Radagast a slacker?
 

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If Radagast cared so much for birds and beasts and forests why was he not in fangorn fighting with the ents?

Was he so simple not to know Saruman cutting down the forest or was he so remarkably busy that he didn't bother showinfg up or is he as I am beginning to believe a slacker?

I doubt Tolkien wrote him in just to send Gandalf a message from Saruman that would do very little for the story but make another wizard to be pondered

Hooom, let us not be hasty. Radagast dwelt in Rhosgobel near Mirkwood. The center of the coming war was going to be Gondor but times were hard in the north too. The inhabitants of Lake Town and Mirkwood had to deal with orcs and it wasn't safe to wander in the wilderness by oneself.

There may have been many reasons, why Radagast didn't go. The Ents' decision to go to war came quite suddenly. He couldn't have travelled such a long distance in time to charge with the Ents. One reason could indeed have been that he didn't know, what Saruman was busying himself with. Or maybe he was scared and didn't want to stick his nose into Saruman's business. And after all, what he could have done? A humble child of nature against the head of the White Council. That doesn't seem very convincing to me. :)

I do stilll however Lack an understandig of why put Radagast in for one part this is one of the few times I prefer the movie version to the book afterall all Radagast did was send Gwaihir to Isengard then was gone forever we could have skipped this odd charactor and did a strange moth scene which confused me less than a random charactor appearence

Radagast shows that even Maiar aren't perfect. Though I, for one, quite enjoy his little cameo appearance.

I do as well and I like Radagast which is one of he reasons it saddens me he doesnt appear again

Maybe, he didn't know
 

Maybe Radagast didn't know what Saruman was up to. When Radagast reported to Gandalf that Saruman wanted to see him, Radagast had no clue what Saruman was going to do. Gandalf even said if he noticed something wrong with Radagast he wouldn't have gone, or would have gone more cautiously. So, Radagast was clueless to what Saruman was up to. Spawn of Ungoliant brings up a nice point, how would Radagast be able to get to Fangorn in such a short time. The only possibility I see is use Haldir's elves transporter beam the used in the movie, TTT, to get to Helm's deep in a few hours. "Beam me up Haldir!" Also, who knows, maybe Radagast was helping Thranduil fight his wars.

Not much was said on Alatar and Pallando, only that they went into the East and stirred up cults. Who knows what they did beside that? They could have unintentionally helped fight against Sauron, by stirring up cults they could have dragged people away from joining his army. This is only speculation on my part.

Alright Ill cave Radagast could not have gotten there but he does not show up at the end either I just wonder why he doesnt leave ME with Gandalf and the others

He was probably too scared to go back, assuming that Manwe would give him a severe dressing-down in his office.

A shame really, because if it wasn't for Radagast then Gandalf would probably still be stuck on top of Orthanc.

*ponders furiously* Hmmm... why doesn't he show up? Never really thought about that one before. Maybe he was so busy talking to the birds that he simply forgot ;)

Was he?
 

But there is a mention of fight of beast in Mirkwood in the appendices, some on dark side, some for the good guys. I think it was Radagast's doing, I mean those fighting for good guys. Normal animals just run away from danger, they do not take sides, yes?. After all, he was Yavanna's emmisary, I mean, who else would make beasts fight?
Ok, maybe elves could, but what than was Radagast doing in Mirkwood, than? And but for Radagast Gandalf would not have been able to escape from Saruman - Gwaihir the Windlord was asked by Radagast to go to Orthank.

Besides, Ents were Yavanna's too, so there was no need for Radagast to go to Fangorn - there were already ppl in charge there!

Did my last post prove so final and decisive? I mean, did I kill it? :)

I'm not going to play Devil's advocate ohtatyaro, I like Radagast and I'm going to agree with you! :)

alright but still he doesnt return with gandalf and gang to valinor if he had helped so much shouldnt his reward be to go home? i still dont get why he didnt show up

The Task
 

As Tolkien wrote, the only person to complete the "task of the istari" was Gandalf. The task being to aid the peoples of Middle-earth and unite them against Sauron. You can make a case for Radagast, since I mean he did help out Gandalf, but I think Radagast let his personal quest get in the way.

I've heard some people say the Istari had these "personal" quests, or maybe it had something to do with fate. Naturally, Radagast, being from Yavanna has a care for birds and nature. Some have debated maybe Yavanna had told Radagast to help nature, which would make it a "personal" quest. Gandalf really had no Valar, if anyone he most represented Manwe, which would make sense that he would succeed in the "Task." Saruman was from Aule so naturally he would get greedy for wealth and power. Maybe Radagast didn't have a "personal task" from Yavanna, maybe it's Tolkien dealing with "fate." You don't have control you follow the ones you come from, for example Radagast and Yavanna. Sauron, Saruman, and the Dwarves from Aule.

If you ask me I think Radagast let his personal quest of tending nature get in the way of the true quest of helping the peoples of middle-earth.

If Radagast is Yavanna's "agent," so to speak, Saruman is Aule's, and Gandalf is potentially Manwe's, is it ever mentioned who those two pesky Blue Wizards "represent"?

They don't necessarily "represent" certain Valar (though later we see Yavanna really did send Radagast to represent her or her ideals); they just come from the people of those Valar. In Valinor, it seems all Maiar were associated with one Vala or another. Alatar and Pallando were Maiar of Orome.

I agree partually with this statement, you do give a good point in the fact that the ent's mini war -within a war happend quite suddenly (for ents), even though Merry and Pippin though they took forever. (those two are quiet impatient). But, there is one other thing i think made a great difference why Radagast didn't appear more often, especially during the ent's revenge war. Gandalf doesn't really flawnt his newly accuired information around. And since gandalf is the only one who talks to radagast in the book, (gandalf in the council of elrond notes this) it would be unlikely radagast was told anything else by gandalf. Plus, you would have to admit, radagast would be quiet busy doing his own part to ward off Sauron's forces, helping the elves of mirkwood as an example (an unreconized buzzy-body). Radagast, next to the Blue wizards is one of my favorite characters in this story, even though little is said at all about them. Tolkien tended to focus on the other two- Gandalf and Saruman, mainly because of their actions and how they have aqaintences and strong character relations with frodo and any of the ringbearers or their friends.

But, i do wish like many others that Radagast and the blue wizards were explained and discussed more often in the books.

P.S. : Here's a little good homour, a friend of mine the other day (he's what you would call a modern hippie, or more correctly Neopagan) noted that Radagast was sort of a "child of nature", or otherwise as he joked: "Mother Nature's Teacher's Pet". i thought it quiet amusing ( i am a "hippie" myself). :)


Blessed Be, THE Ka

Maybe Ulmo? They were associated with the sea, (the reason why they are called "the blue..." ?) this is just a BIG guess...

Animals are people too! :rolleyes: :D anyway, one thing for sure, if it took about four wizards to help the people half of middle earth, it only took one to help the animal half. Hey! there you go! in a way, Radagast did complete his or one half of "the task" by helping the other residents of middle earth. The all-to-important animals!

My assertion that Alatar and Pallando are Maiar of Orome comes directly from Tolkien, found in Unfinished Tales (which I advise everyone with an interest in the Istari to read). In the last note, Christopher Tolkien speculates why they are associated with Oromë (and I certainly agree with his speculation).

Radagast Rocks. Period :D

I think that Radagast wasn't a slacker
 

It says in Book 1 of the trilogy that Radagast was simple( at least I think so, correct me if I'm wrong) and that he was content to be with the animals and had no knowledge of Saruman's doings.

But what about his bunny sled?

My (entirely personal) opinion is that Radagast never leaves Middle Earth just because he loves his animals and plants too much to leave them. Maybe Thranduil remains for similar reasons.

That doesn't mean that they're permanently separated from those who cross over, though, since the Second Music of the Ainur is still to come and we can imagine that even Valinor (as it is) is only temporary.


I don't know if Radagast should be criticised too much for not seeing what Saruman was doing in Fangorn. Treebeard was shocked and he was right there.