Balrog and the One ring

[blantyr]

Originally Posted by Boromir88

Could the Balrog use the Ring? Yes. I suspect it could, in the sense that anyone could use the Ring.

Would? Is a bit of a trickier question. The Balrog had fled from Morgoth's service and taken up abode in the Misty Mountains. Where he seemed pretty content to just sleep deep beneath the world until Dwarves came hi-hoing down into his new home. Balrog and Orcs drive out dwarves. Balrog doesn't try to gain more power or control. He just goes back to the nice, dark place he found in the Misty Mountains. Until the Fellowship comes through, and yet again he's disturbed. Yet again, Balrog and orcs drive out the intruders. Only this time he gets into an all time epic battle with Gandalf.

The Ring tempts with supreme power. It tempts with the power of the bearer to overthrow Sauron and fulfill the bearer's deepest wishes. For Boromir it was being the savior of Gondor. For Sam it was to turn Gorgoroth into a garden. But the key link is, the Ring tempts with power, and the supreme power to defeat Sauron.

The Balrog had no interest in joining Sauron and had no interest in defeating Sauron. Quite frankly, the Balrog didn't care. He just wanted a nice, simple retirement under Moria. When Durin's Bane is disturbed out of retirement, his objective is to restore it by driving out the intruders.

So could the Balrog use the ring? Yes. Would Durin's Bane? I'd say no (but that is just imho )


Durin's Bane did command the orcs. Which is not too surprising, since as Morgoth's greatest servants, the Balrogs were the captains of Morgoth's armies.

This is a kinder, gentler balrog than I'm used to.

In the Council of Elrond, there was talk of sending the Ring back to Tom Bombadil, one individual so powerful that he can ignore the temptation of the ring and not be likely to go wild messing up the whole of Middle Earth.

Might they also have considered giving it to Durin's Bane? I mean, if all he wants to do is to be left alone in his hole in the ground, why not give him the Ring and let Sauron just try to take it away?

I'm not really serious about this option. Even a balrog might be tempted and corrupted by the Ring. I'm just not sure of Boromir88's understanding of balrog psychology

[Galadriel55]

Originally Posted by blantyr

I'm not really serious about this option. Even a balrog might be tempted and corrupted by the Ring.

Even if the Balrog wouldn't be tempted (eg ifhis power excedes the Ring's) the Ring would still betray him and find a way to return to Sauron.

[Drognan]

OK, so Balrog would definitely grab the ring, probably would use it, uncertain is in which way would he project his power. One way is world dominance and next dark lord, and another is securing his home beneath Moria. And maybe both ways.

What do you think of the attack? Was it planned in advance? Did Golum warned orcs when he passed trough Moria? Would it happen if Pippin didn't throw all those stuff in the hole? Has he forced orcs on attack since he rang so obvious allarm. I mean, it would be suspicious if alarm rang, and no attack... Maybe orcs planned attack somewhere deeper in Moria?

I appologize for my bad english, it's not my primary language.

[Galadriel55]

Originally Posted by Drognan

OK, so Balrog would definitely grab the ring, probably would use it, uncertain is in which way would he project his power. One way is world dominance and next dark lord, and another is securing his home beneath Moria. And maybe both ways.

Well, yes, I suppose so - if the Balrog found out / saw the Ring. If he didn't - I doubt it.

What do you think of the attack? Was it planned in advance? Did Golum warned orcs when he passed trough Moria? Would it happen if Pippin didn't throw all those stuff in the hole? Has he forced orcs on attack since he rang so obvious allarm. I mean, it would be suspicious if alarm rang, and no attack... Maybe orcs planned attack somewhere deeper in Moria?

I think it was like the equivalent of a fire drill in our world. It wasn't planned beforehand, but it was well prepared for the moment.

I appologize for my bad english, it's not my primary language.

You're not alone on this forum.

Originally Posted by Alfirin

The real question i was asking (which may or may not be germane to the thread) is whether the Watcher in the water was a sentient, conscious creature, or just basically a mindless beast running on instinct. Yes the watcher seemed to be targeting Frodo, but there is the fact that Frodo is amount the (pysically) frailer members of the fellowship; it could simply be the predator l standard "go for the weakest one in the herd". I tend to assume that one of the few prerequisites of the rings being able to twist minds and wills is that the creature holding the ring has to have a mind to being with. If it didn't one would expect that, in the time that the ring was under the river it would have been "claimed" (eaten) by a fish, ot taken by a river crab into it's den etc.

Well, it could have been a go for the weakest, but I think Gandalf meant specifically him, not any weak hobbit.

Also, although the Ring tempts only those with a mind, it takes control over nature around it as well. The Ring has a "mind", that's what matters.