📊Poll: Do Balrogs have wings?

[Lantarion]

Well then, you should have said that it was just your opinion!
But sorry if I snapped..

 

[Ol'gaffer]

He did say that it was his opinion. So don't snap. Besides, balrog was just the random encouter no.1433 so it really doesn't matter if he had wings or no. And how do we know that it was a he? why not a she?

 

[Gothmog]

Yes.
Balrogs had wings.
The End.

Wonko, Your use of 'The End' made it look that you were posting this as an unarguable fact rather than your opinion. And I am the Lord of the Balrogs of Morgoth, I Was being nice (for a Demon)

 

[Wonko The Sane]

Originally posted by Lantarion
Well then, you should have said that it was just your opinion!
But sorry if I snapped..

I thought that something being my opinion was implicit in the fact that I said it...

I mean...normally people don't say things that they don't agree with...but maybe I should have been more clear.

If I ever decide to later post other's opinions and post them and argue for things I don't personally believe I'll let you know.

And me saying The End is just a silly thing I say.
I say it a lot.

You probably haven't seen many of my posts since you like to be serious...so I'll forgive you the misunderstanding.

 

[Morgoth]

I've never imagined Balrogs having wings. I think that myself and Peter Jackson had an identical image in our heads, as that is how i've always imagined Balrogs to look.

 

[Elendil3119]

I'm of the opinion that Balrogs had wings but couldn't really use them. But of course, I'm probably wrong. Wish we could ask Tolkien!

 

[Ithrynluin]

Originally posted by Elendil3119
I'm of the opinion that Balrogs had wings but couldn't really use them. But of course, I'm probably wrong. Wish we could ask Tolkien!

What exactly would be the purpose of having wings but not being able to use them? They would only get in the way a lot.

 

[Elendil3119]

You're right. Its really pretty hard to tell just from the books, and I think we've all been slightly indoctrinated by PJ's portrayal in FotR. I'm probably one of the worst cases, cause I couldn't have been happier with PJ's Balrog!

--Elendil3119--

 

[Ithrynluin]

Originally posted by Elendil3119
You're right. Its really pretty hard to tell just from the books, and I think we've all been slightly indoctrinated by PJ's portrayal in FotR. I'm probably one of the worst cases, cause I couldn't have been happier with PJ's Balrog!

--Elendil3119--

I liked PJ's Balrog a lot too, despite the fact that it was wingless.

 

[Elendil3119]

What in the world do you mean by that? I'm positive PJ's balrog had wings! You wouldn't be trying to start an argument, would you?

 

[Theoden_king]

I always thought that the balrog had wings but as they were made of shadow it couldn't use them to fly

 

[Wonko The Sane]

Correction:

I've watched TT in the past week and Snaga and I had a lengthy in-theatre discussion about the fact that PJ's Balrog DID in fact have wings.
They're rather like bat wings and it does appear that he may have been able to use them..perhaps in the same way a chicken does?
A chicken can flutter or use its wings to lift it to a perch but it can't fly for any distance.
An ostrich and a penguin are also flightless birds so having wings but not being able to fly is possible.
Also in some cases amongst insects they have vestigial wings (much like the vestigial tail that humans have while in the womb) that are completely useless.

 

[Ithrynluin]

Originally posted by Wonko The Sane
Correction:

I've watched TT in the past week and Snaga and I had a lengthy in-theatre discussion about the fact that PJ's Balrog DID in fact have wings.

That is the worst option imaginable. A balrog having "chicken" wings just for decoration (and for making it look totally ridiculous)?
I'd rather have a wingless Balrog then, thank you very much.

Why would Balrogs, who are Maiar, assume a shape with some useless chicken wings? Either wings or no wings, no option in between.

 

[Wonko The Sane]

Don't look at the wings as useless becasue:

a) It's only your opinion that the wings make them look stupid. Maybe they liked them!

and b) Chicken's wings are NOT useless!! Balrogs don't NEED to fly for long distances and probably aren't built for it anyway. But having wings that could carry them short distances, say in battle for example, might have been QUITE useful!

 

[Jesse]

Definately! Balrogs had wings, Gandalf stabbed his sword into one of them. They could fly.

 

[Celebithil]

My immediate thought is yes they did have wings. However (and I admit I didn't read the whole thread so if this has been asked before please tell me to shut up) could it be possible that there are Balrogs with wings and Balrogs without as there are with dragons. Just a though.

 

[Gandalf White]

Originally posted by Jesse
Definately! Balrogs had wings, Gandalf stabbed his sworfd into one of them. They could fly.

I think if the Balrog could use it's wings it would've flown after crashing through the bridge.
Personally, the very first time I read LotR I imagined the Balrog with wings, but worn like a cape and not used for flying. I've never changed my opinion since.

 

[Elendil3119]

Yay! There's someone who agrees with me! I also think the balrog had wings, but could not use them.

 

[Tuilin]

I think Balrogs have wings too...
I have always pictured them with wings.
The Moria-balrog flew to Moria, didnt it?

 

[Melko Belcha]

Can someone tell me where there is a physical description of the wings?

You can't because there never is one. Let's see the pro-wing people claim that "and its wings were spread from wall to wall" as proof that they are physical wings, but is not!

"and its wings were spread from wall to wall" ok so where is the description of the wings? Right before. "the shadow about it reached out like two vast wings"
So the decription of the wings is the shadow that surronds the Balrog.

What is shadow? Tolkien's shadow isn't your normal shadow cast when light is being blocked, the Balrogs shadow isn't just a lack of light, but a region of darkness that they carry around with them. So the shadow is something the Balrog can control just as Sauron controls the "wings of shadow" released by Mount Doom.

I have heard people say that if Tolkien had meant shadow like wings then he would have wrote " and the shadow like wings were spread from wall to wall". Why? He has already described the wings "the shadow about it reached out like two vast wings". How do you see that the shadow becomes physical wings within the passage. Tolkien was a presicon writer and if he had meant phsyical wings he would have wrote in in the description of the Balrog.
"What it was could not be seen: it was like a great shadow, in the middle of which was a dark form, of man-shape, maybe, yet greater; and a power and terror seemed to be in it and to go before it."
Where is there any mention of phsyical wings?

People also say that Balrogs can fly because of a few quotes, "flying from Thangorodrim", and "and they passed with winged speed over Hithlum". Well if the first is to be taken literaly then so does this passage, "Gandalf came flying down the steps and fell to the ground in the midst of the Company". So if the Balrog can fly then so can Gandalf! Winged speed is used by many writes to discribe fast travel, but usually not to creatures that have wings, you wouldn't describe a bird flying at winged speed, of course it's moving at winged speed.

Any pro wing argument you have I can find a way to counter it, but in truth the question can never be answered.