Warning! Spoilers for Rings of Power Season 2, Episode 8 ahead!
Prime Video The rings of power Brought back the Balrog from The Lord of the RingsAn ancient creature with a dark history that predates the creation of Middle-earth. The Balrog seen in Khazad-dûm is the same one who will one day face Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the RingBut this monster was not the only one of its kind. There were a handful that terrorized the forces of good in the First Age, but they all went into hiding within the earth after Morgoth’s fall. Unfortunately, Khazad-dûm’s Balrog finally reemerged.
The Balrog in Rings of powerWhat would eventually be named Durin’s Bane was first teased back in season 1. It became clear that if the Dwarves dug for mithril, they would be doomed to awaken the monster and face its wrath. Of course, this is something Lord of the Rings Fans already knew it would come, but the Prime Video series planted the seeds of this event much sooner than expected. Rings of power Season 2 saw King Durin III sacrifice his life to trap the Balrog in the depths again, where it will likely return to its slumber. of course, The story of this animal began a long time before even the events of Rings of power.
Balrogs were originally Maya, long before Lord of the Rings
Balrogs are the same as Sauron, Gandalf, Saruman, Radagast and more
Thousands of years before the events of The Lord of the Rings And The rings of powerThe god of Middle-earth’s world, Eru Iluvatar, created the Ainur, beings that would assist him in creating the universe. Between The Ainur were the demigod-like Valar and very few, the angel-like Maiar. Each Valar had several Maiar to serve as their assistants, and together, they all created and maintained the beautiful features of Middle-earth. However, it wasn’t long before some members of the Ainur got other ideas in their heads about what they wanted to do, and many turned to darker paths.
Some Maiar became Middle-earth wizards, such as Gandalf, Saruman, Radagast and the Blue Wizards. Another was chosen as Morgoth’s lieutenant before he became the next Dark Lord (Sauron, of course). however, A handful of other Maiar became the powerful Balrogs. These are probably those who served as the Maiar to Melkor, the Valar who later became the Dark Lord Morgoth.
Morgoth turned the fallen Maiar into Balrogs and charged them into battle
The Balrogs were among Morgoth’s greatest forces
The Maiar who turned from the Valar and followed Morgoth were eventually transformed into Balrogs. How Morgoth did this is not entirely clear. The villainous Dark Lord has a gift for corrupting beings In new twisted forms since this is what he did to elves, humans, and possibly even the great eagles (with prominent theories suggesting that this was the origin of fallen beasts). A Maiar becoming a Balrog probably had something to do with the level of service they provided Morgoth. Their dedication to evil would have begun as early as the Song of the Ainur, in which they joined Morgoth in singing discordant notes.
They fought in battles and did the Dark Lord’s bidding since he rarely left his fortress.
It is also unclear whether becoming a Balrog was an elective process or if Morgoth forced his Maiar to become the monsters against their will. It is implied that Sauron chose to retain his ability to shapeshiftThat’s why he himself never went through the permanent process. However, the difference here may have been that Sauron was never Morgoth’s Maiar (he served under Aulë). Regardless, the Balrogs served Morgoth well. They fought in battles and did the Dark Lord’s bidding since he rarely left his fortress.
How powerful a Balrog is in the Lord of the Rings mythology
Balrogs are almost impossible to defeat
Balrogs are among the most powerful beings in Middle-earth. The demons of shadow and flame come equipped with flaming swords and whips, which are known to do terrible damage in battle. Still, even without these, Balrogs are a deadly force. They possess strength far beyond that of any orc or troll, and They are almost invisible to attack. Balrogs can also perform spells, which was seen during Gandalf’s battle with Durin’s bane in the Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring book.
Why there is a Balrog in Moria and how long it has been there
How Doreen’s train came to be there
While Morgoth ordered Balrogs to terrorize the beings of Middle-earth in the Second Age, everything changed when the Dark Lord fell. With their master gone, the Balrogs fled to the depths of the earth where they could await Morgoth’s return. The one that would become known as Durin’s train hid under the misty mountains and did not emerge until the third age When the dwarves of Khazad-dum raised him. This happened at the end of the First Age, so about 6,462 years before Frodo and the Fellowship entered Moria The Lord of the Rings.
Of course, Rings of Power has somewhat changed this, adding in an event in which King Durin III awakens the Balrog before sacrificing himself to trap the beast back in again.
The rings of Power is set about 1,500 years into the second era, which means that the Balrog slept under Khazad-dum for about that many years. The fall of Durin’s kingdom happened in the third age 1981, which means that The Balrog was awakened about 5,422 years after hiding there. of course, Rings of power Changed this a bit, adding in an event where King Durin III awakens the Balrog before sacrificing himself to trap the beast back in again.
Were other Balrogs alive in Middle-earth during Lord of the Rings?
Durin’s train is not the only one to survive the first age
Morgoth has a handful of Balrogs under his command, though not all of them are specifically known or named. The Lord of the Balrogs is called Godmog, but he was killed before Morgoth’s fall in the fall of Gondolin (by the eleven-lord Echelion). Another unnamed Balrog was killed by Glorfindel. These are the only ones of Morphoth’s beasts known to have been killed during the First Age, so Durin’s train is not the only one to go into hiding. It can be assumed that, after this significant Lord of the Rings Balrog was killed by Gandalf, Other Balrogs still slept quietly in the deepest caves and caverns of Middle-earth.
No other Balrog was awakened during the events of Rings of power And Lord of the RingsAnd Tolkien never specifically indicated that none would be in the future. However, many years (probably thousands) after the One Ring is destroyed, there is destined to be an apocalyptic event called Dagor Dagorath. Morgoth will return with all his former strength and have a final battle with the Valar. It is assumed that any Balrogs still in slumber would return for this event To fight at their master’s side. Fortunately, they were doomed to lose again – this time for the last time.