Balrogs
So, balrogs. A group of demons so powerful they rivaled dragons in their sheer ferocity and destructive power. Also, like dragons, most famous for the destruction of dwarven kingdoms. Dwarves seem to love fire. Fire does not seem to feel the same about the dwarves.
Their cruelty is matched by Melkor himself. Melkor was apparently fond of using the balrogs to torture captives. It is possible that through this sort of torture, elves were transformed into orcs.
Where dragons appear to use their body to fight, balrogs also use whips and swords. In one case an axe. Apparently these are either made of fire or are on fire during use. While they are arguably the most intimidating beings short of possibly Sauron or Gandalf, they are not invincible. Most famously, Gandalf single handedly bested Durin's Bane. Another was killed by a single elf. So it is possible to kill a balrog, it takes extreme application of force. Gandalf took days to accomplish his feat. at the same time extreme risks were taken - both him and Glorfindel the elf died of their wounds. Gandalf's battle lasted a whopping 10 days total with the climatic struggle at the top of the mountain lasting two days and nights of solid, nonstop fighting. All this to say one does not fight a balrog unless you are already extremely powerful and still expect to die.
Their intended role appears to be serving as Melkor's commanders. He cannot be everywhere micromanaging every orc. Thus, they do make Melkor stronger where he is weak. The sheer scope of managing an entire army would be too much for anyone without some intermediate points in the chain of command. Now, orcs appear to be good troops. Not so good commanders. So it makes sense for some other creature used for the role.
Is their design practical for that role? I would say so. Their so much bigger than their troops they can get a commanding view of the battlefield. Commanders in real life were often given horns and flags to help them communicate with their troops. The Balrog's volume is apparently quite good enough to overcome the noise of battle. Horses not only make the commander more visible to allied troops, but also allow the commander to get to trouble spots faster. Balrogs have the (possible) ability to fly for that purpose. Their height also serves the same function as flags and impressive crests of real life commanders. It sets a rally point for troops to return to while clearly signalling who is in charge.
In the next couple of points, they are even more resounding successes. They are clearly resistant to damage and sufficiently deadly. Few things in Middle Earth inspire terror in opponents and obedience in allies as much as them. And this was proven quite well in their wide range of combat experience. Are they smart enough but not too smart? I'd say so - they had several perfect opportunities to kill, overthrow or gain some form of concession from Melkor but didn't. Perhaps this was due to other tactics to gain loyalty, but I am not sure here.
As for their fatal flaw, I don't know if they have one per se. There does not appear to be one. At least I am not aware of it ever being exploited. Gandalf sure did not mention it. Are they a threat to their masters? most likely they are. The only thing keeping them from turning on their masters is the will to do so. They probably did not in the main narrative because loyalty got what them what they wanted - more opportunities to be cruel to both their enemies and subordinates. But those with power need to always be wary of those underneath them working in concert. Lower levels of power can still overthrow a master with enough numbers. So it appears that Melkor stayed in power over the balrogs as long as he did due to solid management rather than the features of the Balrogs as such.
Basic Information
Anatomy
They appear shrouded in shadow, darkness and fire. It is unclear if they are simply surrounded by or actually made of shadows. Their bodies appear like lava encased in black, from which they can fashion their weapons. Basically, they are mostly human shape. The main changes are a horned head and huge wings. Though there is debate if the description of wings were meant to be literal. Some depictions show balrogs with more lion and boar like features and bat wings. Tolkien also mentions fiery manes on balrogs.
Now, it is unlikely that they could fly, even with their wings. We have to remember that giving them dragon mounts is a waste if they could fly themselves. Their totally land based troll bodyguards are also wasted if they can just take off. If anything, the wings would grant a longer jump, but not true flight.
Biological Traits
Balrogs are quite literally beings of fire. Both Gothmog and Durin's Bane were weakened enough to be killed when they were doused with enough water to extinguish their flames. Durin's Bane ignited his body twice to increase its power when battling Gandalf. In the Peter Jackson films, their weapons were literal flames as well. Its voice is similar to volcanoes erupting.
Additional Information
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Originally in all of Morgoth's realms. However, as stated elsewhere, only in Moria at the start of LotR.
Civilization and Culture
History
When Melkor fell to the dark side, he seduced and took with him a whole host of the lesser Maiar spirits. Many of these took their more fiery forms down in the deepest pits of Melkor's fortifications. When he was defeated the first time, they fled to the deepest pits of these strongholds, where they escaped the Valar. It seems the Valar were not keen on a in depth search.
Melkor was eventually released from prison. He was then attacked by a giant spider. The balrogs heard his screams and came to the aid of Melkor. Keep this in mind here. Melkor - a guy more powerful than Sauron - needed to be saved by the balrogs. Keep in mind this was essentially pre history for Middle Earth - not even elves existed yet.
Most were killed during the War of Wrath - the ending of signalled the end of the First Age of Middle Earth. Those that didn't fled. Their transformation in and long habitation deep underground meant they had a natural taste for similar environments. Hence why Durin's Bane moved to Moria.
"Morgoth's Ring", HarperCollins (accessed 27 August 2011)
Historical Figures
Gothmog was the Lord of the Balrogs. He is said to have a brilliant mind. During the War of Wrath, he led Melkor's forces into battle. Sauron was the only being of equal rank. At the time Sauron was actually held back in a more domestic position. Gothmog proved highly devastating in many battles. During these, he demonstrated he did not get along with elves very much. He killed and captured many high ranking elves before getting killed by one. This came when the elf in question head butted Gothmog. With a spiked helmet.
Then there is the one we are msot familiar with. Durin's Bane. After the War of Wrath, he fled to Moria. After 5,000 years of hibernating in the mountain, he was awakened by the dwarves mining for Mithril. None too pleased with that, he wiped out the entire kingdom. For another 500 years, Durin's Bane was the primary occupant. Then Sauron began sending trolls and orcs to live in Moria. The two groups appear to have gotten along pretty well, though it is unclear of Durin's Bane would have ever submitted directly to Sauron. But he was quite happy to let Sauron's minions live with him and be the object of their worship.
This coalition lasted until the Fellowship arrived. Balin's colony appears to have been defeated primarily by overwhelming numbers of orcs. However, the reason this was a problem was partially due to Durin's Bane. It prevented the total eradication of orcs in Moria during the War of Dwarves and Orcs. Fear of Durin's Bane was more than enough to keep the dwarven armies outside. I can't exactly blame them for that. Again not taking too kindly to intruders, Durin's Bane attacked. This time Gandalf challenged the balrog. After a marathon of a duel, Durin's Bane was killed. When he fell down the side of the mountain, he broke it. But the fear of Durin's Bane lingered to such a degree that it took 400 years before dwarves recolonized Moria.
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
So, these guys were quite loyal servants of evil. Thus were hostile to all those not submitting to Melkor or Sauron. Almost as important is the fact they were effectively Melkor's commanders. This granted them extreme power on top of their physical strength. Like I keep coming back to - these monstrosities rode dragons. Gothmog - the Lord of the Balrogs - also had a troll bodyguard. This is important.
This means there was a history that Gandalf would be aware of that involves balrogs teaming up with dragons. Which means as powerful as Durin's Bane and Smaug are alone, it is possible that Sauron could command them to work together again in a similar fashion. Similarly, Durin's Bane under Sauron's rule would turn Moria into a base for an unholy and destructive war. The trolls and orcs in this area already worship the balrog and such command is akin to what balrogs did in their golden days.
On one had this means that balrogs could theoretically be used in a balace of terror bluff. Sauron simply suggesting that there might be more balrogs out there (more importantly, under his direct command), he might be able to focus the attention of the White Council where he wants it. This allows for a bit of deception to distract from more important objectives.
Meanwhile there is the possibility of a rather dramatic and effective tactic of essentially turning balrogs into powerful mounted infantry. Orcs would use overwhelming numbers to attack along the entire enemy front. Then, when all enemy units are engaged, the dragons would fly up and strike the enemy center. When a solid landing site is cleared, they can come down to let their balrogs land. This would probably involve the dragons in an outward facing circle so they can protect the site. Once their rides have dismounted, the dragons could take back off and return to close air support. The second the dragons land though, the troll units under the balrogs should strike at the flanks of the enemy. I would imagine this would devestate most armies. It also fits pretty well with the balrog's established roles and abilities.
Conservation Status
Only one known still alive by the time of Lord of the Rings. This was Durin's Bane - the Balrog that lived in Moria. However, they were much more common. One thousand took part in one battle. Hundreds in a separate engagement rode dragons.
Tolkien, J. R. R. (1984), Christopher Tolkien, ed., The Book of Lost Tales, 1, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, ISBN 0-395-35439-0
According to some margin notes revealed bu Tolkien's son, only between 3-7 were ever supposed to exist. So, this is extremely little to go on. It is possible that the 3-7 number is those that Tolkien wanted to exist at the time of the War of the Ring. What we do know is that only Durin's Bane was awake at the time of Lord of the Rings. But this would suggest that there could theoretically be an additional 6 out there.
Now, we know that balrogs were both extremely loyal to Melkor and powerful in their own right. Which means Sauron did not try and control them because of how hard that would be. But he was a master of mind domination. So, balrogs must then have extremely powerful minds or Sauron's powers are more limited than we think. That seems unlikely. What is more likely is that they simply haven't been found. Or they are all dead. This leads me to think that if any are still alive, they would join Sauron's army after he recovers the One Ring but not before. Hence why the recovery of the One Ring would be so devastating.
Average Height
In the books they are roughly twice the height of humans. Given the stature of men in the early days of Middle Earth, we can assume this to mean roughly 20 feet tall.
Average Weight
It is not exactly know how much they weigh. But the weight of Durin's Bane falling lifeless down the side of the mountain was enough to shatter the side of that mountain. So we can assume it was massive.
Average Physique
Balrogs are maia spirits like both Sauron and the wizards. They were described as like shadows with human form but greater. Durin's Bane was apparently able to draw himself up to great height and spread his wings across a vast hall.
Depictions show lion heads. Others show heads with horns. Clawed hands and hooved feet appear common.
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