Anyways,
Quote:
Originally Posted by Inziladun
Ah, if it were that clear-cut this debate would have been over long ago.
I assume you're referring to this quote:
The Bridge of Khazad-Dûm
That in itself might seem rather straightforward, but a couple of paragraphs before we have this line:
The fact that it says there "like two vast wings" leaves open the interpretation that the shadows gave the Balrog the appearance of possessing wings.
That's an interesting way to view it. To me, it would seem a bit odd for Tolkien to have chosen that means of metaphor, though. Interestingly, the two had already had a "match of wills" you could say, involving the door Gandalf had locked with his power. The Balrog actually succeeded in causing the door to open in spite of Gandalf's spell. Gandalf's word of Command did not necessarily defeat the Balrog's counter-spell; it merely caused the chamber's roof to collapse.
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I agree with you on the wings:Balrogs probably don't have them, since Gandalf threw on off a bridge, Glorfindel threw one off a cliff, etc. Also, what's the use of "You shal not pass!" if the Balrog can simply fly around you? I wish I haven't voted "yes" for this question...
About the battle of wills, that's exactly what I mean!