As the credits rolled on The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power episode 7, fans were once again left excited about what next week may bring. With episode 8 serving as the finale for the series’ debut season, there could be a lot of meat to chew through. What many will be hoping to see a little bit more of, however, is the Balrog that lurks beneath the depths of the Dwarven kingdom, Khazad-dum.
Rings of Power episode 7: How did the Balrog in Khazad-dum wake up?
This particular Balrog was originally a Maiar who was corrupted by the first Dark Lord, Morgoth. The works of author J. R. R. Tolkien didn’t ever reveal whether or not any Balrogs were active during the Second Age, in which Rings of Power takes place. After episode 7, however, it is clear that the Balrog in Khazad-dum has been disturbed. While Prince Durin IV was hoping to help his friend, Elrond, and the Elven race in mining for mithril, it seems he has awakened a deadly evil in defying his father.
The timeline previously set out by Tolkien stated that this Balrog awoke after the Dwarves pushed forward with mining for mithril in the Third Age. It drove them out of their home, killing countless Dwarves and slaughtering King Durin VI, for which it earned the moniker Durin’s Bane. The arrival of the Balrog so early on in this timeline would suggest that showrunners have amped up the threat level in the story they’re telling, bringing the awakening forward by a number of generations for the Dwarven race. It will likely spell disaster for all involved.
Is the Balrog in Khazad-dum the same one Gandalf fights in Lord of the Rings?
The Balrog spotted at the end of Rings of Power episode 7 is indeed the same one that audiences first met on the big screen, all the way back in 2001 with the cinematic release of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. We watched as Gandalf gave his life to save those of his friends, allowing them to continue on with their journey and ambition of ultimately destroying the One Ring. As Rings of Power serves as a sequel to that book and film series, it is no surprise that the Balrog exists here.
