How many balrogs were there?

[Ellf]

Originally Posted by Gil-Galad 2.0

Well, how many are there? I have heard that there where only seven and I've also heard that there were thousands. If anyone has a qoute that is usfull please post it.

I apologize that I don't have a qoute, but what I do remember is that no one since the beginning of Arda was allowed (or knew how to) create a spirit but Iluvatar alone. The anwser is quite simple if we understand who the author is and where he got his ideas from. As we know the author was a linguist and studied the ancient writings of the Celts, Norse, and most important the Torah(bible). The bible interested JRRT very much since he was a devoted Catholic. If you look at the first chapter in the Silmarilion it is very closely related to the teachings of the Judaic and Christian teachings of the creation of Angelic beings and of the revolt of the mightiest of all the beings (Melkor). We understand in the Bible that Lucifer brought out of heaven 1/3 of the angelic beings. According to these teachingings these angelic beings transformed into "demon". Not by Lucifer's power but by there unwise, unprudent, and rash choice.

Well, we can't say that Melkor created any spirits. There is no proof of that. A Balrog was a spirit of fire (a demon). The word "demon" is used more than once in the Silmarilion. It's safe to say then that a balrog was once a Maia which by it was trasformed into something sinister, not by Melkor's power but by the choice to follow Melkor. In the end Iluvatar was directly responsible for this change in the Maia appearance. How did Melkor's appearance change, or Sauron's? It wasn't by creation, it was by choice to follow evil.

In several passages in the Silmarillion it is written that Melkor created "fleshy" beings (Trolls vs. Ents, Orcs vs. Elves etc.) like dragons. He never created a spririt. Melkor definately had powers over the unclean and evil spirits who follwed him and paid obedience to him. He would fill these flesh bodies with evil spirits whom he controlled. These spirits were created clean in the beginning by Iluvatar.

This is not to say that all of the Maia (and lesser Maia) were balrogs. Sauron was a maia and he was not a balrog. He was a Spirit much more powerful than balrogs. But if Melkor did succeed to take a huge following (thousands) of these angelic beings away from Iluvatar's presence then it's safe to say that many were balrogs. Not all of course. I doubt there were only seven or even twenty (I doubt the author concieved this). I believe that number was pretty huge. Maybe not thousands, but definately scores. Don't forget that even the balrogs had a captain, Gothmog.