Ainur in Middle-earth
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The Ainur are the immortal spirits, Valar and Maiar, existing before the Creation in J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional universe. These were the first beings made of the thought of Eru Ilúvatar. They were a
Some critics have noted the similarity of the Valar to the Æsir, the strong and combative Norse gods of Asgard. Painting by Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg, 1817
Other scholars have likened the Valar to Christian angels, intermediaries between the creator and the created world. Painting by Lorenzo Lippi, c. 1645
Balrog
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Balrogs 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 encoun
Ainur in Middle-earth
…more numerous than the Valar, but less powerful individually. Among the good were the Istari or Wizards, sent to Middle-earth. Among the evil were the Balrogs or fire-demons, who were some of the Dark Lord Morgoth's most powerful servants, and Sauron, the Dark Lord of the Third Age, a Maia who had been corrupted…
Gandalf fighting the Balrog on the bridge of Khazad-dûm. Scraperboard illustration by Alexander Korotich, 1981
Gothmog at the Storming of Gondolin. Artwork by Tom Loback
Durin's Bane, the Balrog in Moria. Artwork by Markus Röncke.