Now it's my turn to have a go...
Much in the manner of David Frost on Through The Keyhole (or perhaps not...) "Let's look at the evidence so far..."
Quote:
The dark figure streaming with fire raced towards them. The orcs yelled and poured over the stone gangways. Then Boromir raised his horn and blew. Loud the challenge rang and bellowed, like the shout of many throats under the cavernous roof. For a moment the orcs quailed and the fiery shadow halted. Then the echoes died as suddenly as a flame blown out by a dark wind, and the enemy advanced again.
'Over the bridge!' cried Gandalf, recalling his strength. 'Fly! This is a foe beyond any of you. I must hold the narrow way. Fly!' Aragorn and Boromir did not heed the command, but still held their ground, side by side, behind Gandalf at the far end of the bridge. The others halted just within the doorway at the hall's end, and turned, unable to leave their leader to face the enemy alone.
The Balrog reached the bridge. Gandalf stood in the middle of the span, leaning on the staff in his left hand, but in his other hand Glamdring gleamed, cold and white. His enemy halted again, facing him, and the shadow about it reached out like two vast wings. It raised the whip, and the thongs whined and cracked. Fire came from its nostrils. But Gandalf stood firm.
'You cannot pass,' he said. The orcs stood still, and a dead silence fell. 'I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor. You cannot pass. The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udun. Go back to the Shadow! You cannot pass.'
The Balrog made no answer. The fire in it seemed to die, but the darkness grew. 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; but still Gandalf could be seen, glimmering in the gloom; he seemed small, and altogether alone: grey and bent, like a wizened tree before the onset of a storm.
From out of the shadow a red sword leaped flaming.
Glamdring glittered white in answer.
There was a ringing clash and a stab of white fire. The Balrog fell back and its sword flew up in molten fragments. The wizard swayed on the bridge, stepped back a pace, and then again stood still.
'You cannot pass!' he said.
With a bound the Balrog leaped full upon the bridge. Its whip whirled and hissed.
'He cannot stand alone!' cried Aragorn suddenly and ran back along the bridge. 'Elendil!' he shouted. 'I am with you, Gandalf!'
'Gondor!' cried Boromir and leaped after him.
At that moment Gandalf lifted his staff, and crying aloud he smote the bridge before him. The staff broke asunder and fell from his hand. A blinding sheet of white flame sprang up. The bridge cracked. Right at the Balrog's feet it broke, and the stone upon which it stood crashed into the gulf, while the rest remained, poised, quivering like a tongue of rock thrust out into emptiness.
With a terrible cry the Balrog fell forward, and its shadow plunged down and vanished. But even as it fell it swung its whip, and the thongs lashed and curled about the wizard's knees, dragging him to the brink. He staggered, and fell, grasped vainly at the stone, and slid into the abyss.
'Fly, you fools!' he cried, and was gone.
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The first description of the Balrog says
the shadow about it reached out like two vast wings. This does not say it
had wings, but
the shadows looked like wings.
The second description says
suddenly it drew itself up to a great height, and its wings were spread from wall to wall. This suggests that it
did have wings, but what have we already read? That it was the shadows which looked like wings; we cannot take this out of context.
Finally, when the Balrog falls,
With a terrible cry the Balrog fell forward, and its shadow plunged down and vanished. So why, when the bridge collapses, does the Balrog not put his 'wings' into action? If he does have wings, then they are certainly not useable ones, and has already been said, evolution is not a factor in Middle earth so why would he have merely vestigial wings?
Now, the Balrog is a creature of shadow and fire, he (and we assume it is a 'he', it could indeed be a female Balrog but I won't open that can of worms) is not made of flesh and blood. So when the shadow about him 'reached out like two vast wings' then I would think that the Balrog absorbed some of this shadow into his own being, thus making it indeed appear that he had wings! The picture which comes to mind is the old film Nosferatu where the vampire appears enormous by way of using his shadow to impressive effect. In the case of the Balrog, he uses the shadow to actually make his own being appear different. So no, he does
not have wings, but he does
appear to have them.