📊Poll: Do Balrogs have wings?

[Beorn]

I thought if they had wings that he would have flown (or hovered) instead of falling in a pit.

I agree with "STrider(aragorn". If I had wings, i would have saved myself the swimming lesson. (He fell into a big water pit thingy).

Read the following:

Originally posted by Lantarion
I always picture the Balrog w/ wings. Why couldn't he both have wings AND strech out a shadowy muck? And the reason why he didn't fly out of the abyss in Moria is (in my opinion) because Gandalf, a very powerful Maia and wizard, was kicking his ass (pardon my French), and the poor, ickle Balroggy-woggy was probably in the throws of fairly sizeable clutches of pain, and couldn't function properly. When he cooled off (ie, almost drowned in the freezing water under the Bridge), he most likely ran off into the fabled tunnels under Khazad-Dum, and eventually scampered into the Tower, where he fell.

Originally posted by Lantarion
Or the poor beast might have been in some considerable pain, what with Gandalf hacking at him and all..

 

[Gothmog]

I was not going to post any more on this thread but to answer some points about Gandalf 'Hacking away at this poor vertualy defensless Balrog'

The Balrog made no answer. The fire in it seemed to die, but the darkness grew. It stepped forward slowly on to the bridge, and suddenly it drew itself up to a great height, and its wings were spread from wall to wall; but still Gandalf could be seen, glimmering in the gloom; he seemed small, and altogether alone: grey and bent, like a wizened tree before the onset of a storm.
From out of the shadow a red sword leaped flaming.
Glamdring glittered white in answer.
There was a ringing clash and a stab of white fire. The Balrog fell back and its sword flew up in molten fragments. The wizard swayed on the bridge, stepped back a pace, and then again stood still.
'You cannot pass! ' he said.
With a bound the Balrog leaped full upon the bridge. Its whip whirled
and hissed.
'He cannot stand alone! ' cried Aragorn suddenly and ran back along the bridge. 'Elendil!' he shouted. 'I am with you, Gandalf! '
`Gondor! ' cried Boromir and leaped after him.
At that moment Gandalf lifted his staff, and crying aloud he smote the bridge before him. The staff broke asunder and fell from his hand. A blinding sheet of white flame sprang up. The bridge cracked. Right at the Balrog's feet it broke, and the stone upon which it stood crashed into the gulf, while the rest remained, poised, quivering like a tongue of rock thrust out into emptiness.
With a terrible cry the Balrog fell forward, and its shadow plunged down and vanished. But even as it fell it swung its whip, and the thongs lashed and curled about the wizard's knees, dragging him to the brink. He staggered and fell, grasped vainly at the stone, and slid into the abyss. 'Fly, you fools! ' he cried, and was gone.

So the Balrog struck once with his sword which Gandalf defended against destroying the Balrog's sword. Next Gandalf struck the Bridge with his staff which broke the bridge and his staff. At this point the Balrog starts to fall. He is not being 'Hacked at' by Gandalf who is too far away at this point to do any such thing. The Balrog then swings his Whip to catch Gandlaf and pull him down after himself. So the only reason that the Balrog cannot fly out of the chasm is that he has no wings capable of allowing him to do so. This means that:-
1. He has no wings.
2. His wings are Too Small for him to fly.
3. His wings are Too Big to use in such a confined space.

No 1 seems to be a reasonable view.
No 2 seems to make the Balorg look like a clown.
No 3 seems to be a reasonable view.

Myself I do not believe that the Balrog had wings. I feel that what is in the book is a description of a shadow caused by an Un-Light similar to that of Ungoliant. Others take a different view.

 

[Lantarion]

That's what I think too! And that's what surprised me in the FotR-movie: if the Balrog is a spirit of flame and shadow, why would the ground tremble when he walks? Strange, wouldn't you say?
I think the Balrog could control the shadowy essense in him to create a more menacing form (eg. huge, dark wings), but I don't see why any part of him would be flesh and bone, if he is a 'spirit of flame and shadow'.

 

[Éomond]

It had wings, but, I don't know why it didn't fly. Maybe because:

1.When Gandalf said it couldn't pass, so the belrog could fly or anything.
2.It can only fly in the Shadow World

Those are my guesses.

 

[Elfstone]

If the Balrog had physical wings,why didn't it just use them when he fell into the pit???????????? I mean was he that stupid?

 

[Beorn]

Please read this entire thread for the answer to that question, or my post on this thread (4 or 5 posts before this). The former would be preferred.

 

[Éomond]

I'm going on that!

Belrogs can only fly in the Shadow World.

And in the movie you'll see the Belrog has wings, but only the "bones."

 

[Beorn]

Originally posted by Isildur
I'm going on that!

Belrogs can only fly in the Shadow World.

And in the movie you'll see the Belrog has wings, but only the "bones."

What does what's in the movie matter? In that case, since in the movie Glorfindel doesn't exist, he doesn't exist in the book...

 

[Muffinly]

Yes, and there is no Tom Bombadil.

 

[Diamond Took]

oh my gosh muffinly do you like muffins because they are my favourite food in the whole wide world!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


*ahem*

Yes I always thought that Balrogs had wings.
In the book i didn't really picture the balrog at all, but in the movie he had wings, so, i just guess that he has wings.
He looks kinda cute with the wings though.
but the horns on the face? No i'm afraid. just NOOOOOOOOOOOO.

 

[Sivien]

For the last time: Do Balrogs have wings?

Personally, I think they don't. If the Balrog of Moria did have wings, couldn't it just have flown out of the gap beneath the Bridge? It didn't so it couldn't have had any wings.
Besides, Tolkien said "like wings", not "wings". Anyway, it does not mention Balrogs having wings anywhere in the Silmarillion.
Thank you for reading my rant
Sivien

 

[In Flames]

This is one hard nut to crack.

I find it impossible to say if Balrogs have wings, just look at these two quotes.

"His enemy halted again, facing him, and the shadow about it reached out like two vast wings."

If i only read that part i'd say they did not have wings.

"...suddenly it drew itself up to a great height, and its wings were spread from wall to wall..."

If i only read that part i would say that they had wings.

But...we will never know!

 

[Gothmog]

Originally posted by In Flames
This is one hard nut to crack.
But...we will never know!

Wrong. We WILL know.

Some WILL know that they Have wings
Some WILL know that they Do Not Have wings

Guess which I Know

 

[In Flames]

Ah come one tell us then Gothmog, after all you are a Balrog..
Just look over you shoulder and tell us if you see any wings back there.

 

[Gothmog]

Nope!! Just a Great BIG un-light that I spread out like huge wings of Darkness.

 

[Ithrynluin]

Originally posted by Gothmog
Nope!! Just a Great BIG un-light that I spread out like huge wings of Darkness.

Oh,come now! I saw you once Gothmog and you were in the air - flying & stuff! So Balrogs DO have wings!!!!

 

[Gothmog]

That wasn't 'Flying' That was 'Falling'!!

Ancalagon wouldn't carry me any further.

 

[Theoden]

Originally posted by Gothmog


Wrong. We WILL know.

Some WILL know that they Have wings
Some WILL know that they Do Not Have wings

Guess which I Know

hehehehehe

-me

 

[CloakedShadow]

Yes. It had wings. Period.

 

[Gothmog]

Originally posted by CloakedShadow
Yes. It had wings. Period.

Please Prove the above statement.