Tolkien Calendar: The Great Years
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February 17, TA 3019
17 February 2006 12:52:41Gwaihir finds Gandalf and carries him to Lothlorien
Throughout the Lord of the Rings, Tolkien sets the characters to many tests. Some of them fail. Some of them, like Boromir, stumble but rise again in the end to do the right thing. Some, like the Radagast, appear to become distracted. Only a few pass each test, gaining power and wisdom as they do. In his Letters (156 To Robert Murray S. J.), Tolkien says that Gandalf is the only one of the wizards who passed all the tests. The last test, the battle with the Balrog, cost him his life. In the Unfinished Tales, Tolkien says the wizards were sent by the Valar as emissaries and that:
Quote:
"they must be peers of Sauron, but they must forgo might and clothe themselves in flesh so as to treat equally and win the trust of Elves and Men. But this would imperil them, dimming their wisdom and knowledge, and confusing them with fears, cares, and weariness coming from the flesh."
This and other things I have read has always led me to believe that in many way, the Isatri, the wizards, had to forget much of who they are so that they could "treat equally with Elves and Men". In additon, it seems from the descriptions that this last battle forced Gandalf to delve deep within himself to find powers he possessed as a Maia, powers that had lain long forgotten, in order to defeat this ancient evil. After the battle with the Balrog, the Gandalf who returned to Middle Earth was not the same Gandalf who fell at Durin's Bridge.
It has seemed to me that in many ways that Gandalf was more like himself upon his return. Upon his return to Middle Earth, Gandalf is still bound by the rule that he must guide and not force but he has more power. I think that power comes from knowing himself again. Further more, he has already fulfilled the requirement to win the trust of the peoples of Middle Earth so the use of this power is not going to overwhelm these relationships that have already been built, as we will see later. I think that it is Pippin who notices that Gandalf is different, observing that he is more serious and at the same time more mellow.
On this day Gwaihir, who was sent by Galadriel to search for him, finds Gandalf on the mountaintop and carries him to Lothlorien. There Gandalf recieves healing and is given rest and counsel before he sets out to finish his mission in Middle-Earth. I think in part that his time in Lothlorien furthered his knowledge of who he was and what he was to do.
It has seemed to me that in many ways that Gandalf was more like himself upon his return. Upon his return to Middle Earth, Gandalf is still bound by the rule that he must guide and not force but he has more power. I think that power comes from knowing himself again. Further more, he has already fulfilled the requirement to win the trust of the peoples of Middle Earth so the use of this power is not going to overwhelm these relationships that have already been built, as we will see later. I think that it is Pippin who notices that Gandalf is different, observing that he is more serious and at the same time more mellow.
On this day Gwaihir, who was sent by Galadriel to search for him, finds Gandalf on the mountaintop and carries him to Lothlorien. There Gandalf recieves healing and is given rest and counsel before he sets out to finish his mission in Middle-Earth. I think in part that his time in Lothlorien furthered his knowledge of who he was and what he was to do.
Images © "Gandalf" by Alan Lee.