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Someone once told me that in the HoME series there's a line about Balrogs being forbidden by the Valar to ever appear on the surface of Middle-earth again after the fall of Thangorodrim. Any surviving Balrog should therefore remain underground forever.
Can anyone confirm that? Would the Valar really do a round-up on any Balrog who chose to appear on the surface? If it is in the HoME series, can you point it to me?
I dont remember ever hearing anything about that. The Balrog of Moria was hiding their to avoid being killed by the elves i believe. Im not sure their were even other Balrogs alive, though one of the more hard-core tolkien players can probably prove or disprove that.
The Balrog of Moria appeared on the surface briefly, during the last phase of its battle with Gandalf on the peak of Caradras. The Valar apparently didn't interfere in that fight.
Unless they were acting through Gandalf and giving him a lil bit of power boost.
From what I recall, only a small handful of Balrogs escaped the destruction of Thangorodrim and the assault from Valinor. They fled into Middle Earth and the only known one to have been encountered during the Third Age is the Balrog of Moria.
That is, the information I received is apocryphal.
Good!
:D
Someone is in for a lot of trouble...
How many Balrogs were there? What happened to them?
No more than SEVEN.
'The idea that Morgoth disposed of a host of Balrogs endured long, but in a late note my father said that only very few ever existed - at seven most'
(Source The Book of Lost Tales 2 Chapter 3 The Fall of Gondolin).
After the War of Wrath, 'the Balrogs were destroyed, save some few that fled and hid themselves in caverns inaccessible at the roots of the earth' (Source The Silmarillion Chapter 24 Of the Voyage of Eärendil and the War of Wrath)
And another thing:
The Balrog is a survivor from the Silmarillion and the legends of the First Age. So is Shelob. The Balrogs, of whom the whips were the chief weapons, were primeval spirits of destroying fire, chief servants of the primeval Dark Power of the First Age. They were supposed to have been all destroyed in the overthrow of Thangorodrim, his fortress in the North. But it is here found (there is usually a hang-over especially of evil from one age to another) that one had escaped and taken refuge under the mountains of Hithaeglin (the Misty Mountains). It is observable that only the Elf knows what the thing is – and doubtless Gandalf.
(Source The Letters of JRR Tolkien letter 144 To Naomi Mitchison 25 April 1954)
Very interesting, Brandir, thanks. I'll take note of that.
FYI, I'm running a game set during the Fall of Eregion. Most of the characters are elf-lords, with 15+ Advancements. Currently I'm toying with the idea that Sauron might have located a Balrog hidden in the White Mountains and is trying to convince the beast to aid him (he will fail, but the players don't have to know this).