Balrog Parts

[Lightice]

I don't heed the movie things. The REAL balrog has no wings.

Me neither, but they still have wings, you wanted or not. Ha ha! (OK, that was immature )
But seriously: I say, that balrogs have wings becouse of two things: First the famous sentence "It's wings were spread from wall to wall" and second that I can't imagine any other way for balrogs to get from Angband to the place where Ungoliant was threatening Morgoth so quickly.
But lets try not to change this into huge debate about that one, please?

[Elf Girl]

Originally posted by Lightice
"It's wings were spread from wall to wall" and second that I can't imagine any other way for balrogs to get from Angband to the place where Ungoliant was threatening Morgoth so quickly

The wings are figurative wings, and they have long legs so they can movwe very fast.

[Arathorn]

It could have had bat wings. They may have been stored in another cavern with the bones and other stash.

[LuthienTinuviel]

hey, you know those suvs that can turn into small pickups??
maybe a balrog is like that! he just takes off a hornm and uses it to tighten up a pair of wings he bought a t the middle earth mart last week and off he goes!

[orald]

In anycase,Gandalf knew that the wings on Durin's bane didn't work,why else was he in such a hurry to get to the bridge?Wings that doesn't allow you to fly,are cosmetic limbs,and are inconsequential anyway.

[Michael Martinez]

Do Balrogs have wings? Do Balrogs fly?

http://www.xenite.org/tolkien/do-bal...ave-wings.html

[Elf Girl]

Has anyone ever considered writing Christopher Tolkien and asking him if they have wings? If he says they do, I will be perfectly happy to admit defeat.

[Lightice]

anycase,Gandalf knew that the wings on Durin's bane didn't work,why else was he in such a hurry to get to the bridge?Wings that doesn't allow you to fly,are cosmetic limbs,and are inconsequential anyway.

If we're going to debate about this, then please, please, please use some logic in the mixture.
How could balrog fly in narrow crack, falling on it's back with crazy old man whacking with his sword all the way down?

As for idea about long-legged, wingless balrogs jumping from hill to another is something that I'm completely unable to take seriously.
Such distances in such speed could only be went by flying very, very fast. At least I can't imagine anything running all the way.

[Elfmaster XK]

Originally posted by Elf Girl
Has anyone ever considered writing Christopher Tolkien and asking him if they have wings? If he says they do, I will be perfectly happy to admit defeat.

I nominate you to do this.

[Arathorn]

I think you just need to read Michael Martinez's link above which will save you a lot of trouble.

[Elf Girl]

I will write him, for the good of the people. (maybe)

[azalea]

Maybe Balrogs are like penguins, they have wings but the wings don't work.
No really, I think it means wings of darkness that are a part of him, but not wings used to fly.
In regard to how they travel, they are supernatural beings, so they wouldn't need to move across the land in a way we would need to (although they are bound by other natural laws...hmmm).

[Agburanar]

Some birds lose their power of flight becuase they have no predators. I guess there aren't enough Gandalfs for the Balrogs to feel threatened! I still don't think it's very original though...

[Lightice]

You haven't really gotten the idea of what balrog actually is, have you? They're fallen angels, practically. Maiar, who have joined to Morgoth. They're at least somewhat tied to natural laws. They can't just leave their body, fly few hundred miles and create a new one. Even Sauron couldn't do that. Also, any kind of "teleporting" is out of question. However, evolution is pretty much out of question. Forget penguins and long livings under ground.
But they still have wings...

[Elf Girl]

I think Balrogs have a huge quantity of shadow around their bodies which they can move into any shape they want. They can have wings if they want, but they cannot fly.

[Arathorn]

They could probably fly(or glide) downwards to the ground like a "flying squirrel". We may never know...

[orald]

_______________________________________
originally posted by, lightice:


If we're going to debate about this, then please, please, please use some logic in the mixture. ______________________________________



If your going to criticize,then please,please,please use some history in your mixture.The Bridge of Khazad-dum was designed to turn back enemy invaders,thats the purpose of its narrowness,even the movie reflected this.For Gandalf to push the party to the bridge,gives you the sense that Tolkien had this in mind.I believe Gandalf's intention was to destroy the bridge,and hopefully the Balrog with it,but in the other scenerio,he intended to cut off there pursuers by destroying the bridge,since that was one of the threads of its making(to easily be unmade).

[Lightice]

Very possible. I just didn't know, that anybody was debating about thatthing.

[Valarauko5]

Ok. So being a Balrog I have to jump in on this. Yes we have wings. Because we want too. As a Maia we have the power to change our form at will (please, if you don't believe me, read the parts in the Silmarillion about the Valar and the Maiar) and thus most of us have wings. Being a rather young Valarauco (Quenya for "balrog" which is Sindarin for Power-Demon) I wasn't there for the whole Ungoliant thing, but I would imagine we can fly fast when we want to. And I actually like my horns *feels them fondly* I think they're cool. Plus, please remember that we are demons. The Elves named us such and thus we agree to be called not because of the fear factor, but because it represents what we truly are. A fallen "angel" . Angel is actually one of the best translations of Valar or Maiar. They're just two different levels of angel. And anyone who has ever used a whip *cracks thongs just for fun* knows that if you know how to use it you don't hurt yourself, even with wings.