The Balrogs are one of the Lord of the Rings‘ most iconic monsters, so it’s no surprise that they were part of the Prime Video series. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. A Balrog appeared briefly in Gil-galad’s story of the creation of mithril, but the most important Balrog was the one found deep in the mines of Moria. The first season touched on this Balrog’s awakening when a leaf from the great tree of elves fell onto her resting place, and ever since, fans have been eagerly awaiting the moment when she makes herself known to the dwarves. That moment finally came during the second season finale. King Durin III, spurred by the greed his ring of power had instilled in him, accidentally released the Balrog while mining for ore. The series took some creative liberties with the story of the Balrog, but it portrayed an aspect of JRR Tolkien’s story perfectly. Lord of the Rings a novel that even Peter Jackson’s film adaptations didn’t make.
If Whether Balrogs were supposed to have wings has long been a hotly debated topic among Lord of the Rings fans. Tolkien made two allusions to Balrog’s wings in the chapter “The Bridge of Khazad-dûm” of The Fellowship of the Ring. First, he declared that “the shadow which hangs over [the Balrog] spread out like two vast wings,” and shortly afterward he mentioned that “its wings were spread from wall to wall.” Some readers take the second quote literally, believing that the Balrog had literal wings that spanned the entire width of the body. Others believe this was simply a continuation of the simile in the first quote, which referred to the darkness around the Balrog as wings. Both could be true at once; it could have real wings while casting wing-like shadows. Balrog’s body was made of darkness and fire. But when adapting Tolkien’s stories, artists must decide what Balrog’s wings are.
The Rings of Power brought Tolkien’s words to life
In Jackson’s films, the Balrog had bat-like wings. They were made of dark, stony flesh and covered in fire, just like the rest of the Balrog’s body. The Balrog in The Rings of Power looked a lot like Jackson’s version, which is certainly intentional, as Tolkien’s description of the Balrog in the novel was rather vague: “It was like a great shadow, in the middle of which was a dark shape, human in shape perhaps, but yet greater… Her streaming mane lit up and flamed behind her. However, there are some differences between the two representations. The movie Balrog had simple, curved horns like a bull’s, while the Balrog series had horns that folded in on themselves before curving outwards. Additionally, the movie Balrog had round eyes, while the series Balrog had angular eyes.
Yet the biggest difference was the Balrog’s wings, which were shown in the Season 2 finale of The Rings of Power. Although shaped like bat wings, they were not made of stony flesh or covered in fire. Instead, they were black and nebulous, resembling clouds of smoke. His wings were made of pure shadowwhich was a perfect interpretation of Tolkien’s description from the novel. It’s not strictly better or worse than Jackson’s version, as accuracy of the source material is only one of many factors that must go into an adaptation, but it does show that The Rings of PowerThe artists respect Tolkien’s text. As accurate as the appearance of the Balrog’s wings is, the monster’s lore in The Rings of Power was very different from the novel, and the events that unfolded in the finale created even bigger differences in the future of the series.
The Rings of Power Altered the Balrog Timeline
In the novel, the Balrog beneath Moria awoke in 1980 of the Third Age, a little over a thousand years before the events of Lord of the Rings. It was during the reign of King Durin VI. As Gandalf stated in the chapter “A Journey into the Dark” of The Fellowship of the Ringthe Dwarves “searched too eagerly and too deeply” for mithril, waking the Balrog from his slumber. He ravaged Moria, killing Durin VI and his son, Náin, along with countless other dwarves. For this, he earned the name Durin’s Bane. The Balrog would remain in Moria until Gandalf defeated him in Lord of the Ringsand there would be no other King Durin until the Fourth Age.
The Rings of Power takes place at a vague point in the Second Age, during the reign of Durin III. This means that the Balrog of the series awoke more than 2,000 years – and three Durin kings – earlier than in the novel. Even given The Rings of PowerIn Tolkien’s condensed timeline, this is a major departure from established tradition. Of course, this is not new information. The fans knew it The Rings of PowerBalrog from woke up early since the first season teaser. However, most believed that the series would simply move the fall of Moria back in time to the Second Age so that it could fall within the scope of the series. The Rings of Power‘s timeline, which the season 2 finale revealed is not the case. Rather, the Balrog’s awakening was only temporary.
Balrog of the Rings of Power has been defeated, but not forever
When the Balrog attacked The Rings of PowerDurin III experienced a moment of clarity. He realized the devastation this could cause to his kingdom if released. So, leaving both his Ring of Power and the kingship of Moria to his son, he sacrificed himself to repel the Balrog. When the Balrog struck him with its flaming blade, there was an explosion that caused a section of the mine to collapse and once again trapped the Balrog behind a wall of rubble. Although Moria is safe for now, the Balrog is still there and the fall of Moria is yet to come. This change in tradition will have a lasting effect, because it means that the dwarves will know of the Balrog the next time it is freed.. This was not the case in the novel; The Dwarves had no idea there was a monster beneath Moria, let alone that it was a Balrog until it was too late. This raises the question of why the Dwarves will continue to dig The Rings of Powerversion of events. After all, at least four dwarves witnessed Durin III’s demise and know what the Balrog is capable of.
There are three main possibilities. First, the Dwarves might mistakenly believe the Balrog is dead. Lovers of Lord of the Rings be aware that it takes more than a few stones to defeat a Balrog, but the Dwarves might assume that it was simply a large beast that could die by such ordinary means. Second, the Dwarves might forget about the Balrog. 2,000 years is enough for the events to become legend, so under the reign of Durin VI, perhaps the Dwarves will believe that the Balrog is nothing more than an ancient myth. Third, the Dwarves might just not care. They’ve dealt with the Balrog once before, so they might foolishly believe they could do it again. This would bring out the corrupting nature of the dwarven rings of power, which was more severe in the series than in the novel. The Dwarves may be well aware that mining will result in certain disaster, but continue anyway because they are unable to stop it. There is also a possibility that The Rings of Power will completely ignore the Balrog in the future. The series is said to span the Second Age, but the fall of Moria occurs approximately halfway through the Third Age, long after Sauron’s defeat in the War of the Last Alliance.