Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Bergil
The Balrog DID work for Sauron. Sauron offered to give the dwarves back Moria, so the balrog would leave if he was told. Granted, it could have been a bluff, but if Gandalf feared that Smaug would follow Sauron and reacted, but didn't set uot to do something about the balrog, it implies that the balrog was weaker then Smaug. I hope this helps.
|
A nice idea, but I think you may be putting your own slant on things...
The fact that Sauron offered to give back Moria is not at all conclusive. As you meantion, it might well be a bluff- and that's what I would call it. Sauron would not want the Dwarves to recolonise Moria in any case, because it would mean a weakening of his control.
Furthermore, I highly doubt that any Balrog would be weaker than Smaug. Maybe less well-armoured, but a Balrog is much more ancient, much more terrifying. Look at the Elves of Mirkwood- they avoid Smaug, but they remain in the neighbourhood, trade with the Lakemen, and live their lives as usual. Although dragons are dangerous, and not to be taken lightly, as the tale of Scatha proves- and for that matter, Smaug's own death and that of Glaurung- they are still vulnerable to mortal attack.
Balrogs, on the other hand, simply evoke terror. Legolas, in Moria, goes so far as to loose his weapons and shout in terror. Celeborn, on hearing what Durin's Bane was, is ready to throw the Fellowship out just on that score. Furthermore, the killing of Balrogs seems to be out of a mortal's league. Setting aside the early version of the Fall of Gondolin, where Tuor chops them down like saplings, it always seems to take an Elf with the Light of Valinor in his blood or an Istari to take down a Balrog.
Which is, I would say, another piece of evidence for a Balrog's greater power. Gandalf wasn't able to unveil his Maiarin power against Smaug, but had to resort to Thorin and Co with Bilbo, whereas he seems to have gone "uncloaked" to take down the Balrog once they fell off the bridge. In the case of Gandalf the White, anyway, his power seems most unveiled when fighting his strongest opponents, namely the Nazgul.