Will Durin and the Dwarves Release the Balrog in The Rings of Power?

One of the biggest and most important side stories in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power concerns the Dwarves and how they have been mining the depths of Khazad-dûm, the great Dwarven kingdom in the Misty Mountains. Of course, what they’d been mining in the depths of these mountains was mithril, which was the most precious ore in the world. But what they didn’t know was that something in the depths of the mountain was more fearsome than rockfall, and that came in the form of a Balrog. So, will Durin and the Dwarves release the Balrog in The Rings of Power?

The Balrog in Khazad-dûm was said to have been awakened by the Dwarves that were mining mithril, and the possibility is that Durin and his activities will eventually unleash the fury of this mighty beast and cause the destruction and evacuation of Khazad-dûm, which will become Moria.

We all know that the Balrog is one of the most dangerous creatures in the world of JRR Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, as Gandalf himself said that this entity was beyond any of the members of the Fellowship of the Ring. In that regard, it is more than likely that this creature will spell doom for Khazad-dûm and all of the Dwarves that dwell in this great city.

Will Durin And The Dwarves Release The Balrog?

We all know that one of the growing side stories in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power concerns that of the Dwarves. Of course, we all know that there is a growing side story related to the Dwarves of Khazad-dûm and the Elves of Lindon. But we are talking more about the local side of the story related to the Dwarves, as the relationship between King Durin III and his son, Prince Durin IV, is now growing weaker and weaker.

This is due in large part to the fact that Durin IV wants the Dwarves to continue to mine the mithril that they discovered hidden in the depths of Khazad-dûm. On the other hand, Durin III is afraid of what kind of greed and ambition could bring to the Dwarves, as he believes that it is too dangerous for them to keep on mining mithril because of how it could risk the lives of Dwarves if the rock’s cave in due to their mining activities.

Of course, Durin not only wants to save the Elves using the mithril but also wants to further the greatness of the Dwarves because he was the first one in line for the crown of his father. Disa, his wife, was also urging him to become more ambitious than his father ever was, as he was now more motivated than ever to find a way to further his cause of mining for mithril.

Then again, in the final portion of The Rings of Power episode 7, we got to see a glimpse of a danger that was far more perilous than the rocks that King Durin III was afraid of. This peril came in the form of a Balrog, which was hidden deep in the mountains of Khazad-dûm and had been awakened by the mining activities of the Dwarves. So, will Durin and the Dwarves be responsible for unleashing the fury of this Balrog?

For those who don’t know, a Balrog is a corrupted Maia that followed Morgoth back in the First Age. Since the Maiar are spirits, they have to take a different form whenever they are in Middle-Earth. As such, after getting corrupted by Morgoth, the Balrogs had to take the form of fiery monsters that were demonic in their appearance and were equipped with a flaming sword and a whip made out of the fire. 

This particular Balrog in Khazad-dûm had been hiding ever since the First Age when all of the Balrogs under the leadership of Gothmog were defeated. It escaped the war and managed to go into hiding under the misty mountains, as it is also possible that this very same Balrog was the one who was described in the Song of the Roots of Hithaeglir. And it might have decided to sleep under the Misty Mountains ever since.

Going back to our point, it is more than likely that this ambition of Prince Durin is what will eventually do the Dwarves in by unleashing the Balrog hiding in the Misty Mountains. And that is suggested by JRR Tolkien’s writings.

In the writings of Tolkien himself, it was described that the Balrog was awakened by Durin VI and his Dwarves while they were mining mithril during the Third Age and not the second age. But the fact of the matter is that it was their activities that awakened the creature from its deep slumber.

So, as such, it is more than likely that the series will push this event back to the Second Age, as the awakening of the Balrog may happen during the time of Durin IV instead of Durin VI. In that regard, we might end up seeing why the Balrog is called Durin’s Bane, as he might kill either Durin III or Durin IV when awakened by the Dwarves.

It is likely that Durin III will be the one slain, especially if he gets to live during the time that the Balrog is unleashed. This will make Durin IV understand the perils that his father was talking about, as he might see the error in his ambitious ways. 

What Will Happen To The Dwarves And Khazad-Dûm?

The Balrog is a creature that is made of fire itself and is stronger than almost any other entity in Middle-Earth. This is why Gandalf once said that the Balrog is beyond any of the Fellowship, even though all of the members of this group were some of the mightiest members of their respective races.

As such, the Balrog itself will be the doom of Khazad-dûm, as it will begin to overpower all of the Dwarves in this kingdom until they are forced to evacuate it and find shelter in another place. And in doing so, the Balrog will kill one of the Durins in The Rings of Power and will earn itself the name Durin’s Bane.

Khazad-dûm will eventually be called Moria after the fall of the Dwarven kingdom to the Balrog. The name Moria means Black Pit, and that is what it will become during the time when the Balrog became the lord of this once great kingdom under the Misty Mountains.

Is This The Same Balrog From The Lord Of The Rings?

The Balrog that was shown at the end of The Rings of Power episode 7 is not the first time that fans of The Lord of the Rings have seen a similar creature. That’s because the Fellowship ran into a Balrog in the first movie as they were making their way through Moria. But is this the one in The Rings of Power the same as the one in The Lord of the Rings?

This is, in fact, the very same Balrog, as the one in The Lord of the Rings was the one that was described to have been responsible for the fall of Moria and the eventual death of Durin. In fact, he was even called Durin’s Bane in The Lord of the Rings.

Of course, Durin’s Bane was finally defeated in battle by another Maia in the form of Gandalf, who also fell in battle due to the exhaustion he felt in the fight against the mighty opponent. As such, Gandalf was correct in saying that this foe was beyond the might of any of the members of the Fellowship, as only someone as strong as a Maia could have defeated it.