The fall of Gondolin and the fall of Troy The Elf Ecthelion leads the charge against the Orcs, and fights Gothmog, the greatest Balrog; they wound each other and both fall into the king's fountain in Gondolin; both drown.
Balrogs are portrayed in the Lord of the Rings films as having a height between 14'-18' (4.3-5.5 m) based on a comparative analysis of film frames. The Balrogs of Morgoth were fiery Maiar, primordial spirits that helped shape the World in the beginning. Balrogs took the form of fire engulfed humanoid creatures.
Gothmog was the Lord of Balrogs and the High-captain of Angband, one of the chief servants of the Dark Lord Morgoth during the First Age.
The last clear picture of the Balrog's size is no more than man-high, which even when taken generously to mean the Numenorean measure of two rangar, leaves us with a Balrog at 6'4".
By my understanding, the Balrogs were seen as undefeatable up until the battle of Gondolin, when up to eight were slain (3 (?) by the House of the Hammer, 4 by Ecthelion & 1 by Glorfindel), depending on the account read. Gandalf obviously also kills Durin's bane in Moria during LOTR, bringing the total up to 9 (?).
The most powerful of all the Balrogs, one of the chief servants of Melkor, who held an authority hardly less than Sauron himself. A wily commander and fearsome fighter, Gothmog was often accompanied by others of his fiery kind, and at least in the Nirnaeth he had a personal guard of dozens of Trolls.
Gothmog (Sindarin IPA: [ˈɡoθmoɡ]) was the first Lord of Balrogs during the First Age, and the greatest Balrog ever to walk Middle-earth.
In the end Tolkien stated that there were probably "at most" seven Balrogs: In the margin my father wrote: 'There should not be supposed more than say 3 or at most 7 ever existed. '
In Tolkien's later writings, he made note of the fact that there could not have ever been more than three or seven Balrogs. In another early writing, there was a Lord of Balrogs named Lungorthin.
The movies didn't show it, but the Balrog all but defeated Gandalf in a battle of spells. So, the bottom line is that some brutish beast like Smaug (regardless of his size) wouldn't have been a threat to a Balrog. The only thing that could save Smaug would be his wings -- if he flew away in full retreat.
For more than five millennia, the Balrog hibernated in his deep hiding place at the roots of the mountains in Khazad-dûm. He remained undisturbed throughout the Second Age and most of the Third, before the mithril-miners of dwarf-King Durin VI awoke him in T.A. 1980.
In all of Tolkien's text I've read, there are three people who have killed a Balrog. Ecthellion, Glorfindel and of course Gandalf.
However, they were ambushed by enemies, including a Balrog. Glorfindel fought the Balrog and succeeded in slaying the monster, but was himself mortally wounded. His body was recovered by the great eagle Thorondor and buried under a stone cairn, where afterward grew yellow flowers.
Balrogs, as they are known in Arda (real names Valaraukar), are an extremely powerful demonic race of fallen Maiar found in J.R.R Tolkien's fantasy universe of Arda and Middle-earth.
As others have noted, Karen Wynn Fonstad's The Atlas of Middle-earth shows Khazad-dûm stretching about 40 miles from the West or Hollin Gate to the East or Dimrill Gate.
Gandalf, an entity birthed into the Third Age, possessed far less might in his body than the average Balrog, a being manifested in the First Age. Yes, both are Maiar which predate the universe, but their physical forms existed in far different eras.
He is physically massive and strong, and in one version he is some 12 feet tall. He wields a black axe and whip of flame as his weapons. He holds the titles of the Lord of the Balrogs, the High Captain of Angband, and Marshal of the Hosts.
Ecthelion killed three Balrogs and his sword did "hurt to their fire". However, dragons reinforced Melkor's army.
So, in terms of "angelic rankings," they were on the same level, which meant that Sauron had no authority to commander the Balrog. As a Valar, Morgoth led a whole slew of Balrogs in the First Age, but because Sauron was only a Maia, the Balrog would have had no loyalty to him.
He will fight in the Last Battle against the Valar and their allies, but will ultimately be slain by Túrin Turambar, the Man he cursed. By finally defeating Morgoth, Túrin will avenge not only himself, but all members of the race of Men.
The name of the Balrog that Gandalf fights in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is Durin's Bane. Gandalf defeated his enemy on top of Zirakzigil—the highest peak in the Misty Mountains.
Morgoth vs Sauron: In Rings of Power who is more powerful? It is almost no contest — between him and Sauron, Morgoth is easily the more powerful Dark Lord. Morgoth/Melkor is the greatest of the Ainur, the god-like offspring of the creator Ilúvatar. Sauron is a lesser Ainur, called a Maia, much like Gandalf or Saruman.
No, Balrogs do not serve Sauron. Similar to Sauron, Balrogs are Maiar, powerful spiritual beings second only to the Valar themselves. They were corrupted by Melkor's evil before the first age and were made into Valaraukar (Demons of Power). They very strength and wills were bound to Melkor.
Balrog. Even in the earliest writings, when Balrogs were much, much weaker and more numerous than they are in the conceptions you probably identify with them (as in, what Gandalf fights), Balrogs are stated outright to be more powerful than dragons.
'It was a Balrog of Morgoth,' said Legolas; 'of all elf-banes the most deadly, save the One who sits in the Dark Tower. ' A Balrog is definitely stronger than the witch king.