Balrog size

[Kuruharan]

The issues with swords has always been a topic I wanted to discuss. To me it is like swords are aware of everything and even have a spirit. Does Tolkien ever adress this?

Now there is a topic that one can sink their teeth into.

The short answer is I don't know for sure. I'd have to do some digging to see if there is anything about it.

However, just some ideas off the top of my head...
Swords are often attributed special or mystical attributes in many, many cultures and tales. In many of the Norse sagas, for example, many swords have great mystical significance. It would not surprise me in the least if the Profressor gave swords special qualities in his own mythology. This type of idea about a special 'relationship' (but that doesn't seem like quite the right word) between a sword and its owner is quite ancient.

One can "assume" that it takes more then the weilder of a sword to make it "alive", I think a big part would be the marker/crafter/forger.

I think that does have a lot to do with it. Some swords are meant to be borne by heroes and others by mere foot soldiers. Heroes often have swords that are made specially for them, or make their swords themselves, or find them on a quest, or they were meant to find it.
Turin's sword, Gurthang, certainly seemed to have something about it alright. "The hatred of it's maker was in it."

Know what? 15 ft is huge! I mean, just try to get your mind around something big enough to hit its head on the ceiling of a normal modern building--that's only 8-10 ft there.

That's true. A 15' Balrog would make a little less than 3 of me. Myself being a dwarf and all of that. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] (And on other days a rather undersized human).
But seriously, 15' is pretty big. About as big as my house is tall, as a matter of fact.

And I think that there is a tiny difference between 6' goblin warriors and 50' balrogs trundling down small mountain passages.
Even though I think that 15' is a good estimate of a balrog's height, I still think that he had problems moving through some of the smaller passages.

[ February 08, 2002: Message edited by: Kuruharan ]