Thank you all so much for the support, it means a lot! It is very interesting to hear your thoughts about Dragons versus Balrogs! It certainly depends on which Dragon fights which Balrog, and indeed, Balrogs are Maiar while Dragons might not be. Although Dragons can cause the mass destruction that Balrogs cannot. I can definitely see how either could win, but I still hold that a Dragon would probably win most of the time, since they can cause so much more damage than a Balrog. But, all it would take is for the Balrog to piece the Dragon in the belly with its sword to win, so who knows haha
The Balrogs aren't about mass destruction but are surgical in their violence to destroy powerful elves and other Maiar and men of Numenor. Didn't Melkor have to give his power to all the creatures he created which would weaken him in the end?
I believe that Balrogs are the most fearful things that ever existed outside of Morgoth/Sauron. It took Gandalf‘s whole power to defeat an ancient servant of Morgoth, while a dragon like Smaug was easily defeated by men.
Dragons are on a strength level equivalent to an army, whereas Balrogs are roughly equivalent to the great heroes/leaders of Middle Earth. The Balrog of Moria was, I think, supposed to be the strongest of them (and likely the last surviving one as a result).
@Men of the West I'm not sure if anyone has brought this topic up to you up before but, I think you're on to something with your above statement.... Think about the literary legacy of Balrogs. In later fantasy, primarily DnD, Balrogs (or Balor demons) are described as leaders and puppeteers; they create destruction via leadership. A Balrog's destructive power seems to be second to none against small groups but a dragon's wrath can reach national levels. Do you think this later literary role in line with Tolkien's vision?
Cody Peabody I completely agree with that Cody! It seems Balrogs would cause greater havoc in a duel whereas Dragons and their fire would be superior against greater numbers. That would mean Balrogs could have the mastery in such a fight with a Dragon. They do seem to play different roles in combat. However, I’m curious about how a Dragon’s ability to fly may affect that. Perhaps (assuming Balrogs have wings) it would not be much of an advantage at all, or perhaps it would mean the mastery of the duel goes to the Dragon. This is quite a fascinating debate!
@@teejota22 I still think he must have been of considerable size though to destroy the Thangorodrim when he fell on them, which consists of not 1 but 3 volcanos
@@hoppystar439 Durin's Bane left a crater and destroyed the side of a mountain in death. Despite being incredibly small to any dragon in comparison. I wouldn't equate your example to size. Especially since we don't know the extent of the destruction. It could be breaking up the mountain sides, or the entirety of all three peaks. I doubt the second, but we don't know. The only description is "as tall as a mountain" which likely isn't large enough to destroy three other mountains (at least with size alone). I still believe this quote to be an exaggeration to show how mighty Ancalagon was (more poetic as with much of the Silmarillion) - but either way, I VERY much doubt he was as large as the Thangorodrim as portrayed. I would argue more akin to Glaurung. Likely larger than Smaug since he was described as the largest of all (winged) dragons (though Smaug was not yet known, nor grown - if he did live back then). Think more, a regular plane compared to a massive 2 levelled plane. A significant difference, but not ridiculous.
Yeah Tolkien really succeeded in making dragons a BIG FUCKING DEAL, by only giving us little pieces of them, but making those little pieces incredibly impactful.
Balrogs are Maiar; they are more powerful than Dragons. Being spirits of shadow and flame, I don't believe that dragon fire can harm them. Tolkien seems to bear this out, as Balrogs drove dragons forward with their whips in the First Age during the sack of Gondolin.
Yet balrogs to were killed by elfs and other Maiar, só definetly a dragon could kill a balrog, and you can mount a elephant but if he turns on you, you better run
@@rfigueiredomusic Dragons, however, are slain by men. A single sword thrust killed Glaurung; a single arrow brought down Smaug. Gandalf battled Durin's Bane for days before each killed the other. The elves like Glorfindel and Ecthelion who killed Balrogs were slain by them as well, and they were mighty among the Noldor who had lived in Aman in the light of the 2 Trees for many ages of men. I still give the edge to Balrogs.
Dragons in Tolkien's Legendarium are probably the most badass dragons in any literature (to me at least) heck Ancalagon the Black alone would definitely make both Godzilla and Gidorah a run for their money lol
The fact that we have fan art of almost every single character and event described in all of the LOTR canon is just amazing. It shows how incredible this community is and just how great Tolkien was at painting a vivid picture with words.
Found this channel recently. Really enjoying it, keep it up!! One thing that I find strange is how Morgoth made Glaurung but that it is mentioned that Morgoth can’t create but only mock. Which sort of points towards some dragon-like creature made by Iluvatar
Was just driving home from work and saw a cloud in the sky and wondered if Ancalagon would dwarf it and here I am watching MotW's Dragon's video. EPIC And Dragons would win.
Man I wish we see more Dragons brought to the Big Screen because Smaug looked sooo Awesome!!! I have finally saw the Tolkien Movie Mellon, which is good!!! Thanks so much for updated this video Mellon, until the only Elf with a Beard ECH...Marion Baggins Out!!!
I like to believe that Smaug was the last dragon to become a threat to the Men of Middle-Earth. All other dragons remaining at the time were either very young or too small to actually pose a threat on his level.
@@giulioaprati338 cirdan is indeed either the oldest or one of in all of arda, hes from cuivienen and the only elf known to have a beard(something that only really old elves do) the only other super old elves i can think of are ignwe the high king and thingol brothers
Yeah this update was much needed! Fantastic Job Yoystan! The details of the individual named dragons are much better displayed here than in the original. :)
I had always assumed that Melkor just took some lizards or snakes and over the span of centuries, bred them together to be bigger, stronger, and deadlier. Perhaps he used some sort of magic to give some of them their more dangerous capabilities such as their fire breathing capabilities, or like Glaurung's ability to enchant others under hypnotic spells.
Please make an in depth War of Wrath breakdown! Ancalagon's wings blot out the sky, and his steps crush mountains. Love the channel! Keep up the great work.
You're right, this video was much better and more satisfactory to my curiosity than the previous one. Unlike most remakes this was a good one. Thanks for this video.
I love your channel, sir. We cannot tell you how much we appreciate the work you put into researching and creating these videos for us. Smaug is personally my favorite dragon, as a child reading his chapters in The Hobbit was thrilling and I loved the idea of a smart giant winged creature who could trick you in many ways. I like how they portrayed him in the films yet I do hope that one day we get a more accurate version of him and those chapters in some sort of show or something.
another GREAT video Yoystan! I think it depends on the source. Silmarillion Balrogs seemed quite a bit weaker and would lose. The version in Fellowship would probably beat Smaug, not Ancalgon, and be matched with Glaurung. don't forget, they were Maiar, so they are smarter overall than we really see them have a reason to demonstrate. Morgoth would not make a mindless animal one of his top generals
@chevin0 I dont know about beating Smaug cause smaug is a fire breathing dragon with wings that eventually would fly and strike the balrog and flame him. Smaug can be only pierced with the molten iron black arrow, not a sword of a balrog that can be broke with a spell or a magic shield. The dragons were meant to be powerful than any other creature cause it had to defeat the armies of men and elves. And besides 'Durin's bane' is not the strongest so it is a treat to the dwarves, not to Smaug. Maybe Gothmoth might be able to fight against Smaug..
@@sunnybang4575 fire wouldn't work against a Balrog, at all, might make it much worse. we have no reason to assume virtually non-magical dragon claws would hurt it much. And the one thing we are ABSOLUTELY sure a Balrog is capable of is taking something far above it and dragging that thing into grappling range. I can't say for sure because Tolkien never did power rankings, but I don't like Smaugs odds
@chevin0 I do know one thing that a balrog is a powerful and terrifying being since they are miars and they can use magical weapons of fire. But as I said 'Durin's Bane' is not so much a powerful one, only a threat to men and dwarves. So if it meets Smaug I dont think Smaug would be terrified cause he is created to survive most harsh conditions and already seen a lot of creatures. And even though the whip can range far, Smaug is way bigger so the whip wont do much affect prob.
Plus Smaug was taken down by the black arrow but the most powerful balrog, Gothmoth was also pierced by a normal sword and was dragged down into the depths. So the balrog could be possibly pierced with the claw or teeth or tail(Tails of the dragons are steel) of Smaug. And tolkien said a fire breathing dragon with wings are the most dangerous beings that are living.
I just found this channel and I absolutely love it. Thanks for the awesome work and keep on doing your beautifully animated and well researched videos!
Mae govannen mellon, hope you are doing well. I had never noticed the connection between the named slain dragons and Men, really interesting observation. Here's another one: as you said, the dragons show the danger of weapons of mass destruction, and they have an interesting connection with the dwarves (the most overall inventive race in Tolkien's works). For me, at least, it shows how new inventions can have different results depending on how you use it (atomic bombs vs nuclear reactors comes to mind), so we should avoid being blinded by greed and thirst for power, as if we do so we will become actual "dragons". I had other observations but I believe I already commented them on other video, mainly regarding the reason for dragons to love gold so much Amazing video, continue the great work
It would be cool by today's standards, but since Tolkien was basically inventing the genre of fantasy, he had to stick with his metaphor that dragons were weapons of mass destruction paralleling the weapons created in WWI. It may have been an interesting case if one of them were redeemed, though.
It may have been that once a dragón was dead, someone with power enough to transfer a soul from body to another did this, maybe one of the blue wizards on the east did this because since Tolkien made middle earth like a mythology and ancient past of modern earth, and since eastern Asian "dragons" were benevolent then therefore they may have been good dragons simply possessed by good spirits of good men or avari elves, don't know but it's a possibility.
@Harry Christie I thought talking didn't believe in the idea of evil being inherently stronger than good? So how could the force of evil in any being always be inherently stronger?
@@thorondor1593 I wouldn't say inventing: popularizing, revolutionising forever reshaping would be fair but not synonyms. Hoeever books like The Worm Oroboros already existed and doubtless they are and were thought of us fantasies even if that was not the word used for them at the time.
I always thought on that match up myself and I would have to say the balrogs would win against the dragons. While the dragons are indeed strong the balrogs were the bodyguards of Morgoth himself and even fought off Ungoliant who was about to eat Morgoth. It even took Gandalf 10 days to defeat the balrog in Moria while the dragons seemed to die in battle in a shorter time such as Ancalagon who died after one day of battle. I could think on it forever but that’s my choice for the question. 😁
But then remember, that the dragons storm were so powerful that they even drove the Valar back. That was something the Balrogs couldn't do. Ancalagons death is also something i don't like in Tolkiens work. That is no valid argument of course, but it is just not believable (i hope that word is correct) for me that he died that way... just no.
DwightSmith I’ve never heard of dragons storm, or I may have just forgotten it but that is very interesting! And yes it so disappointing that the dragons seem to die off so quickly, for such powerful creatures they should be extremely hard to kill right next to the balrogs not just die by one blow.
@@MarcusSanchez2525 Maybe i just used the wrong words, i'm sorry. with the storm i meant the attack of the dragons after Morgoth unleashed them all. The Valar besieged Angbang in the War of the Wrath and Morgoths last defense were the dragons. So they attacked the Valar and pushed them back (what i meant with "storm"). When i first read that part i thought that it would change the outcome of the battle. But i agree, the dragons die too easily. Maybe they would be too overpowered if that were not the case. But with another perspective: The death of Smaug was in the end just pure luck. Glaurungs death was, if i remember correctly not just one blow, but his whole belly was ripped open by Turin. Ancalagons death is (sorry for my words) bullshit....
It is a case by case basis. Like, Durin’s Bane (the one Gandalf killed) was not as strong as Gothmog (the strongest Balrog), I could see Gothmog killing dragons in combat, but Durin’s Bane vs a dragon isn’t as easy to tell. Same thing with Dragons, Smaug was far from the strongest dragon in middle earth history, how he would fair in combat against someone like Gothmog probably isn’t in is favor.
🤘🏻Excellent upload, I'm always super excited to see my notifications for you and @DorkLords regarding LOTRs. Thank you for all effort, always amazing. 🖤
Thanks for making my Sunday and beginning of the week Beyond Enjoyful with this Wonderful, Amazing video ..and i hope where ever you are in Middle Earth today it is a Pleasant One (I LOVE THIS CHANNEL!!!)
I really like your content and glad you updated this one since dragons of middle earth is such a fascinating topic. Creatures created by morgoth yet smart and sentient...Tolkien very rarely created creatures completely out of redemption (Melkor and Sauron for me are onpy two examples I can think of) I wonder...is there a way to make them less destructive?
My Sir Yoystan, you fill me with insurmountable joy and glee. My love for you trumps all laws of physics and matter and might rip this very universe apart! This video was fantastic and almost encapsulated the grandeur that you fill this world with. Much love, your loyal servant
Here's a piece or two of draconic speculation that's worth mentioning: It has been theorized by some that Scatha the Worm, slain by Fram was also either . . . A) the Beast of Gondolin, and/or . . . B) the "great cold-drake" who ran the Dwarves out of the Grey Mountains. The reason for this was to not only explain why the Dwarves would try to lay claim to Scatha's treasure, but also how the elf-blades from Gondolin ended up in "The Hobbit." For it was supposed that when Scatha was slain, his hoard got dispersed, and some very ancient treasures from the First Age found their way into Eriador, and into the hands of the trolls.
I like how you pronounce the names using the Scandinavian rolling R. I believe this is accurate, tho it is a difficult for me to do naturally being an American English speaker without much practice at it.
One of my all-time favorite creatures in all of Fantasy are indeed Dragons. They are fearsome, great, and powerful creatures that have truly captured the minds of humans for a long, long time. The way Tolkien used Dragons is definitely very facinating and awesome. And for that reason, Tolkien's Dragons are (unsurprisingly) my all time favorite spin on them in all of Fantasy and all of world Literature (with my favorite Dragon from the Legendarium being Ancalagon the Black!)! :)
What if Tolkien wrote dragons as originally Maiar that ended up in Arda with some siding with Morgoth while others stayed good instead of them all being creations of Morgoth?
A very well made video concerning Dragons. However, concerning Dragons it only reminds me that more of human history remains unrecorded and unknown then known and recorded. I suspect this was one of the points Tolkien intended.
I think that the Dragons were simple creatures that were corrupted and changed by Morgoth and became Dragons and Drakes, like how the Orcs were former elves, corrupted to evil, and how the Nazgul were great men, corrupted into immortal servants of Sauron, and also I believe they were given a part of Morgoth’s faya, but they weren’t drones as they at times did act without Morgoth’s permission like Glarung revealing himself to early, so they were probably once simple creatures before they’re corruption, but that’s just a theory.
A fire Drake vs a Balrog would be a very interesting fight to watch, though it would suck up all the air and both might die to asphyxiation. I might give the edge to the Balrog though as they seem to have more options when fighting, such as weapons.
@@skrskr9000 Those pics go off a canon description of Anacalagon, which say "as tall as a mountain". Smaug is less than that by a wide margin because he made his home IN a mountain. Anacalagon was likely between 150-300 meters (500-1000 feet). Smaug, on the other hand, is at least 20 meters (66 feet). Even if Ancalagon wasn't as big as three mountains (despite his glorious demise smashing three of them), he's still in another league from Smaug in terms of size. He was STILL the largest dragon in existence before and since the First Age. No other dragon came close. My original point still stands and both are still going to be huge to a human.
Please do the following theories 1. if Radagast got the one ring And 2. If all the wizards joined the dwarves going to erabor And 3. If all the wizards joined the fellowship
I think a balrog would win. They are immune to a dragon’s greatest weapon, and whilst they couldn’t cause the same mass destruction that dragons could, neither could the men who managed to slay dragons. As Maiar with powerful weapons and nothing to fear from dragon breath, I think they could find a dragon’s weak spot and exploit it.
Great job MotW, and with the coming of the new LOTR series on Amazon, I thought I'd give some corrections and updates to your balrog discussion. Tolkien was unclear about the number of "balrogs" because he was writing from a point of mystery for the reader sake...that there might have been hundreds or thousands of balrogs (who knew...spooky music...). As his writing needed to be more clear about this creature, he settled the mystery with 3-7. But as we know, Morgoths personal body guard had 7 large Balrogs. They were called to help him vs Ungoliant and were used as captains in his battles. Could have there been more? Not likely, as it is clear by the canon & Lore about Morgoth that he had the communication and domination power to summon them all to him, and he had 7. None would have rejected his call. So it's 7. So why the confusion? Because Balrogs are fire spirits and there were many of them, lesser and greater. Kind of like how cars are called "cars", but an SUV is a car, but a special bigger kind of car. Balrogs were a general term for all of them, but Balrogs (capital B), were capable of leadership and domination on a grander scale. This is how these two truths can co-exist in the same Canon & Lore. Many were killed during the battles he wrote about, but they were lesser fire spirits, loosely claimed by the dwarves and elves as "balrogs". Obviously, some Balrogs were also killed, but the ones that were greater balrogs always exacted a heavy price. When we ask, "how many were there", people are meaning the big ones, the greater ones like Durin's Bane. That's the nature of the question and we know it's 7. But what are there names and how many are dead and have been found or are hiding? My research has found the following, from all the canon and lore sources I can get. In rank of power, they are - Gothmog, Lungorthin, Durin's Bane (most likely Felegrog), Muar (of Uax), Tar Garoth, and two that are unknown. Some killed and some perhaps still in hiding. On the Balrog vs Dragon debate?... my money is on the balrog. Here's why... 1) The balrogs are immune from all fire attacks and damage (that's the main weapon of a dragon- negated). 2) There is no dragon spell that would easily work on a balrog. 3) BALROGS CAST SPELLS TOO. 4) balrogs are maiar, and dragons are animal hybrid-spawns of Morgoth. 5) Balrogs have very serious weapons that deliver serious damage. 6) the strengths of the two are similar (according to canon and lore that guide companies like Iron Crown), and 7) dragons are cowards (like Ungoliant), and therefore not interested in a fight that means they could die or be injured. Balrogs are like honey badgers and pit bulls, ...they just gonna do! Hope this is a good read... all hail Tolkien. The Lore Master
Smaug is about 400 feet in length. Yet, compared to Ancalagon the Black, he's about the size of a small rat. So... how big was Ancalagon the Black? I genuinely want to know.
Well I would say the named Dragons caused the most destruction especially Ancalagon the black and Smaug caused the most destruction amazing video as always 💓
Interesting statement about weapons of mass destruction. There is a vast part of the Outback here in Australia where there are vast deposits of Uranium. The Aboriginal people of that land have an ages-old Dreamtime story that pre-dates the discovery of nuclear power. It is said in the story that a dragon or dragon like creature sleeps under that land, and that if men awaken it, it will be to our doom. I have always thought long and hard about Tolkien and CS Lewis' view that all of our folklore across the world come from a single origin. Tolkien may not have read the Dreamtime stories of the Aboriginal peoples of my country, but the fact that they have similar stories to the peoples of Europe is astounding. Tolkien and Lewis seemed to have argued that when man fell from grace, there remain in our collective memory a fading remembrance of the Garden of Eden. Hence the similarity of so much of our folklore.
I always believed that all dragons didnt die ... There may still be some dragons and balrogs (which settled there after morgoth's fall) in the icy cold plains of the far north unexplored by men or elves ... It is actually mentioned that Smaug came from the north ...
Nice to see you updating another one of your old videos. I can't wait to see what updates you've made. I can already see updates to your style. I have a question about the languages of Middle Earth. One of Tolkien's main themes throughout all of the Legendarium is the corruption of that which was good. Morgoth was not originally a foe but one of the Aennur, pure of heart. Same with Sauron and the Balrogs. The orcs are corrupted forms of the elves and the dragons are corrupted forms fo the birds, particularly the eagles. Is it possible that the black speech of Mordor is itself a corrupted form of another language? You could consider this an odd question, as it does bring up another question, can a language be corrupted.? However, I feel that a language could. Because a language could start as pure and elegant, with harmony, style, and beautiful sounds flowing throughout its syllables. But a language can turn into something extremely rough, coarse, and hard, with none of the eloquence and style that fairer languages posses. It's a question I have had for a while, ever since I learned from other videos that corruption is one of the main themes of Tolkien. I am thinking that, since orcs are simply corrupted elves, the black speech could be a corrupted form of one of the Elvish languages like Quenya or Sindarin. Please let me know your thoughts.
Thank you all so much for the support, it means a lot! It is very interesting to hear your thoughts about Dragons versus Balrogs! It certainly depends on which Dragon fights which Balrog, and indeed, Balrogs are Maiar while Dragons might not be. Although Dragons can cause the mass destruction that Balrogs cannot. I can definitely see how either could win, but I still hold that a Dragon would probably win most of the time, since they can cause so much more damage than a Balrog. But, all it would take is for the Balrog to piece the Dragon in the belly with its sword to win, so who knows haha
The Balrogs aren't about mass destruction but are surgical in their violence to destroy powerful elves and other Maiar and men of Numenor. Didn't Melkor have to give his power to all the creatures he created which would weaken him in the end?
I believe that Balrogs are the most fearful things that ever existed outside of Morgoth/Sauron. It took Gandalf‘s whole power to defeat an ancient servant of Morgoth, while a dragon like Smaug was easily defeated by men.
Dragons are on a strength level equivalent to an army, whereas Balrogs are roughly equivalent to the great heroes/leaders of Middle Earth. The Balrog of Moria was, I think, supposed to be the strongest of them (and likely the last surviving one as a result).
@Men of the West
I'm not sure if anyone has brought this topic up to you up before but, I think you're on to something with your above statement....
Think about the literary legacy of Balrogs. In later fantasy, primarily DnD, Balrogs (or Balor demons) are described as leaders and puppeteers; they create destruction via leadership. A Balrog's destructive power seems to be second to none against small groups but a dragon's wrath can reach national levels.
Do you think this later literary role in line with Tolkien's vision?
Cody Peabody I completely agree with that Cody! It seems Balrogs would cause greater havoc in a duel whereas Dragons and their fire would be superior against greater numbers. That would mean Balrogs could have the mastery in such a fight with a Dragon. They do seem to play different roles in combat. However, I’m curious about how a Dragon’s ability to fly may affect that. Perhaps (assuming Balrogs have wings) it would not be much of an advantage at all, or perhaps it would mean the mastery of the duel goes to the Dragon. This is quite a fascinating debate!
I just can't get over how small Smaug is compared to Ancalagon. I mean I know Ancalagon was ridiculously big but still.
right?
I don't think that drawing of Ancalagon is accurate to scale. while it looks awesome i remember reading that it overestimated his size
@@teejota22 I still think he must have been of considerable size though to destroy the Thangorodrim when he fell on them, which consists of not 1 but 3 volcanos
@Teejota Actually, that would more likely be an underestimation of his size.
@@hoppystar439 Durin's Bane left a crater and destroyed the side of a mountain in death. Despite being incredibly small to any dragon in comparison. I wouldn't equate your example to size. Especially since we don't know the extent of the destruction. It could be breaking up the mountain sides, or the entirety of all three peaks. I doubt the second, but we don't know.
The only description is "as tall as a mountain" which likely isn't large enough to destroy three other mountains (at least with size alone). I still believe this quote to be an exaggeration to show how mighty Ancalagon was (more poetic as with much of the Silmarillion) - but either way, I VERY much doubt he was as large as the Thangorodrim as portrayed.
I would argue more akin to Glaurung. Likely larger than Smaug since he was described as the largest of all (winged) dragons (though Smaug was not yet known, nor grown - if he did live back then). Think more, a regular plane compared to a massive 2 levelled plane. A significant difference, but not ridiculous.
The Dragons of Middle-Earth are such a fascinating and mysterious topic, I'm glad to see that you're doing it justice.
Yeah Tolkien really succeeded in making dragons a BIG FUCKING DEAL, by only giving us little pieces of them, but making those little pieces incredibly impactful.
Balrogs are Maiar; they are more powerful than Dragons. Being spirits of shadow and flame, I don't believe that dragon fire can harm them. Tolkien seems to bear this out, as Balrogs drove dragons forward with their whips in the First Age during the sack of Gondolin.
Yet balrogs to were killed by elfs and other Maiar, só definetly a dragon could kill a balrog, and you can mount a elephant but if he turns on you, you better run
@@rfigueiredomusic Dragons, however, are slain by men. A single sword thrust killed Glaurung; a single arrow brought down Smaug. Gandalf battled Durin's Bane for days before each killed the other. The elves like Glorfindel and Ecthelion who killed Balrogs were slain by them as well, and they were mighty among the Noldor who had lived in Aman in the light of the 2 Trees for many ages of men. I still give the edge to Balrogs.
@@RoastedOpinions dragons do seem to go down easier compared to the other.
@@VinderHD Morgoth's creations often have a glaring weakness.
@@RoastedOpinions well they are maiar spirits after all, but i don't know, dragons are huge to, and hard to beat
Ancalagon: I would say hi, but I’m dead
You never fail to send me to bed on Sunday night in joy with these.
“Done”
“You’re supposed to stick it in the ground”
“It is in the ground”
“Outside!”
“This was your idea!”
Pippin
I love that scene. Merry and Pippin are the best
Dragons in Tolkien's Legendarium are probably the most badass dragons in any literature (to me at least)
heck Ancalagon the Black alone would definitely make both Godzilla and Gidorah a run for their money lol
I think a lot of it has to do with how Tolkien does dragons that are more like modern weapons of terror (same with Godzilla).
@Laltluangliana Sailop *you're :)
Dab Tsov no
Dab Tsov even if he were to win he would be to weak to defeat other dragons but even then Godzilla probably be defeated
Dab Tsov for what part huh because Godzilla we’ll be defeated gosh
The fact that we have fan art of almost every single character and event described in all of the LOTR canon is just amazing. It shows how incredible this community is and just how great Tolkien was at painting a vivid picture with words.
Found this channel recently. Really enjoying it, keep it up!! One thing that I find strange is how Morgoth made Glaurung but that it is mentioned that Morgoth can’t create but only mock. Which sort of points towards some dragon-like creature made by Iluvatar
Ancalagon the Black. The end.
Wakanda Forevaah!!
AHa he needs his own movie like in the Hobbit I suppose
He is badass
Was just driving home from work and saw a cloud in the sky and wondered if Ancalagon would dwarf it and here I am watching MotW's Dragon's video. EPIC
And Dragons would win.
Man I wish we see more Dragons brought to the Big Screen because Smaug looked sooo Awesome!!!
I have finally saw the Tolkien Movie Mellon, which is good!!!
Thanks so much for updated this video Mellon, until the only Elf with a Beard ECH...Marion Baggins Out!!!
I want to see myself in screen also but Christopher Tolkien is servant of Valar and don't let any director do it
@@darthvader7995 I am sorry to hear that Melkor, hopefully one day you will be!!!
@@marionbaggins yes if Tolkien estate let them do it only
Tolkien is dead
Well there is going to be a Lord of the Rings tv series soon maybe we will see the rest of the dragons.
It’s said that Smaug was the last of the GREAT DRAKES which implies there are still ofc dragons perhaps even fire breathing ones
I like to believe that Smaug was the last dragon to become a threat to the Men of Middle-Earth. All other dragons remaining at the time were either very young or too small to actually pose a threat on his level.
I think he was the last of the great serpents is because he was the last fire breathing one
Cirdin the shipwright is one of the oldest elves in Tolkien legends. I am looking forward to next week!
Cirdan?
@@giulioaprati338 cirdan is indeed either the oldest or one of in all of arda, hes from cuivienen and the only elf known to have a beard(something that only really old elves do) the only other super old elves i can think of are ignwe the high king and thingol brothers
@@kyomademon453 yes he is like 300 years older than Galadriel
@@giulioaprati338 waaaaay older, , galadriel was born during the age of the trees, shes like 8000+ in the third age, cirdan would be 10.000+
@@kyomademon453 I should really ready the Silmarilion again...
Keep them coming! My appetite keeps on growing!
Love your videos dude!! I’m always here as soon as I see the notification!
These videos always make my so happy. Great work as always 👏💜
I just finished the Silmarillion after watching many of your videos and they helped me understand the book so much more, thanks man!
Dude, I LOVE your videos on this stuff. You are so good at telling the lore. I love it!!
Love your content! Keep it up man!
Another fantastic video! Worth the wait.
I found this channel today and honestly couldnt be happier!
Its a wealth of information that even old fans like me can find new things in!!
Yeah this update was much needed! Fantastic Job Yoystan! The details of the individual named dragons are much better displayed here than in the original. :)
I always assumed that Melkor created Dragons from serpents/snakes/ lizards, rather than being sourced from corrupted maiar spirits
Prince Black Elf so basically the same method he used to create the orcs but even more extreme
I had always assumed that Melkor just took some lizards or snakes and over the span of centuries, bred them together to be bigger, stronger, and deadlier. Perhaps he used some sort of magic to give some of them their more dangerous capabilities such as their fire breathing capabilities, or like Glaurung's ability to enchant others under hypnotic spells.
Smaug has serpent like qualities
Smaug is still my favorite of the drakes next to ancalagon. Thank you again for your continued vast research into tolkeins lore my friend
Please make an in depth War of Wrath breakdown! Ancalagon's wings blot out the sky, and his steps crush mountains. Love the channel! Keep up the great work.
You're right, this video was much better and more satisfactory to my curiosity than the previous one. Unlike most remakes this was a good one. Thanks for this video.
I love your channel, sir. We cannot tell you how much we appreciate the work you put into researching and creating these videos for us. Smaug is personally my favorite dragon, as a child reading his chapters in The Hobbit was thrilling and I loved the idea of a smart giant winged creature who could trick you in many ways. I like how they portrayed him in the films yet I do hope that one day we get a more accurate version of him and those chapters in some sort of show or something.
Love this channel. Always eagerly awaiting the next weekly episode.
another GREAT video Yoystan!
I think it depends on the source. Silmarillion Balrogs seemed quite a bit weaker and would lose. The version in Fellowship would probably beat Smaug, not Ancalgon, and be matched with Glaurung. don't forget, they were Maiar, so they are smarter overall than we really see them have a reason to demonstrate. Morgoth would not make a mindless animal one of his top generals
Very good points, my friend! Thank you for the support!
@chevin0 I dont know about beating Smaug cause smaug is a fire breathing dragon with wings that eventually would fly and strike the balrog and flame him. Smaug can be only pierced with the molten iron black arrow, not a sword of a balrog that can be broke with a spell or a magic shield. The dragons were meant to be powerful than any other creature cause it had to defeat the armies of men and elves. And besides 'Durin's bane' is not the strongest so it is a treat to the dwarves, not to Smaug. Maybe Gothmoth might be able to fight against Smaug..
@@sunnybang4575 fire wouldn't work against a Balrog, at all, might make it much worse. we have no reason to assume virtually non-magical dragon claws would hurt it much. And the one thing we are ABSOLUTELY sure a Balrog is capable of is taking something far above it and dragging that thing into grappling range. I can't say for sure because Tolkien never did power rankings, but I don't like Smaugs odds
@chevin0 I do know one thing that a balrog is a powerful and terrifying being since they are miars and they can use magical weapons of fire. But as I said 'Durin's Bane' is not so much a powerful one, only a threat to men and dwarves. So if it meets Smaug I dont think Smaug would be terrified cause he is created to survive most harsh conditions and already seen a lot of creatures. And even though the whip can range far, Smaug is way bigger so the whip wont do much affect prob.
Plus Smaug was taken down by the black arrow but the most powerful balrog, Gothmoth was also pierced by a normal sword and was dragged down into the depths. So the balrog could be possibly pierced with the claw or teeth or tail(Tails of the dragons are steel) of Smaug. And tolkien said a fire breathing dragon with wings are the most dangerous beings that are living.
Love your videos! Once again, fantastic analysis. Most informative and enjoyable! Thanks for uploading!
I just found this channel and I absolutely love it. Thanks for the awesome work and keep on doing your beautifully animated and well researched videos!
Fascinating history of the Dragons
They are not principle characters but devastating when they are involved
Very cool overview
Mae govannen mellon, hope you are doing well. I had never noticed the connection between the named slain dragons and Men, really interesting observation.
Here's another one: as you said, the dragons show the danger of weapons of mass destruction, and they have an interesting connection with the dwarves (the most overall inventive race in Tolkien's works). For me, at least, it shows how new inventions can have different results depending on how you use it (atomic bombs vs nuclear reactors comes to mind), so we should avoid being blinded by greed and thirst for power, as if we do so we will become actual "dragons".
I had other observations but I believe I already commented them on other video, mainly regarding the reason for dragons to love gold so much
Amazing video, continue the great work
Imagine if the dragons had turned to the good side and could have acted more as guardians of Middle Earth.
It would be cool by today's standards, but since Tolkien was basically inventing the genre of fantasy, he had to stick with his metaphor that dragons were weapons of mass destruction paralleling the weapons created in WWI. It may have been an interesting case if one of them were redeemed, though.
It may have been that once a dragón was dead, someone with power enough to transfer a soul from body to another did this, maybe one of the blue wizards on the east did this because since Tolkien made middle earth like a mythology and ancient past of modern earth, and since eastern Asian "dragons" were benevolent then therefore they may have been good dragons simply possessed by good spirits of good men or avari elves, don't know but it's a possibility.
@Harry Christie I thought talking didn't believe in the idea of evil being inherently stronger than good? So how could the force of evil in any being always be inherently stronger?
@@thorondor1593 I wouldn't say inventing: popularizing, revolutionising forever reshaping would be fair but not synonyms.
Hoeever books like The Worm Oroboros already existed and doubtless they are and were thought of us fantasies even if that was not the word used for them at the time.
How to Train Smaug
I'm so sorry I'm late! But thanks for remaking this vid though!
Your videos are the best way to start a Monday morning.
There are certain channels that I will allow commercials, yours is one of them, MOTW!
I always thought on that match up myself and I would have to say the balrogs would win against the dragons. While the dragons are indeed strong the balrogs were the bodyguards of Morgoth himself and even fought off Ungoliant who was about to eat Morgoth. It even took Gandalf 10 days to defeat the balrog in Moria while the dragons seemed to die in battle in a shorter time such as Ancalagon who died after one day of battle. I could think on it forever but that’s my choice for the question. 😁
But then remember, that the dragons storm were so powerful that they even drove the Valar back. That was something the Balrogs couldn't do. Ancalagons death is also something i don't like in Tolkiens work. That is no valid argument of course, but it is just not believable (i hope that word is correct) for me that he died that way... just no.
DwightSmith I’ve never heard of dragons storm, or I may have just forgotten it but that is very interesting! And yes it so disappointing that the dragons seem to die off so quickly, for such powerful creatures they should be extremely hard to kill right next to the balrogs not just die by one blow.
@@MarcusSanchez2525 Maybe i just used the wrong words, i'm sorry. with the storm i meant the attack of the dragons after Morgoth unleashed them all. The Valar besieged Angbang in the War of the Wrath and Morgoths last defense were the dragons. So they attacked the Valar and pushed them back (what i meant with "storm"). When i first read that part i thought that it would change the outcome of the battle.
But i agree, the dragons die too easily. Maybe they would be too overpowered if that were not the case.
But with another perspective:
The death of Smaug was in the end just pure luck.
Glaurungs death was, if i remember correctly not just one blow, but his whole belly was ripped open by Turin.
Ancalagons death is (sorry for my words) bullshit....
DwightSmith been a long time since I read children of Húrin so I would have to look it up but yeah I wish Tolkien talked more about the dragons.
It is a case by case basis. Like, Durin’s Bane (the one Gandalf killed) was not as strong as Gothmog (the strongest Balrog), I could see Gothmog killing dragons in combat, but Durin’s Bane vs a dragon isn’t as easy to tell. Same thing with Dragons, Smaug was far from the strongest dragon in middle earth history, how he would fair in combat against someone like Gothmog probably isn’t in is favor.
🤘🏻Excellent upload, I'm always super excited to see my notifications for you and @DorkLords regarding LOTRs. Thank you for all effort, always amazing. 🖤
Couldn't have said it better. @MenoftheWest and @DorkLords analyses of LotR lore are fantastic!
Can you make a video on the lands not spoken of often such as the lands east of Rhun the hither lands Tol morwen the dark lands ect.
Thanks for making my Sunday and beginning of the week Beyond Enjoyful with this Wonderful, Amazing video ..and i hope where ever you are in Middle Earth today it is a Pleasant One (I LOVE THIS CHANNEL!!!)
I really like your content and glad you updated this one since dragons of middle earth is such a fascinating topic. Creatures created by morgoth yet smart and sentient...Tolkien very rarely created creatures completely out of redemption (Melkor and Sauron for me are onpy two examples I can think of) I wonder...is there a way to make them less destructive?
My Sir Yoystan, you fill me with insurmountable joy and glee. My love for you trumps all laws of physics and matter and might rip this very universe apart! This video was fantastic and almost encapsulated the grandeur that you fill this world with. Much love, your loyal servant
Thanks for the update!!
YES!! Someone finally has the balls to talk about gostir and light dragons!! They are almost always ignored!! I applaud you for your bravery!
So glad I came across this channel, huge LOTR fan
Amazing video! Great insight
Cool vid. Glad you updated it
Here's a piece or two of draconic speculation that's worth mentioning:
It has been theorized by some that Scatha the Worm, slain by Fram was also either . . .
A) the Beast of Gondolin, and/or . . .
B) the "great cold-drake" who ran the Dwarves out of the Grey Mountains.
The reason for this was to not only explain why the Dwarves would try to lay claim to Scatha's treasure, but also how the elf-blades from Gondolin ended up in "The Hobbit." For it was supposed that when Scatha was slain, his hoard got dispersed, and some very ancient treasures from the First Age found their way into Eriador, and into the hands of the trolls.
Thank you for remaking this vid, I like the 1st and thus one even more keep it coming
These videos are always spectacular
I love your videos. Tolkiens works are a religion to me and you help me understand the world of his legendarium.
I'm late to the party but this episode kept me interested while I'm at work awesome video and keep up the awesome content.
I'd say in fight between a Balrogh and Dragon it would depend on who the Balrogh was and which Dragon.
5:58 when the Dragon hits you so hard you marry your sister 🤣
The image of a dragon charging into battle with balrogs riding on it, damn. I would love to be on their side lol
6:19 - So Glaurung was an iguana? lol
I love your videos keep up the great work.
Thank you!!! This is exactly what I needed.
I like how you pronounce the names using the Scandinavian rolling R. I believe this is accurate, tho it is a difficult for me to do naturally being an American English speaker without much practice at it.
Awesome video! 💯💯🙏🙌
One of my all-time favorite creatures in all of Fantasy are indeed Dragons. They are fearsome, great, and powerful creatures that have truly captured the minds of humans for a long, long time. The way Tolkien used Dragons is definitely very facinating and awesome. And for that reason, Tolkien's Dragons are (unsurprisingly) my all time favorite spin on them in all of Fantasy and all of world Literature (with my favorite Dragon from the Legendarium being Ancalagon the Black!)! :)
I always have loved those words of wisdom at the end of the video.
Tolkien knew how to use Dragons and his will always be more magical and mysterious than any Dragons created by other "Authors".
Great video as usual!
Thank you for making these videos 👍
Do you think glaurung just had a 200 year rocky montage untill he was ready :P
What if Tolkien wrote dragons as originally Maiar that ended up in Arda with some siding with Morgoth while others stayed good instead of them all being creations of Morgoth?
I knew someone was hiding those weapons of mass destruction. It’s the dragons, gosh darn it
A very well made video concerning Dragons. However, concerning Dragons it only reminds me that more of human history remains unrecorded and unknown then known and recorded. I suspect this was one of the points Tolkien intended.
I really enjoyed every aspect of this video.
Of all literature’s dragons, only Chrysophylax lived in our realm. And was my first introduction to the Dragons of Tolkien.
Good video bud. Enjoyed it
That’s amazing you know all this stuff Brother. You found your groove.
Another GREAT! video! Youre the best my friend!
I think that the Dragons were simple creatures that were corrupted and changed by Morgoth and became Dragons and Drakes, like how the Orcs were former elves, corrupted to evil, and how the Nazgul were great men, corrupted into immortal servants of Sauron, and also I believe they were given a part of Morgoth’s faya, but they weren’t drones as they at times did act without Morgoth’s permission like Glarung revealing himself to early, so they were probably once simple creatures before they’re corruption, but that’s just a theory.
For some reason I have the picture in my mind of Ancalagon's bones coming out of the sea at lower tides and scaring sailors.
Love the videos man
A fire Drake vs a Balrog would be a very interesting fight to watch, though it would suck up all the air and both might die to asphyxiation. I might give the edge to the Balrog though as they seem to have more options when fighting, such as weapons.
Mae gonavenn, Men of the West. May Lady Varda's light bless you this night and tomorrow. 💙
Varda is one of my top hate lost characters
I loved today's video!
Smaug: absolute shrimp. Ancalagon: mindblowingly massive.
He’s not that big compared to Smaug, the pictures you see on the internet are not canon
@@skrskr9000 Those pics go off a canon description of Anacalagon, which say "as tall as a mountain". Smaug is less than that by a wide margin because he made his home IN a mountain. Anacalagon was likely between 150-300 meters (500-1000 feet). Smaug, on the other hand, is at least 20 meters (66 feet). Even if Ancalagon wasn't as big as three mountains (despite his glorious demise smashing three of them), he's still in another league from Smaug in terms of size. He was STILL the largest dragon in existence before and since the First Age. No other dragon came close. My original point still stands and both are still going to be huge to a human.
Please do the following theories
1. if Radagast got the one ring
And
2. If all the wizards joined the dwarves going to erabor
And
3. If all the wizards joined the fellowship
I vote the ladder 2
Very neat. I like the gigantic super black dragon Ancalagon.
Beautiful, such a great video.
I really hope we get to see more of the creatures in the Amazon L.O.T.R. series!! Mainly dragons!!
I think a balrog would win. They are immune to a dragon’s greatest weapon, and whilst they couldn’t cause the same mass destruction that dragons could, neither could the men who managed to slay dragons. As Maiar with powerful weapons and nothing to fear from dragon breath, I think they could find a dragon’s weak spot and exploit it.
0:51
That awkward moment when you realize Smaug is not even the worst dragon in Middle Earth
Great job MotW, and with the coming of the new LOTR series on Amazon, I thought I'd give some corrections and updates to your balrog discussion.
Tolkien was unclear about the number of "balrogs" because he was writing from a point of mystery for the reader sake...that there might have been hundreds or thousands of balrogs (who knew...spooky music...). As his writing needed to be more clear about this creature, he settled the mystery with 3-7. But as we know, Morgoths personal body guard had 7 large Balrogs. They were called to help him vs Ungoliant and were used as captains in his battles. Could have there been more? Not likely, as it is clear by the canon & Lore about Morgoth that he had the communication and domination power to summon them all to him, and he had 7. None would have rejected his call. So it's 7.
So why the confusion? Because Balrogs are fire spirits and there were many of them, lesser and greater. Kind of like how cars are called "cars", but an SUV is a car, but a special bigger kind of car. Balrogs were a general term for all of them, but Balrogs (capital B), were capable of leadership and domination on a grander scale. This is how these two truths can co-exist in the same Canon & Lore. Many were killed during the battles he wrote about, but they were lesser fire spirits, loosely claimed by the dwarves and elves as "balrogs". Obviously, some Balrogs were also killed, but the ones that were greater balrogs always exacted a heavy price.
When we ask, "how many were there", people are meaning the big ones, the greater ones like Durin's Bane. That's the nature of the question and we know it's 7. But what are there names and how many are dead and have been found or are hiding? My research has found the following, from all the canon and lore sources I can get. In rank of power, they are - Gothmog, Lungorthin, Durin's Bane (most likely Felegrog), Muar (of Uax), Tar Garoth, and two that are unknown. Some killed and some perhaps still in hiding.
On the Balrog vs Dragon debate?... my money is on the balrog. Here's why... 1) The balrogs are immune from all fire attacks and damage (that's the main weapon of a dragon- negated). 2) There is no dragon spell that would easily work on a balrog. 3) BALROGS CAST SPELLS TOO. 4) balrogs are maiar, and dragons are animal hybrid-spawns of Morgoth. 5) Balrogs have very serious weapons that deliver serious damage. 6) the strengths of the two are similar (according to canon and lore that guide companies like Iron Crown), and 7) dragons are cowards (like Ungoliant), and therefore not interested in a fight that means they could die or be injured. Balrogs are like honey badgers and pit bulls, ...they just gonna do!
Hope this is a good read... all hail Tolkien.
The Lore Master
Smaug is about 400 feet in length. Yet, compared to Ancalagon the Black, he's about the size of a small rat. So... how big was Ancalagon the Black? I genuinely want to know.
Glad to know there is another middle Earth nerd out there to.
with this channel i officially entered a new dimension of geek, im really proud..
Best birthday gift of the year ^.^
Happy birthday Colton! I hope you had a great day, my friend!
@@MenoftheWest Thank you truly mellon nin!
Well I would say the named Dragons caused the most destruction especially Ancalagon the black and Smaug caused the most destruction amazing video as always 💓
Interesting statement about weapons of mass destruction. There is a vast part of the Outback here in Australia where there are vast deposits of Uranium. The Aboriginal people of that land have an ages-old Dreamtime story that pre-dates the discovery of nuclear power. It is said in the story that a dragon or dragon like creature sleeps under that land, and that if men awaken it, it will be to our doom. I have always thought long and hard about Tolkien and CS Lewis' view that all of our folklore across the world come from a single origin. Tolkien may not have read the Dreamtime stories of the Aboriginal peoples of my country, but the fact that they have similar stories to the peoples of Europe is astounding. Tolkien and Lewis seemed to have argued that when man fell from grace, there remain in our collective memory a fading remembrance of the Garden of Eden. Hence the similarity of so much of our folklore.
I remember thranduil saying he faced the great dragons of the north, I always wonder what kind of dragon is that?
Maybe the Beast of Gondolin?
Love dragons and I love your videos! 🐉
I always believed that all dragons didnt die ... There may still be some dragons and balrogs (which settled there after morgoth's fall) in the icy cold plains of the far north unexplored by men or elves ... It is actually mentioned that Smaug came from the north ...
Nice to see you updating another one of your old videos. I can't wait to see what updates you've made. I can already see updates to your style.
I have a question about the languages of Middle Earth. One of Tolkien's main themes throughout all of the Legendarium is the corruption of that which was good. Morgoth was not originally a foe but one of the Aennur, pure of heart. Same with Sauron and the Balrogs. The orcs are corrupted forms of the elves and the dragons are corrupted forms fo the birds, particularly the eagles. Is it possible that the black speech of Mordor is itself a corrupted form of another language?
You could consider this an odd question, as it does bring up another question, can a language be corrupted.? However, I feel that a language could. Because a language could start as pure and elegant, with harmony, style, and beautiful sounds flowing throughout its syllables. But a language can turn into something extremely rough, coarse, and hard, with none of the eloquence and style that fairer languages posses. It's a question I have had for a while, ever since I learned from other videos that corruption is one of the main themes of Tolkien. I am thinking that, since orcs are simply corrupted elves, the black speech could be a corrupted form of one of the Elvish languages like Quenya or Sindarin. Please let me know your thoughts.