Chapter 18: "On the ruin of Beleriand and the fall of Fingolfin"

[Earniel]

Originally Posted by Alcuin

Eärniel, my copy at hand reads the same as yours. It does not make sense, unless there were “rivers” of fire (lava, perhaps: Thangorodrim does sound rather volcanic, as was Orodruin in Sauron’s Mordor), between which Glaurung, the Balrogs, and the orcs attacked. It has nothing to do with native speaking: it appears to be self-contradictory upon examination.

Well, I'm not sure the Thangordrim was actively volcanic. Orodruin certainly was, since it was essentially Sauron's forge. And the nearby Iron Mountains potentially had volcanoes of a kind because they at least once spout fire. But Thangorodrim is described in chapter 14 as a mountainside being raised by piling giant heaps of slag and ash from underground furnaces, as well as dirt and rock from excavations, on it. It doesn't quite sound as a bonafide volcano. Although there must have still been rigid enough mountainfaces to hang Maedhros from. There are often issuing giant clouds and smoke from Thangorodrim but fire or eruptions from the peaks are not mentioned as far as I remember. I don't think the smoke was a by-product of an active volcano, I'd say the smoke is deliberate made, to hide himself and his minions from the glare of the Sun, which they couldn't stand.

I am unfamiliar with the textual history of this passage. If it came from a single set of writing, then JRRT must have overlooked the contradiction, since they are in two different if adjoining paragraphs. If stitched together from different source documents, that would be an editing oversight.

I suspect this might be the case. It is perhaps possible that Tolkien intended several different fire bursts and that as the first one died down, the armies with Glaurung and the Balrogs passed at the front of the second (slower) wave and that distinction was perhaps lost in the editing process. But I also like your explanation of conflicting reports of survivors. It does sound like a harrowing and dreadful event.

If the movement of the fire is preternatural but otherwise merely fire, there is no problem with Orcs and the like tromping across the burned ground behind it. If it is lava, then it must be “rivers” of fire, because there is a problem with anything other than (perhaps) dragons and Balrogs wading around in it.

Lava doesn't quite moves as fast. Pyroclastic flows (burning clouds of ash and hot air) would travel fast enough across the plain to catch all those Elves unaware and kindle their homes and forests. (But I am unaware if the concept was known in Tolkien's time and a quick googling doesn't yield answers.)

But rather I have a hunch that the fire was here not meant to be a natural phenomenon. Personally I suspect that Tolkien's war experiences play a bigger part than natural science and that the Sudden Flame is an invented weapon of war. Napalm comes to mind, but is a WWII invention, but they did use incendary bombs in WWI. Of all the battles Tolkien wrote, the Dagor Bragollach does come closest to the battelfields and horrors of WWI.

Since Balrogs are embodied, I think in Tolkien’s world they could be unhoused by lava – they can be killed by getting thrown off mountains (by both Gandalf and Glorfindel). If Balrogs can be destroyed by swimming or wading in lava, that begs the question whether dragons could survive it, either, despite P. Jackson’s Smaug surviving molten gold poured over him.

Going by the account in LoTR of the Balrog in Moria, he doesn't seem quite disturbed by being wreathed in fire. His mane was kindled and the lower levels of Moria were aflame, it would make sense the Balrog likes them to be thus. So likely their body is much more like the 'rainment' the Valar and Maiar clothed them in, then the bodies of the Children of Illúvatar or the Istari. Their bodies wouldn't be flesh and could very well be imperivious to flame. They carry flaming swords after all.

But unlike the Valar, their rainment seems to be one of a kind. Mmmh, it's a bit confusing all the same just what a Balrog's body could stand.

Still, wading through molten rock, even if it does nothing to you, will slow you down either way, so it doesn't quite sound like a good way to approach an enemy. (Still, now I have this rather amusing image in my mind of a Balrog that wasn't advancing quickly enough and got caught in the cooling and hardening lava and had to be freed with pickaxes by grinning orcs.)

Oh, how I muttered angrily (to the amusement of the family) during the whole fight scene with Smaug in the Lonely Mountain, not only was it pointless and needlessly drawn-out -- therefor robbing it of any poignancy but... Gold.Just. Doesn't. Work. That. Way! Aaargh!