Depictions of Balrogs

[Vardarianna]

Well, he is male and he has the skeletal face of that of a goat and male goats have horns.

Where does goats come into all this?

 

[Elthir]

Goat: "You cannot pass!"

Goat: "Ahh. . . no. You cannot pass!"

Goat: "You cannot stand alone!"

Goat: "I'm not alone. If I was, you wouldn't be in my way."

Goat: "Elendil!"

Goat: "Never heard of him!"

Goat: "The dark fire will not avail you!"

Goat: "Don't need it."

Goat: "Look here! How 'bout I cross first, then you."

Goat: "I'm not falling for that again!"

Goat: "Fly you stubborn fool."

Goat: "Sorry. No wings"

Goat: "Now don't start that again!"

Goat stamped his hoof. Mightily.

So did Goat. But nothing happened. It was a stone bridge.

Darkness fell.

At last, Goat went home the way he'd come.

And so did Goat.

Butt it wasn't until the next day, when two different goats — this time going the same way upon a different Bridge of Doom — that the story decided to end.

 

[Þráinn Þórhallsson]

Goat: "You cannot pass!"

Goat: "Ahh. . . no. You cannot pass!"

Goat: "You cannot stand alone!"

Goat: "I'm not alone. If I was, you wouldn't be in my way."

Goat: "Elendil!"

Goat: "Never heard of him!"

Goat: "The dark fire will not avail you!"

Goat: "Don't need it."

Goat: "Look here! How 'bout I cross first, then you."

Goat: "I'm not falling for that again!"

Goat: "Fly you stubborn fool."

Goat: "Sorry. No wings"

Goat: "Now don't start that again!"

Goat stamped his hoof. Mightily.

So did Goat. But nothing happened. It was a stone bridge.

Darkness fell.

At last, Goat went home the way he'd come.

And so did Goat.

Butt it wasn't until the next day, when two different goats — this time going the same way upon a different Bridge of Doom — that the story decided to end.

Seems I might have misremembered how he was described. Since while he is not said to have a goat head like in the Peter Jacksson movie he is still described as quite beastial having claws and fire pertruding from his nostrils like hot wind would come from the nostrils of a cattle, horse or a goat.

 

[Vardarianna]

Seems I might have misremembered how he was described. Since while he is not said to have a goat head like in the Peter Jacksson movie he is still described as quite beastial having claws and fire pertruding from his nostrils like hot wind would come from the nostrils of a cattle, horse or a goat.

Ah, so that is your personal mind-depiction of a balrog.

 

[Elthir]

I think maybe the word mane has had some influence here: "Its streaming mane kindled, and blazed behind it"

But mane can mean 1. The long hair along the top and sides of the neck of certain mammals, such as a horse or a male lion. 2. A long thick growth of hair on a person's head.

***

And fire did come from its nostrils, but I've seen plenty of people with nostrils.

***

CLAWS

In the very very very (very) early Fall of Gondolin, Balrogs had "whips of flame and claws of steel", but I'm not sure if these were their actual "hands", or possibly something worn "over" the hand, made of steel.

In Glorfindel's battle, his mail fended him from "its whip and claw."

But let's imagine (something that could be called) "actual claws" here: was this retained much later? Back to the Fellowship, all I can say is the word hand, at least, was used; and in this context anyway: "In its right hand was a blade (. . .) in its left it held a whip. . ."

But maybe that's just more natural to say than: "In its right claw. . ." Later in the tale, the Balrog, fire quenched, became a thing of slime. Gandalf clutched at its "heel". And the Balrog clutched too: "Ever he clutched me. . ."

At the moment, can't think of anything else that might about the claw matter.

In draft texts the Balrog started off as being: no more than "man-high", had "streaming hair", yellow eyes, very long arms, a red [?tongue], and the word "hand" is used in this sentence: "In its other hand a whip of many thongs."

But I'm not sure the simple use of hand in these
sentences certainly rules-out "claws" or claw-like
hands. Some humans can make claw-hands with
their human hands - how handy! But I like mine!

🐾

 

[herlig9]

1970s art of the Balrog by Hildebrandt brothers .
(But i found it in higher resolution)
I have some theories to whether Peter Jackson based the Balrog off the DnD depictions of it.

 

[Eljorahir]

Alan Lee's illustration is a bit more reptilian than I would've imagined from the descriptions in the texts, but I still like it.

It's quite the hybrid: man-like torso/arms/legs, reptile-like tail/claws/face, and ram-like horns (useful for ramming things and also keeping one's helmet from falling off). Also, the orange along the back might be a bit of "fiery mane".

The concept of mythic battles against beast/human hybrids makes me think of the minotaur: