[Fordim Hedgethistle]

Originally Posted by Feanor of the Peredhil

This topic has been discussed ad nauseum on The Barrow-Wight's, Feanor...'s, Gwaihir's, Keeper's, jstate's, and Fingolfin's threads, just as a beginning.

Ah, yes, but isn't it nice to have another go at it again?

Actually, what I would like to know is, why do we keep having this discussion? What does it matter if balrogs had wings or not, and whether those wings -- if there -- could make the balrog fly?

Why can't each reader just make up her or his mind for her or himself? Perhaps Tolkien left it open to interpretation intentionally, to ensure that each of us can have our own particularised version of Middle-earth? Think about the million of other examples like this: what does Legolas look like? How big around is Bag End? What does Rivendell look like?

Tolkien leaves us with far more questions like this than he does answers. I like it -- in my Middle-earth, Balrogs have wings, Legolas has jet-black hair, Bag End is precisely as it was in the movie, and Rivendell is a large single house, rather like an Italian villa, ca 1550.