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Haunting Spirit
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Re: Balrogs DO have wings!!!
I have a new arguement withwhich to propell this discussion back to the top:
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(A knife in the dark):
It was burned and broken, and nothing remains of it now but a tumbled ring, like a rough crown on the old hill's head...
...suddenly a pale light appeared over the crown of Weathertop behind him.
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The Hill did not have a literal "crown" those were the ruins of Amon Sul and the "crown" was used as a simile
(The great river<img src=smile.gif ALT="
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As they were swept aside the travellers could see, now very close, the pale foam of the River lashing against sharp rocks that were thrust out far into the stream like a ridge of teeth...
...they could hear it rushing and foaming over the sharp shelves and stony teeth of Sarn Gebir, but they could not see it.
The river dd not have literal teeth, the "teeth" was a simile used to refer to the rocks
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The white rider:
Very soon now his strength will fall upon it like a storm...
...for behold! the storm comes, and now all friends should gather together, lest each singly be destroyed
It is clear here that Gandalf is not talking about a storm but rather the military might of Sauron.
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(the siege of gondor<img src=smile.gif ALT="">
Reluctantly Pippin climbed on to the seat and looked out over the wall. The Pelennor lay dim beneath him, fading away to the scarce guessed line of the Great River. But now wheeling swiftly across it, like shadows of untimely night...
...now the dark swooping shadows were aware of the newcomer. One wheeled towards him; but it seemed to Pippin that he raised his hand, and from it a shaft of white light stabbed upwards
The "shadows " were not literal shadows but were in fact akin to carrion with Nazgul atop them.
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Shelob's lair
It flamed like a star that leaping from the firmament sears the dark air with intolerable light...
...then holding the star aloft and the bright sword advanced, Frodo, hobbit of the Shire, walked steadily down to meet the eye[/b]
the Phial of Galadriel was not a real star and the term star is simply a simile for it
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(The bride of Kazadum<img src=smile.gif ALT="">
His enemy halted again, facing him, and the shadow about it reached out like two vast wings...
...It stepped forward slowly on to the bridge, and suddenly it drew itself up to a great height, and its wings were spread from wall to wall;
The balrog does not have "wings" per-se and the term is simply used as a simile for the shadow and as with the previously cited examples when tolkien refers back to that object he simply refers to the simile.
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Now it took me a while to find all this so plz don't just brush it off <img src=smile.gif ALT="
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