What if The BALROG Took the One Ring? 🔥 | Lord of the Rings What If
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- Опубликовано: 22 июл 2024
- Today we do something different by looking at a fun "What If" scenario of what we think would happen if The Balrog took the One Ring!
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Timecodes:
00:00 - Intro
01:09 - The Seen and Unseen
02:20 - Which Balrog?
06:09 - How does he get the One Ring?
14:47 - Conclusion.
15:40 - QotD & Thank you’s.
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A massive shout-out to Brandon for penning the script for this video! bratya_nobles
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Thumbnail Art:
The Balrog with the one ring - Riccardo Gualdi
Art in order of first appearance:
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Gothmog the Lord of Balrogs - Atohas
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Dark Gandalf - David Rodriguez
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Goblin - CK Goksoy
Across Middle-earth - Khazad-Dum - ralphdamiani
Durin's Bane - Qannik
Balrog - The Broken Sword
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Better Than Rain or Rippling Brook - CelandineGranger
Balrog vs Gandalf - Omer Tunc
Sauron The Lord of the Rings - William Faucher
Sauron - Shadow of War
Sauron - Shockbolt
You shall not pass! - ChasingArtwork
Gandalf vs Balrog - Williams Bravo
Gandalf and The Balrog - John Howe
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#LordoftheRingsLore #Balrog #lordoftherings 
Развлечения
🤦♂🤦♂ 12:02 - yep, this was a mistake!
"Servant of the Secret Fire" from his original speech would be referring to Gandalf himself, not the Balrog.
For those of you curious - "The Secret Fire" is what Eru Iluvatar's power of creation is called, so being a servant of it, is a servant of Eru, of good! (in other words... definitely NOT a Balrog)
I should have said "send this servant of shadow back to the abyss", or something like that 🤦♂🤦♂
I was very much a fool of a took for somehow messing that up! But thank you to those who noticed to help make others aware as well, that is why the Brohirrim are the best! 🔥😁
I thought someone must've been really sleepy both writing and reading that lol
Definitely 😂 Sometimes two videos a week can be a struggle! We try our best though, mistakes are bound to happen in anything now and again 🙂
We, the Brohirrim, know you know your lore. Slips of the tongue happen. No worries.
The what if requires you to ignore the tenth and hidden member of the fellowship, Eru Iluvatar.
A Balrog with the ring would likely be as powerful as Sauron without the ring.
Brohirrim - this is awesome, stealing it!
A significant issue: The Ring doesn't render invisible those that exist in both the seen and unseen realm. Maiar are such beings, as such it would not make a Balrog invisible just as it would not make Sauron or Gandalf invisible. In fact, several powerful elves also wouldn't be made invisible, such as Glorfindel who is said to glow in the unseen realm like a golden beacon.
Being invisible probably wouldn't be that useful for a ten tonne creature smashing shit in a dark cave, anyways.
@@sakomanlee he`s not that big by tolkien writings. he has the shape of a demon, not that larger than a man
@@itayshorek6872 Good point! I haven't read LOTR in awhile. However, I have read a lot of the other published material lately. I guess that in my head, when Tolkien went from legions of Balrogs to a relative few, i subconsciously pictured them as depicted in the movie. I stand gratefully corrected!
Just curious..... where exactly is this written?
@@itayshorek6872 Just curious, not being a smart ass.... where was it described as not being much larger than a man?
whoa there. the balrog as a servant of the secret fire? no sirree! gandalf was a servant of the secret fire. balrog was a servant of the fire of udun. BIG difference.
Yeah, I caught that mistake too
Where is your RUclips channel with 205k subs. Stay mad
@@patrickmccarthy6171 on my other channel lol 😆
@@patrickmccarthy6171 big enough to start reviewing his footage and fact-checking more thoroughly 😜
I, for one would welcome our new Balrog overlord.
Morgoth was the Dark Lord who wanted to corrupt all things, Sauron wanted to master and dominate all things. I imagine Dark Lord Balrog would just want to burn all.
Thinking about it really gives new meaning to Gandalf's sacrifice, he didn't temporarily remove himself from the gameboard for no reason, it was of utmost importance to prevent the Balrog taking the Ring.
Morgoth wanted to destroy everything Eru built as part of his temper tantrum over not being allowed to create anything himself.
Morgoth: Can be bought.
Sauron: Can be bargained.
Saruman: Can be reasoned with.
The Balrog: *Just wants to watch the world burn.* 🔥
@@joshuastrittmatter4188 orgoth could not be bought. He was a being made entirely out of spite and hate.
Plaudits to you!
That is not something that I had thought of. That is, Gandalf being fearful of the Balrog taking the Ring.
It is a great unspoken moment for my next read through.
Thanks!
“Some balrogs aren’t looking for anything logical. Like Rings of Power.”
I'm not sure about it going down this way. Durin's Bane presumably hid far below Moria and stayed there for a reason: to hide in the aftermath of Morgoth's fall and escape judgement (and, perhaps, to wait for his return). But with the One Ring in his hands, would he be content to cower in the deep like Gollum? I don't think so. Durin's Bane seems to be of the same stature as Gandalf and Saruman, if not a bit greater, and was already corrupted by Morgoth. I don't think such a great being, corrupted by the ring, simply hides.
So, I imagine three main differences here:
1. The Fellowship escapes, still without Gandalf, who still sacrifices himself to delay the empowered Durin's Bane.
This changes the quest, because now the Ring is lost, though I am sure Gandalf would still return as the White Wizard to complete his task. What does the Fellowship even do now? Where would Aragorn lead them? What counsel would Galadriel give?
2. Durin's Bane "awakens" for good, empowered by the One Ring and its whispers of power.
Not content to rule just in the deep, the balrog would be twisted to seek more power. It will be only a matter of time before he rises as a pretender Dark Lord, becoming a THIRD threat to the Free People: Mordor, Isengad, and Khazad-dûm. The goblins there would surely obey. We have little to judge the balrog's skill at commanding armies and ruling kingdoms, but at least Durin's Bane is a being of great knowledge, intelligence, and power.
3. There are only two possible final endings: Durin's Bane either masters the One Ring, or the One Ring masters Durin's Bane.
The balrog is one of the few beings in Middle Earth that might hope to supplant Sauron as Lord of the Rings, and I suspect the ending would be uncertain. If the Ring convinces him to face Sauron immediately, before mastering it, I suspect it returns to its original master. But if he bides his time and grows stronger, I suspect the balrog might finally dominate the ring, ruining Sauron's power forever and replacing him as the Enemy.
Overall, I suspect this path is similar to Saruman taking the Ring. Both are based in extremely defensible locations, are beings of great power, and have an army of orcs beneath them.
Agreed.
I seriously doubt that the Balrog had a strong enough will to dominate the ring therefore it would betray him like it did isildur and no way the Balrog would win this , Sauron's will is likely above even Gothmog let alone a regular Balrog
@@davidkosiba624 My reasoning hinges upon Tolkien's musing in Letter 246, when he considered Gandalf's chances of mastering the Ring. Only a being of the same order could do so, not even the greatest elf or man, but a Maiar might.
With Gandalf it would have been a "delicate balance" for the Ring's loyalty, but Tolkien gave him a chance (though in corrupting him, "it would have been the master in the end").
Given Durin's Bane is of the same order as Sauron and Gandalf, and was a daunting foe for Gandalf the Grey, I think it's reasonable that the balrog with the Ring was a credible threat to Sauron, at least as much as Gandalf would have been.
@@Nerd_Detective but Durin's Bane or Gandalf are not the same order as Sauron. True they are Maiar like Sauron, but Sauron was of a far higher order. In other words, Sauron was a high Maiar, and Gandalf and the Balrog were mid to low tier Maiar. Similarly like Morgoth is the most powerful of the Valar, Sauron is one of the most powerful of the Maiar.
@@danielhamilton351 In this context, Tolkien referred to Gandalf as "a creature of the same order" to Sauron.
The passage I'm relying on comes from Letter 246. In it, Tolkien contemplated various characters, especially the Wise, trying to wield the Ring against Sauron in a direct contest:
"Of the others only Gandalf might be expected to master him - being an emissary of the Powers and a creature of the same order, an immortal spirit taking a visible physical form. [...] Confrontation of Sauron alone, unaided, self to self was not contemplated. One can imagine the scene in which Gandalf, say, was placed in such a position. It would be a delicate balance. On one side the true allegiance of the Ring to Sauron; on the other superior strength because Sauron was not actually in possession, and perhaps also because he was weakened by long corruption and expenditure of will in dominating inferiors. If Gandalf proved the victor, the result would have been for Sauron the same as the destruction of the Ring; for him it would have been destroyed, taken from him for ever. But the Ring and all its works would have endured. It would have been the master in the end."
Therefore, while Sauron is one of the most *powerful* beings of his order (the Maiar), a lesser Maia could reasonably have a chance at supplanting him if empowered by the Ring. This is why I conclude that Durin's Bane could indeed pose a threat to Sauron, though such a victory is anything but assured, and is only possible because he is diminished himself without the Ring.
And of course, the nature of that victory is suspect. While Sauron *could* be defeated and supplanted, it is heavily implied that the Ring, by enduring, would inevitably come to master its wielder's will. How that would affect a balrog (already fully corrupted by Morgoth... how lower can one fall?) is an interesting question.
Honestly, I have always felt and thought exactly like this, just as Balrog protected Moria keep staying there, indeed it would continue keeping the ring for itself and Sauron still having his army at his disposal would continue his quest to conquer the world, but I would say Gandalf is smart enough to notice the Balrog would dive into the depth of the earth to keep the ring from itself so he would do his best to escape with the rest of the fellowship of the ring to make plans against Sauron.
I have also another theory in my mind, the Balrog would attempt to seek to control over the nameless monsters of Moria, turning it into a real dark abyss that would be his throne from there he would send out his super scary minions to do his bidding on the surface, one should remember Morgath did the same when he settled down in Angband and only appeared once or twice.
Ooh...that would be intense. Moria and it's bowels would make quite the fortress.
@@Whowascooley Indeed and that would be almost impossible for others to even reach Durin's bane :)
If the nameless ones are relics of the creation (much like Tom Bombadil), then the ring would have no sway over them, right?
"As the Balrog's fire finally rivalled the flames of the dragons of old, Sauron's Ring finally melted away into a slag of glowing gold, ending the Necromacer's realm in a sudden, unexpected stroke."
That would be a hilarious way for it all to end. But unlikely, I think, as Gandalf states in Shadows of the Past that even dragon fire wouldn't be able to melt the Ring.
@@David_Fellner good point. Don't mind it too much though... as other commenters point out: Although quite fun, the entire theory has a couple of holes when put under too much scrutiny.
'... and far away, in Mordor, the spirit of Sauron died with a mighty "D'oh!" of the utmost surprise.'
Dragons fire could destroy the lesser dwarven rings but i highly doubt it could harm the one ring as its pretty stressed that only mt doom can. To me its implied thats a part of the spell used to forge the ring is that it can only be damaged by the force of its creation
The Ring can only be destroyed where it was made: in Mount Doom.
Yes! I’ve been thinking of it for some time!
Many people see the Balrogs as “beasts”, but that one in Moria almost broke the spell put by Gandalf to block the backdoor in the Chamber of Mazarbul!
Thanks guys!
He did break it. Gandalf had to run for it.
Matheus Saraiva have you not seen evil men and wonder why they are called orcs, ravenous beasts, but they are men choosing to act like beasts, surely you've heard of them?
Sentient beings can become even more evil than any beast.
Spell was broken!!
@@BenFrayle true ! G was flabbergasted. 😳
Yeah they're definitely not beasts. They're Maia, same level as Gandalf, Saruman, and Sauron
Incidentally, I think Gandalf might have been able to see the Balrog because he can see into the shadow realm.
You are right. Just like the other Maiar, the Nazgûl, Tom Bombadil, and anyone else who naturally inhabit the Seen and Unseen simultaneously could see someone wearing a ring of power. This is demonstrated firsthand on Weathertop, when Frodo puts on the Ring and the Nazgûl can still see him plain as day.
[Edit] Although, maybe "plain as day" isn't the best analogy, since wraiths don't see so well under sunlight.
I don't think that the Balrog would have been invisible - maybe the Ring only made mortals invisible, since it clearly ruled them. I don't know much about Tolkiens letters, so someone might be able to help in that matter. But I still think that the Ring would not have made maiar invisible - what would that matter to them? They are - if they are Balrogs - more frightening visible... And the Ring did not made nor Sauron, nor Bombadil Tom invisible.
This scenario makes me imagine Durin's Bane gathering an army of namless things to conquer middle earth.
That army would include some of the dragons and orcs just because it wants to feel at home
I must admit that's the first time I've ever heard anyone broach that subject that's extremely interesting... You would have a full-blown Maier and it's full power using the power of another Maier and it would be able to overcome the influence of the ring and fully utilize the power you would have had a being nearly as powerful as a Valar. It could have Rose to full might in middle-earth and been completely unstoppable !!
Ooo I like that .. see my first thought was Sauron was the most powerful Maier in Middle Earth .. so it couldn't be more powerful than he was in the second age, BUT .. what is power! I see a Balrog with the ring being all fury and chaos. Just the most violent and war driven dark lord we had seen .. could become Tolkien's darkest chapter. Can't wait for the video to get their take
None can wield it, only Sauron can.
@@russellwestbrookyellingatw9381 to wield it you would have to become Sauron...do you read warhammer? If you defeat and kill lucious the eternal in combat his soul jumps into your body and after days of agonizing transformation you become lucious the eternal...sick!!!
I think the Valar would have intervened at that point. After all, they sent the wizards to counter Sauron. With their failure, the Valar would have to intervene themselves. I doubt Illuvatar would allow Middle Earth to be abandoned to darkness.
I think you underestimat the power difference between maiar and valar. There is not a single case of a maia taking on a vala. Sauron is named as the most powerful of his class, but he would not contemplate taking on even the weakest of the valar.
A balrog with the ring would still just be a total menace to the mortal world, an enemy above everyones skill to deal with, but nowhere near an elemental force
My suggestions for what ifs:
What if Faramir went to Rivendell instead of Boromir?
What if Boromir survived the attack at Amon Hen?
What if the Kingdom of Arnor didn't fall?
If Faramir had gone to Rivendell, he would not have tried to take the Ring and Frodo would have decided to stick with the Fellowship, and all 8 of them would either have gone to Minas Tirith together or split later on and Aragorn would have accompanied Frodo in heading for Mordor (as he said he would have after they realize Frodo is gone). That one would change quite a lot, and probably not for the better.
If and as are on the graveyard, said my granny always.. she was a farmer.. it means: its just theoretical it doesnt bring any extra to real life. I’m dutch english is not my native language all those iff remind me of her and what she used to say then
Almost every change in the LOTR books does imo lead to sauron winning or in the cases of someone else and very powerful taking the ring a new dark lord.
What an interesting prompt! I haven't really thought about this scenario before. However, as a maia the Balrog already walks the seen and unseen worlds. So i don't believe the ring would render it invisible, rather more like how it would affect Sauron. Furthermore i'd like to think that the Balrog obtaining the ring would probably be even worse than if Sauron reclaimed it. The Balrogs are seemingly loyal followers of Morgoth and while Sauron wants to rule, Morgoth only wanted to destroy. I can see the ring enhancing this desire within the balrog to the point of waging war on all the free peoples, much like Morgoth. The ring would most likely end up in Saurons hand eventually. But not before Middle earth was turned into ash.
100% did see you way coming .. loved the twist of what he does with it in the end & love knowing what you thought Sauron would do too
Thank you for the effort you put into delivering these ideas in a fun way. Bless you.
Here's a question I haven't seen discussed; what would have happened if Frodo had been killed by the troll in Moria? That would have been a major game changer!
They give it to the one person the ring couldn't corrupt: Pippin. Poor boy's skull is too thick for the ring's whispers to get through. ;)
@@ixiairisborne1695 A day later the ring is lost.
"what if the troll took the ring?"
There were three more hobbits for that potentiality.
My one thought is that you forgot the intents of one key character in the story: the Ring itself.
If you remember, Gandalf describes the Ring as almost being a living creature of its own, and states that it is always striving to return to its Master.
The Ring was not lost underground with Gollum until Bilbo came along; it was hiding itself from the powers of the World until Sauron had retuned physically to Middle Earth and would be able to claim the Ring again. It chose a hobbit (in Sméagol) to hide it from the Elves, the Wizards, and the Numenoreans until its Master was ready to receive it; it chose another hobbit to carry it into the Mirkwood, where its Master was hidden. It chose another hobbit to protect it from the Mighty and carry it into Mordor, where it was unreachable by the Mighty and accessible to its Master; then it finally battered down his defences and took ownership of his spirit, like it had taken ownership of Sméagol centuries earlier, and readied itself to be claimed by its Master.
And all of its plotting and scheming were undone because little hobbits never give up. Sméagol bit the finger with the Ring off Frodo’s hand and fell into the pit.
Because no matter how mighty or triumphant Evil may seem in the moment, Illuvitar has and always will have created a small, insignificant joy that will always overcome the mightiest of Evils.
**************
In your scenario, I can see events unfolding much as you laid them out; however, it would not end there.
Driven by a desire to keep the Ring safe, Durin’s Bane would tunnel down deep into the darkness of the Earth. Slowly, mile by mile, the Ring would guide him to the south and east, leading him back to the fastness under the plains of Gorgoroth and to the roots of Amon Amarth, the Mountain of Fate. Here, once more, the Ring would betray its current master for its Master, and the Balrog would battle Sauron for mastery of the Ring and of Middle Earth itself. This would be a battle to end all battles as the two mighty Maiar strove against the other.
And in the devastation of the battle, they would destroy the roots of the mighty mountain, and the fires of Mount Doom would collapse upon them both, destroying the Ring and binding them both into the hardness of the mountain deeps, imprisoning them both until the end of all things.
✌️
Agree. Love your plot. But what happens to the Elves, Dwarves, humans, etc. when all this happens?
@@januslast2003 I’ll have to consider that one. My gut feeling is that it would follow a similar trajectory to the original story, which means that the Sauron vs Durin’s Bane battle would still occur on 25 March barely two months after the balrog claimed the Ring on 15 January, 3019. The two biggest questions are “what does the balrog do to the Fellowship” and “how does Saruman react to the balrog claiming the Ring?” Those two questions basically determine what happens to the kingdoms of Rohan and Gondor.
I’ll have to think about that more & post it later.
@@DneilB007 But you already HAD a Maiar vs Maiar battle when Gandalf fought Durin's Bane, and none of the destruction imagined occurred. However, they were not fighting over the One Ring per se. No "devastation of the battle" takes place, except from the Balrog's POV, since he/she/it was vanquished, and Gandalf reinstated by Eru Iluvatar.
All great points, and your ending is much more interesting and believable than the one in the video IMO. I don't know about the Balrog tunneling all the way across the continent, but the Ring would compel him to reach out beyond Moria one way or another.
I truly hope that a trilogy or maybe a series will be made eventually about the age where the 9(i think it was 9) balrogs ruled the world.
That would be so kickass.
Especially being able to see the "leader" of all the balrogs on screen!
i havent read any of whats been released in the past couple of years but the number of balrogs is unknown and was revised a lot but there are nine nazgul
Gothmog was lord of balrogs, if I recall :D
_In the margin my father wrote: 'There should not be supposed more than say 3 or at most 7 ever existed.'_
~Christopher Tolkien
@@David_Fellner I have never read a book more, but I have ordered 4 different LOTR books last week.
I am legit excited to read them!
the balrogs never ruled the world. morgoth kinda did, but never fully
Couple things:
1. Gandalf is the servant of the secret fire. The Balrog served the flame of Udun.
2. The Balrogs were fallen Maiar. Gandalf, also one of the Maiar, is able to defeat Durin’s Bane, showing that he’s more powerful. Yet, Gandalf admits that even he himself would fall to the power of the ring, which is controlled by Sauron (another Maia, but also more powerful of than either Gandalf or Durin’s Bane).
To be fair, gandalf and durin’s bane killed each other
Uh in valinor if gandalf and saron dukes it out it would be a fifty fifty odds type deal as all maia are equal. Gandalf and the rest of the istari (the wizards) all are acting at at least 1/4 of their power and sauron is acting with 5% total reserve power (this is also holding up with magic barad dur) because he put 95% of his total power in the one ring.
@@xyreniaofcthrayn1195 where the fuck in any text could you have possibly gotten that information? Just stop. Tolkien repeatedly described Maiar as different orders of power from one another.
@@ChristopherNelsonArt dude correct me on saron not sauron. Also these are quite literally the state both Maia are at in the third age the istari as a condition for being on arda in the first place is that they must limit themselves to at least a quarter power in certain circumstances they can go above and beyond but absolutely no string of displaying magic for magics sake also no tolkien didnt say there were levels he said there were valar and then maia who serve the valar the istari who serve the valar but eru illuvatar sent on mission to arda really wanted gandalf to lead but gandalf said nuh-huh saruman should lead and be at 1/3 of his total power base and sauron poured himself and his power into his ring like a horcrux with non specific pings as to its location every time a tool puts it upon their finger and sauron has had his physical form destroyed a couple times the last time was when he was this necromancer guy out in dol guldur in mirkwood during the hobbit, where he not only reconstructed barad dur but reinforced it with magic and then spent the greater part of the third age spamming dark clouds atop barad dur so his orc host can move without having to dig tunnels for the next fifty odd years.
@@xyreniaofcthrayn1195 dude read a book. A lot of these guys on RUclips and the Internet aren't doing the best job so you can stop parroting them. Stick to Tolkien and you'll be safe.
The Balrog is my secret favorite character. Thank you for this!
I think a world where the balrog has the ring would be potentially worse than a world where Sauron has the ring. I think the goal of the Balrog would be to eliminate all annoying life that would potentially disrupt his nap. He would burn the world so he could finally have some peace and quiet.
I agree pretty much up till the end of the fellowship. Then I see it going two diverse ways both separate from yours. A) Eru Iluvitar intervenes and stops the balrog, or B) the balrog, being a being of equal status and strength as Sauron and Gandalf, and being a willing servant of Morgoth, would seek out Sauron in his dark tower, over throw him as a traitor, and then make war on the west in hopes of freeing Morgoth from the void.
Sauron: "Yo, Witch King, the Ring is in Moria"
Witch King: "Alright, I'll call the other Nazgul. We'll get it back. What's the target?"
Sauron: "Just a balrog"
Witch King: "...I'm sorry, _a what?"_
Witch king - hangs up and blocks caller 😀
I Love the way Ur writing those what Ifs. It really feels Like listening to a real Lord of the Ring Story
This video is gonna be great
Coud you do next what if morgoth returnd during the Lord of the Rings
Great stuff.. very much enjoyed.
The scenario none thought of but makes perfect sense
I believe the ring wants to be reunited with its creator and true owner, Sauron the most powerful of the maiar. I believe it would poison the mind of the balrog to find Sauron to confront him as if to defeat him. And when they meet, the ring would betray the Balrog, enlarge and slip itself off his finger just as it slipped away from Golum when it had felt it was time to escape. Then Sauron would place the ring back on to its rightful place and the rest would be history.
This is pretty much the only way it can end, there is only one Lord of the Rings, and he does not share power.
The Balrog would not be able to resist the temptation of killing Sauron and taking control of Middle-earth, nor would Sauron be able to resist the temptation of regaining his Ring for he was not immune to its addictive effects.
What if Beorn decided to clean the Mirkwood of the giant, Shelob-spawned spiders? Both what if Beorn tried that throughout the forest, but also what if he tried it just in the northern half, so he didn't get too close to Dol Gilder?
I once saw a comic strip where Durin's Bane found the Ring on the ground in Moria, picked it up, put it on, and then the Ring melted on his hand and Sauron was defeated then and there.
It was a funny comic strip, but it's my headcanon on what would've happened if the Balrog had the Ring.
An excellent video! I would argue though that a Maiar would be able to wear the Ring and control whether or not it would become invisible. At least in the movies we see Sauron wearing the ring and not being invisible.
Not only in the movies. We know that Sauron was visible in the War of the Last Alliance when he was slain and the ring taken from him. But yes, I believe you are correct. A Maia would not be invisible, and even if he were, another Maia, high elf, etc, would still be able to see him.
3k likes and counting!
We knocked out that 2,500 like challenge in a day. Helps that you made another great video. Thanks for all the awesome content.
I've always thought the Belrog should have gotten more story time.
*everyone dies*
"our look into a *fun* what if scenario"
Good job on mentioning every artist!
Great subject. IMO, a Balrog could easily make GREAT use of the One Ring and would with it, become stronger than Sauron. I DO NOT think the Balrog would have retreated, he would have gone forth and called all evil to himself. The RingWraiths would work for him now.
This seems the most likely scenario. The Balrogs are from the same order of spirits as Sauron, they were deeply corrupted to begin with so less for the Ring to work with, and they were peers of Sauron during Morgoth's reign. Sauron would have reason to be concerned about the Balrog taking the Ring.
This was great btw
This was a really interesting concept. I love it.
Why not try: what if sauron and durin's bane allined? Although it's probably a very unlikely scenario I think it could be fun too look at :)
Imagine Great Evil Triumvirate, Sauron + Durin's Bane + Smaug.
@@Bzhydack Sauron + Saruman + Durin's Bane + Smaug + Shelob
I believe the Nazgul would definitely have their work cut out for them attempting to take the ring from Durin's Bane.
What a battle that would be!
They wouldnt even try to fight him as w/ the One Ring, he would easily have command over them.
@@TheBrokenSword what battle? If a royal barbarian with a flaming stick can bully them imagine a freaking balrog who not only is equal to sauron in what they are but also a being of flames....
@@thepretzel2 dude. Made of fire their greatest nightmare?
Great I have a hangover and now this
So many people think Sauron is more powerful than the Balrogs, people seem to forget Balrogs are Maiar, the exact same as Sauron
Now that is frightening.
Lol, what’s next: What if Rosie Cotton took the Ring?
Her dancing and hair ribbons would be on a level too dangerous for us Muggles
In place of a Dark Lord you would have a Mayoress! Not dark but vertically challenged and terrible as the Dawn! Treacherous as the Sackville-Baggins! Stronger than the foundations of The Shire!
I can’t get enough wraith and balrog content breh fr my fav type of characters
You gave the fellowship a glorious end lol.
Wouldn't Durin's Bane sense and claim Gandalf's ring of power before going back to his safe place in your scenario?
I love your "What If" videos so much! Could I make a request of "What if Osse stayed on Morgoth's side"?
What if thorin survived the battle of the five armies? How would that affect the war of the ring?
Why not try Bullroarer Took vs. Bilbo Baggins? That's a fight I'd like to see, and I'm sure it would end with no hard feelings and second-breakfast for both.
This is the best LOTR question I can think of.
I like your adaptation, but I see the ending a bit differently. If Gandalf falls along with the fellowship, Durins Bane with the one ring would feel the presence of the Elvin ring of power held by Gandalf. Once he puts on the 2nd ring, his power would grow further. He would then command all the dark creatures residing within his halls. He could rise up and and due his lesser mental facitilties, the Elvin ring would effect him much as it did with the dwarfs increasing his desire for power.
Holy shite! Brilliant question! A dragon next? "The Domination of Smaug"
As a "What if"? Glorfindel vs the Witch-King at the breaking of the gate at Minas Tirith.
When you say "go at it" 😮
What if..Elrond had his way, and the fellowship did not include merry pippin and sam..but three Elf lords instead?
I was thinking of this some time back.
We need a part 2
Great Video.
“The dark fire shall not avail you, Flame of Undûn!”
So this is a spicy topic
Really interesting take but if the fires of mount doom would undo the ring would you not assume that going back into the center of the earth would also un make the ring? The Balrog would not be effected by the heat, however the ring would. it might not be smart enough to realize that fact until too late and would in the end have the same effect as Frodo finishing his quest, and the ending of Sauron would be inevitable.
As far as "the seen and the unseen", a phrase Tolkien uses on several occasions, he was a devout Roman Catholic, and as such would be reciting the Nicene Creed every week at mass, and it contains the words "seen and unseen", and those words would have been percolating in his mind for years.
I think your premise is great I really enjoyed the what if perspective. I believe the balrog was more ambitious and would have taken the opportunity to show himself as the new dark lord.
That would be a very dark day indeed 0_o
I've always wondered this myself
I like that Durin's Bane literally got a near limitless power, and could be unstoppable if he chooses to take over Middle-earth, and yet decided to go just back to sleep instead. So relatable. Lol!
Rulling Middle-Earth would have been too much paperwork for him.
If you're unstoppable, no one can stop you from napping.
I like to imagine the Balrog trying to fit the ring on his GIANT finger 😂 he has all that power, but his fingers are too big
For your "versus series" i would suggest the following fights:
Gil-Galad vs Elendil
Aragorn vs Boromir
Galadriel vs Gandalf
Fëanor vs Sauron
Durin's Bane had long been awake by the time the Fellowship entered Moria.
This is exactly how it would play out. The Balrogs were power players in the First Age, but now Durin's Bane is a moray eel. He would rule Moria and there would be a dark power under the mountains, even as Sauron rules the rest. And never would the twain meet.
I imagine the Balrog growing in size, flames turning blue as they burn hotter and spewing fire from his mouth like a dragon, anticlimactically killing the fellowship in a single breath
...And Sauron takes possession of a new body, pauses for a moment to consider this Cadillac of a flesh bag and says, "All right."
Haha Gandalf was shook!
Great video. I don’t know if you’re allowed good characters for these suggestions but ‘Why not try’ Beorn vs Radagast? My money would be on the brown wizard as he has some control over beasts. 👍
All this doesn't take into account the deepest theme of the entire legendarium: all things work toward the glory of Eru Iluvatar.
Fun scenario. No, that's the wrong word. Terrifying, that's it. Terrifying scenario. Great job! I love your what ifs and they"re presentation.
This is the way!
It makes sense that saron didn't really seem to mind when the demon had it Because there's no other better place to guard it and have as a bodyguard for his ring to be kept safe
To the best of my understanding, the one ring was a power amplifier, giving simple abilities ( invisibility) to normal folk, or terrible power to the already mighty, also its corruption although seemingly inevitable was accelerated depending on on how it was acquired , if taken by force, ( as in smeagal murdering his cousin on his birthday, or given freely as in Frodo offering it to both Gandalf and Galadrial. It's also a mystery as to what becomes of the dwarves rings, for sure sauron obtained dome of them but did he use them himself or give them to his other lieutenants ,as he did the 9 to the nazgul?
This makes me think of a question. If putting on the one ring takes you to the world unseen, then how would you think the Balrog's presence would affect all of the spirits of that world?
I like these what if scenarios! I believe in Sauron’s calculating nature to a point. But I still see Sauron eventually pining to be whole again. Even if it was once most wars had been one, he would be sending expeditions into Moria like so much kindling until he found that balrog.
Why not try Galadriel vs The Witchking. I would love to see that 😊
Saruman v Witch King is no contest. Witch King ends up naked in the dark and Saruman probably learns a bunch of ringlore in the empirical sense.
If you've seen Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, there seem to be a ton of parallels between the Balrogs and Sloth. Very powerful and will wreck a continent when motivated, but really just want to go back to sleep (after the banishment of Melkor anyway).
Becomes the most powerful being in Middle Earth, dies in a flying accident....
Denethor with the Ring VS Gollum clad in mithril. Go!
Nice of Gandalf to call his companions fools just before their certain death. That aside, the Balrog wouldn't be content with just having the Ring and then going back to sleep with it. The reason the balrogs hid themselves in the first place was that they were traumatised by the defeat of Morgoth. A Ring-wielding balrog, however, would feel all-powerful again - in fact, it would be literally all-powerful, having nothing to fear from the outside world. Whether it would have the desire and wherewithal to, say, conquer the world, is another question. The balrogs were servants, and while they didn't have Sauron's intelligence, they weren't mindless thugs either. And Sauron was also a servant originally, which never stopped him from later becoming a Dark lord in his own right. So I'm guessing the Ring would conjure up fantasies in the balrog of being a great ruler himself - just as it had with Sam. The difference with Sam, as the video pointed out, is that his hobbit common-sense kicked in and so he was able to dismiss such notions. A balrog doesn't have this. Sauron had poured a lot of himself and his power into the Ring, so it's possible that it would enhance the balrog's intelligence and thus enable it to become a new Dark Lord. In the end, though, balrogs are more destructive beings than Sauron, as the latter valued order more than destruction. So, a Ring-wielding Balrog might just go around destroying everything on Middle-earth - not just Gondor, Lothlórien etc., but also Mordor. Not exactly what Eru intended for the world. ;)
What if Eowyn got the One Ring. Can you imagine the horrible stew she could cook up?!
There seems to be some inconsistencies between the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings books. In the Hobbit, Bilbo was wearing the Ring and seemed to have avoided the notice of even Gandalf. However, if the Ring takes one to the "unseen world", Gandalf, being a Maia, should have been able to see Bilbo even with it on.
In fact, since some of the Elves are able to be in both worlds, some of them should have been able to see Bilbo in the forest lair in Mirkwood.
4:03 in short, Balrogs are bumblebees of evil
So, If Smaug got it? Invisible ethereal fire! Like those F1 invisible fires, when you see them running and burning, but no flames can be seen.
I think the Balrog (who, by the way, would not be invisible) would eventually seek out Sauron, or the other way round; at which point, if, as Tolkien said in a letter, even Gandalf with the ring would be matched by Sauron without it, I'm sure Sauron would defeat the Balrog and get it back.
This actually makes me wonder, since Melkor couldn’t actually Create new life from nothing. Only corrupt/manipulate life. Like with turning elves into orcs.
What exactly were the Balrog before Morgoth got his hands on them?
Maiar, that is for sure. As for a more specific answer, I would guess they might have been similar in nature to Arien.
Spirits of flame, just like Gandalf. This is what makes their face-off significant. One is keeper of the true flame, the other corrupted. Before the making of Arda & corruption of the Balgrogs by Morgoth, they would have been pretty similar.
I an surprised by your take on this, because I enjoyed other videos.
Balrogs might not be as cunning as Sauron, but they certainly aren't some simple minded beasts.
They have enormous magical power - Durin's bane defeats gandalf in exchange of spells before they fight on the bridge. It's not so easy to conclude what kind of power would be available to a balrog through the ring, or how intelligent they are.
The following part comes after the fellowship see flashes of light and gandalf running to them:
" ‘I have done all that I could. But I have met my match,
and have nearly been destroyed. But don’t stand here! Go
on! You will have to do without light for a while: I am rather
shaken. " (Gandalf, Fellowship of the ring, p 454)
and one page afterwards:
" ‘What it was I cannot guess, but I have never felt such a
challenge. The counter-spell was terrible. It nearly broke me.
For an instant the door left my control and began to open! I
had to speak a word of Command. That proved too great a
strain. The door burst in pieces. Something dark as a cloud
was blocking out all the light inside, and I was thrown backwards down the stairs. All the wall gave way, and the roof of
the chamber as well, I think. " -Gandalf
Would love to see a what if of Tulkas vs Ungoliant post silmaril snak
Anyone foolish enough to fight Tom Bombadil would be treated to a dance of a sidestepping enigma singing "Can't touch this!"
Dang! I'd love to see a video on saruman the white versus the witch King!! 🔥
Gandal as a ringbearer put it all on the line when he fought the balrog, theoretically they were equal but gandalf had a the advantage of the ring of rire ,which he made obvious to the balrog before they fought, not withstanding the balrog chose to fight possibly because he sensed gandalf stood between he and the great ring ,and if he was victorious would get the ring of fire as as a bonus.
The blackness of my belt is blacker then the inside of a coffin in a moonless night.