Lord Of The Rings: 10 Things You Didn't Know About The Wizards

Middle-earth was essentially a battling ground for Tolkien's version of angles. But to fully understand what was going on, we have to take a big step back.

Tolkien conceived of a deity named Eru Ilúvatar, who in short was God. He created angelic beings known as the Valar, who in turn helped create the world and everything in it. Among the Valar were lesser-tier angels known as the Maiar. Following so far?

Tolkien, a devout Christian, was inspired to incorporate the Satan story into his work, and created the character of Melkor. His fall from grace mirrored that of the Devil; he corrupted many of the Maiar, taking them to Middle-earth to assist in his domination of the world - Sauron and the Balrogs among them. Long after Melkor's defeat, Sauron declared himself the new Dark Lord. Still listening?

During the Third Age, the faithful Valar sent a number of Maiar to Middle-earth to help in the fight against Sauron. They took the guise of old men, so they would be seen as more trustworthy. They were also given limited powers in the hopes they would not be tempted to use their abilities for dominion over the Free People. These were the wizards of Middle-earth.

When Gandalf battles the Balrog, he's essentially fighting a corrupted version of himself.