Wut One of the reasons (to me) Tolkien is interesting+so good at what he does is precisely that he only gives glimpses in LOTR at the depth he develops in the Silmarillion+elsewhere. . . The movies were acceptable (a compliment). Battle scene at Helm's deep was awesome, though
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What I like re your picking the Balrog part is that I think that's the deepest, core (pun) part of the whole thing. Ofc Tolkien uses archetypes etc etc but all other parts can be in a way interpreted as "cultural" a bit. Not that part -- that's just *human*.
A fact I've never really understood: the Balrog, Sauron, Saruman, and Gandalf are really all peers (of the Maia caste). It bugs me a bit that they seem so apart in form.
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If I remember correctly the Maia rarely reveal or show their true form but instead take shapes or forms, and it is these shapes that can be destroyed.
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It just seemed strange to me that the Balrog's form was so different. Sauron's earlier forms were recognizably similar to Gandalf and Saruman; his later incarnation was a natural response to events. The Balrog seems a little weird, like Tolkien's version of monster-of-the-week
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