Category Archives: Fanboys

Middle Earth Challenge: Durin’s Bane

“The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udûn. “—Gandalf to Durin’s Bane on the Bridge of Khazad-dûm , The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring Durin’s Bane is a Balrog. Balrogs, also known as the Valaraukar, were Maiar that were seduced and corrupted by Melkor(Morgoth) into his service. But thisContinue reading “Middle Earth Challenge: Durin’s Bane”

Middle Earth Challenge: The Return of the Shadow

In this sixth volume of The History of Middle-earth the story reaches The Lord of the Rings. In The Return of the Shadow (an abandoned title for the first volume) Christopher Tolkien describes, with full citation of the earliest notes, outline plans, and narrative drafts, the intricate evolution of The Fellowship of the Ring andContinue reading “Middle Earth Challenge: The Return of the Shadow”