Thinking about the change in Gandalf leads me to another though too.
Does Gandalf the White still have the limits imposed on the Istari? We know he is more powerful but how much? One thing that occured to me is that maybe the Valar allowed him to use sufficient power to keep the Istari power level even, minus Saruman. By this time the Valar should have known that he was no longer operating within their bounds, and so in effect there were only four good wizards. So Gandal the White = Gandalf the Grey + Saruman in power. I kind of think that all five Istari would have had equal power to Sauron, in order balance the score. Of course then they still wouldnt have been able to challenge him directly, as Sauron could have crushed them singly and then easily won.
Another thing this leads me to think. What if Gandalf came back as Olorin? Would he have had power to take the ring? I dont have them in my books, but I have heard referrence to passages that show Olorin as the equal or better of Sauron. If this is true wouldnt Olorin have been able to take the ring and bend it to his will, without fear of corruption? I dont doubt that Manwe could have done it, or Aule, and thats primarily because they have the greater power. Wouldnt the same hold true for another Maiar? After all isnt it Saurons will in the ring what corrupts the will of lesser beings? Could Olorin have 'bent' Sauron to his will if he had the ring?
|