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tolkiens legendarium - How many Balrogs were there?


There are guesstimates of their numbers ranging from as little as 3 all the way up to hundreds. Still other accounts say there were actually a thousand strong.


We know five were 'killed' by Tuor, three by Ecthelion, and two score (40) by the warriors of the king's house. Combine those with the one disturbed in Moria in the TA, that makes at least 49 Balrogs.


Is there any other indication in Tolkien's works of a total number or mentions of any others?




Answer



Christopher Tolkien indicates that his father eventually decided there were no more than seven Balrogs.




"In the margin my father wrote: 'There should not be supposed more than say 3 or at most 7 ever existed.'"




But as you noticed, there are plenty of references in earlier writings to the existence of a great deal of Balrogs. Tolkien himself noted that in early writings, Balrogs were much more numerous and destructible than they later became.


Crucially, that note - which is invariably cited in any discussion of the number of Balrogs - was not necessarily Tolkien's final word. We really can't know for sure because Tolkien changed his mind, and we don't know if he changed his mind again.


So it's up to you - 7 or "a lot."



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