#Balrog of Morgoth

[autistook]

January 15th - The bridge of Khazad-dûm

[tuserlivia]

You know what they awoke in the darkness of Khazad-dûm. Shadow and Flame.

[whiteladyofithilien]

Legolas' Cave Trauma

So it occurred to me that it seemed a bit weird that Legolas, who arguably has spent hundreds of years in a freaking cave palace, would be as anti-cave as he is in the books when Gimli goes off about the wonder of the Glittering Caves in Helm's Deep. So I had to reconcile these two facts. I consulted with the council of Elrond (aka my Tolkien friends) and one of them was like "just cause he lived in the caves doesn't mean he liked it. Thranduil had made the cave palace as a stronghold against the evils of the world outside his realm" while my thoughts was just "Legolas has cave trauma after Moria".

Because as we all know Legolas absolutely loses his shit when he sees the Balrog, like full on screaming Elvish meltdown.

So I combined the two theories to run along this line... Legolas was never a fan of caves, growing up on stories of the evil things that dwelt under the mountains he probably was not a huge fan when that's where his dad decided to repair to as the world grew more perilous. I picture little Leggy being especially scared of the Balrogs in stories told to him as a child. We gotta remember Balrogs are an extremely ancient and distant myth for even a lot of the elves, especially the "less wise" elves of Thranduil's folk. Most peoples are convinced that the last of the Balrogs perished in the War of Wrath, heck even people like Elrond may think this. So for Legolas this is his childhood monster under the bed, the Elvish Boogeyman. Balrogs shouldn't exist. They're just a scary story you tell kids to make them behave or to exemplify the valor of the elves of old who slew them. Some legends may say that some survived in deep places of the world but no one believes them any more, except maybe for little elven princelings but they grow up and grow out of it and after hundreds of years living in their dad's cave palace they're just an embarrassing memory of childhood fears.

But then Moria happens and it's his nightmares coming and standing before him more terrifying than he even imagined as a child and then striking down the most powerful being he's ever known. And it's just terrorizing and traumatizing and while the time in Lorien helps to settle his nerves he's none too eager to ever step foot underground again.

Especially to unknown caves.

Especially to a place underground that Gimli is a excited about.

The last time this happened he saw the terror of tales of long ago come to living reality in front of his eyes.

This may even be part of the reason why Legolas won't repeat the laments for Gandalf. "The grief is too near" and so is the terror. He doesn't wanna think about his living nightmare again, especially so soon. Of course he heals somewhat from his Cave Trauma and his friendship with Gimli helps I'm sure, after all they probably talked about it while they were hanging in Lorien becoming besties. And in turn seeing Legolas willingly go underground to take the Paths of the Dead encourages him to follow. He's just seen his bestie face his fears and now he must do the same.

[bilbo-the-himbo]

ATTENTION LOTR FANS!!!!!!!!

I need help finding this artist, Id like to make a tapestry/phone case out of this but I want to have the artists permission first, I found it on Pinterest awhile back

[savage-kult-of-gorthaur]

WHEN GODS AND MONSTERS CLASHED TO THE DEATH IN THE FIRST AGE.

PIC INFO: Resolution at 1996x2808 -- Spotlight on a Tolkien Legendarium piece titled "Glorfindel and the Balrog," artwork by John Howe, c. 1989.

MINI-OVERVIEW: "It was very exciting to imagine Balrogs when they were rather more commonplace than the last survivor in the Mines of Moria. Glorfindel battles to his death with the Balrog pursuing his people fleeing from fallen Gondolin. As the painting was for a calendar, it is not necessary to accommodate for titles and other bits of text. The mountains are from Patagonia, the cliff from Ireland (of course), and the Balrog from those places your mind goes sometimes..."

-- JOHN HOWE (renowned Tolkien Legendarium illustrator/designer)

Source: www.john-howe.com/portfolio/gallery/details.php?image_id=284.

[satanstrousers]

Vocal stim of the week has been over pronouncing the "R" in Middle Earth names like Christopher Lee.

[madbabylon]

Balrog of morgoth by Madbabylon

sketch de domingo www.instagram.com/madbabylon/ www.artstation.com/madbabylon www.deviantart.com/madbabylon

[referie]

Okay i need lore coz this is tumblr so right now idk is he gonna fight him or fuck him because balrog likes pony tail

What if.. Glorfindel joined the Fellowship,,

[dmdarius]

Man, this game has baited me into thinking I'm going to fight the damned Balrog for the last couple hours. There is no way they're going to have us actually fight along side Gandalf the Grey and force back the shadow. Right...?

[thedarklegosauron]

🎃HAPPY HALLOWEEN🎃

[astral-aromance]

Something that's funny to me is how the fandom has decided that Ñolofinwë is physically stronger than Fëanor based soley on the fact that he fought Morgoth and wounded him, while ignoring that the only reason Fëanor didn't fight Morgoth 1v1 is because Morgoth was litterally shaking and crying while hiding in his evil castle at the sheer thought of Fëanor reaching him, so he sent like 10 Balrogs to deal with him instead.

[autistook]

[daily-smol-silm]

Cozy/warm winter drawing idea - Melkor and Sauron toasting marshmallows, but the fire is a balrog

Day #137 - Marshmallows

I mean, the balrog seems pretty happy about the whole deal. They probably get to eat the marshmallows Melkor burns.

[overlord-of-fantasy]

Who lives in a dark fortress under the sea?

My hand slipped:

I made the Spongebob Squarepants Morgoth Bauglir intro!

[tanoraqui]

I just saw Six live (the ex-wives of Henry VIII musical), and I think I strained my voice from elated cheering, so let the record state: in the late Fourth Age, when they’re all alive (again), finally none of them are the currently elected High King nor have any other pressing duties, and they’ve all sufficiently reconciled to agree to this and sustain it without unbearable rancor, the seven* historical non-elected High Kings of the Noldor go on a musical apology/self-defense tour that is nominally a competition for who had the most epic tragic and/or heroic story—and, of course, death.

*Finwë, Fëanor, Maedhros, Fingolfin, Fingon, Turgon, Gil-Galad, Finarfin. Turgon’s inclusion is essentially, by design, an ongoing test of Fëanor’s temperamental tolerance of being arguably correct (in saying Turgon doesn’t count) but technically incorrect, and moreover outvoted.

[savage-kult-of-gorthaur]

"...FLAME OF UDÛN. GO BACK TO THE SHADOW. YOU CANNOT PASS!"

PIC INFO: Spotlight on Durin's Bane versus Gandalf the Grey, atop the Bridge of Khazad-dûm in the Mines of Moria (on January 23, 3019 of the Third Age), original painting by SMCreativeart, a.k.a., "smays281," c. 2021.

Resolution at 1378x1742 & 1284x1500.

Sources: www.reddit.com/r/lotr/comments/pvihiv & Pinterest.