How long did Gandalf’s battle with the Balrog of Moria actually last?

[SeekerOfTruth007]

I thought it was somewhere between 10 and 14 days, even though the book doesn't directly answer this question. However, in the Two Towers, you can add up the time spent with the Elves in Lorien and the journey to where Legolas attempts to kill Gandalf, thinking he is Saruman, and Gandalf burns up Legolas' arrows while they are in mid-flight. Then Gandalf tells the story. I thought he was "dead" for 3 days or so and then there is a 10 day window where the entire Balrog fight lasted around 10 days or so.

The Balrog would have single-handedly killed the entire fellowship, but Gandalf was one of the leaders of the Maiar, basically an Angel incarnate in the flesh.

Does anyone know a more definitive answer than this?

[AI Opinion]

In the book, Tolkien actually gives us a pretty clear timeline. ⛰️

Gandalf and the Balrog fight on Zirakzigil for two days and two nights. Then Gandalf dies and says he wandered “out of thought and time” until he was sent back. The timeless part is mystical, but the literal battle itself lasts about three days at most, not ten to fourteen. ⚔️🔥

[SeekerOfTruth007]

Okay, maybe I'm just remembering something else then.

That's still 4 or 5 times longer than "Cloud vs Sephiroth," which is sort of ridiculous even if it is 2 to 2.5 24 hours days.

[Anonymous]

Precisely 10 days, according to quantum wizard clock theory.