Grond, Grond, Grond; I love it when you hit me with your smartarse rhetoric and try to make me feel small
Still, there are a few areas I wish to look at in your reply in order to retain some measure of dignity. Though I do not doubt you will enjoy taking this reply apart also
One could easily ask "Why did the
Dark Lord give the name Grond to his battering
ram?" Surely you aren't suggesting that the
Cave Trolls were actually wielding "Grond the Hammer of Hell"
Why wouldn't they call The Battering Ram (which in itself is an implement used for banging stuff) after the Great Hammer of
Morgoth. Rather a fitting tribute that it is seen to be as devastating as the mighty
foe-hammer itself in its ability to smash
objects to pieces.
I would theorize that the Lt. of
Minas Morgul was the son of a Dark
Numenorean from
Harad who worshipped
Melkor. What better name for their little child than that of the Capt. of
Angband, the leader of the hosts of Melkor?
If Gothmog is a name given by the
Noldor to The Lord of
Balrogs, why would a Black Numenorean from Harad whose original language being a probable mix between
Adûnaic, The Common Tongue of
Numenor and Saurons own devised version of
Black Speech which would have been mingled into the
Languages of
Men who travelled South and were want to praising
Sauron. Adûnaic itself was more akin to
Sindarin yet since Saurons arrival at Numenor he attempted to fully remove any remnant of Sindarin and by all accounts suceeded, except for those of
the Faithful who retained links to Sindarin, which was their first used tongue.
Quenya itself was not spoken in Numenor, so I find it difficult to understand why someone from Harad, of Black Numenorean descent would call their child a name in Quenya. That said, top marks to these
peoples from Harad who have preserved a History of this said
Balrog and passed it down through generations. Then again, if it was Sauron who walked among them, whom they praised and who taught them their History, I can't understand why Sauron would refer to Gothmog in High Noldorian language when by this stage he had already created his 'black speech', designed for all his servants. Then again, it may be that these far-flung people spoke in
Westron, the common tongue of
Middle-Earth. Yet the fact remains that Sauron was intent on eradicating any form of
Elvish Language origin from Middle-Earth, so I can't fathom Elvish names being passed down through the generations.
Btw, Annals of
Arda also refers to Gothmog as 'Hateful, Enemy' though there is no explanation for where would this might have originated from?
http://valarguild.org/varda/Tolkien/encyc/maiar.html#GothmogBalrog
Thirdly, whatever gave you the idea that the Wraith's went into battle "exclusively" on their winged steeds?
It is clear that only The
Nazgul Lord was horsed as he was leading his army to victory over
Gondor. The other Nazgul it seems are all riding their winged steeds, which of course the
Witch King himself eventually uses to alight before
Theoden.
The
Nazgûl came again, and as their Dark Lord now grew and put forth his strength, so their voices, which uttered only his will and his malice, were filled with
evil and horror. Ever they circled above the
City, like vultures that expect their fill of doomed men's flesh. Out of sight and shot they flew, and yet were ever present, and their deadly voices rent the air. More unbearable they became, not less, at each new cry.
Either way, we are still no closer to knowing who Gothmog is
