Monsters: Concept and Function in The Lord of the Rings (Part 1) The Balrog of Khazad-dum |journal=[[Mythlore]] |date=1989 |volume=16 |issue=1 |pages=19–33 |url=https://dc.swosu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2658&context=mythlore}}</ref> It survived the defeat of [[Morgoth]] in the [[War of Wrath]], escaping to hide beneath the [[Misty Mountains]].<ref name="AppADurin" group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1955}}, Appendix A (III).</ref> For more than five millennia, the Balrog remained in its deep hiding place at the roots of [[Caradhras]],<ref group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1954a}}, book 2, ch. 4 "A Journey in the Dark"</ref> one of the Mountains of [[Moria (Middle-earth)|Moria]], until in the [[Third Age]], the ''[[mithril]]''-miners of the [[Dwarf (Middle-earth)|Dwarf]]-kingdom of Khazad-dûm disturbed it. The Balrog killed [[Durin VI]], the Dwarf-King of Khazad-dûm, whereafter it was called Durin's Bane by the Dwarves.<ref name="AppADurin" group=T/><ref name="AppB" group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1955}}, Appendix B, "The Tale of Years", "The Third Age" entry for 1980.</ref> [[Avarice]], principally for ''mithril'', drove the dwarves to go too deep and awaken the Balrog.<ref>{{cite thesis |last=Higham |first=Steve |title=Ideology in The Lord of the Rings: a Marxist Analysis |date=2012 |publisher=[[University of Sunderland]] (doctoral thesis) |page=151 |url=http://sure.sunderland.ac.uk/id/eprint/3552/|type=doctoral }}</ref>

The Dwarves attempted to fight the Balrog, but its power was far too great for them. In their efforts to hold Khazad-dûm against it, many Dwarves were killed: Durin's successor Náin ruled for only a year. The survivors were forced to flee. This disaster reached the [[Silvan Elves]] of [[Lothlórien]], many of whom fled the "Nameless Terror".<ref name="AppADurin" group=T/> From this time Khazad-dûm was known as [[Moria (Middle-earth)#Names|''Moria'']], [[Sindarin]] for "Black Pit" or "Black Chasm".<ref group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1954a}}, book 2, ch. 3 "The Ring Goes South"</ref><ref group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1955}}, Appendix F, Part II</ref>

For another 500 years, Moria was left to the Balrog; though according to ''[[Unfinished Tales]]'', Orcs crept in soon after the Dwarves were driven out, leading to Nimrodel's flight.<ref group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1980}}, "The Tale of Galadriel and Celeborn", p. 241.</ref> [[Sauron]] began to put his plans for war into effect, and he sent [[Orc (Middle-earth)|Orcs]] and [[Troll (Middle-earth)|Trolls]] to the Misty Mountains to bar the passes.<ref name="AppB" group=T/>

During the reign of [[Thráin II]], the Dwarves attempted to retake Moria in the War of the Dwarves and Orcs, culminating in the Battle of Azanulbizar before the eastern gate of Moria. This was a victory for the Dwarves, but the Balrog prevented them from reoccupying Moria. [[Dáin II Ironfoot]], having slain the Orc Azog near the gate, perceived the terror of the Balrog within<ref name="AppADurin" group=T/> and warned Thráin that Moria was unachievable until some greater force could remove the Balrog. The Dwarves departed and resumed their exile. Despite Dáin's warning, [[Balin (Middle-earth)|Balin]] made another attempt to retake Moria.<ref name="AppB" group=T/> His party managed to start a colony, but was massacred a few years later.<ref name="Bridge of Khazad-dûm" group=T/>

The Fellowship of the Ring travelled through Moria on the quest to destroy the [[One Ring]] in [[Mount Doom]]. They were attacked in the Chamber of Mazarbul by Orcs.<ref name="Bridge of Khazad-dûm" group=T /> The Fellowship fled through a side door, but when the wizard [[Gandalf the Grey]] tried to place a "shutting spell" on the door to block the pursuit behind them, the Balrog entered the chamber on the other side and cast a "terrible" counterspell. Gandalf spoke a word of Command to stay the door, but the door shattered and the chamber collapsed. Gandalf was weakened by this encounter. The company fled with him, but the Orcs and the Balrog, taking a different route, caught up with them at the [[Moria (Middle-earth)#Durin's Bridge|Bridge of Khazad-dûm]]. The Elf [[Legolas]] instantly recognized the Balrog and Gandalf tried to hold the bridge against it. As Gandalf faced the Balrog, he proclaimed, "You <!-- Note: the book's text has "cannot" -->cannot<!-- not "shall not" (more movie cruft) --> pass, flame of [[Utumno|Udûn]]!", and broke the bridge beneath the Balrog. As it fell, the Balrog wrapped its whip about Gandalf's knees, dragging him to the brink. As the Fellowship looked on in horror, Gandalf cried <!-- do not edit this quote: it is directly from the book -->"Fly<!--"Fly", not "Run"; "Run" is movie cruft-->, you fools!" and plunged into the darkness below.<ref name="Bridge of Khazad-dûm" group=T/>

After a long fall, the two crashed into a deep subterranean lake, which extinguished the flames of the Balrog's body; however it remained "a thing of slime, stronger than a strangling snake". They fought in the water; the Balrog clutched at Gandalf to strangle him, and Gandalf hewed the Balrog with [[Glamdring|his sword]], until finally the Balrog fled into the primordial tunnels of Moria's underworld. Gandalf pursued the monster for eight days, until they climbed to the peak of [[Zirakzigil]], where the Balrog was forced to turn and fight, its body erupting into new flame. Here they fought for two days and nights. In the end, the Balrog was defeated and cast down, breaking the mountainside where it fell "in ruin".<ref name="White Rider" group=T/> Gandalf himself died shortly afterwards, but he returned to Middle-earth with greater powers, as ''Gandalf the White'', "until his task was finished". Critics such as Jerram Barrs have recognised this as a [[Transfiguration of Jesus|transfiguration similar to that of Jesus Christ]], suggesting [[Christianity in Middle-earth#Christ figures|Gandalf's prophet-like status]].<ref name="Barrs2013">{{cite book |last=Barrs |first=Jerram |title=Echoes of Eden: Reflections on Christianity, Literature, and the Arts |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kx2CkUmuxmkC&pg=PA123 |year=2013 |publisher=[[Good News Publishers|Crossway]] |isbn=978-1-4335-3600-7 |page=123}}</ref>

The critic Clive Tolley notes that the contest between Gandalf and the Balrog on Durin's bridge somewhat recalls a [[shaman]]istic contest, but that a far closer parallel is medieval vision literature, giving the example of ''[[St Patrick's Purgatory]]'', and even [[Dante]]'s ''[[Divine Comedy]]''.<ref>{{cite web |last=Tolley |first=Clive |title=Old English influence on The Lord of the Rings |url=http://catalogue.pearsoned.co.uk/assets/hip/gb/uploads/M02_NORT6036_02_SE_C02.pdf |publisher=[[Pearson Education]] |access-date=10 January 2020 |page=55 |archive-date=17 May 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170517070743/http://catalogue.pearsoned.co.uk/assets/hip/gb/uploads/M02_NORT6036_02_SE_C02.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== In-universe origins==

The name "Balrog", but not the meaning, emerges early in Tolkien's work: it appears in ''[[The Fall of Gondolin]]'', one of the earliest texts Tolkien wrote, around 1918. Tolkien began a poem in [[alliterative verse]] about the battle of Glorfindel with the Balrog in that text, where both were killed by falling into the abyss, just like Gandalf and the Balrog in ''The Lord of the Rings''.<ref name="Abbott 1989"/>

An early list of names described ''Balrog'' as "an Orc-word with no pure equivalent in [[Languages constructed by J. R. R. Tolkien|Tolkien's invented language]] of [[Quenya]]: 'borrowed Malaroko-'&nbsp;".<ref group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1987}}, p. 404.</ref> 
In Gnomish (another of Tolkien's invented languages), ''Balrog'' is parsed as ''balc'' 'cruel' + ''graug'' 'demon', with a Quenya equivalent ''Malkarauke''. Variant forms of the latter include ''Nalkarauke'' and ''Valkarauke''.<ref group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1984}}, Part I, Appendix: Names in ''[[The Book of Lost Tales]]'', p. 250.</ref>
By the 1940s, when Tolkien began writing ''The Lord of the Rings'', he had come to think of Balrog as [[Noldorin]] ''balch'' 'cruel' + ''rhaug'' 'demon', with a Quenya equivalent ''Malarauko'' (from ''nwalya-'' 'to torture' + ''rauko'' 'demon').<ref group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1987}}, "[[The Etymologies (Tolkien)|The Etymologies]]", entries for ÑGWAL (p. 377) and RUK (p. 384).</ref> 
The last [[etymology]], appearing in the invented languages [[Quendi and Eldar]], derives ''Balrog'' as the [[Sindarin]] translation of the Quenya form ''Valarauko'' (Demon of Might). This etymology was published in ''The Silmarillion''.<ref name='SilEntry' group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1977}}, Index, p. 353.</ref><ref group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1993}}, "Annals of Aman",  Section 2.</ref>
Gandalf on the bridge of Khazad-dûm calls the Balrog "flame of Udûn" ( the Sindarin name of Morgoth's fortress ''[[Utumno]]'').<ref name="Bridge of Khazad-dûm" group=T/>

== Real-world origins ==

=== ''Sigelwara'' ===

{{#tag:imagemap|
File:Tolkien's Sigelwara Etymologies.svg{{!}}thumb{{!}}upright=1.7{{!}}right{{!}}Imagemap with clickable links. Tolkien's ''[[Sigelwara Land|Sigelwara]]'' etymologies, leading to major strands of [[Tolkien's legendarium|his Legendarium]] including Balrogs and also the [[Silmaril]]s and [[Harad]]rim.<ref name="Sigelwara Land" group=T/>{{sfn|Shippey|2005|pp=48–49}} 

rect  10  10  170  200 [[Silmaril]]
<!--rect 300  10  500  200 [[Balrog]]-->
rect 700  10  890  200 [[Harad]]

rect 250 200  650  350 [[Sigelwara Land]]
rect 650 200  900  350 [[Aethiopia]]

rect  10  400  400  500 [[Sól (Germanic mythology)]]<!-- same as Sigel -->
rect 500  400  890  500 [[hearth]]

rect  10  510  200  665 [[sowilō]] <!-- Sun-rule -->
rect 210  510  450  665 [[Seal (emblem)|seal]] <!-- ''Sigillum'' -->

rect  10   10  900  675 [[commons:File:Tolkien's Sigelwara Etymologies.svg]]
}}

Tolkien was a professional [[philologist]], a scholar of comparative and historical [[linguistics]].<ref group=T>{{harvnb|Carpenter|2023|loc=#165 to [[Houghton Mifflin]], 30 June 1955 }}</ref> The Balrog and other concepts in his writings derived from the Old English word ''Sigelwara'', used in texts such as the ''[[Codex Junius]]'' to mean "Aethiopian".<ref name="Exodus">{{cite web |title=Junius 11 "Exodus" ll. 68-88 |url=http://mcllibrary.org/Junius/exodus.html |publisher=The Medieval & Classical Literature Library |access-date=1 February 2020}}</ref>{{sfn|Shippey|2005|p=54}} He wondered why the Anglo-Saxons would have had a word with this meaning, conjecturing that it had formerly had a different meaning. He [[Emendation (textual)|emended]] the word to ''Sigelhearwan'', and in his essay "[[Sigelwara Land]]",<ref name="Sigelwara Land" group=T>[[J. R. R. Tolkien|Tolkien, J. R. R.]], "[[Sigelwara Land]]" [https://www.jstor.org/stable/43625831 ''Medium Aevum'' Vol. 1, No. 3. December 1932] and [https://www.jstor.org/stable/43625895 ''Medium Aevum'' Vol. 3, No. 2. June 1934.]</ref> explored in detail the two parts of the word. He stated that ''Sigel'' meant "both ''sun'' and ''jewel''", the former as it was the name of the Sun [[rune]] [[*sowilō]] (ᛋ), the latter connotation from [[Latin]] ''sigillum'', a [[Seal (emblem)|seal]].{{sfn|Shippey|2005|pp=48-49}} He decided that ''Hearwa'' was related to Old English ''heorð'', "[[hearth]]", and ultimately to Latin ''carbo'', "soot". He suggested from all this that ''Sigelhearwan'' implied "rather the sons of [[Muspelheim|Muspell]] than of [[Hamitic|Ham]]",{{efn|Tolkien meant that the ''Sigelhearwan'' were not just dark-skinned but also fiery.}} a class of demons in Northern mythology "with red-hot eyes that emitted sparks and faces black as soot".<ref name="Sigelwara Land" group=T/> The Tolkien scholar [[Tom Shippey]] states that this both "helped to naturalise the Balrog" and contributed to the [[Silmaril]]s, which combined the nature of the sun and jewels.{{sfn|Shippey|2005|pp=49, 54, 63}} The Aethiopians suggested to Tolkien the [[Harad]]rim, a dark southern race of men.<ref name="CT Sigelwara Land" group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1989}}, ch. 25, pp. 435, 439 note 4 (comments by [[Christopher Tolkien]])</ref>{{sfn|Lee|Solopova|2016|pp=66–67}}

=== Old Norse, Old English ===

A real-world etymological counterpart for the word "Balrog" existed long before Tolkien's languages, in [[Norse mythology]]; an epithet of the [[Norse god]] [[Odin]] was ''Báleygr'', "fire-eyed".<ref>''[[Grímnismál]]'', stanzas 46-48</ref>

Joe Abbott, writing in ''[[Mythlore]]'', notes that the Old Norse ''[[Voluspa]]'' mentions that the fire-demon [[Surt (mythology)|Surt]] carries both a sword and a ''sviga laevi'', a deadly whipping-stick or switch; he suggests that it is "a short step" from that to the Balrog's flaming whip.<ref name="Abbott 1989"/> Abbott makes a connection, too, with the ''Beowulf'' poet's account of the monster [[Grendel]]: he notes that Tolkien wrote that Grendel was "physical enough in form and power, but vaguely felt as belonging to a different order of being, one allied to the malevolent 'ghosts' of the dead", and compares this with Aragorn's description of the Balrog as "both a shadow and a flame, strong and terrible".<ref name="Abbott 1989"/>

=== Moria and the Battle of Maldon ===
{{further|The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth Beorhthelm's Son}}

Tolkien felt acutely the error made by the English commander, the [[ealdorman]] [[Byrhtnoth]], at the [[Battle of Maldon]], allowing the [[Vikings]] to step ashore and win the battle. Alexander Bruce, in ''Mythlore'', comments that Tolkien may have used Gandalf's battle with the Balrog on the narrow bridge in Moria to "correct the behavior of the self-serving Byrhtnoth through the actions of the self-less Gandalf".<ref name="Bruce 2007">{{cite journal |last=Bruce |first=Alexander M. |year=2007 |title=Maldon and Moria: On Byrhtnoth, Gandalf, and Heroism in The Lord of the Rings |journal=Mythlore |volume=26 |issue=1 |at=Article 11 |url=https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore/vol26/iss1/11}}</ref> Bruce notes that the Tolkien scholar [[Janet Brennan Croft]] also contrasts the two leaders.<ref name="Bruce 2007"/><ref>{{cite book |last=Croft |first=Janet Brennan |author-link=Janet Brennan Croft |title=War and the Works of J.R.R. Tolkien |publisher=[[Praeger Paperback|Praeger]] |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-31332-592-2 |pages=93–94}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto;"
|+  Alexander Bruce's comparison of Gandalf's stand in Moria with Byrhtnoth's action in the Battle of Maldon<ref name="Bruce 2007"/>
|- 
! Leader !! Encounter !! Action !! Result 
|-
| [[Byrhtnoth]] || [[Battle of Maldon]] || Allows [[Viking]] enemy across causeway || Army defeated, Byrhtnoth killed, English pay [[Danegeld]] tribute
|-
| [[Gandalf]] || [[Bridge of Khazad-dûm]] || Holds the bridge against the Balrog || Both Gandalf and the Balrog fall into the abyss. The [[Fellowship of the Ring (characters)|Fellowship]] escape.
|}

=== The fall of Gondolin and the fall of Troy ===
{{further|The Fall of Gondolin}}

There are multiple parallels between the ''Fall of Gondolin'' and the fall of [[Troy]], as told in the ''[[Iliad]]'', but again the tales differ. The Elf Ecthelion leads the charge against the Orcs, and fights Gothmog, the greatest Balrog; they wound each other and both fall into the king's fountain in Gondolin; both drown. Bruce compares this to how [[Aeneas]] rallies the Trojans, but fails, and sees king [[Priam]] perish.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Bruce |first=Alexander M. |year=2012 |title=The Fall of Gondolin and the Fall of Troy: Tolkien and Book II of The Aeneid |journal=[[Mythlore]] |volume=30 |issue=3 |at=Article 7 |url=https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore/vol30/iss3/7}}</ref>

== Adaptations ==

[[File:Balrog500ppx.png|thumb|upright=1.35|The Balrog in Peter Jackson's ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring]]'' set the standard for later representations.<ref name="Bogstad Kaveny 2011"/>]]

The Balrog in [[Ralph Bakshi]]'s 1978 animated version was named Durin's Bane and had large wings like those of a bat.<ref name="Bogstad Kaveny 2011">{{cite book |last=Fimi |first=Dimitra |author-link=Dimitra Fimi |chapter=Filming Folklore |editor-last1=Bogstad |editor-first1=Janice M. |editor-last2=Kaveny |editor-first2=Philip E. |title=[[Picturing Tolkien]] |year=2011 |publisher=[[McFarland & Company|McFarland]] |isbn=978-0-7864-8473-7 |page=86}}</ref> [[Peter Jackson]]'s 2001 and 2002 films ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring|The Fellowship of the Ring]]'' and ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers|The Two Towers]]'' had similar wings, expressing its "satanic, demonic nature".<ref name="Bogstad Kaveny 2011"/> Earlier artists such as [[Ted Nasmith]] had depicted Balrogs without wings; Jackson's films used the design of Tolkien illustrator [[John Howe (illustrator)|John Howe]], making wings standard, in the same way that Jackson has made pointed ears standard for elves.<ref name="Bogstad Kaveny 2011"/> A Balrog appears in ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power]]'', with a similar visual design to Jackson's monster.<ref>{{Cite web |date=23 September 2022 |title='The Rings of Power' Episode 5 Just Revealed a New Balrog Origin Story |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/09/lord-of-the-rings-balrog |access-date=2 October 2022 |website=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]}}</ref>

Balrogs appear in [[Middle-earth in video games|Middle-earth computer and video games]] and merchandise. In the [[real-time strategy]] game ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth]]'', and its [[The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II|sequel]], both based on Jackson's movies, the Balrog can use its wings, although only in short leaps. In the [[role-playing game]] ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age]]'', also based on the Jackson movies, the Balrog uses its wings to fly into the air, and comes crashing down, sending a damaging shockwave of flames at the player. In another game based on Jackson's movies, ''[[The Lord of the Rings: Conquest]]'', the Balrog is a playable hero.<ref>{{cite web |last=Gewirtz |first=Eric |url=http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2008/05/08/28812-what-is-the-lord-of-the-rings-conquest-pandemic-studios-eric-%e2%80%9cgiz%e2%80%9d-gewirtz-tells-us-about-it/ |title=What is "The Lord of the Rings: Conquest"? |date=8 May 2008 |access-date=11 September 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=Chris |last=Roper |url=http://pc.ign.com/articles/872/872405p1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080512040859/http://pc.ign.com/articles/872/872405p1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=12 May 2008 |title=The Lord of the Rings: Conquest Unveiled |website=[[IGN]]|publisher=[[j2 Global]] |date=8 May 2008 |access-date=18 March 2019}}</ref>

A Balrog features in [[King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard]]'s 2017 album ''[[Murder of the Universe]]'' (2017) as a giant reanimated monster. Songwriter Stu Mackenzie explained: "It might not be the Balrog from Middle Earth, but he is a sort of fire demon."<ref>{{cite web |first=Justin |last=Joffe |url=https://observer.com/2017/04/king-gizzard-and-the-lizard-wizard-interview/ |title= King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard Expand Their Universe by Murdering Ours |website=[[The New York Observer|Observer]] |publisher=[[j2 Global]] |date=12 April 2017 |access-date=13 December 2019}}</ref>

Early ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'' books featured Balrogs among other Middle-earth characters like [[Hobbit]]s and [[Ent]]s; after a lawsuit brought by the [[Tolkien Estate]], these Tolkien-specific names were changed, the Balrogs becoming Balor, after the [[Balor|one-eyed monster of Irish mythology]].<ref name="Baird 2020">{{cite web |last1=Baird |first1=Scott |title=Lord Of The Rings' Complicated Legal History With Dungeons & Dragons |url=https://screenrant.com/lord-rings-dungeons-dragons-dnd-race-controversy-lawsuit/ |publisher=ScreenRant |access-date=23 March 2021 |date=2 May 2020}}</ref>

== In culture ==

{{further|List of things named after J. R. R. Tolkien and his works}}
<!--please do not duplicate any part of the list here-->

A now-defunct fantasy writing prize, the [[Balrog Award]], was named after the monsters.<ref>{{cite web |title=Balrog Awards |url=http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Balrog.html |website=Locus |access-date=26 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111016205602/http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Balrog.html |archive-date=16 October 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The Japanese anime series ''[[Restaurant to Another World]]'' introduces a Balrog as a butler; this Balrog is described as polite.<ref>{{cite web |title=Balrog |url=https://www.anime-planet.com/characters/balrog-restaurant-to-another-world |website=Anime Planet |access-date=21 September 2022}}</ref> A character simply named "Balrog" appears as an [[antagonist]] in the [[Indie game]] ''[[Cave Story]]''. It has no similarities to the one  in [[The Lord of the Rings]] rather being an [[Anthropomorphism|anthropomorphic]] bar of soap, according to the [[Daisuke Amaya|developer]].<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=yg4giMTRK1atJe5l&t=203&v=w8XINfralSE&feature=youtu.be |title=[NC US] Cave Story - Developer's Voice |date=2010-03-15 |last=NintenDaanNC |access-date=2025-03-08 |via=YouTube}}</ref>
<!--Anything here must be sourced to [[WP:RS|Reliable Secondary Sources]] like scholarly journal articles, published books, or national newspapers.-->

== Notes ==

{{notelist}}

== References ==

=== Primary ===

{{reflist|group=T|24em}}

=== Secondary ===

{{reflist|24em}}

=== Sources ===

* {{ME-ref|Letters}}   <!--Carpenter 2023 [1981}-->
* {{cite book |last1=Lee |first1=Stuart D. |author-link=Stuart D. Lee |last2=Solopova |first2=Elizabeth |author2-link=Elizabeth Solopova |title=The Keys of Middle-earth: Discovering Medieval Literature Through the Fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=foEYDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA66 |year=2016 |publisher=[[Palgrave Macmillan]] |isbn=978-1-137-45470-6}}>
* {{ME-ref|ROAD}}      <!--Shippey 2005-->
* {{ME-ref|FOTR}}
* {{ME-ref|TT}}
* {{ME-ref|ROTK}}
* {{ME-ref|Silmarillion}}
* {{ME-ref|UT}}
* {{ME-ref|BoLT}}
* {{ME-ref|BoLT2}}
* {{ME-ref|LB}}
* {{ME-ref|LROW}}
* {{ME-ref|Treason}}
* {{ME-ref|MR}}

{{Middle-earth}}
{{The Lord of the Rings}}

[[Category:Middle-earth Maiar]]
[[Category:Fictional demons]]
[[Category:Literary characters introduced in 1954]]
[[Category:Middle-earth monsters]]

[[de:Figuren in Tolkiens Welt#Balrogs]]