Gandalf, a powerful wizard, understands the limits of power and greed, avoiding becoming another Saruman through Valar-imposed restraints. His sparing use of magic is due to its taxing nature and the need to influence others to take control of their own affairs. As Gandalf the Grey, he only uses magic in fights with Saruman and in the Balrog encounter, while as Gandalf the White, he only uses his sword and staff for melee.
Gandalf’s limited magic and the use of his ring contribute significantly to his task in assisting the beings of Middle-earth in their fight against the orcs of Moria. The main overt displays of magic include putting down Saruman when he broke Saruman’s staff and accessing the ability to use it.
Gandalf’s power as a wizard was not on the same level as his true form as a Maia, but he demonstrated strength in battle. His sparing use of magic is due to its taxing nature and the need to influence others to take control of their own affairs. The Valar forbid Gandalf from using his full power except on very rare occasions, as they wanted the free peoples of Middle-earth to be free.
Gandalf’s constrained powers as a Maia and his position at the top of Orthanc made him unable to use his powers before, benefiting the Fellowship. Magic is a finite resource in Tolkien’s world, and every time he uses it, the world becomes more mundane and drab. In conclusion, Gandalf’s sparing use of magic is a reflection of his understanding of the limits of power and greed, and his role in guiding the Fellowship’s actions.
📹 Why Didn’t Gandalf Help More?
In this video we explore the impact of Tolkien’s Christianity on the Lord of the Rings, and specifically the exact reasons why Eru …
Does Gandalf ever do magic?
Gandalf, a Maia, was a powerful wizard who utilized his inherent abilities in a manner analogous to Christian angels such as Sauron and the Balrog. It would be inaccurate to suggest that Saruman’s power was “taken away” by Gandalf; rather, it was inherent to Saruman.
Why is Gandalf forbidden to use his powers?
The Valar’s restrictions on the Istari, who were sent to Middle-earth, prevented them from using their full power to influence the natural order. Gandalf, an Istari, was sent to help fight against Sauron but was not allowed to interfere with the natural order. Saruman’s downfall serves as a warning of the dangers of exceeding the limits placed on the Istari by the Valar. Gandalf understood the importance of staying humble and not seeking control.
Despite his limitations as a wizard, Gandalf demonstrated strength in battle and possessed the inspirational ability of the Elven Ring of Power, Narya. His wisdom was his greatest asset. Despite being one of Middle-earth’s oldest and most powerful beings, he could never fully demonstrate his power in The Lord of the Rings. His role in Sauron’s downfall has been a topic of confusion, as his purpose seemed to be to mentor and guide rather than fight.
Gandalf was an angel-like being known as a Maia, created by the god of Tolkien, Eru Ilúvatar, to help with the creation of the universe. He lived in Valinor and served under the king of the Valar, Manwë, until he and four other Maiar (the five together called Istari) were sent to Middle-earth to assist in the fight against the evil Maia Mairon (AKA Sauron).
Is Sauron the same level as Gandalf?
Prior to attaining his wizardly status, Gandalf’s capabilities were diminished by approximately 99 points from his Valian form. However, he was not as formidable as Sauron at that juncture.
Why can’t Rings of Power use Gandalf?
The forthcoming television series, The Rings of Power, will not feature Gandalf, given its focus on the Second Age of Middle-earth. Nevertheless, the absence of Gandalf during the Second Age does not necessitate the inclusion of a significant narrative deficit in the form of a Wizard-shaped hole. In lieu of Gandalf (Ian McKellen) and Saruman (Christopher Lee), two characters from The Lord of the Rings, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring can serve to address this issue.
Can Gandalf do magic without his staff?
The Lord of the Rings fans know that Gandalf is a Maia with innate magical abilities, and uses his staff to enhance his magic. However, it isn’t required. Gandalf uses his staff in his fight against the Balrog of Moria, losing it in the battle. When Gandalf returns, he returns as Gandalf the White, with new abilities and staff.
During his visit to the cursed Théoden, Gandalf keeps his staff, claiming it’s a walking stick, which angers Gríma Wormtongue, who accuses him of taking the wizard’s staff. This theory is supported in the Lord of the Rings films and implies that staffs work similarly to arcane focuses in Dungeons and Dragons.
Tolkien didn’t specifically mention the staff’s powers or lack thereof, but most of what fans know about them, including their appearance, is based on the films. Peter Jackson and his crew brought the magical items to life, including the fantastic little notch for Gandalf’s pipe.
Is Dumbledore or Gandalf more powerful?
Dumbledore, a powerful wizard, would face no equal in a one-on-one duel with Gandalf, despite appearing old. Gandalf, known for his mastery of fire and light spells, would likely be his go-to move in a hypothetical battle against Dumbledore. Even the Dark Lord himself shied away from a direct confrontation with the Headmaster of Hogwarts, demonstrating his fear of the greatest wizard. Dumbledore would have to deflect and avoid damaging attacks, as Gandalf would turn up the heat in a serious battle.
Is Saruman stronger than Gandalf?
The Lord of the Rings is a captivating literary and cinematic work that showcases the struggle between good and evil, with characters like Gandalf the Grey and Saruman the Wise attempting to claim absolute power. Both Gandalf and Saruman were influential in the events of the story, with Gandalf showcasing a different side of the wizards of Middle-earth, while Saruman appears cold and calculating.
The Maiar, celestial beings who were around for the world’s creation, were chosen by Ilúvatar and the Valar to take a physical form and walk among the people of Middle-earth to defend and assist the free people against their fallen brother, Sauron. Saruman was not only selected as one of the five Maiar to take on a physical form, but he volunteered with great eagerness to help the free people.
The movies initially answer the question of Saruman being more powerful than Gandalf, as they have a brief bout within the tower of Orthanc, rendering Gandalf a prisoner of Saruman’s. The Lord of the Rings is a timeless piece of culture that continues to inspire and entertain fans.
Is the giant in Rings of Power Gandalf?
In the Season 1 finale of The Rings of Power, the Mystics mistakenly label the Stranger as Lord Sauron, but later discover that he is actually a different figure. The Mystics fight, but the Stranger magically escapes, and they label him an “Istar”. This label, along with other hints throughout the episode and season, almost confirms that the Stranger is everyone’s favorite wizard, Gandalf the Grey. The Stranger explains that “Istar” means “Wise One” or “Wizard”.
However, Gandalf is not the only wizard in Tolkien’s canon. In total, five Istari, including Saruman the White, Radagast the Brown, and two Blue Wizards, are Maiar, powerful spirits sent by the Valar, who helped create the world.
Why doesn’t Gandalf use magic to fight?
Gandalf was incarcerated by Saruman, a powerful wizard who maintained custody of a portal safeguarded by magical and orcish forces. Wizards, or Istari, are Maiar spirits constrained by mortal forms and were confined to the uppermost tower of Orthanc.
What is Gandalf’s true power?
Gandalf, an old man with a wealth of knowledge and wisdom, is considered the leader of the Fellowship due to his extensive knowledge of history, culture, and traditions. His ability to see in the dark and deep into the wraith realm allows him to know if someone has been touched by a wraith. Gandalf also has heightened senses that alert him to danger. He is a formidable fighter, adept at using both staff and sword, and an excellent rider.
His magical power lies in light and fire, which he can manipulate through casting beams of light and starting and directing fires. However, his power has its limits, as extreme instances of conjuring flame and light can deplete his strength, necessitating rest and recharge before continuing.
Is Gandalf as strong as the Witch King?
The Witch-King, at 50 at Weathertop and the Fords of Bruin, is not as formidable as Gandalf the Grey. However, at Minas Tirith, he is at his peak strength and is on par with even Gandalf the White.
📹 Understanding The Magic of Middle Earth
In this video, I give the broadest explanation of how the magical system within Tolkien’s world works. Unlike Harry Potter and other …
another really important aspect of this is that tolkien always wanted lord of the rings to be a story about how we all have the power within ourselves to go great things, rather than just having a bunch of powerful good guys using their power to destroy bad guys. the greatest people in middle earth weren’t gods, angels, noble elves or mighty warriors in their prime, they were regular people who had the mental fortitude to overcome anything in front of them. the hobbits obviously aren’t humans, but a bit paradoxically they represent ordinary people, where most humans in the story represent warriors and kings, and that’s why it’s so important that it was frodo and sam who went to the mountain alone, and why merry and pippin contributed so much to the battles despite being small and untrained, and why the finale of the book was the hobbits coming together to save their home. when people in the book are talking about how resilient the hobbits are like whenever they get ill and miraculously recover, or when they do something incredible like sam carrying frodo up the mountain or frodo walking down shelob, that’s not tolkien saying that hobbits have some weird powers, that’s tolkien saying that we all have that courage and strength within ourselves. this is also the reason why there seems to be a lot of grey area around “magic” in lotr, with stuff like aragorn’s ability to command men being strangely similar to what we see gandalf doing to give hope to those around him. it doesn’t matter if you’re a big strong warrior or a powerful wizard, if you set your mind to it you can achieve anything
It’s so refreshing to hear someone do a LOTR article that actually talks about Catholicism. It always leaves me sad to hear these people who are borderline obsessed by Tolkien but they never explore this huge aspect of the mythology and just keep it at a article game level mindset. One guy even got pissy when I commented by bring God stuff up. It’d be like being a Jesus scholar but not actually believing in the grace of God and the literal resurrection of Jesus. It’s just escapism for most these people but they miss the underlying depth and beauty of Tolkien.
We need look no further than the words of Manwe Sulimo, Eru’s viceregent in Arda: ‘So shall it be! Dear-bought those songs shall be accounted, and yet shall be well-bought. For the price could be no other. Thus even as Eru spoke to us shall beauty not before conceived be brought into Eä, and evil yet be good to have been.’
At the core I see it as a debate between Eru and Melkor. When Melkor introduced the discordant elements to the Song, he thought he was opposing Eru. From Eru’s perspective, Melkor’s additions were foreseen and part of what made it perfect, while from Melkor’s perspective he thought he has successfully undermined the Song. Middle-Earth was Eru’s way of demonstrating to Melkor and the rest of the Ainur what they had all accomplished with their Song.
Regardless of the limitations on his powers, there seems to be oddily unnerving that he just seems to left out Middle-Earth after acheiveing his deeds against Sauron and bringing back the rightfull heir of Gondor and Anor thrones reintalled, to have left out such a big new deal of upcoming menance that the discovery of the Nameless Things of Moria dealt into the future unless that were some of the issues discussed and then solved out of scene with the last meeting between him and Tom Bombadill, which makes sense as he is a great mystery on his own but on opposite nature than the Nameless Things. If that didn´t happened it´s so eerie unnerving why Gandalf just left out without any other second thought on that upcoming problem in the future, specially when he actually got meddling into more stuff in the Middle Earth beyond his main focus against Sauron. After all dealing with Saruman´s treachery wasn´t another objective of him but he still went to incapacitate him even till helping to save the Shire from his retaillation threatening too!! So it doesn´t make sense he also finished Saruman´s issue but not the Nameless Things then! Come on even dealing with the Barlog wasn´t either another thing to acheive on his goals anyways! So got meddled into A LOT of stuff beyond going against Sauron, so why left over such a threat as the Nameless Things freely there?!!
The answer is very simple, Eru can’t do any type hard to his children. Melkor and the other the Valar has completely free wild to do everything they want, the same Elves, Dwarves, Hobbits, Men, Maiar, animals etc. Eru influence was very little and no one can will notice. Like the waters of a river will carry away the unique ring with its current. Tolkien was catholic men, he can sea a good men abused he power over weak ones, less on the creator(God). He understands compassion and empathy. Something that the character Gandalf does in all his actions with friends, animals and plants.
Ok. But Ilúvatar does absolutely smite evil, seemingly only when is convenient to Him. He couldn’t smite Sauron or Morgoth because that would be taking away their free will, but no problems smiting Ar-Pharazôn and his King’s Men when they arrived on the shores of Valinor? And at the same time, allowing Sauron to endure, when he was the bigger threat? Arbitrary.
This made me think of something. In the Bible, death is a result of Adam and Eve’s first sin. In Tolkien’s world, it was part of Eru Iluvatar’s plan for Mankind from the very beginning. It seems Tolkien is denying part of his own Catholic faith on something very central to the sin-and-salvation model at its heart.
This is the only part of the legendarium that i have issue with because i have major issues with the fundamental philosophy of Christianity and Catholicism. God cannot be all good, all knowing, and all powerful. Neither can Iru Iluvatar. You can still allow free will to exist and also outright smite absolute evil. Or better yet, design your creations to not even consider evil. Free will within paradise. Saying that free will means that evil is allowed to exist is like saying that when you go to heaven you lose free will. It makes no sense. Also god is allowed to commit evil acts himself both irl and in LOTR and yet is never held accountable? There are too many contradictions within these theologies. God cannot be all powerful, all knowing, all good. One of them has to be false. And its most likely that he is not all good. Mostly, but not all. It would be far more compelling if god had simply abandoned humanity eons ago, resulting in the decay of humanity into the potential to commit evil because a good god isnt there to stop it outright.
I never thought of Gandalf as being as powerful as Sauron, Soromon, etc. And he did fight as hard as he could, at least at times – he fought the Balrog, for example. But he never had enough power to eradicate evil in Middle Earth; the LOTR never gave any single character that much ability… Christians always say God created evil to teach us lessons, etc. but imagine if that’s wrong? Imagine if evil is actually a parasitic, alien force that we give power to by saying it was created by God. Maybe that’s why evil always wins.
A quick clarification about my word choice here. I’ve noticed a lot of comments correctly saying that the Maiar and the Valar are more akin to angels than gods. This is certainly true, especially for the Maiar, and I appreciate the feedback! However, I chose to say “gods” in an effort to keep the article simple for those not as familiar with the lore. My argument of deistic power and authority works just as well by referring to them as angels, but the term “gods” makes it a bit easier to understand for the average viewer who has not read The Silmarillion. Also, the magic is somewhat different for the Children of Iluvatar, the elves, men, and dwarves. It is my opinion that their magic is still based on authority, but rather than being deistic decrees, it is more rooted in the residual enchantment from their awakening. This explains the occasional use of the word “spell.” Honestly, this concept warrants its own article, so I’ll not describe it in too much detail here. Keep an eye out for it though, and I think it will plug some of the counterarguments that I am seeing. Finally, thank you all for the fun discussions here. I absolutely love it. I’m seeing some really interesting examples that pop up!
There is also the scene where the Witch King tries to enter Minas Tirith. In the movies, he manages to beat Gandalf but is eventually distracted and flies away. In the book, Gandalf tells the Witch King “You cannot enter here” and indeed he cannot. It does not come to a fight between them but nevertheless the Witch King does not enter the city (because he can’t). Much later even Frodo gets into the action, telling Gollum that he will fall in the fires of Mount Doom if he ever lays hands on Frodo again. There is a whole bit about Frodo clasping the Ring as he says this, implying that he is drawing on it’s power to make the statement true. Later on, Gollum does touch Frodo and falls into the fire.
Its also worth mentioning that the wizards were forbid of using their powers openly. So we did not got to see gandalf in his prime, he was there to help the free folk with his knowledge. He used the bare minimum and it was in the end enough. The world was literally created trough songs. Its why i loved scene in fellowship where saruman sings on top of isengard to summon storm to take mountain down on the group. Magic was influenced by words and songs of the spirits. I love Tolkien and his portrayal of world.. Trully great mind
I wish you’d mentioned the distinction between the movie version, “You shall not pass”, and the book version, “You cannot pass”; the first is conditional, the latter is a statement of fact. Magic in Middle Earth is all about someone’s ability to exert their will upon their environment others. Regardless of whether they are Men, Elves, Ainur, whatever. The stronger ones will is, the stronger their power is. Elves are better at exerting their wills upon the world than Men because their spirits are bound and connected to it. The Ainur are best at it because their will literally shaped the world. But even Men can do magic in Middle Earth.
There are a few mentions of human sorcerers and “black magic” in the books, most notably the ongoing assumption that the Necromancer in Mirkwood was a mortal man for quite a while until Gandalf discovered it was Sauron. However, we never actually meet a human sorcerer, or learn anything specific about them.
I tried to tell people that the magic is the spoken word of language both in his fiction and in real life. those things Tolkien describes and puts in a language that others can automatically interpret into the most beautiful and moving art of all time. a language that can bring you to tears in the most minor of conversations within the text. the power of creation starts with the utterance.
The magical duel between Sauron and Finrod is a great example of this and helped shape my understanding of magic in Arda. Words have great power in this world and to speak them into being creates magical duels between the greater of orators. Of course, Finrod failed when he tried to invoke the power of the Elves and Valinor leaving an opening for Sauron to exploit with the Kinslaying at Alqualonde.
“What it was I cannot guess, but I have never felt such a challenge. The counter-spell was terrible. It nearly broke me. For an instant the door left my control and began to open! I had to speak a word of Command. That proved too great a strain. The door burst in pieces. Something dark as a cloud was blocking out all the light inside, and I was thrown backwards down the stairs. All the wall gave way, and the roof of the chamber as well, I think.” Basically it seemed like they are equal in power, and the door just gave up and burst into pieces, with both of them muttering spells and counter spells. I guess it is the same thing that happened to the bridge. Balrog wanted to move forward while Gandalf wanted him to stop. Bridge couldn’t handle that shit and just destroyed itself.
Maybe its impossible to write this kind of magic into a game system, but if you did, then I sort of feel like the limitations on how often Gandalf can use his magic should be even higher than the most restrictive spells-per-day limit of any D&D magic user. I mean, can you imagine how chaotic battles would be if the wizard player could freestyle rewrite reality multiple times a day?
I think there are different kinds of magic overall in the Tolkien mythos. So yes – manifestation of expressions of the will of powerful beings, as you describe in the article – thats just one kind of magic, but its not the only kind. And its also not always the most powerful. Other kinds of magic do involve actual spells and rituals and the forging of magical items, etc. And some of those magically created things can be more powerful than the creative will alone. For example the one ring itself, the doors of moria, and similar things. That kind of magic cant be just simply changed, broken, etc. by the creative will. Instead a ritual procedure must be followed through, even by powerful beings, at least to some degree. I do think base power level of a being is always a factor, and so is creative will in directing power, but any limitations would trickle down from the base power level of a being. So for example Gandalf, as powerful a being as he is, could not by his creative will alone, break through the magical doors of moria, nor destroy the one ring, instead even he has to follow the rules of the magical created thing itself. But perhaps a Valar could, or Eru Iluvatar, if they so chose, because their base power is much stronger to create change.
There is also a moment in Fellowship, during the journey in the dark, before we meet Durin’s Bane properly, when Gandalf, who has hung back to secure the Room of Mazarbul, rejoins the Fellowship and says that he has lain ‘a Word of Power’ on the door, but there is some power on the other side that may undo or.
I actually love this concept so much! It makes me think of the power of authority, in some worlds great beings are incapable of doing battle with greater beings not because they are weaker, but because they do not posses authority over that level of creation, which would make sense here as when Gandalf was the Grey he could not break Sarumans staff, but returned as the white with greater authority, he indeed can.
I like your interpretation, but I should point out that when the Fellowship was trying to enter Moria, Gandalf himself said that he once know every spell that could open doors in many tongues (my paraphrase). So I conclude that there is actual spellcasting as well as the ‘laws of physics’ being declared that you explained.
Gandalf’s “You cannot pass” was simply a statement, a cry of his willing this to take place. There was no magic. The only “magic” was the fact that he felt empowered with the Secret Fire (which Tolkien told us was the Catholic Holy Spirit – an element of God and the Blessed Trinity which both creates and empowers one with grace to fight, good against evil). Gandalf is the servant of God, of Eru, of the Secret Flame, of Tom Bombadil – the manifestation on Arda of the Holy Spirit. Tolkien’s “magic” is a mix of Catholic grace and empowerment with medieval sorcery, viz. the ring of power, Gandalf’s staff, Bombadil’s song (a continuation of the music of the Anur), etc. The Balrog was, like Gandalf, a maiar. He therefore could pass, but was stopped only through the physical destruction of the bridge by the “magic” (a power blast) of Gandalf’s staff.
This is a very very good interpretation. To add to this I also think they are constrained to the vision of Eru Iluvatar (or well, his song) so they cannot deviate from it. It’s also why I think Eru destroyed the Numenoreans when they tried to sail into Valinor, because them doing that was definitely NOT what Eru was planning for them haha.
Well done! The Ainur and Maiar retained a connection to the Music that created Arda, so they are capable of foretelling what is in a way destined to happen. I suspect the evil maiar who adopted Melkor’s beliefs could not attune themselves to the Music in this way because Melkor refused to believe what Eru told him — namely that anything he (Melkor) did would already be a part of Eru’s own intention. Melkor, and hence Sauron, believe they can overcome the Music of Eru and impose their will. Sauron (also a Maia) and the balrog do not believe in Eru’s infinite power or in the Secret Fire that is the source of creative power. Gandalf does have this faith.
I like this interpretation! In a way it reminds me of Wheel of Time’s Tel’a’ran’riod (world of dreams) where strength of wills and understanding of manipulating the world before you to said will is key. Only in Tolkien’s world, these things are happening in the physical world as opposed to just the world of dreams. Very cool!
Great article and a really interesting perspective. i thought your example of the Gandalf authorising the breaking of Saruman’s staff was a really good one. A quibble I have is that the Maiar aren’t so much lesser gods as angelic beings, of notably lower rank than the Valar. I’m glad you quoted from the book re Gandalf and the Balrog, as the movie now has too many folk thinking the words were “you Shall not pass” “Cannot pass” supports your perspective and suggests a higher authority that Gandalf is representing.
Damn I didn’t know that’s how it worked. I have an abandonned book project where the magic works similarly that except instead of decrees it works with one’s perception of reality and imagination and it’s a lot less controled so it tend to create catastrophes. As a result people who have this abilities are forced into a life as dull as possible not allowed to read fiction and develop their imagination. I had a scene written where a character has intrusive thoughts that ends up swallowing parts of the areas around them and hurting them before they snap out of it. And there were like, basically witch hunters (to simplify) who are specialized in fightiing them and they do that by denying their perception of the world treating it like an illusion which stops the magic from having effect but only if there are no witnesses other than them and the target because that would create a witness rendering it real. I never been very far into that project but I find the notion of magic based on things like language and perception rather than law to be fascinating ideas. Magic that truely changes reality at a base level rather than just being a different way reality operates.
I not convinced by your reasoning. 1) Every race in Middle-earth, not only the Istari, possess a certain possibility to bend the reality with something that the narrator of the LOTR, Frodo Baggins, think to be some sort of magic (I’m referring in particular to the conversation with Galadriel). 2) When Gandalf try to open the Doors of Durin stay there a lot of time trying every spell of every race in every tongue before remember the right password. So exist magic formulas in Middle-earth, simply, unlike HP, “magic” is not really a “thing”, but a mysterious (for a normal being) ability to bend reality that some individuals of every race can use.
Good interpretation. Consistent with D&D laws of magic, willpower and words of power. I furthermore think bridge destroyed as a result of the clashing willpower of two Maiar. We can assume the Balrog has similar powers and when he forces his will against Gandalf’s word of power, the physical reality around them destroyed, in that case the bridge. In the book, similar thing happened before they reached the bridge, when Gandalf tried to stop Balrog and locking a door. Gandalf spell-locked it, Balrog used his will to pass and door was destroyed.
Good article, however the focus on deistic commands, while important and true, ignore the more subtle aspects of Tolkien’s magic which is based on traditional understanding of magic. Magic is the power of a specific person to accomplish his will directly and effortlessly without effort through ritual, gesture and incantation. Sorcery on the other hand is magic that is used towards an end with cohesion and force, sorcery is aimed at dominating wills. The magic of men are weaker, in that we have bodies, as such our will is not as strong as those of spirits who do not have to contend with the will of a body. Human magic is more “secular”, an example being holding out a hand to greet someone, the one you are greeting will accept your handshake. Here there is mutual cooperation, there is no force on the part of the one doing the greeting. Similarly goes for marriage, where “yes I do” is an incantation that does not bewitch the other, but make something happen without force.
Your take makes a lot of sense. Tolkien was a phylologist after all, so words and speech for him are very important aspects of our world. It’s only natural that true power in his stories comes from them. Furthermore, if I recall correctly, everything created by Eru and the Ainur comes from songs and melodies, so again, we have words and speech manifesting magical effects on the universe. That one cool way to implement magic if you ask me.
I always wondered what the idea behind the wizards was. Certainly I could see they were powerful in pivotal moments, but also they didn’t seem terribly useful in a regular basis. Perhaps not as actively wielding combat spells as I expect from article games and other films. Your explanation of them was brilliant and immediately understandable.
How does this work with the door into Moria? If I recall correctly, he tries several spells and they fail right? If he could just make the door open, why wouldn’t he? Also while I appreciate your view of the balrog battle it still sounds like he hits the bridge with a spell. But then again, I got into D&D before I got into LotR so maybe everything sounds like a spell to me.
Hey man. This was a really good explanation. I always thought as the different beings of the same level, i.e. Maiar vs Maiar and Valar vs Valar as kind of like a poler game- the hand you are holding determines your innate power compared to others of your same level, but when two of the same go at it it is then a battle of wills, kind of like the betting phase of poker. So even someone with a lesser hand can still beat someone with a higher hand if they have the cajones and skill in the betting.
I love your idea of laws happen. It makes sense. It’s like affecting that space and time to do the spell that’s needed. And it makes sense. Since when gandalf fight off wolf type things he uses fire but worked with elements in the air. But most of all spells can’t just happen anywhere there are rules and logic behind them. Like gandalf can’t summon water out out of nothing. I think Tolkien would like dark souls miracles in which a story is told to do the miracle magic. Micheal moorcock also has neat magic in Elric he calls upon paterons. Demons do what they want and may not help. And some animal gods that created the first animals or insects may come to aid. And you have god of earth and sea too. I think these magic systems are way better than just flick a wand and you got fire bolts or water. More interesting and means every engagement needs to be thought of.
Didn’t make this connection before but now that it’s explained this way, it’s pretty clear paolini drew inspiration from this magic system to design the magic in the world of eragon. By speaking in the ancient language, in which one cannot lie, and drawing on reservoirs of energy to exert forces on the world, they’re not so much casting spells as they are forcing something to become true because they said so.
That is very nice but unfortunately insufficient theory, because it does not give answer about magic of elves – for example in Silmarillion Finrod Felagund and Sauron have “battle of songs”, in fact magical duel, or esentially same case with Luthien. And considering the fact, that at least Finrod was under Doom of Mandos it is improbable that any Valar or Maiar would back him up with his own power. Also what needs to be explained are magical artifacts like Rings of Power, which are powerful magical items. How they would be crafted by Celebrimbor if not with use of magic? They are definitely not only material object. Yes they were created with help of Sauron, but it is explicitly stated, that Sauron did not forge the rings with exception of One ring…
Quick addendum: there is certainly actual spell-casting in the world of Eä. Some characters build more complex effects using the same force that created the world, namely the song Eru Illuvitar sang with the Ainur. It’s an effect you see often in the Silmarillion from characters like Finrod, who sang a spell to hide his and his companions’ appearances from the orcs and Sauron.
There is no magic in Tolkien–not in the same sense as there is magic in most other fantasy settings. What there is, is innate abilities that are (mis)characterized as magic. The Ainur (both the Valar and Maiar) are beings of spirit and are, in essence, the tools used to refine and perfect (or at least that was the intention) creation. Each has its sphere of competence/understanding–its role to play as a tool in that shaping. This is made manifest in the Song, where each sings its part (and thus also gains knowledge and understanding of its part). They perform their function through what we would call pure acts of will. They can directly manipulate the stuff of Arda without need for tools or physical form.. although the lack of such form seemingly does impose some limits upon what they can do or how quickly they can do it… how immediate their effect is. This limitation is why Melkor incarnates (alone among the Valar to do so) and why Sauron creates the One. It is why the Wizards are incarnate. Sauron was a Maia of Aule, meaning his competence/skill was with the physical materials of the world and with (for lack of a better term) craftsmanship. Imagine a being with essentially complete and perfect knowledge of the physical realm with the ability to sense and manipulate it down to the subatomic level through (essentially) sheer will. Tolkien talks of the Ring being forged, but I seriously doubt that any tool or anvil was used in its shaping. It was not cast or hammered out of metal but ARRANGED and then infused with Sauron’s own power (thus giving it power).
LOGOS. Perfectly in keeping with Tolkien’s Catholicism. Looking at it from the standpoint of creation, as an expression of the “Pure, Creative Force”, Gandalf the Grey takes his last step in becoming Gandalf the White with his final uttering of “you shall not pass”. (and once you see this, you can say the first step is when the Wandering Wizard puts the mark on Bilbo’s door, becoming Gandalf the Grey) From a world logic/”physics” standpoint (as you call it), it might even be said that once Gandalf says this, and becomes that Gandalf… He effectively puts/situates himself on the OTHER SIDE of the bridge, shedding his inferior self and becoming Maiar. or at least having thrown himself into the crucible, wherein he is to be purified… (in the Greek, MOIRA (as fate, as world order) is kept by NEMESIS… which acts like karma (Icarus, Bellerophon, the Orphic Bacchus)) the entire scene itself, looked at in this fashion, is a microcosm of the Ring Quest as one of a purification of Middle Earth of the corruption of Melkor. Upon completion, creation is itself complete and the ships must make sail for Valinor, taking with it all those HEROES who possess/were changed by the magic of Middle Earth (the Logos of Eru Ilúvatar).
YEEESS finally someone gets it! but I would add something equally important: Arda was created THROUGH SONG! words, rhimes and music have binding, legislative power in Tolkien’s world. every incantation Gandalf ever said is just a command in some language. the scripture on the one ring is the incantation that makes it the one ring and it is accompanied by a rhime. all oaths are immediately binding and have consequences, including, most importantly, gollum’s oath “on the precious”. and finally all songs in this universe are magical. sam’s shy verses lift the spirits of the hobbits, and Bilbo’s epic of earendil put Frodo to sleep, which was exactly what he needed. the rohirrim sing in battle, cutting down the orcs. No wonder in LOTR magic is heavily associated with art, craft, language or in other words: discourse. the world was made by singing and by singing it can be changed. the stature of beings and the romantic significance of the circumstances (it’s rightfulness) make words law. this is why Gandalf is able to command the Balrog not to pass, Sauron is able to put some of his essence into his ring and several other characters gain glory or doom on their oaths.
Magic is literally the very fabric that makes up the universe of Middle Earth; words. Like middle Earth is quite literally made up of words, be they those sung by the Valar to the theme provided them by Eru Iluvata, or the actually words that Tolkien committed to paper in writing the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit. It is a world where words are simply magical. I think the best example of this is when Eowyn defeats the Witch King who declares “No man can kill me.” to which she responds “I am no man” and subsequently kills him. I used to cringe at that, but now it makes perfect sense. Words hold incredible power in middle earth, but that power can be circumvented by interpretation and word play. It’s not even that weird, it’s literally how our legal system works. How laws are enforced and prosecuted has everything to do with how they’re worded. In middle earth that simply extends to all aspects of reality itself.
In finnish mythology there are words “väki” and “haltija” or “haltioituminen”. Väki kinda refers to personal or magical power – there are different types of väki. I think closest term would be mana. For example a person (smith, shaman, king) usually has väki but also objects and natural phenomena can have väki. Haltija (“possessor”) is close haltia (elf). Also word hallita (to control, to possess) derives from that word. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haltija en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/V%C3%A4ki In my opinion magic in tolkienverse is very similar to concept of väki
When the elves gift the hobbits with the elven cloaks capable of hiding them in plain sight, the hobbits ask if the cloaks were crafted by magic. The elves seem confused at this because they do not understand what magic is supposed to be. To them it’s just regular knowledge. This is why in LotR media, “spellcasters” are referred to as “lore masters”. They’re not wielding magic but ancient knowledge of the world.
This is a very nice interpretation, but why wouldnt gandalf win every war against mortals like this without ever needing to wield a sword? A mere “if you will fight, you die today.” or “you shall not advance/pass” would have stopped and maybe ended every major battle between orcs and humans without much casualties on human or both sides. He could have even just said to frodo something like “you shall make it to mordor alive and withstand the rings powers” etc etc. Very careful and exact wording would be needed, just like a wish from a jin or a contract with a devil, but it would be possible, no?
Yes! Great take. There’s another part here about the witch king and how it is declared that they cannot be killed by any man, which is the middle earth equivalent of a major buff lol. I had interpreted the part about the secret fire to be the ring he holds from cirdan – narya the elf ring of fire. It’s invisible most of the time. I had heard another YouTuber talk about how the power of that ring was to light the fire inside of men, which is why he is always talking people up and inspiring them vs grima who does the opposite to great effect. I love what you said about writing the future in a moment – changing the rules as you go. In the movies, there is choral music throughout.i just noticed in my last perusal, that this music swells after big events. Obviously a movie thing but also that these are the big events of the age as sung by the valar in the first days
I have actually spent much time understanding Tolkiens magic and I finally cracked it. You are on the way there but havent arrived. 2 things: 1. “Magic” is an evil word. The Balrog would use magic. Gandalf would use “Art” (it is clearly stated in some of Tolkiens letters.) Hence the misconception that Hobbits dont use magic. They dont, they use Art and have the ability (among others) to shrink. 2. Not only is Gandalf “creating” the world, or perhaps rather the flow of the world, but so is the Balrog, the bridge, the cavern and everything else. EVERYTHING is Art (and some dark parts magic) so its more like a play playing out than actual living.
So couldn’t higher beings create life with the proper songs of power and things like that? What about the scene with the wargs? I’m not going to even attempt to spell the words of the incantation he spoke, but he did that at least a few times. Couldn’t men do any of that if they have a strong enough will?
I liked your take on this, but I don’t agree with it. Right before the confrontation in the bridge of Khazaddum, Gandalf says that he tried to put a “word of command” on the door, but doing such things properly requires time. And I believe that the origin of the phrase you cannot pass goes back to some earlier versions, in which Eonwe, after the fall of Angband, decrees that no Balrog can walk under the sun. (Whatever that may mean) The case with Gandalf the White is different, but I like to think that he is still using some part of his divine attributes
They are not “gods” using Christian understanding of it; but rather Angels; Maiars are lesser angels and Valar somewhat of an Archangels! Like Lucifer was “mightiest” of angels created by the God, and became Satan after the fall so was Melkor who became Morgoth, Eru is God of the LOR world and rest are created powerful beings like angels or fallen angels!
The main problem with them being mini gods able to declare the nature of the world is that if that were true, they should be more than capable of soloing 90% of the dark forces in middle earth with words alone. This creates no room for them to be weak in the face of orcs or goblins. I don’t think they are as powerful as you are lead to believe.
There’s a detail about magic you missed, when Gandalf lights a fire at Carandhas, he says, I’ve written Gandalf is here in letters of fire that can be read from Lindon to the mouth of Anduin. I find that bit the most interesting of all the times Gandalf uses magic. It’s unsubtle and dangerous because it attracts the attention of being of similar nature to Gandalf.
This type of magic is great for storytelling purposes and making the authors job easier. I personally prefer a more sci fi magic where the power is a tangible measurable force we can study. It’s less “magical” but it’s very interesting for me to try and learn what exactly the energy is comprised of and why it behaves the way it does. Gandalfs power isn’t learned or earned it just is and we are supposed to accept that.
This article is a bit misleading. You’re not discussing “the magic of middle earth”, but only one particular scene, one particular character. What of the magic of artistry, of song? Luthien’s song that put the entire dark lord’s fortress to sleep? The Silmaril? Galadriel’s mirror? The duel between Sauron and Finrod? The Ring itself, even? None of these are divine in origin or “commanded”, they’re based in art and passion. What of the Witch-Kings prophecy? The Nazgûl’s curse? So many magics that work different from what you just said. I find the idea that the magic of middle earth is akin to the magic of old mythology more convincing. It’s part willpower, and part belief – hence why the declaratory statements work; and beauty itself holds a magic, which is why songs and works of art are magical.
Nope. Incorrect. Gandalf cast spells. “The Fellowship of the Ring” chapter “The Bridge of Khazad-Dum”: Gimli took his arm and helped him down to a seat on the step. ‘What happened away up there at the door?’ he asked. ‘Did you meet the beater of the drums?’ ‘I do not know,’ answered Gandalf. ‘But i found myself suddenly faced by something that I have not met before. I could think of nothing to do but to try and put a shutting-spell on the door’ …
Mmmmmm yes and no. Tolkiens magic system just doesnt have rules like other universes do. Its a softer magic system. Thats…it. Trying to make sense of it still doesn’t get it anywhere and doesn’t actually explain whats happening, because we really don’t know still. Thats really all there is. Stating that magic IS this way or that way doesn’t add up; such as this. You say there are no spells, instead words are simply spoken by those powerful enough, and those words are “written” into the shape of the world, thus altering it…except that gandalf has previously expressly stated that he knew “many spells.” So…there are spells in Lord of the Rings. What spells? Well, thats the thing. Again, we as readers simply do not know
In Narnia it is said that Aslan created Narnia with a song. And in the universe of The Lord of the Rings it is written that before the creation of the world the entity that existed before everything, and the entities that it created later, there is a certain relationship with the songs since they performed and even competed with each other using songs. This related to the fact that the power to even shape reality is associated with the word, I find it quite interesting. The magic of Narnia seems similar, and it may be intentional since the creators of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings knew each other and even kept in contact. I wonder if Aslan could be considered a Maia.
funny how some fan boys make their favourite characters more powerful than they are. this make no sense other than stupidity. if that was true he could just say no more sauron like scarlet witch did for no more mutants. I like gandalf as he is. I don’t feel the necessity to make him overpowered to like the character more.
It’s incorrect to refer to Maiar as “gods,” as they are three tiers of power removed from the only real God of Tolkien’s mythos — Eru. It’s easier to conceptualized them in terms of Eru being God, Valar being “gods” similar to those of Greek myth, and Maiar being like angels with each Valar having its own choir. They are beings of varying power, i.e. Radagast vs. a Balrog or Sauron would not end well, but certainly not “gods” in any sense.
The ability to apply your will upon the world is cool and all, but it’s a terrible power system if you apply it on a universe like Harry Potter where thousands can use magic. It’d be hard to tell who’s winning or not. Buttt, it does work well in LotR since wizards are very rare thus giving them giving them a cool and vague ability just makes them even cooler. Vague abilities is a good power system when few characters are able to use it, while a strict and clear power system is better when a lot of characters can use it.
I think an intresting aspect is also the use of commands. They seem to be a higher form of magic and change what is. Gandalf uses a command in his first magical struggle vs the Balrog in the mines, when he tried to keep that stone door closed. He emphasised it like it was something very special he normally wouldnt use if left with choice. The ring used a command on Gollum (and it was so powerfull that the ring itself couldnt negate it and sealed its own doom).