Magical Cults In Middle Earth

Okay, let’s start this off with a warning: this post is very speculation-heavy. The Blue Wizards are just about as mysterious and attention-lacking as the lands east of Middle Earth, so actual relevant quotes from the professor are a little few and far between. Despite that, this post got long! Mostly because the more I…

Hey so I am reading ROTK again, and I just noticed in the chapter Minas Tirith that Gandalf said he was a Steward. What would Gandalf be Steward of?

The line you’re talking about is something Gandalf said to Denethor. Here’s the full quote (emphasis added by me): Well, my lord Steward, it is your task to keep some kingdom still against that event, which few now look to see. In that task you shall have all the aid that you are pleased to…

Why Do the Istari Look Old?

Okay, so this is a pretty interesting question, and I’m going to tell you right now that there isn’t an “official” answer to it. When talking about the elderly-appearing Istari wizards, the most Tolkien said was: Among Men they were supposed (at first) by those that had dealings with them to be Men who had…

Hey there! Love your blog, you’re a wonderful resource for everything Tolkien :D My question is: how would the people of Middle Earth (and here I would ask for a particular focus on the Dwarf community, mainly Thorin and Company) react to witches? What about witches and wizards from the Harry Potter verse? We know that : 1) wizards such as Gandalf aren’t allowed to use magic to interfere in mortal matters and as such they act as advisers. Plus, witches have a bad reputation. What do you think?:D

I actually think that Gandalf is exactly who you want to be looking at for the answers to your questions. Specifically how Thorin and company react to/deal with Gandalf. It also might be a good idea to consider how mortals react to or view elves (especially when they’ve had little to no contact with them…

which istari would you marry

(Inspired by this post – heads up, by the way, I now have one of these for each race sitting in my inbox, lol.) To be honest, I’m not super into the idea of marrying any of the Istari – I’m not really at the whole “long grey beards are attractive” part of my life,…

hi, I’m reading the silmarillion for the first time with the read-along and there’s something I don’t get. Olorin is said to be the wisest of the Maiar, but we also know him as Gandalf right? But isn’t Saruman considered both the most powerful AND the wisest of the istari? Does this just have to do with their powers being tempered when they were sent to Middle-Earth and if so, why would Saruman be made wiser?

A read-alonger! Woo! o/  Olorin/Gandalf was the wisest of the Maiar (and it’s generally accepted that he was the wisest of the Istari as well.) The problem/confusion comes from the fact that not everybody agreed on this at the time (and by not everybody, I really just mean Saruman.) You can read all about the…