![]() Both imply that Gandalf is a servant of the Valar, and Ilúvatar himself. He calls himself a “servant of the Secret Fire,” a reference to the Power of Creation, as well as the “wielder of the flame of Anor.”Īnor is the name of the Sun in Middle Earth as well as True West, i.e. While the Balrog doesn’t say anything during their altercation, Gandalf’s speech is rich with lore. However, it’s his quote from the movie, “You shall not pass!”, that has become the most famous. In the book, Gandalf only uses the phrase “You cannot pass!” which he repeats three times throughout his standoff with the Balrog. GandalfĪs Gandalf attempts to stop the Balrog from crossing the bridge, he repeatedly uses the command “You cannot pass!” He also calls the Balrog “flame of Udun” and commands him to “Go back to Shadow.” The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udûn. I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor. Gandalf’s full quote to the Balrog in The Lord of the Rings is: The battle between Gandalf and the Balrog of Morgoth.īelow we examine the battle between Gandalf and the Balrog, and answer frequently asked fan questions. A defensive bridge one-man wide at the eastern exit of Moria.įrom here, one of the most famous scenes in The Lord of the Rings and movie history unfolds. Realizing that the group cannot outrun the Balrog, Gandalf decides to make his stand to hold off the Balrog on the narrow Bridge of Khazad-dûm. These creatures of ‘shadow and flame’ are one of the most powerful and terrifying creatures in Middle Earth.Īfter the Fellowship’s initial skirmish with the Goblins, they decide to flee out of Moria as fast as they can. Unknowingly until later, the great noise and commotion awoke something more dangerous than Goblins, a Balrog. The resulting loud noise alerts nearby Goblins living in Moria. Shadow and flame”.įrodo ultimately decides to travel through the mines of Moria and eventually come to the chamber of Mazabul where Pippin knocks a skeleton and bucket down a deep well. You know what they awoke in the darkness of Khazad-dûm. The dwarves delved too greedily and too deep. The dwarves delved too greadily and too deep. His fear and apprehension was summed up in the movies by Saruman’s voice-over quote: ![]() Gandalf knew of what could lurk in the depths of Moria and what drove the Dwarves from their greatest realm of Khazad-dûm (Dwarven for Moria). Gandalf was hesitant to enter Moria and advised against it, but ultimately let Frodo decide their path. ![]() The battle of wills between Gandalf and the Balrog takes place in the Fellowship of the Ring as the group makes their way through the Mines of Moria. Gandalf vs the Balrog also produced one of the most widely quoted lines in the Lord of the Rings fandom: “You shall not, PASS!” Flame of Udûn is a reference to both the fact that the Balrog is a fiery beast, and that he was created in Udûn by Melkor.Whether you read the books, watched the movies, or both – the standoff between Gandalf and the Balrog is one of the most memorable moments of the entire Lord of the Rings saga. As such, I think Gandalf is simply proclaiming he's one of the Good Guys. Throughout the books, sunlight is given the power to fight evil, Orcs can't handle it, significant arrivals at the last minute tend to be at sunrise. This may be a reference to his magic ring (Narya, the ring of fire), but personally I think that's not it. Anor is Elvish for the sun, so Gandalf suggests he's "wielding" sunlight. His creations don't have this spark of life, this holy spirit, making them tortured and evil beings. The devil-figure, Melkor (who, btw, was seated in Udûn) tried to copy this, but failed. Gandalf being a servant of this fire implies he serves Iluvatur. It's what Iluvatur (the creator/deity figure) imparted on the world. The secret flame is, in Tolkien's world, a sort of spark of life, the Middle Earth equivalent of what Christians would call the Holy Spirit.
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