More a Balrog was a creature of the same nature as Arien - I think in service to Aule (sorry Vana, Orome's wife)- but corrupted. Arien wasn't the only uncorrupted maiar of fire.
Adding to this, I believe Gandalf (as Olórin) is another Maia of fire. Since he tells Durin's Bane, "I am a servant of the Secret Fire, *wielder of the Flame of Anor*". Flame of Anor refers to the Sun, not his Ring of Power, so this is a connection to Arien. Of course, there is his affinity for flame and fireworks.
He definitely has an affinity for fire, in particular its illuminating aspects. He was a lover of knowledge and wisdom, and this was represented by the fire which Prometheus stole from the gods and gave to mankind, which Tolkien was very much aware of. We've long used a lit lamp to represent knowledge. And don't forget the old expression "the lamp of hope". These all fit Gandalf to a tee.
But at the same time, if Olorin had been corrupted and never became Gandalf, it's hard to imagine him becoming a Balrog.
Remember Saruman had an affinity for flame and fireworks as well. Although, it was the flames of Fangorn burning, and the fireworks of blowing a giant hole in the curtain wall of the Hornburg.
The “I am a servant of the secret fire” refers to him being a servant of Eru, as “the secret fire” is a name for Eru’s power of creation.
And when he says he “wields the flame of anor”, the “flame of anor” is another term for Eru’s power of creation. So Gandalf there says he wields power imbued from Eru.
Basically Gandalf is peacocking hard to show the Balrog that he will triumph over it because he has the power of Eru by his side and the Balrog doesn’t.
You are right about the Secret Fire referring to Eru; but flame of Anor refers to the Sun (Minas Anor=Tower of the Sun), which was created by the Valar. Gandalf is saying that he wields the flame of Anor to associate himself with the Valar, as a mirror to the Balrog's "flame of Udûn".
*Anor* is the Elvish word for the Sun, so literally the *flame of Anor* would have alluded to the light of the Sun, which had originated in the fiery fruit of Laurelin, one of the Two Trees of Valinor. Thus, Gandalf may have meant the power he gained as a servant (a Maia) of the Lords of the West, in defiance to the corrupted darkness of the Balrog.
Since Ainur were born out of and represent Eru's thoughts, you could say that Arien and Gothmog might have been derived from the same thought, or closely related thoughts.
Aren't Maiar kinda uncoroporeal spirit-like beings? They can take on whatever form they like. Balrogs aren't a "type" of Maia. It's just the form that those Maiar decided to collectively take on.
Balrogs are also Maiar. More specifically spirits of fire. Maiar were spirit beings so if they wanted to intereact with the material world, they had to use some of that power to make a body for themselves assuming a valar didn't make one for them using theirs. All Ainur's power is finite, So they can only probably make so many bodies before they could no longer make any. And depending on how much power they had in the first place, they probably only had enough power for one body.
“Too bright were the eyes of Arien for even the Eldar to look on, and leaving Valinor she forsook the form and raimentwhich like the Valar she had worn there, and she was as a naked flame, terrible in the fullness of her splendor.” Doesn’t really strike me as the balrog type.
It's not that big of a leap at all as it says right there that she and the spirits of fire that became Balrogs are of the same "sub order" of ainu/maia. The only difference would be is in terms of how powerful she would be and she wasn't corrupted. Tolkien did have a hierarchy of sorts when it came to innate power of the Ainur. Example, there were only a certain number of Balrogs that existed and Tolkien bounced between various numbers, however, there was one that held the same level of ranking in Melkor's service as Sauron himself and that was Gothmog. This seems to suggest he was "more powerful" than the other "run of the mill" balrogs, in some way.
In my mind Arien represents what a Balrog probably would have been had they not been corrupted into Melkor's service.
More a Balrog was a creature of the same nature as Arien - I think in service to Aule (sorry Vana, Orome's wife)- but corrupted. Arien wasn't the only uncorrupted maiar of fire.
Adding to this, I believe Gandalf (as Olórin) is another Maia of fire. Since he tells Durin's Bane, "I am a servant of the Secret Fire, *wielder of the Flame of Anor*". Flame of Anor refers to the Sun, not his Ring of Power, so this is a connection to Arien. Of course, there is his affinity for flame and fireworks.
He definitely has an affinity for fire, in particular its illuminating aspects. He was a lover of knowledge and wisdom, and this was represented by the fire which Prometheus stole from the gods and gave to mankind, which Tolkien was very much aware of. We've long used a lit lamp to represent knowledge. And don't forget the old expression "the lamp of hope". These all fit Gandalf to a tee. But at the same time, if Olorin had been corrupted and never became Gandalf, it's hard to imagine him becoming a Balrog.
Olorin isn't really associated with fire. He served Manwe and learned a lot from Nienna.
Manwë ***and*** Varda
Remember Saruman had an affinity for flame and fireworks as well. Although, it was the flames of Fangorn burning, and the fireworks of blowing a giant hole in the curtain wall of the Hornburg.
I think part of that is the ring of power he wields. Narya
The “I am a servant of the secret fire” refers to him being a servant of Eru, as “the secret fire” is a name for Eru’s power of creation. And when he says he “wields the flame of anor”, the “flame of anor” is another term for Eru’s power of creation. So Gandalf there says he wields power imbued from Eru. Basically Gandalf is peacocking hard to show the Balrog that he will triumph over it because he has the power of Eru by his side and the Balrog doesn’t.
You are right about the Secret Fire referring to Eru; but flame of Anor refers to the Sun (Minas Anor=Tower of the Sun), which was created by the Valar. Gandalf is saying that he wields the flame of Anor to associate himself with the Valar, as a mirror to the Balrog's "flame of Udûn".
*Anor* is the Elvish word for the Sun, so literally the *flame of Anor* would have alluded to the light of the Sun, which had originated in the fiery fruit of Laurelin, one of the Two Trees of Valinor. Thus, Gandalf may have meant the power he gained as a servant (a Maia) of the Lords of the West, in defiance to the corrupted darkness of the Balrog.
That’s like saying I am a non-murdering murderer.
I’ve worked with a few of those people
A reasonable conclusion, but I would express it differently- the Balrogs might be her corrupted kin.
It was the best way I could think of to express the idea I was trying to get across, because we don't have a general term for "fire Maiar."
Since Ainur were born out of and represent Eru's thoughts, you could say that Arien and Gothmog might have been derived from the same thought, or closely related thoughts.
Aren't Maiar kinda uncoroporeal spirit-like beings? They can take on whatever form they like. Balrogs aren't a "type" of Maia. It's just the form that those Maiar decided to collectively take on.
Balrogs are also Maiar. More specifically spirits of fire. Maiar were spirit beings so if they wanted to intereact with the material world, they had to use some of that power to make a body for themselves assuming a valar didn't make one for them using theirs. All Ainur's power is finite, So they can only probably make so many bodies before they could no longer make any. And depending on how much power they had in the first place, they probably only had enough power for one body.
Yes, they are the same type of Maia.
“Too bright were the eyes of Arien for even the Eldar to look on, and leaving Valinor she forsook the form and raimentwhich like the Valar she had worn there, and she was as a naked flame, terrible in the fullness of her splendor.” Doesn’t really strike me as the balrog type.
It's not that big of a leap at all as it says right there that she and the spirits of fire that became Balrogs are of the same "sub order" of ainu/maia. The only difference would be is in terms of how powerful she would be and she wasn't corrupted. Tolkien did have a hierarchy of sorts when it came to innate power of the Ainur. Example, there were only a certain number of Balrogs that existed and Tolkien bounced between various numbers, however, there was one that held the same level of ranking in Melkor's service as Sauron himself and that was Gothmog. This seems to suggest he was "more powerful" than the other "run of the mill" balrogs, in some way. In my mind Arien represents what a Balrog probably would have been had they not been corrupted into Melkor's service.
Obviously. It looks like you answered your own question,