Saurons Weapon of Choice?

[avar]

Originally Posted by Morthoron

Being a "a great craftsman of the household of Aulë", Sauron certainly could have forged a potent weapon to wield, but his great metal works were the Rings of Power, not the Insidious Sword of Uber Smiting or the Malevolent Mace of Mordor. The use of the One Ring principally, and sorcery in general, were his mode of combat.

I think this is the most important point here. Sauron was a master of sophisticated strategy, construction and intricate technical devices, and he had his machines and his slaves doing the fighting for him. This is very strongly emphasized in the books. Fear, too, is only one, if a prominent one, of his many tactics (especially employed through the Nazgûl).

Just to portray him wielding a plain weapon in hand-to-hand combat destroys this image, and he would certainly not have a "weapon of choice". The unarmed "wrestling" with Gil-galad and Elendil is also meant as a contrast to all of his machinery: a final, naked act of desperation.

Of course, he may "historically" have wielded a weapon in combat, but it is literary significant that this is never mentioned in the books.

[William Cloud Hicklin]

Really, one might as well ask "What kind of armor did Balrogs wear?"

[Kuruharan]

Originally Posted by William Cloud Hicklin

Really, one might as well ask "What kind of armor did Balrogs wear?"

And since wearing armor precludes having wings, the discovery of balrog armor conclusively proves that balrogs did not have wings.

[Morthoron]

Originally Posted by Kuruharan

And since wearing armor precludes having wings, the discovery of balrog armor conclusively proves that balrogs did not have wings.

Pffft! Of course Balrogs didn't use wings when wearing armor. They employed turbo jet packs while passing over Hithlum with winged speed.

[Belegorn]

I seem to recall Milton's Angels fighting in armor, and I also recall Voltaire taking a shot at Angels fighting with cannons in Candide, lol, that was funny. But yea, I think, as far as I can remember, the Angels had wings and fought in armour and are about comparable to Tolkien's Balrogs.

[Alfirin]

Well, there is of course the so called "Armor of God" But seriously the whole thing is modern interpretation of early quotes. I seem to recall reading somewhere that the whole justification for angelic wings is from some passages in the Apocrypha about them flying, and early church fathers deciding that, if they can fly they must have wings (which, to me at least always made the story about the Inquisition arresting El Greco on the grounds he'd painted his angel's wings wrong a little funny.) The rest is sort of modenization; adapting the image to current versions of the items being discussed. It's a bit like if you look ad Medival church art of angels with thier "firey swords" the swords more usually resemble then current longswords and broadswords than the leaf bladed kinds that would have been current in the Holy Land Area when the passages were being finalized. Milton and Votaire put armor on thier angels because at that time armor would be part of what a warrior would wear; it's part of the image, whether or not it's still useful, like a US Military officer's dress saber. Either that, or if you want to get a little silly, as time has progressed and our weaponry has gotten nastier, Angels who need to appear to people in combat conditions have needed better and better protection to stay safe (I imagine that, after the little stunt at Mons in WWI, many angels might have felt they needed gas masks).
Personally I've always imagined Balrogs with armor. At bare minimum they'd need some sort of belt, to hold thier flaming swords and whips when not being wielded (they presumaby have to put them down to use thier hands to do other things, like eat). My mind tends to go for the "cuirass and shoulder guards" look, since it tends to fit with my mental image of a balrog (sort of a cross between demonic human and leonine (they have manes, right) I tend to not imagine they have leg armor but that's becuase in my mind the bestial aspects tend to come along with an image of more animal like legs, so that Balrogs have that somewhat bowlegged stance one normally associates with other animal hind legged monsters (like some forms of werewolf) and those don't really fit with much armor.

[Kuruharan]

This just goes to show that even the silliest comment about balrog wings will always start a longer discussion.

[Liriodendron]

Seems like Sauron's weapon of choice is to makes others paranoid or whatever else it takes to make them kill each other due to hate....Sauron is like the "devil" he feeds on hate......

[Zigûr]

Originally Posted by William Cloud Hicklin

Really, one might as well ask "What kind of armor did Balrogs wear?"

Probably mail?
In all seriousness, that's what I imagine. Large, shadowy man-shapes with flaming manes (no wings, no generic demonic bits like hoofs or horns) in black mail. I mean, can't we at least hazard a guess at such answers? There was no armour more advanced than mail in Middle-earth. Hence why I think we can also hazard a guess as to Sauron's armament, ie that he had none. But I would never claim that as definitive, nor that Balrogs wore mail or indeed lacked wings. But that's how I interpret the text.

Originally Posted by avar

Just to portray him wielding a plain weapon in hand-to-hand combat destroys this image, and he would certainly not have a "weapon of choice". The unarmed "wrestling" with Gil-galad and Elendil is also meant as a contrast to all of his machinery: a final, naked act of desperation.

I'm entirely on board with this.