As the Balrog flies

[Elmo]

No this isn't another debate about whether a Balrog has wings or not but how fast it can travel however they manage to do it. When Ungoliant tries to kill Melkor Balrogs are summoned by his scream. These Balrogs have to travel the length of Hithlum to rescue him and that must be several hundred miles. In the narrative it almost sounds like an instantaneous rescue but I can see two possibilities here. One a Balrog can move at supersonic spped or two ungoliant was taking an unfeasibly long time in killing Melkor.

[Bêthberry]

Well, given the penchant for machinery on the Dark Side, perhaps there was an engineer who could heed the call:

Originally Posted by anon Balrog

This is a good day to fight. Beam me over, Scotarûk.

[Farael]

The way I see it, the fight between Mortogh and Ungoliant was not like what might have happened between say Sauron and Gil-Galad.

At that time, Morgoth was still very much a "spiritual" being, he was not yet confined to his earthly form, therefore I'd speculate that "punches and stabs" wouldn't do much damage to him.

I don't have my books handy, but I believe that Ungoliant fought Morgoth with the darkness she could spew and so I'd speculate that the battle was more of a spiritual struggle than a physical one. Of course, the spiritual struggling might have had physical expressions (such as darkness and light, or perhaps cold and fire) yet this fight might have raged on for a long time on planes other than the physical one until the Balrogs finally came to the rescue.

Also, we should consider that balrogs were Maiar. Now, we have little information about balrogs but we do know that Gandalf killed one by physical means (he fought him with his sword and then the balrog fell down the precipice and died) yet maybe Balrogs went through the same process that Morgoth (and Sauron) did and started off as spiritual beings but became "trapped" in their physical bodies as ages went by. So perhaps, at the time of Morgoth's fight with Ungoliant, balrogs were still able to become wholly spiritual and as such they might have been able to travel great distances at amazing speeds.

[Iarwain Ben-adar]

[QUOTE=Farael](he fought him with his sword and then the balrog fell down the precipice and died)[QUOTE]

This is actually untrue. He fought with the Balrog on the Bridge of khazad-Dum, then they fell down. They landed in water, and the Balrog ran up the endless stair to the top of Zirak-Zigil, where they had the final battle, and Gandalf threw down the Balrog, but Gandalf died as well (or at least Gandalf the Grey). He was later reincarnated on Zirak-Zigil as Gandalf the white, and taken to Lorien by Gwaihir to be given new Garments.

[Morwen]

Originally posted by Farael

At that time, Morgoth was still very much a "spiritual" being, he was not yet confined to his earthly form, therefore I'd speculate that "punches and stabs" wouldn't do much damage to him.

I don't have my books handy, but I believe that Ungoliant fought Morgoth with the darkness she could spew and so I'd speculate that the battle was more of a spiritual struggle than a physical one. Of course, the spiritual struggling might have had physical expressions (such as darkness and light, or perhaps cold and fire) yet this fight might have raged on for a long time on planes other than the physical one until the Balrogs finally came to the rescue.

The way it is described in the Silmarillion I didn't think that Morgoth was putting up much of a fight, either physical or spiritual. Ungoliant had "grown great, and he less by the power that had gone out of him" and so her "cloud closed about him, and she enmeshed him in a web of clinging thongs to strangle him" (Silmarillion, Of the Flight of the Noldor). My impression was that Morgoth, weakened, was overcome and couldn't fight back, only struggle against the darkness that Ungoliant spewed forth and the physical constraints of her webs and that if he had to be rescued, his rescuers needed to show up quickly. At this point he lets out his 'terrible cry' which summons the Balrogs.

Originally posted by Farael
So perhaps, at the time of Morgoth's fight with Ungoliant, balrogs were still able to become wholly spiritual and as such they might have been able to travel great distances at amazing speeds.

I agree. When Arien, spirit of fire, undertakes the guidance of the vessel of the Sun it is said that she abandoned her physical form and thereafter was "as a naked flame, terrible in the fullness of her splendour" (Silmarillion, Of the Sun and Moon). The Balrogs are described as coming to Lammoth "as a tempest of fire" which suggested to me that they had journeyed in spirit form.

[Formendacil]

One point about Morgoth and his physical form...

Originally Posted by Of the Darkening of Valinor

Now Melkor came to Avathar and sought her out; and he put on again the form that he had worn as the tyrant of Utumno: a dark Lord, tall and terrible. In that form he remained ever after.

Now, I will grant this this does not necessitate that it was right then that Melkor was last about to change his form. It simply means that was the last time that he did so. Though there is no documentary evidence to back it up, I would take the statement that "much power had gone out from Morgoth" as an indication that he was, in fact, unable to change his form again.