![]() ![]() The Free Peoples of Middle-earth were the four races that had never fallen under the sway of the evil spirits Morgoth or Sauron: Elves, Men, Dwarves and Ents. By the Third Age, the only remaining Balrog was "Durin's Bane," the Balrog of Moria, killed by Gandalf. They participated in the wars of the First Age of Middle-earth but were mostly destroyed during the War of Wrath which ended the Age. Balrogs ĭemonic creatures of fire and shadow, Balrogs were fallen Maiar, loyal to the first Dark Lord, Morgoth. As each of these Istari learned from their Vala, so they acted in Middle-earth. Radagast, servant of Yavanna, loved the things of nature, both animals and plants. Gandalf was the servant of Manwë or Varda, but was a lover of the Gardens of Lórien, and so knew much of the hopes and dreams of Men and Elves. Saruman was the servant and helper of Aulë, and so learned much in the art of craftsmanship, mechanics, and metal-working, as was seen in the later Third Age. Īs the Istari were Maiar, each one served a Vala in some way. ![]() The Blue Wizards do not feature in the story, as they are said to have journeyed far into the east after their arrival in Middle-earth. Gandalf and Saruman play important roles in The Lord of the Rings, while Radagast appears only briefly, innocently helping Saruman to deceive Gandalf, who believes Radagast since he is honest, and fortuitously alerting Gwaihir to rescue Gandalf again. Each wizard in the series had robes of a characteristic colour: white for Saruman (the chief and the most powerful of the five), grey for Gandalf, brown for Radagast, and sea-blue for the remaining two, known consequently as the Blue Wizards. Tolkien never provided non-Elvish names for the other two one tradition gives their names in Valinor as Alatar and Pallando, and another as Morinehtar and Rómestámo in Middle-earth. The first three of these five wizards were known in the Mannish tongues of the Lord of the Rings series as Saruman "man of skill" ( Rohirric), Gandalf "elf of the staff" (northern Men), and Radagast "tender of beasts" (possibly Westron). They were sent by the Valar to assist the people of Middle-earth to contest Sauron. Outwardly resembling Men but possessing much greater physical and mental power, they were called Istari ( Quenya for "Wise Ones") by the Elves. Both will fight powerful people – Surtr, the gods and the Balrog, Gandalf the Grey.The wizards of Middle-earth were Maiar: spirits of the same order as the Valar, but lesser in power. They both carry fiery weapons – a fiery whip and a flaming sword respectively. Both are creatures of the underworld and the dark, and at the same time fire monsters. The Balrog is quite simply the fire giant Surtr. At Ragnarok, Surtr will be surrounded by burning fire, and his sword will shine brighter than the sun. In VafϷrúðnismál (saga), it says that Surtr has to fight the gods and that Surtr uses fire as a weapon. He comes from the south and is connected to fire. In Völuspá, we are told that Surtr is an evil creature. It was named Surtsey meaning Surtr’s island. In 1963, a new island formed off Iceland following a volcanic eruption. The giant is the master of fire and guardian of Muspelheim, a burning realm of fire, closely linked to the volcanic underworld. It was the Balrog that Gandalf had fought and eventually defeated after ten days of fighting.īut the Balrog has a clear predecessor in Norse literature in the form of fire-giant Surtr, which means “the black one” or “the swarthy one”. In the Third Age, one of Balrogs was discovered by the dwarves at the bottom of the Mithril seam in Khazad-dûm. Most of the Balrog died in the Great Battle, but a few survived by hiding in the depths. They are fire spirits, but also shrouded in darkness. After Sauron, Balrogs were the most powerful and most terrifying of his servants. In Tolkien’s Elvish language Sindarin, Balrog means “demon of might”. Tolkien’s Balrogs have their own mythology. In The Lord of the Rings, Gandalf the wizard fights a demon known as a Balrog. And older and more fearsome creatures live deep underground. In Tolkien’s universe, the Orcs and Mountain Trolls live inside the mountains. Photo: Stine Netman - The National Museum of Denmark Balrog - medieval monstersĭwarves are not the only ones who live underground. ![]()
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