To those familiar with the Catholic Faith, this scene is very profound. It’s quite a bit like an Exorcism, Gandalf declares himself a servant of God, names the demon, and asserts his authority over it in the name of God. I absolutely LOVE all of Tolkien’s works, and his faith and his interpretations of it throughout his works has only helped to guide and strengthen me all my life. Rest In Peace, JRR Tolkien

I was actually completely unaware the ring of fire theory was so popular. To me it was obvious that he meant the Sun and the tree's light.

I love the books but Mckellens delivery was chilling. When he says "I am a servant of the secret fire..." almost seems as if he's psyching *himself* up for this fight. Then he basically repeats it but stronger. It's just such an amazingly well done scene.

I love how you recognise this details in the books that can lead to explore much deeper themes about the legendarium, nobody does it like you! I also love how it is possible that Tolkien himself didn't realise how much can be explored of what he created, such is the magnificence of his work

I love your interpretation, I always thought that Gandalf was almost performing an exorcism, diminishing the power of that Devil and letting him know who he was and to whom he was serving.

A reference to the White Fire appears again in LOTR, Return of the King page 94. "Like thunder they broke upon the enemy on either flank of the retreat; but one rider outran them all, swift as the wind in the grass: Shadowfax bore him, shining, unveiled once more, a light starting from his upraised hand. The Nazgul screeched and sweat away, for their Captain was not yet come to challenge the white fire of his foe." Your analysis of the Flame of Arnor from a deep spiritual that Tolkien operated from deepens further my appreciation of this literary genius. Thank You!

I was one of those that made the assumption that 'flame of anor' meant the ring of power, but it makes so much sense that Gandalf would invoke an even greater power, one he trusted his enemy would know and fear. I love how Tolkien's work has so many layers of power and authority on both sides of good and evil, and even individuals (nameless things/ ungoliant) that aren't beholden to either side. Another great analysis. Thank you for your work.

One other point re: "the flame of Anor" - in one of the various versions of the legends that didn't make it into the Silmarillion, Arien (or Urwen) is an extremely powerful Maia of fire. Melkor tries to seduce her and make her his queen, but fails as she rejects him totally, and burns him into a charred, grey shape when he rapes her. That would make the opposition of the flame of Anor with the flame of Udûn even more poignant as a symbol of rejection of the dominion of Melkor over Middle-Earth.

Brilliant, absolutely brilliant and comprehensive take on the deep spiritual tones of the words. Tolkein crafting these words is truly the definition of spells and word-smithing. Glad to see other people also qualify the importance of lore in these few pages alone. Shows serious depth by the creator. Great Video.

Gandalf is quite possibly my favourite character in LOTR.

I've always interpreted Gandalf's declaration to mean: "I am a servant of the Secret Fire," - I serve Eru, I'm a Maiar, like you, who sang in the Music of the Spheres, and then helped to create the world. "wielder of the flame of Anor" - I wield the fire of the Sun. As you know, the only ones who can do that are fire element Maiar. "You cannot pass. The dark fire will not avail you," - You cannot pass. Although you're a fire element Maiar, probably accustomed to using your fire to help you get your way, I'm a fire element Maiar too, so your dark fire is not going to do anything to me. "flame of Udun" - I know all I need to know about you, corrupted fire element Maiar. You who turned away from Eru in favour of the weaker Meklor, hid out in Meklor's fortress, Udun, trying to see yourself as one of the big fish in a small pond. "Go back to the Shadow! You cannot pass." - Go run back to Meklor and hide. Oops, wait, Meklor was defeated, and is locked away until the end of time, and you ran. :P You cannot pass.

It's been well documented through recent community posts that I've wanted to make this video since starting the channel. I'm happy to finally have my own thoughts on this topic on The Red Book channel and not someone else's. I hope everyone enjoys it! The next couple of weeks will be busy but I hope I can have another video made in that time. As always, I'll keep everyone updated through community posts! Consider becoming a member of the channel for early access to videos and member only polls - kzfaq.info/love/POz2P0OxWp0ij0K4BsLsRwjoin

Well put. I had always considered it the self-revelation of Gandalf as an emissary of Valinor, vs the faded power of Melkor. A power too proud to bend to Sauron. But decayed by the defeat of the First, greatest, Dark Lord. Also, I suspect that the Balrog, not being a servant of Sauron, is what permits Gandalf to act in his true office, as a Maia. And not merely the embodied emissary and advisor to the Free Peoples. Gandalf, by extension, is then saying, "Once, we were equals. But you have diminished, as your master did. I remain."

I've never come across a Tolkien KZfaq channel as in-depth as this before. I love it! I thought the flame of Anor being Gandalf's ring was basically canon before this video 😂

It is no accident that Manwe, the Valar closest to the will of Iluvatar, chose Olorin to represent him in Middle Earth. It is clear from the beginning that Gandalf is closest in heart to Iluvatar and has received special GRACE from him, not only at the Bridge, but also on the peak of the mountain, where he was allowed to live and was empowered, when he should have died.

I seem to recall a version where Eru gave Varda a 'new light from beyond EA', to be placed into the new vessel of the Sun under the custody of Arien. Which prompted Melkor to assail Arien and 'ravish' her, in order to get control of that light. I always understood that Gandalf's bit about "...weilder of the flame of Anor" referred to that. Thus, the wizard serves 'the Secret Fire' (Illuvatar's creative spirit) and wields the 'Flame of Anor' (the latest, unsullied, manifestation of said creative spirit in Arda Marred.

Bravo! Your analysis is spot on. This is my second favorite scene in all of the LotR. 1. The first rule of The Rings of Power club is" No one talks about the Rings of Power. So, Gandalf is probably not going to even hint to his fallen kin about the invisible Ring he is wearing. 2. Narya is adjacent to Anor in that the Ring represents the memory of the light of a Silmaril, a part of the same light which burns at the heart of the Sun. The Sun, in turn is the public face of the Secret Fire that once burned above and now burns in the center, or heart of Arda. Narya and Anor both give warmth and relief from depression and nurture life and light, a reflection of the Secret Fire that gives life and substance to all of Ea. 3. In opposition to flame wielded by Gandalf, the Flame of Udun, is the knockoff. The facsimile that is to the Secret Fire what Utumno is to to the Timeless Halls of Eru. The sort of "Secret Fire" sold on the street at the tourist markets. Gandalf is also reminding Durin's Bane who he is, and who he could and should have been. How far you have fallen Maia of Varda, to be napping in the bowels of Middle Earth instead of out among the stars from whence you came? Great video! Cheers!

Love the part involving Gandalf and the Balrog and the explanation there, have to admit that you give it so much thought. We have here a clash of the 'fire of the sun' as you kind of put it, but also a kind of 'pure-fire' (which may be associated with the colour white in a lot of artworks), and the 'red fire' of the Balrog. There is considerable colour-psychology at work here, with 'White' oft-associated with purity as you here noted, where red is a colour of 'passion' and 'rage', and given how the Balrog is often also associated with darkness (a colour of evil in classical colour-psychology). It seems that there's a statement being made here in regards to the nature of the two predominant figures and the kinds of flames they represent. Gandalf's is good and is representative of Eru and the Balrog is representative of Melkor (who is still technically out there in the void). Just something I noticed in this video (I know you covered all this) but it is still fascinating to go over it again. The use of colours in Tolkien's descriptions reveal also the attention to detail Tolkien put into his scenes, and add to his mythology (another ex might be Gurthang, being a black sword a representation of Turin's inner darkness, where his helm often appears golden, which is a regal colour associated with good but also greed). This video was perfect, really enjoyed it and your lovely Scottish accent, and really hope you do that history of Angband series that you want to do.

That was beautifully put, a joy to listen to. Thank you for that analysis!🌷

Fantastic video. I had long ago heard the ring of fire theory. This video convinced me otherwise - makes more sense. Gandalf himself is the wielder of the Secret Fire. With or without the ring.

Balrog: _[puffs out its chest]_ Gandalf: “My dad could beat up your dad!”

As always, bringing new depth to topics I thought had been exhausted already. Great video. Keep up the great work!

Absolutely outstanding! I got chills during the intro. KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK MELLON! Ecthelion!

This is my favourite Lord of the rings channel the quality is outstanding.

Brilliant! In this one delivery, there is literary analysis, philosophy, and theology all rolled into one. Thank you for sharing this wisdom.

Your channel is SUCH an inspiration...THANK YOU!

I used a combination of Gandalf's speech and the priest's from The Exorcist when I was alone working night shifts at a (seemingly) haunted FedEx. Whether or not it was actually haunted, it worked and I was able to finish my homework because nobody really comes in at those hours.

I think it's fantastic that you brought up Tolkien's faith and it's shaping of his work. It's a joy of sorts to hear it said among the current noise surrounding and infiltrating the current conversation. In it's way, his works are a subversive way to introduce Christianity generally and Catholicism specifically. It's another sign of his bravery and integrity that he wrote and perfected his works in a time and place where Catholics were seen as "less than". Great dive as usual, sir!

This channel is amazing. I love the relaxing dark ambient atmosphere the videos have.

I think what a lot of poeple forget is that the Balrog, Sauron and Gandalf are all the same rank. They are all Maiar. Thus, it is reasonable for such a talk and a fight happen between two such foes.

Personally I always assumed when he referred to being a servant of the secret fire and weilder of the flame of Anor, he is referring directly to Eru. He was a Maiar of Varda, and chosen by Varda against Sauron. Varda is of course the Valar of light and she was gifted a portion of Eru's light the flame imperishable, and so Gandalf is indirectly a servant of Eru and draws his authority from Eru via his links with Varda and the power Eru invested in her.

Long time Tolkien reader. Absolutely loved your video

I always thought of flame of Anor and flame of Udun as being analogous to the Sun and the demiurges' fire in Plato's cave respectively. The analogy has the prisoners looking at shadows on a wall, which is supposed to be how people process the everyday senses. The demiurges can put things in between the wall and the fire to make shadows, which can then be seen on the wall. However the fire is greatly out done by the sun (truth/goodness/beauty), which would also have the power to undo any shadow, if it were to seep down into the cave. The fire is artificial, while the sun is natural. The fire requires work to maintain while the sun simply exists. This is very similar to how the Vala could "create" things. Tolkien definitely had some influence from platonic cosmology, as Catholicism has influence from it. Good and evil are not opposing forces, but Good is substance, while evil is void. Melkor started off having more strength than all the Vala combine (before Tulkas), but by the times of the war with the elves could be harmed by an elf, albeit an Elven king from the undying lands. He was no longer able to change forms, much like Sauron later on. This is because they continuously "unburdened" themselves of substance in order to do evil. Light has no agency, it is something given form from the source and sent off (like how the Vala are simply carrying out the directions of Eru). Darkness however can have a multitude of meanings, which gives a certain latitude of freedom. For example a silhouette of an image can be interrupted as many things, but light showing something is 1 thing. This is the metaphorical power of evil in Tolkien. However, a being of light doesn't fear shadow, as the shadow must conform around the light in order to survive. If it tries to confront light, darkness is destroyed utterly.

really cool vid loved it looking forward to your next vid

This is an excellent video and I love your interpretation of Gandulf's famous speech in Moria. I also have to add you have an incredibly relaxing voice, almost as relaxing as Bob Ross.

Absolutely my favorite scene in all of his stories. I interpreted it basically like this when I first read it. Love this video!

This was incredible, man. First video of yours I've come across and listened the whole way through, music was a great accompaniment - subbed straight away! Glad to show some support to a fellow Scotsman! Think I'll go on a binge of your vids now haha.

I always thought "servant of the Secret Fire" could basically be paraphrased as "Servant of the Holy Spirit."

By Eru I love your vids! Its a warm pre-spring afternoon here in Aus and Im relaxing with an iced coffee after mowing my rather large lawned yard, and watching this video.

I am so moved by this deeply reverent and nuanced treatise. I feel you have honored the master and your viewers as well. Bravo! Thank you 🙏 Subscribed!

Your best video so far, using rare sources and studies, much better content than many earlier ones. My congratulations snd wishes of further improvement!

Another excellent and well thought out video from The red Book. The points made are clear, relevant, and are backed up with quotes from one or more sources including Tolkien, but also the many people who have studied his works. There are many enjoyable Tolkien related channels on KZfaq, but few that make this level of effort to clearly explain the maker’s thoughts on the subject and hand and his reasoning behind them. There is nothing glib about his videos. And nothing is taken for granted. This makes his works unique among the Tolkien videos available to view for fun and elucidation on the thoughts of Tolkien. But even then the maker has left plenty of room for conversation, discussion and debate about what is revealed about the legendarium and his own thoughts. Further, the effort I see that has gone into securing permissions for use of the sources both intellectual snd artistic is beyond what most channels on KZfaq seem to put forth. I appreciate the lists of the artwork and artists used such that I can identify who did what. Sharing the credit properly is an admirable thing to do these days, though it should be the natural thing to do. These videos are more on the level of theses than simple entertainment. They are well written, cogent, well cited, and lastly, excellently filmed and scored. My figurative hat is off, as I don’t wear a hat, to this person and/or team. And my deepest appreciation and thanks for such excellent entertainment and edification. With much Metta, JTI

I continue to be amazed by the integrative power of your videos and these excellent, philosophically sound and open-minded analyses. Thank you so much! This raised several trains of thought for me. * It would make sense to me that Utumno as the first version of Melkor's stronghold wouldn't have been quite as "hellish" as his second attempt, having also grown in malice and corruption after his own brothers and sisters attacked him. His bitterness would have been amplified, and poured into Angband, manifesting as lava and torture and chains. * Gandalf/Olórin's declaration of allegiance (i.e. invocation) may also be a sort of "spell" that he uses to both psych out Durin's Bane and also to somehow access the full "soul-power" his fëa carries within it as a Maia (similarly to when he tells Saruman aloud at Orthanc, "Your staff is broken"; or when he uses some unmentioned so-called "Word of Power" on the door in the Chamber of Mazarbul; all utterances represented in English must be assumed to be Westron, I'd say, because other languages are always used untranslated, as in "Mellon" or when Legolas calls DB "Valarauko"). To be able to battle a Balrog non-stop in hand-to-hand combat for several days is a feat whose duress/intensity no mortal could hope to imagine. I bet Galdalf the Grey needed to use all of his "juice" just to vanquish Durin's Bane -- and his own corporeal death followed, meaning that it may be (speculatively) that without the invocation he would have failed in killing the Balrog. Imagine if Durin's Bane had survived and joined Sauron...! * Durin's Bane also "makes no reply" to this would-be spell, I think not because it was unable to use Westron/Sindarin/Quenya/Black Speech but perhaps because its power and faculties of consciousness/magic had dwindled in its long solitude and disconnection from both Morgoth and Sauron, and the One Ring itself, possibly even stunting its communicative abilities. That would be saying something about how powerful it was to begin with. * (How would Durin's Bane have reacted if Frodo or anyone else had at that moment put on the Ring? Similarly to Ring-Wraiths, I would guess, even though DB is probably about as old as Sauron and simiarly if not equally powerful; but the dark power that Sauron poured into the One Ring also came from Melkor/Morgoth, though obviously from Eru originally, since I believe Morgoth elevated or "upgraded" Sauron's magical abilities in the First Age; as he quite possibly also did to Gothmog to make him the most powerful Balrog ever). *The Secret Fire also holds echoes of real-world entheogenic cultural customs and subjective but often repeated ontological trance experiences, especially the Bright Light of unity referenced by ayahuasceros and in the Bardo Thödol (as the primary feature of the First Bardo). I am not suggesting that Tolkien was necessarily aware of these or any other psychedelic/shamanistic practices, or that he would have consciously wanted to reference such metaphysical practices; the closest we get to a psychonaut in his mythos is Tom Bombadil, though much of Elven culture does also involve relating to Arda/Ëa as a network of spiritual emanations and infused with the Secret Fire per se. (This is a subject it would be fascinating to explore, again regardless of JRRT's intentions; the parallels between shamanism/hyperspace/psychedelia and Tolkien's cosmology have long been of interest to me). All of this is also applicable to Christian/Abrahamic beliefs about death and the afterlife as well, certainly, and altered states in general. Thank you again, and very merriest of holiday seasons in these trying times 💖

Cheers mate. Merry Christmas/happy holidays to you and yours

Exceptional essay. Thank you!

Your videos are pure art.

Just recently found your channel. Your videos are very very very well made and the music you use in the background goes perfect with each topic you cover. Goodjob brother.

I always enjoy your videos, thank you for making them! You do important, meaningful and well-crafted work! You give also excellent new perspectives of Tolkien's work process through his different drafts! :) I can see that you put much effort and passion into your work on the channel! Thank you once again, I'm passionately waiting for your new videos! :)

I had heard the ring explanation many times and never thought more about it. Thanks for the detailed explanation I like your version much better

I agree on your take of The Flame of Anor. Besides, the three Elven Rings were hid in secrecy and it seems unlikely that Gandalf would have told the Balrog «Look at the bling on my finger.»

You have such clear and wonderful thoughts about Tolkiens work. I simpelt love it and it bringa a wonderful perspective to it all. Thank You!

Beautifully done.

Very good explanation, thanks

Thank you amazing stuff and details

Your videos are so good. It’s like getting teleported straight into middle earth.

The subtlety is what I love about Tolkien's approach to religious elements in his work. His beliefs permeate the stories but not in a heavy-handed way. They're mythologized and incorporated into the world of Middle-earth. If one wants to enjoy the stories as mythology without the religious themes, that's valid. If one wants to look for deeper meaning and religious elements, that's also valid. As an agnostic, I appreciate this approach more than other religion-influenced stories that can come across as preachy. Tolkien talked about how he preferred applicability over allegory and I think that's the case here. Readers can interpret the themes of the stories in their own way and derive the meaning that applies to their lives and experiences.

Excellent analysis.

Brilliant Presentation.

Nice job, and especially useful going back through old drafts to compare how the language changed.

I have to admit when that fact about Aragon having originally been a hobbit with wooden feet called Trotter I started laughing my ass off. That is amazing

Awesome as usual

Epic explanation the imagery too.

Excellent video! Also immediate subscription.

Beautifuly done.

Thrilling! This gave me goosebumps. 🔥 🗡 🧙🏼‍♂️

very well thought out good vid

Woah, he says Anor. My brain always auto-corrected that to Arnor. I thought the flame of Arnor was referring to his ring because he got it in the grey heavens and that's kinda near Arnor. It being a reference to the light of the sun makes so much more sense. It would be nice to have a video about Utumno. I honestly had forgotten it was a distinct thing from Angband. Much of the lotr content I've seen on KZfaq has been Silmarillion focused, so it would be nice to hear a discussion about the differences between the two fortresses, and what Morgoth did while there vs what he did later while in Angband. Like, did he suffuse his power into the world while in Utumno? Is that why Angband was so much lesser? What corruptions did he perform in each place? He clearly had enough power while in Angband to invent winged dragons, why was he able to do this in Angband and not Utumno? Are there any stories about the children of Iluvatar interacting with Utumno? From watching KZfaq, most of what I know from that time period is: The elves work up, Morgoth corrupted some of them at some point around this time. They got lead west, some of them rejected it and stayed behind. They were brought on an island over to Valinor. Then the valar went and beat up Morgoth and captured him for a while.

Great analysis

Beautiful interpretation, could not agree more...

I have always thought of Gandalf as wielding the flame of Heaven while Durin's Bane wielded the flame of Hell. Light will overcome darkness.

I think your argument about "The Flame of Anor" is a strong one. I had always thought that Gandalf was speaking about the ring of power. But what always bothered me in the decades since first reading it was, I was under the impression that the location of the 3 Elvin rings of power were not known to Sauron. Sauron had tried to acquire all the rings of power back to him. Gandalf IMO, though it was at least a possibility that he could loose this fight (lots of Balrogs in the world, how strong was the one he faced?). The rings were invisible, but not incorporeal, meaning that if Gandalf was beaten/unconscious or outright killed, the Balrog could look for it if it knew it was there. Plus, why show all his hand? Gandalf was clever and cunning and a ring of power would certainly boost him. But I had never considered that he may have been speaking of God, that he was a servant of God, THE creator, Eru Ilúvatar. Eru was on the side of good (despite creating Melkor) and reminding the Balrog of this could possibly get it to go away, that the risk may possibly not be worth any possible gains. While a ring of power isn't THE ring of power, the One Ring, it is still an ancient ring of power and no small potatoes in the power department. (Especially considering that of all the 3 Elvin rings of power, the one Gandalf wore was arguably the most potent in terms of help in an individual fight of this nature.) That said, even the One Ring is nothing compared to the power of Eru, particularly given that Tolkien was VERY religious and devote (if memory still serves this elderly grandmother). Finally, your argument about what Gandalf is talking about is also supported in that IF Gandalf was talking about the ring of power he carried, why not say that outright? If he's trying to get the Balrog to walk away because there is nothing really to be gained and he might get his butt kicked, saying bluntly that Gandalf has a ring of power might help. P.s. I have also always wondered if the Balrog knew it was fighting Gandalf. Gandalf knew WHAT he was fighting, but not which Balrog specifically. What about the Balrog? I think its arguable, though not certain, that the Balrog knew it was facing another Maia? But did it know that Maia's name? Not sure if it did that would help Gandalf as Gandalf wasn't known for being a bad ass in the ages preceding this one. What do others think of this last question ? .

Great video! I never thought Gandalf was referring to Narya; it seemed obvious to me Gandalf was referring to those who had sent him to aid the Free Peoples. Besides, Durin's Bane, at least as far as I know, had been in Moria since late First/early Second Age. Why would it know about the Rings of Power?

I love the reference of "The Holy Spirit."✝️

Great content, I didn’t think I would find another great content creator about Tolkien’s work, I am glad I was wrong…

Absolutely great analysis! Only thing you can say about this video!

Great video , especially about Tolkien ‘s faith based message about The Holy Spirit and the secret fire being one an the same. Reading two books right now ; Finding God in Lord of the Rings and Finding God in the Hobbit by Jim Ware and Kurt Bruner ( you ‘ve prob read them already) . Thanks for making these videos ,God bless

Fantastic video

I‘m so happy I subscribed to you

Very cool thanks

Thank you for another excellent video! I just want add that, as I remember it, Trotter didn't have wooden feet, but was wearing clogs, thereby making a trotting sound wherever he walked.

This interpretation actually makes complete sense!

Besides the other comments, you are one of the very few who pronounce the non-English words of Tolkein correctly. It is a pleasure.

Yes! That's the Balrog design I've been looking for 🤙

One of the most important aspects of this scene is rarely quoted: Immediately AFTER Gandalf tells the Balrog that the dark fire will not the the dark fire will not avail him, the Balrog AGREES... The Balrog becomes in response to that statement a creature of smoke and darkness. The Balrog would not have abandoned so potent a weapon of as fire if it didn't know for a certainty that in that arena, Gandalf simply out-classed him. The Balrog and Gandalf are both of a kind that dates to the creation of the world, and they both know that Illuvatar placed the fire of creation in the world, and that Morgoth, covetous of it went into the world to get that fire. They both know that Morgoth's works, lacking that fire are but twisted deformities or parodies of the Illuvatar's creations, and that those parodies could not ultimately stand against the true creations... else Morgoth would not have fallen and been cast out of the world. So, by the BALROG'S judgement, you must be right that the secret fire does not represent Narya. No craft of the elves, with the possible exceptions of the silmarils of old, was so powerful as to deter the Balrog. But I don't think you are right to suggest that the flame of Anor is the Sun, which is not specifically describes as a flame as such. Rather, I think that Gandalf succeeded in finding the flame of creation as Morgoth wanted to but failed. I think he did this because he was NOT seeking mastery or power but rather appreciating the strength and beauty of creation... the same qualities that recognized the humble but sturdy strength of the hobbits. Morgoth, and his servants like Sauron and the Balrog saw fire as a great destructive force... a volcanoe like Mt. Doom. But the fire of creation isn't... it's the fire of a hearth warming a home. It's a gentle thing, yet for all that indomitable. Regardless of which fires these are, I DEFINITELY agree that Gandald is speeking of his authority and sanction by the Valar who sent him, and by extension Iluvatar.

Well said. Many have taken up the path of righteousness going where others fear to tread to save those who are helpless in the face of evil unleashed. I worked as a messenger for 15 years. Several times a compulsion redirected my path to find one who waited for a bus when no buses were running. I picked them up and took them to where they needed to go. Then went on to delivery that of lesser importance in the great scheme of Good vs. Evil.

The philosophical aspects in Tolkien's work is so deep. You don't have to be religious to understand the themes. These are age-old stuff about human existence, good vs evil, and to cherish mortality and make the best of life.

As an aspiring novelist who is devel- oping his own comprehensive story series (plural), I know firsthand the shifting and sliding of the myriad details of numerous novels encompassing several centuries.

Well I felt totally transported by these marvellous mythical meanderings!

Excellent video! I’m so happy to be proven wrong on Gandalf referencing Narya. I’ve always been a fan of the three rings, but seeing the early draft of the Balrog confrontation it is clear that he’s not invoking the ring, but “holy” fire rather than the “unholy” fire of Utumno. I wonder whether or not this was the prompt for his ascension to Gandalf the White, seeing as he is basically professing his faith to an enemy of the Valar here.

You are spot-on about “flame of Anor” not referring to the elven ring. The juxtaposition is between Gandalf and the Balrog and whom they serve. The Flame of Anor is juxtaposed to the Flame of Udun.

Arien’s maiar peers became balrogs when they surrendered to Melkor. Arien was one of those fire maiar that refused him. I think that, by evoking Arien, Gandalf is reminding the balrog of that incorruptibility that is, metaphorically and literally, the antithesis of what he (the balrog) stands for.

I think he IS referring to the ring of power he held. The Balrog and Sauron himself often come with analogies of destructive, dangerous and unyielding flames. Gandalf on the other hand represent the warm fire of a hearth at home. The warm hung of a long lost friend or lover. Basically the embodiment of the Dutch word “Gezellig”. In other words, the Yin of flames to Sauron’s Yang.

After explaining this to people who haven't read the books, thank you for putting this so eloquently: I'll just send them this video. I always thought that the spirits would have a sense for what each other were despite physical appearances, but maybe not exactly. I know Gandalf could see Frodo's growing transparency after the morgul blade and had assumed that the istari could see the spirit world,, but now that I think about it, he couldn't see Bilbo while he wore the Ring...Would be an interesting video.

Great video. Suggestion to another theme: the cosmic powers of Melkor (and the Ainur) in Eä (the universe).

Well said.

Beautiful 😇

Top tier lore videos! I really love your content! I have a suggestion for a topic in your future videos. I think that Durin's Bane could be the most overlooked, misinterpreted and unexplored villain in Tolkiens legendarium. Many of the fans in most discussions concerning the balrog of Moria like to think that Durin's Bane and balrogs in general are mindless beasts with no ability to be rational beings or maybe have their own motives. Even though there is more evidence for opposite. They are the only group of ainur that are considered to be like this. Others, no matter if they are good or evil, display personality and intellect. Even if their take shape of animals. Why would balrogs be different? They lead Morgoth's forces which demands ability to lead and make tactical decisions. They also handle weapons which require intellect to wield more than, for example, club would. Gothmog also speaks, Durin's Bane uses spells etc. This must means that Durin's Bane is able to make his own observations, judgements and maybe have his own motivations. And there must be a good reason why he is never leaving Moria. Things get really interesting when we think about Sauron's relation to all of this. Did both evil maiar know each other's existence? How they perceive each others? Did they make contact? If they did, how it went down? We should consider the fact that at the Third Age, Sauron claims to be Morgoth returned. How would Durin's bane, a servant of Morgoth, react to this claim? Like you said, it is boastful claim. False one and most likely, would be considered blashemy against Morgoth among his servants. Also if Sauron's pride is said to have grown to megalomaniac size. Would he dare to try to fool the balrog to believe that he is indeed his master returned? The nature of balrogs as evil ainur is also interesting to think. One quality Morgoth, Sauron and Saruman share is what I would call "Aülean mindset". All three are compared or associated to Aüle. Saruman and Sauron are both servants of him and Morgoth is said to share some traits with him. I argue that these traits have big influence on how they express their evil (which could be also interesting topic to explore, maybe in a seperate video). But how about balrogs? There is much more to this topic that could be said, about what kind of motives and personal qualities the balrog could have, what kind of influence Durin's Bane could have had in events of Third Age, but I won't go further. I would love it if you would research and dedicate a video for Durin's Bane to tell your opinion. It would certainly be interesting topic to explore.

This is not a good Balrog video. This is the perfect Balrog video! And the best part of it is its uniqueness ;) I support your theory that Gandalf is referring to the authority that stands behind him. It seems that Narya, Nenya, and Vilya rather preserve and enhance the natural talents and powers of those who wear them than endow them with extra powers, so it would be strange if Gandalf was referring to the ring rather than the original source of his power. That will be a little bit off-topic, but the scene of his confrontation with the Balrog is not the only one where Gandalf’s character is strongly associated with the symbolic meaning of the Sun - one of the most spectacular, inspiring and powerful moments in the LOTR is Gandalf’s appearance in Helm's Deep in the rays of the dawn, horrifying enemies with his radiance. If we take your theory as a basis, then this way of appearance has not only strategic and psychological, but also spiritual meaning - some kind of blessing, a sign for Men that the light of Eru is still with them, a sign of hope - and it makes much more sense this way. P.S. The thumbnail image is one of my favourites, it literally allows to feel what a Balrog is in essence.

Excellent.

It reads to me like even more than all that. Yes, for sure it sounds like Gandolf was trying to order the Balrog. At the beginning stating his authority, but towards the end, sounding like he was speaking angrily as towards a traitor. Nowhere in his address did he back down.