(From:http://www.glyphweb.com/arda/default.htm?http://www.glyphweb.com/arda/b/balrogs.html)
The Balrogs originated as Maiar, beings of the same kind as Sauron himself. They were primordial spirits of fire that had allied themselves with Melkor in ancient times, and became the most feared of his servants, especially during the Wars of Beleriand in the First Age. Details of their numbers are hard to state with certainty, but there seem to have been relatively few of them - probably no more than seven.
In appearance, the Balrogs were man-like, but fire streamed from them, and they were swathed in dark shadows. They carried whips of flame and induced great terror in friends and foes alike. In the War of Wrath, Morgoth was assailed by the forces of the Valar. Most of the Balrogs were destroyed in that War, but some few escaped over the Blue Mountains and hid in Middle-earth. Durin's Bane, the creature that drove the Dwarves from Moria, was one of these.
Balrogs were spirits of fire - their hearts were of fire, we are told, and they carried whips of flame. They could, however, shroud themselves in darkness and shadow. The Balrog that Gandalf fought in Moria, for example, at first gave no hint of his fiery nature apart from the flames that issued from his nostrils.
Donning my kevlar suit.....I find TLOTR and THE HOBBIT unreadable and dreadful.
I was here from almost the beginning of FR. I lurked for almost a year before I actually joined. FR had trolls and disruptors, from almost day one.I have a far better than average memory and since FR had much fewer members in '97 and '98, than it has now, I remember most of the old timers very well. Recently, a whole lot of nics, with really early sign-up dates have appeared and most, if not all of them are trashing the president. I'm not the only one who has noticed it, but I am one of the few " old timers " to come right out and say so.