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
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.
History of Arda
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In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, the history of Arda, also called the history of Middle-earth, began when the Ainur entered Arda, following the creation events in the Ainulindalë and long ages of la
Balrog
…readily vanquished—a certain stature was required by the would-be hero. Only dragons rivalled their capacity for ferocity and destruction; 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…
Tolkien meant Arda to be what Paul H. Kocher calls "our own green and solid Earth", seen here in the Baltistan mountains, "at some quite remote epoch in the past".
Tolkien likened the Last Battle, Dagor Dagorath, that ends "the world" (Arda) to the Norse Ragnarök. Engraving Battle of the Doomed Gods by Friedrich Wilhelm Heine, 1882