Would you rather be a Balrog or a 🐲Dragon?

If anyone has opinions about the following dialogue, I'd love to hear them! Also, if this topic has been covered, the appropriate thread would be much appreciated. Also, I'd pick Dragon.

-Would you rather be a dragon or a balrog?

-Well, I lack an intimate familiarity with the powers of each. A few things to consider: Are there female dragons or balrogs around? Are dragons inherently evil, as balrogs are, or could I choose to live a peaceful life if I so desired? Are dragons or balrogs more powerful?

If I were a balrog, and I lost my whip of flame somehow, would I be able to get a new one?

-Dragons and Balrogs both are considered to be created by Melkor, and therefore inherently evil. However, Tolkien says something interesting about the First War of the Ring (IE, the one you see on the Slopes of Mount Doom in LotR Fellowship movie):

In that battle there were no creatures in all of ME who were not in some way split between the two warring factions, except the Elves, who altogether rejected Sauron as evil. Now this means that Balrogs, Dragons, Trolls, Orcs, etc., in some way could have been considered against Sauron. This means that freedom of choice must exist, and therefore you could chose to be good or peaceful. However, it is my understanding of dragons that they need to eat things (cows, men, what have you) and would therefore be compelled by hunger, and of Balrogs that there very nature makes them hate things that Valar other than Melkor created, IE things that are good. I do not think Balrogs need to eat food.

I think Dragons are far less evil by nature, and far less easily compelled by evil opposed to compelled by their own interests.

In terms of power: I know both are very powerful. There were only 7 Balrogs in the history of ME, and they wrecked all sorts of ****. The # of Dragons was also small-- maybe 30 altogether? Balrogs were Maiar—the same as Gandalf, Saurman, Sauron, Melian, etc. The last dragon that anyone knew of was Smaug, who was killed in the hobbit. The last Balrog anyone heard of was the one Gandalf killed 70 years later. However, according to the calculations of many nerds, there should have been one Balrog remaining after the Moria Balrog was killed.

I think that the fiery whip is either a spiritual extension, or that any whip you could put your hands on would be inherently fiery if you were a Balrog.

Dragon, no doubt pretty things...

(I think the whip was probably a "gift" of some sort from Melkor, probably enchanted..don't think he was born with it.)

I'd rather be a balrog, they're just a lot more awsome.

naahh, they're just big and clumsy ;]

Actually I think that dragons would be bigger than balrogs. Balrogs are probably about 14 feet tall, dragons would be a lot longer I think.

true, but a dragon would be smart enough to use it's wings (considering balrogs do have wings.. ) when falling down into an abyss.

kidding. I just like dragons because they're more elegant. Balrogs are great too of course.

Yes dragons are bigger than Balrogs, though personally I do view the Valaraukar as being at least four times the size of a Man; the movie did a great job size-wise, I thought.
But I would be a Valarauko; even though both of these creatures are beings of Fire, I think that a Balrog has more potential as they are not physical beings, or have no real physical form as such (IMO it was the innate power of Elves to phase between the Seen and Unseen which made it possible for some Balrogs to be killed in battle), and are Maiar, whereas dragons (though we know little of them) are physical, organic creatures with all the drags that come with it.

history of Balrog?

I know Glorfindel part one killed a Balrog, and I know Gandalf killed one... Is there any other tale of how the other Balrogs went down?

And while the Dragons are physical, they are just about the baddest physical specimen I've ever heard of in Tolkien's world... I'd take Glaurog (wasn't that his name?) over a Balrog!

Dragons (certainly Glaurung and Smaug) appear to have considerable power over the minds of other creatures; something Balrogs seem to have to do without.

How much easier would Gothmog's job have been if he had bewitched Ecthelion like Glaurung did to Niniel?

(That's another example of a Balrog being killed - Gothmog their captain by Ecthelion, during the taking of Gondolin. Or was that Glorfindel?)

I would want to be a dragon. They're really powerful, and magnificent. They breath fire,but balrogs are made of fire. If I were one of the dragons, I'd like to be Ancalagon the black, or Smaug. (without a hole in my armour.)

But, weren't Dragons easier to kill than Balrogs?
I mean, we hear of only, what, two or three Balrogs killed (and it being an amazing task, of course) and all the Dragons get killed off (even it to, an amazing feat). Yeah, I'd pick a Balrog, and one of the First Age, they had their own Troll guards in battle

I would like to be a dragon, but only because I could hoard heaps of treasure
And the burning of people is good to

there should have been a poll for this.

i'd pick a dragon, becasue they are pretty, and i like dragons.

Also i was born in the year of the dragon in the chinese calender thingy.

Poll added.

Balrogs rule.

I'm inclined to go with Balrogs myself.

Does anyone know how many of the Dragons could actually fly?

Never mind being easier to kill, I'd be a dragon anytime. Dragons are cool. Beautiful too.

Dragon Farm!

this from my friend Nate:



I think I’d much prefer the dragon then. Hating stuff all the time would suck. Also, while as a dragon I’d be compelled by hunger, I could probably work out an arrangement to peaceably require the food I needed. Perhaps I could get some cows in exchange for performing various services for the men, or I could just start my own farm.



Yeah, if there were only 7 balrogs, there probably wouldn’t be any females, or, if there were, competition would be pretty great over them. At least with 30 dragons, I’d have a little more of a shot.



Also, we really to find someone to tell us how many Dragons there were, and who killed them. I think the Balrog Gothmog was killed by Glorfindel during the retreat from Gondolin. Glorfindel also died. I would be interested to learn more about Elves and the seen and unseen, that is something I have never heard of...

I'd think that a balrog would have more of a human form, I'd rather have more of a human shaped form than a dragon form.

And the Balrog has an ability to cast at least some spells.

If I was a dragon, it would definitely have to be a flying one. I would hate to have to drag myself everywhere.

I think a point that your friend Nate left out, Huan, was that every single dragon connected to Arda was evil. And they were also cunning and intelligent, though prideful, and no petty deals with mere humanoid worms would satisfy them; they were powerful and smart, they could get food whenever they wanted. But they were still killable, while Balrogs can be said to have been almost immortal because so few were ever vanquished in combat.
And one great advantage over the dragons which Valaraukar have is the same which the Nazgûl use: f e a r. This force of terror is enough to paralyze any warrior, and on top of that they are made of living fire and shadow and therefore are ethereal and can hardly be killed (I stand by my Unseen/Seen theory of before), and they often utilize whips and swords of iron and flame, which I can only imagine must be several times larger than those used by humanoid soldiers in Arda.

So weep, dragonlovers, for my pet Balrog will squoosh you all!! MUAHAHAHA!!!