Do Balrogs Have Wings?

[Puddleglum]

Originally Posted by Estelyn Telcontar

An aspect that has not, not my knowledge, been previously mentioned is that of the balrog's long sleep. ... neglect and disuse produces atrophied muscles. ...Dreaming for such a long time may have caused the balrog to forget that it had wings.

Good point imo about muscle atrophy.

I'm not so sure about the forgetting, tho, as the Balrog had been awake again for several hundred years - certainly long enough to notice these things on its back and think about what they were for.

Of course, being *inside* the mines for that whole time it would not have much (if any) opportunity to use the wings for flying <not much space for it>.