Editing Balrog (section)

{{short description|Race of evil fire-demons in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth}}
{{about|J. R. R. Tolkien's Balrogs}}
{{good article}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}}
'''Balrogs''' ({{IPAc-en|'|b|ae|l|r|Q|g|audio=LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-balrog.wav}}) are a species of powerful demonic monsters in [[J. R. R. Tolkien]]'s [[Middle-earth]]. One first appeared in print in his [[high-fantasy]] novel ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', where the [[Company of the Ring]] encounter a Balrog known as Durin's Bane in the Mines of [[Moria (Middle-earth)|Moria]]. Balrogs appear also in Tolkien's ''[[The Silmarillion]]'' and [[Tolkien's legendarium|his legendarium]]. Balrogs are tall and menacing beings who can shroud themselves in fire, darkness, and shadow. They are armed with fiery whips "of many thongs",<ref group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1977}} and its early drafts speak frequently of the whips of fire. ''The Lays of Beleriand'' describe [[Morgoth]]'s prisoners tortured by Balrogs with scourges; and the Balrog in Moria (''[[The Fellowship of the Ring]]'', "The Bridge of Khazad-dûm") is armed explicitly with a "whip of many thongs" or strands.</ref> and occasionally use long swords.

In Tolkien's later conception, Balrogs could not be readily vanquished—a certain stature was required by the would-be hero. Only [[Dragons in Middle-earth|dragons]] rivalled their capacity for ferocity and destruction;<ref group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1984b}}, "Turambar and the Foalókë", p.85: "yet of all are they [dragons] the most powerful, save it be the Balrogs only."</ref> during the [[First Age]] of Middle-earth, they were among the most feared of [[Morgoth]]'s forces. Their power came from their nature as [[Maiar]], angelic beings like the Valar, though of lesser power.
Tolkien invented the name "Balrog", providing an in-universe etymology for it as a word in his invented [[Sindarin]] language. He may have gained the idea of a fire demon from his philological study of the Old English word ''[[Sigelwara Land|Sigelwara]]'', which he studied in detail in the 1930s.
Balrogs appear in the film adaptations of ''The Lord of the Rings'' by [[Ralph Bakshi]] and [[Peter Jackson]], in the streaming series ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power|The Rings of Power]]'', and in [[Middle-earth in video games|computer and video games based on Middle-earth]].