August 28, 2002

More Maiar
Brett C.

Good job with the Maiar, Fingolfin. The two Blue Wizard's [Luin Istarion] are named in Unfinished Tales as Allatar [of the people of Orome] and Pallando [of the people of Mandos]. I am not sure that Ungoliant counts as a Maiar, or even an Ainur; she is mentioned in the Silamrillion as a spirit of the void, but that is vague and open to interpretation. The Captain of the Balrog's was of course Gothmog, who fought with a black battle axe. He was slain in the battle of Gondolin by Ecthelion but did not, I believe, as has been said earlier, drown in the fountain of the King. The text only says that the two opponents slew each other, and the evidence provided by the Balrog in Moria suggests the Demons of Might do not drown any more easily than they fly; maybe those shadows are really water-wings.