Middle-Earth Tours

Tour 2: The Places of Middle-Earth

The Bridge of Khazad-Dûm
Suddenly Frodo saw before him a black chasm. At the end of the hall the floor vanished and fell to an unknown depth. The outer door could only be reached by a slender bridge of stone, without kerb or rail, that spanned the chasm with one curving spring of fifty feet....They could only pass across it single file. At the brink Gandalf halted and the others came up in a pack behind. --FotR, "The Bridge of Khazad-Dûm"
The Bridge of Khazad-Dûm, by Paul Monteagle

detail of a balrog, by John Howe
The Bridge of Khazad-Dûm, from the old version of the official movie site
The Balrog of Moria, by Rob Alexander
The ranks of the orcs had opened, and they crowded away, as if they themselves were afraid. Something was coming up behind them. What it was could not be seen: it was like a great shadow, in the middle of which was a dark form, of man-shape, maybe, yet greater: and a power and terror seemed to be in it, and go before it.
     It came to the edge of the fire and the light faded as if a cloud had bent over it. Then with a rush it leaped across the fissure. The flames roared up to greet it, and wreathed about it; and a black smoke swirled in the air. Its streaming mane was kindled, and blazed behind it. In its right hand was a blade like a stabbing tongue of fire; in its left it held a whip of many thongs...
    The Balrog reached the bridge. Gandalf stood in the middle of the span, leaning on the staff in his left hand. 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.
    'You cannot pass,' he said.' --FotR, "The Bridge of Khazad-Dum"

The Bridge of Khazad-Dûm,
by Ted Nasmith
The Mines of Moria, by David Wyatt
The Bridge of Khazad-Dûm, by Roger Garland

image from a Decipher
trading card
image from a Decipher trading card
image from a Decipher trading card

At last, some official pictures of the balrog are online! You be the judge: was it worth the wait?

image from a logo on the
Decipher site
closeup of a
Sideshow-Weta figurine
image from a Decipher
trading card
Long time I fell, and he fell with me. His fire was about me, and I was burned. Then we plunged into the deep water and all was dark....There I came at last, to the uttermost foundations of stone. He was with me still. His fire was quenched, but now he was a thing of slime, stronger than a strangling snake.
    We fought far under the living earth, where time is not counted. Ever he clutched me, and ever I hewed him, till at last he fled into dark tunnels....Far, far below the depest delvings of the Dwarves, the world is gnawed by nameless things. Even Sauron knows them not. They are older than he. Now I have walked there, but I will bring no report to darken the light of day. In my despair my enemy was my only hope, and I pursued him, clutching at his heel. Thus he brought me back at last to the secret ways of Khazad-Dûm: too well he knew them all. Ever up now we went, until we came to the Endless Stair....Out he sprang, and even as I came behind, he burst into new flame. There was none to see, or perhaps in after ages songs would still be sung about the Battle of the Peak.' --Gandalf describes his battle with the balrog, TTT, "The White Rider"
detail from "Gandalf Falls with
the Balrog," by John Howe

image from a TTT commercial
image from a Decipher card
image from a Decipher card
Full-size versions of these pictures are on display at Rolozo Tolkien and the official LotR movie site