Silmarillion=Finished

[Vardamar]

Well I finally finished the Silmarillion. A wonderful book, I thought at first that it would be similar to the LOTR series. Boy was I wrong. The Sil has much more narrative than in LOTR. Now I have two questions that maybe you can answer.

1. Glorfindel was able to kill a Balrog, at the cost of his own life.
Mithrandir also killed a Balrog at the cost of his own life.

Keep in mind that Mithrandir wore Narya, and even with the rings added power died. Does this mean that the Istari were just as powerful as the early Elves?


2. In the last part of the Sil, its says this:

But when all these things were done, and the Heir of Isildur had taken up the lordship of Men, and the dominion of the West had passed to him, then it was made plain that the power of the Three Rings also was ended, and to the Firstborn the world grew old and grey.

Grew old and grey? Am I reading this wrong? The immortality of the Elves should have nothing to do with the power of the rings. Maybe it just means that their power was gone and they were weary of Middle Earth.