Posted: July 17, 2000 at 16:53:04: by Thentaran
: : : Dain did not 'see' a Balrog when he peered into Moria. Probably he had no idea what a Balrog was at his young (for a dwarf) age. What he saw, and felt, was "Durin's Bane". If he had known what it was for certain, then Gandalf would have known beforehand, instead of saying at the Bridge, "A Balrog! I feared it was so".: : What do you think Durin's Bane was?!? If Dain hadn't known what it really was then another dwarf would have. As far as that Gandalf thing goes...it could have slipped his mind or he could have been hoping that it went back to sleep.
: : Thentaran : Of course I know what Durin's Bane was. I still say that Dain didn't know what it was. Maybe he didn't see it clearly, only felt the horror of it's presence. Gimli knew that the Balrog was Durin's Bane he said that when he saw it...Dain couldn't have "felt" the Balrog and known what it was so he had to have seen it and recognized it. : It is very odd that nobody seems to have known what Durin's Bane really was, prior to the Fellowship passing through. Gandalf's words after his spell contest with it clearly indicates he didn't know who or what his opponent was {..."slipped his mind", indeed!} People knew what Durin's Bane was...What makes you think that they didn't know what Durin's Bane was? Gandalf didn't see the Balrog so for all he knew it could have been anything.
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