Skip to main content

the lord of the rings - Gandalf - open displays of power versus his restrictions as an Istar


Throughout both the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings (and I need to stress that I'm talking about the books, not the movies) we see Gandalf quite liberally tossing magic about.



  • He uses lightning in his battles with the Nazgul (on Weathertop) and the Balrog (in and above Moria).

  • He regularly ignites fires.

  • He casts light from his staff.

  • He uses spells to (attempt to) open doors, to close doors (even bragging about how many of the former he knows).

  • He speaks "words of command".

  • He casts shafts of white light at flying Nazgul.



And many more examples.


Yet, as a member of the Istari he is supposed to be restricted from using power. He is supposed to inspire, encourage, and get results primarily through the actions of other people.


Now, I consider myself quite well-read in my Tolkien, but I'm having some difficulty reconciling the two. What's going on there, then?


Answers I'm looking for would include sourced quotes that need not go so far as to explain this exactly, but at least support it's plausability.



Answer



The Wizards were not restricted from using their power. They were forbidden from using their power against Sauron directly and from using their power to subjugate the peoples of Middle-earth.


From Appendix B:



Istari... were messengers sent to contest the power of Sauron, and to unite all those who had the will to resist him; but they were forbidden to match his power with power, or to seek to dominate Elves and Men by force and fear.




They were not restricted from using their abilities, or even from openly displaying their power. The kinds of actions they were forbidden to take might include:



  • Ruling their own lands

  • Going one-on-one (five-on-one) with Sauron (one wonders if the incident at Dol Goldur might have been a violation)

  • Creating their own Ring of Power in which to dominate the peoples of Middle-Earth and take out Sauron


The examples cited in the question seem quite trivial compared to what they might be capable of.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

futurama - How much time is lost in 'Time Keeps on Slippin''

In time Keeps on Slippin' , Farnsworth creates a basketball team which he matures by abusing Chronitons. This leads to time skipping forward by random, but ever increasing amounts. How much time was skipped in this way? Answer Unfortunately, I don't think a good estimate can be made for this, for two reasons: Many of the time skips move forward by an indeterminate amount of time. At one point, the Professor mentions localized regions of space skipping forward much more than others. We then see two young boys on the street below complaining about having to pay social security, only to suddenly become senior citizens and start complaining about wanting their money. Thus, each individual could have experienced a different amount of time skippage.
Post a Comment
Read more

game of thrones - Is Syrio Forel dead?

In the episode 'The Pointy End' (Season 1 Episode 8) when Arya runs from the Lannister guards you hear the sound of a sword being dropped (around 4:56): [embedded content] After that neither Syrio or Ser Meryn Trant is never mentioned or seen in the show again, except when Arya mentions to the Hound that Ser Meryn Trant killed Syrio. Is there any mention in the books that Syrio actually dies?
Post a Comment
Read more

tolkiens legendarium - Difference between elves and dwarves blacksmithing in the Lord of the Rings

Both the elves and the dwarves were famous for their metal work in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but what is the difference between what they made, and which one had the better skill of making amours and swords? Answer James Christopher's answer sums up the second part of your question well, but as to the difference in what they made, a little more detail is needed. Once the Elves learned to forge with steel, the shape of the sword changed, now being able to take on the form of a great broadsword or a light and agile curved sword. Additionally, they took great pride in decorating their swords. As we see in the Lord of the Rings , some swords like Sting had magical properties such as glowing blue when orcs are near. As far as the use of Mithril, lotr.wikia has two contradictory passages: Thus, Elven blades became renowned as great weapons, capable of performing deeds beyond the skill of their handlers and were even more glorious when the use of Mithril was allowed to the Elves. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

How do Pokemon trainers collect their winnings?

According to Bulbapedia , Prize money is the money that a Trainer pays out at the end of a battle. So we know that the money comes directly from the trainer that just lost, and not some third-party committee or sponsor. But how is this done? It can be easy seeing the random trainers who challenge you along the way wanting to wager and then, after admitting defeat, sticking to their word and handing over their hard-earned pokebucks. Then there are the likes of Team Rocket and Giovanni, who also give money once they lose. This doesn't seem like something people in a criminal organization would willingly do. From this it appears that trainers have no say in whether or not they cough up the dough after losing, but I can't find anything on how exactly the funds are transferred from loser to winner. So how do Pokemon trainers receive their winnings?
Post a Comment
Read more