Board Thread:Suggestions forum/@comment-32013442-20180201161120/@comment-27509628-20180206163157

Hello there! I'm going to throw myself in this uncivilized discussion. I'm using tolkiengateway and Tolkien's books as only source for all my statements.

First off, here is a more lore accurate picture of a Balrog: That is probably the most lore accurate image you'll ever see, so take a good look. Furthermore, Tolkien said in the Fellowship of the Ring: "Something was coming up behind them. What it was could not be seen: it was like a great shadow, in the middle of which was a dark form, of man-shape maybe, yet greater; and a power and terror seemed to be in it and to go before it." and "It stepped forward slowly on to the bridge, and suddenly it drew itself up to a great height.". Furthermore, in earlier drafts of the chapter it was noted that "A figure strode to the fissure, no more than man-high yet terror seemed to go before it. They could see the furnace-fire of its yellow eyes from afar; its arms were very long". Tolkien later added a note: "Alter description of Balrog. It seemed to be of man's shape, but its form could not be plainly discerned. It felt larger than it looked."

Now, this is extremely vague. If there only was a book where we'd get a definitive answer to this question of constant debate... Enter The Book of Lost Tales!

"Then sprang the Balrog in the torment of his pain and fear full at Glorfindel, who stabbed like a dart of a snake; but he found only a shoulder, and was grappled, and they swayed to a fall upon the crag-top. Then Glorfindel's left hand sought a dirk, and this he thrust up that it pierced the Balrog's belly nigh his own face (for that demon was double his stature)"

"Then leapt Ecthelion lord of the Fountain, fairest of the Noldoli, full at Gothmog even as he raised his whip, and his helm that had a spike upon it he drave into that evil breast, and he twined his legs about his foeman's thighs; and the Balrog yelled and fell forward; but those two dropped into the basin of the king's fountain which was very deep. There found that creature his bane; and Ecthelion sank steel-laden into the depths, and so perished the lord of the Fountain after fiery battle in cool waters."

Also, an user by the name Balfrog calculated the height of Durin's Bane by comparing it to the Durin's Bridge (source) To summarize:

Gandalf stood in the middle of the bridge, which spans 50 feet. Therefore he is 25 feet from the end of the bridge. The Balrog stops before stepping onto the bridge, so it's 25 feet from Gandalf. The Balrog steps onto the Bridge before swinging his sword at Gandalf (Balfrog argues that this is just one step). Thus, the step had to have been half the bridge span minus the reach of the Balrog and its sword's (the reach was assumed to be the Balrogs height). This gives the height of 16.7 feet. There would of course be a possibility of error based on size of the Balrog's sword, if they had to do a full stride etc.; adding 20% error either way gives a range between 13.36 feet and 20.04 feet, which, suprise, is about twice the size of an elf.

This would put a balrog about 4 blocks high if converted in Minecraft.

Second off, Melkor. This is an easy one; as noted before, Melkor was cast into the Void after the War of the Wrath, never to return before Dagor Dagorath.

Is there any more?