It's an interesting point, Dior.
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if elves were able to kill Balrogs, than what is it that would prevent them from killing Wraiths
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It seems to me that if the RIGHT elf (not just any elf-- a Glorfindel-Echthelion kind of elf) could kill a Balrog even at the cost of his own life, then the right elf could kill a Nazgul. One difference would be how much fading had gone on with the elf in question. Glorfindel would be a good candidate, as he has an excellent resume and obvious courage, had been spiffed up and possibly recharged in Valinor (re: fading) and is blessed with one of the author's favorite names. There's difference in degree of power (Nazgul vs. Balrog, etc.), then there's differences in the nature of the enemy, which have been ably explained on this thread already (presence on the other side and so forth).
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Seeing as the Balrogs were maiar, and couldn't be killed without their opposition dying,
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I'm not sure if you meant that as a sort of rule or not-- I don't think that's a rule (perhaps you don't either). If we were talking about a RPG or a computer game, the author can be supposed to be working from nice clean rules we're expected to figure out: then, the fact that no character kills a Balrog without losing his own life WOULD suggest a rule about Balrogs vs. other. Since we're talking about a story, 'real world, fictional time' (not an exact quote, but it's more or less from JRRT), 3 cases, or even 30, don't suggest a rule but a likelihood. If I only know of three cases where the giant rhinobeast of Bohemia was killed, and all three hunters (or killers, depending on your perspective) died themselves, I would not conclude that it wasn't possible to kill one and survive. On the other hand, if I went out hunting them, I would definitely want Glorfindel along.
[ October 04, 2002: Message edited by: Nar ]