Not understanding Tolkien’s descriptions.

It is normal for some words to go over your head. Some went over mine. Just enjoy the story as a classic because that is what LoTR is now. You are not expected to know all of the references or poetry. Same as the nods in Dickens and Trollope will necessarily miss their mark with a modern audience. Same with LoTR.

This won’t be a comment that people like, but as someone who loves Lord of the rings and retreads it every few years, Tolkien crafts a great story, but is a terrible writer. The reason I say that is that he creates characters and puts a lot of effort into them, and then they never go anywhere. Tom Bombadill, anyone?

Then, having multiple names fir characters and switching them out all the time. I could see doing that if the character is a spy, but just because a different faction of people address you, doesn’t mean you need a different name.

Tolkien also used overly complex language throughout, as if to say, “I this big scholar, and here let me prove it.” I would say that was normal for him and his peers, but look at CS Lewis, I believe they were in the same writing group.

Nope,. Tolkien needed a brutal editor. Still love the story.

If you can find Tolkien’s painting of Helm’s Deep, it is quite different from the movies, hence why the descriptions do not match your memory. If anything, Helm’s Deep in the movies make little sense in terms of defensive architecture (the side wall with the stream going through it protects nothing, and serves simply for the plot and having the defenders die).

Tolkien himself is said to have had difficulty in describing what he imagined, which is why he painted and sketched a lot. I feel that trying to forget the imagery of the movies is better to understand the descriptions.

I think the key difference in the balrog scene is that the balrog enters Balin’s tomb, and it and Gandalf have a magic contest over the door the fellowship escapes through.

So… I’m unsure where the confusion is coming in because the Balrog scene is fairly straightforward?

We get introduced to the description of the Balrog and then we have the Fellowship’s reaction to the Balrog:

* ”Ai! ai! ‘ wailed Legolas. ‘A Balrog! A Balrog is come! ‘
Gimli stared with wide eyes. `Durin’s Bane! ‘ he cried, and letting his axe fall he covered his face.

* ‘A Balrog,’ muttered Gandalf. `Now I understand.’ He faltered and leaned heavily on his staff. `What an evil fortune! And I am already weary.’”

Then we have Gandalf’s instruction to the Fellowship to run, or “fly” is the instruction but it’s him telling them to run for it:

* “Over the bridge!’ cried Gandalf, recalling his strength. `Fly! This is a foe beyond any of you. I must hold the narrow way. Fly! ”

Then a description of what the fellowship actually does, Aragorn and Boromir try to stand and fight with Gandalf on the bridge while the rest got across the bridge and stood and watched:

* “Aragorn and Boromir did not heed the command, but still held their ground, side by side, behind Gandalf at the far end of the bridge. The others halted just within the doorway at the hall’s end, and turned, unable to leave their leader to face the enemy alone. ”

The Balrog makes it’s way to the center of the Bridge where Gandalf is standing in its way. This section is visually EXACTLY how it happens in the film so you can just picture it as it’s depicted in the film:

* “The Balrog reached the bridge. Gandalf stood in the middle of the span, leaning on the staff in his left hand, but in his other hand Glamdring gleamed, cold and white. His enemy halted again, facing him, and the shadow about it reached out like two vast wings. It raised the whip, and the thongs whined and cracked. Fire came from its nostrils. But Gandalf stood firm.”

And then this next bit is verbatim almost exactly as it is in the film, which honestly as a fan of the books was so thrilling to see Tolkien’s exact words used in the film:

* “`You cannot pass,’ he said. The orcs stood still, and a dead silence fell. Ì am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor. You cannot pass. The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udûn. Go back to the Shadow! You cannot pass.”

Then the description of how the Balrog reacts, and Gandalf using Glamdring to defend against the Balrog before reiterating the iconic You Cannot Pass line:

* “The Balrog made no answer. The fire in it seemed to die, but the darkness grew. It stepped forward slowly on to the bridge, and suddenly it drew itself up to a great height, and its wings were spread from wall to wall; but still Gandalf could be seen, glimmering in the gloom; he seemed small, and altogether alone: grey and bent, like a wizened tree before the onset of a storm. From out of the shadow a red sword leaped flaming. Glamdring glittered white in answer.

* There was a ringing clash and a stab of white fire. The Balrog fell back and its sword flew up in molten fragments. The wizard swayed on the bridge, stepped back a pace, and then again stood still.
‘You cannot pass! ‘ he said.”

At this point the Balrog charges forward again and Boromir and Aragorn rush in to try and help Gandalf:

* “With a bound the Balrog leaped full upon the bridge. Its whip whirled and hissed. “He cannot stand alone! ‘ cried Aragorn suddenly and ran back along the bridge. ‘ Elendil! ‘ he shouted. ‘I am with you, Gandalf! ‘Gondor! ‘ cried Boromir and leaped after him.”

But then the climax of the battle where Gandalf strikes the bridge itself, his staff breaks and the bridge cracks to take the balrog down. As this happens, the balrog uses its whip to grab Gandalf and pull him down; again this is *exactly* how it happens in the film:

* “At that moment Gandalf lifted his staff, and crying aloud he smote the bridge before him. The staff broke asunder and fell from his hand. A blinding sheet of white flame sprang up. The bridge cracked. Right at the Balrog’s feet it broke, and the stone upon which it stood crashed into the gulf, while the rest remained, poised, quivering like a tongue of rock thrust out into emptiness. With a terrible cry the Balrog fell forward, and its shadow plunged down and vanished. But even as it fell it swung its whip, and the thongs lashed and curled about the wizard’s knees, dragging him to the brink. He staggered and fell, grasped vainly at the stone, and slid into the abyss.

* ‘Fly, you fools! ‘ he cried, and was gone.”*

Then the fellowship’s horrified reaction:

* “The fires went out, and blank darkness fell. The Company stood rooted with horror staring into the pit. Even as Aragorn and Boromir came flying back, the rest of the bridge cracked and fell. With a cry Aragorn roused them.

* ‘Come! I will lead you now! ‘ he called. ‘We must obey his last command. Follow me! ‘

* They stumbled wildly up the great stairs beyond the door. Aragorn leading, Boromir at the rear. At the top was a wide echoing passage. Along this they fled. Frodo heard Sam at his side weeping, and then he found that he himself was weeping as he ran.”

All in all, the Balrog scene is almost identical to the film except without so much of the jumping and tossing at the bridge. Otherwise, everything with Gandalf is translated onto the screen very closely to how it’s described in the text.

Which part were you struggling with?

I wonder if part of the problem is that you’ve got the movies stuck in your head, and are trying to match what you’re reading to what you saw. Don’t get me wrong, the Balrog scene in the movie is cool as *hell*, but it is somewhat different than the book. Maybe imagine that the movie is the “dramatized version” while the LOTR is the “true” story straight from Frodo’s quill.

I can’t shed any light on it, but I can only say that I read The Lord of the Rings at least 2-3 times, around 40 years ago, and I felt that I couldn’t quite picture the Balrog scene, either.

The thing with the Helm’s Deep chapter is that it’s *a chapter* (or two) but in your memory it’s half of a wholeass movie.

>I couldn’t tell you where Aragorn
and Gimli were jumping around or where they ran to.

Tolkien doesn’t give too much of a play by play. If you’re getting less tactical details, it’s become he didn’t consider them as important as Jackson did for the (entirely separate) cinematic experience he wanted to create for New Line Cinema.

I couldn’t get through it because I wasn’t able to make sense of what was happening

I also found it very hard to imagine the layout of Helm’s Deep by Tolkien’s description of it. That should’ve been one of the maps at the end of the book.

> and I had to look up the definition for gorge, coomb, ‘Deep’, and dike.

You might try the *Oxford English Dictionary* for better descriptions of how some of Tolkien’s words were used. Particularly focus on the older definitions. British and American English can be quite different regarding words in common usage. Not to mention the almost 100 year gap.