August 13, 2002

A Flying Balrog
Merlin

You know, I found something that interested me just recently. As I was reading the appendix on Durin's folk, there is a passage that says the following: "Thus [the dwarves] roused from sleep a thing of terror that, flying from Thangorodrim, had lain hidden at the foundations of the earth since the coming of the Host of the West: a Balrog of Morgoth." Does the phrase "Flying from" mentioned above refer to a winged, flying balrog, or does it refer to a balrog who is simply "escaping," or "fleeing." When I first read this I thought it was meant in the sense that the balrog was escaping. The same type of terminology is used elsewhere throughout the books as well. Gandalf says "Fly, fools" before he falls into shadow. Any thoughts? Sorry if this has been brought up before...