Thread: Robe colours
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Old 01-15-2003, 12:10 PM   #16
Aratlithiel
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Join Date: Jan 2003
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Saruman is obviosuly most powerful to begin with. Gandalf is under him just.
Not true. Saruman was the 1st to arrive in ME and the wisest in Ring-lore but not the wisest overall and not the most powerful. In fact it is told in "Unfinished Tales," that a great deal of his motivation for his eventual fall to evil was jealousy of Gandalf. The jealousy began when the Valar decided that 3 of the Istari should go to ME to help Men and Elves defend it against Sauron and asked for volunteers. Alatar (one of the blue) and Curumo (Saruman) stepped forward but Olorin (Gandalf) did not because he said he was too weak for the task & that he feared Sauron. Manwe then said that it was all the more reason why he should go and then commanded him to go as the third. "But at that Varda looked up and said: 'Not as the third'; and Curumo remembered it."

His jealousy is further provoked when Galadriel argues vehemently that Gandalf should be the head of the Order and loses. After this, "Saruman soon became jealous of Gandalf and his rivalry turned at last to hatred, the deeper for being concealed, and the more bitter in that Saruman knew in his heart that the Grey Wanderer had the greater strength...even though he hid his power and desired neither fear nor reverence."

Because Saruman came 1st it is often believed that he was, in fact, the most powerful - but that's not true. Cirdan greets all of the Istari as they arrive in ME but in Gandalf, "...he divined in him the greates spirit and the wisest; and he welcomed him withe reverence, and he gave to his keeping the Third Ring, Narya the Red." It's about the time of the council where Galadriel fights to have Gandalf appointed as the chief of the Istari that Saruman discovers that Cirdan has given Narya to Gandalf.

All of these perceived slights give Saruman ample reason for his hatred of Gandalf and his desire to see him destroyed - a leading factor in his fall.

As for the blue wizards, they went into the east with Curunir/Curomo/Saruman but they never returned and it is speculated that they were ensnared by Sauron and became his servants but it is not known.

Alatar/Rhadaghast seems to be the "kid brother" that the others had to take along to please Yavanna - it's never really explained why she wanted him to go and he doesn't seem to have served any real purpose except to alert the eagles to watch out for Gandalf.

I've also got a theory about the "white" that I've been turning over for awhile. I can't give you explicit passages or examples because it comes from reading alot of other Tolkien work and kinda putting two and two together - you can all let me know if I came up with four...

I believe that the white was given to that Istari who was supposed to be the most instrumental in the Quest to destroy the Ring. It started out with Saruman who was the most learned in Ring-lore. Remember, now - he started out good and with the same purpose as the others until his jealousy got the better of him. When he discarded white for his many colors, and when Gandalf fell to the Balrog (fighting to the last for the purpose he was sent for) it was ordained that he should be sent back and take up the white.

Like I said, this comes from reading many different sources but the best example I can give is from TTT when Gandalf meets the hunters and says, "Yes, I am white now. Indeed I am Saruman, one might almost say, Saruman as he should have been."

What do you think?
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