Durin's Bane
Durin's Bane is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium.
Character overview
Durin's Bane is a Balrog (not otherwise named) corrupted by Morgoth during the First Age. It apparently survived the defeat of Morgoth in the War of Wrath and escaped to hide beneath the Misty Mountains.
For more than five millennia, the Balrog hibernated in its deep hiding place at the roots of the mountains in Khazad-dûm. It remained undisturbed throughout the Second Age and most of the Third, before the mithril-miners of Dwarf-King Durin VI awoke it. Durin was killed by the creature, at which point it became known as Durin's Bane.
The Dwarves attempted to fight the Balrog, but its power was far too great. Despite their efforts to hold Khazad-dûm against it, King Náin and many of the Dwarves were killed and the survivors were forced to flee. This disaster appears to have also reached the Silvan Elves of Hollin, many of which also fled the "Nameless Terror" (it was not recognised as a Balrog at the time). The Elves began to call the place Moria, "The Black Pit".
For 500 years, Moria was left to the Balrog.
Sauron began to put his plans for war into effect around the year 2480 of the Third Age. As part of these, he sent Orcs and Trolls to the Misty Mountains to bar all of the passes. Some of these creatures came to Moria, and the Balrog allowed them to remain while it dwelled there.
The Battle of Azanulbizar was the climax of the War of the Dwarves and Orcs. It took place before the eastern gate of Moria in 2799 and was a victory for the Dwarves. However, the victors did not conquer Moria because Dáin Ironfoot, having slain the Orc Azog, felt the terror of the Balrog at the gate. Despite a failed attempt to recolonize Moria by Balin in 2989, Durin's Bane remained a menace in the ancient kingdom of the Dwarves whose nature was hidden to the outside world.
In January 3019, the Fellowship of the Ring travelled through Moria on the way to Mount Doom. There they encountered Durin's Bane at the Bridge of Khazad-dûm. The Elf Legolas instantly recognised the Balrog. More importantly, the Wizard Gandalf was there; knowing that it was far more powerful than even the greatest of his companions, he challenged it.
Since Gandalf and the Balrog were both Maiar, they were beings of the same order. As they faced each other, Gandalf broke the Bridge in front of him, but as the Balrog fell it wrapped its whip around Gandalf's knees, dragging him to the brink. As the Fellowship looked in horror, Gandalf cried "Fly, you fools!" and fell. After the long fall, the two landed in a subterranean lake, which extinguished the flames of the Balrog's body, greatly weakening it. Recognising its own weakness, the Balrog fled, and Gandalf pursued the creature for eight days until they climbed to the peak of Zirakzigil, at which point the Balrog's body flames were renewed, restoring its power. Here they fought for two days and nights. In the end, the Balrog was defeated and cast down, breaking the mountainside as it fell. Gandalf himself died following this ordeal, but was later sent back to Middle-earth with even greater powers as Gandalf the White.
In adaptations
Films
In Ralph Bakshi's animated version of The Lord of the Rings, Durin's Bane resembles a lion or an ape with large wings, capable of flight.
In Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings film trilogy, the rendering of Durin's Bane is based on illustrations by John Howe — dark, winged and huge. It had a skull-like face, massive curved horns, and a bear-like body made out of lava. In The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Gandalf kills the Balrog with an electrically charged Glamdring (a lightning bolt struck the sword). This detail is not found in the text, but is a common feature in Norse myth.
Video games
In the video game Lord of the Rings: The Third Age, which is based on Jackson's movies, the Balrog is seen sleeping in a lake of lava before being awakened by the dwarf skeleton Peregrin Took accidentally knocks down the well and Gandalf's subsequent outburst.
References
- The Encyclopedia of Arda, "Durin's Bane"