Balrog and the One ring

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

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 )

But of course he would! I completely agree with what you said: that he just wanted to have his nice, cozy, warm place away from everyone, not being bothered. You mentioned Samwise the Great Gardener, who never wanted anything, yet was still "approached" with the offer of making Mordor the loveliest garden. Only because he was a honest hobbit with the love for his master, he did not succumb. I don't want to underestimate Durin's Bane, but, you know what. And what about Gollum who wanted basically the same as The Balrog: to remain in his corner, hidden, yet also he was in the end having delusions about Great Gollum, eating fresh fish every day?

What would you define "use" the Ring? If by "use" you meant "generally use", as in, wear from time to time, then the answer is obviously yes even by just what you say: the Balrog could, say, use it to make himself invisible, hide from all Dwarves and Wizards and Orcs and just remain at peace - just like Gollum did; maybe from time to time use it to ambush and/or wipe with the Ring's power the intruders - just like Gollum did (I am referring to him strangling Orcs in the dark, but he was doing it for food, so Balrog might do that just to get rid of annoying people, for example).

But even if we meant "use" as (what I believe you had in mind) "use to become the new Dark Lord", then, I mean, sure. I would say "definite yes" even to that. Faced with that temptation - how many people, Maiar, etc, were able to resist the lure of the Ring, especially in case they put it on their finger at least once? Quite. Gandalf's warning about the Ring offering more power to the hands of the powerful ones is also definitely valid here. Therefore, I think I can very well imagine what the Ring would say to The Balrog, something along these lines:

"You can become greater than anybody... wipe out all the annoying Dwarves who woke you up... take control of all the Orcs... they can make you a King Under Your Own Mountain when they are at it... nobody will be able to contest you anyway... why don't you pay back to the Elves for destroying your original home in Utumno and Angband when you are at it... yes, all of them, they are all responsible, or their children, or kinsmen, anyway, you know that, they are all of the same kind, who cares... oh, and yes, definitely you should show Sauron. Remember how he always looked down at you, bossing you around, even though you are definitely as strong, no, stronger than him? It should have been you to be Melkor's right hand, not him. You would have done better, with you in his place, you would have won against the Valar! Let's pay him back for destroying your life! ..."

It is really easy to imagine the reasons. I would say, it is obvious that the Balrog would use The One Ring. And remember, the evil guys always want to use the One Ring, on top of everything.