Welcome, Why Emus!
I don't think it is a very good idea to choose a number that is greatly reduced, but not either one of the numbers from the Note. We don't have a note saying that Tolkien intended to reduce the numbers of Balrogs, we have a note saying that their numbers were between 3 and 'at most 7'. If I'm not mistaken, no other reductions are present in the texts, except the vague reduction from 'a host of Balrogs' to simply 'his Balrogs'.
It's at this point that the Note is said to be written in the margin. But wouldn't a specific figure given in the narrative feel out of place? I don't think the Note was intended to be placed within the text. Perhaps we should not take it as a proposed change, but an implemented change. It seems to me that maybe the marginal note was there to explain his modification of the passage to read 'his Balrogs'. What more would such an explanation have to do to become as canonical as the rest of the unpublished Silmarillion, might I ask? We have both the text before it was modified, and the text after it was modified, as well as the justification for modifying it. Does this not qualify as a canon change to the mythos? I believe so and I think it should be honored where possible. I particularly like jallanite's suggestions for vagueness.
As Aiwendil pointed out to me in another thread, the emended annal's (§50) account of the Balrogs withering before Manwe presents a problem for the suggestion of 3. I say at this point a vague figure between 3 and 7 was chosen, which could mean as many as 4 faithful Balrogs withered.
Well I hope that makes sense. I even edited this post three or four times after posting. Where'd our Post Preview function go?
[ January 31, 2002: Message edited by: obloquy ]
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