I realize dozens of people have posted asking the question;
"What did Gandalf mean by;
Quote:
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I am a servant of the secret fire, wielder of the Flame of Anor.
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It just dawned on me. Obviously we all know (or should) that Anor is the Sun, and the flame of Anor isn't a stretch for a power Gandalf would wield, since the sun is a ball of flame. But I have a different interpretation of the wording now.
"The Flame of Anor," I from now on see as "The Light of Day", because after all, the Sun represents day, and it's 'flame' can refer to more than the fact that the sun is a ball of fire (especially since in Middle Earth the sun was a ship sailing through the sky, literally as opposed to figuratively.
It makes sense, that a creature of the night, of the dark days before the sun, would fear the light of day, and if Gandalf wielded it, all the worse. While we certainly see Gandalf's abilities with fire through his fireworks and spells, he didn't at all need a spell or words when he broke his staff and the white radiance came forth; practically as if he was daylight, in the long dark of Moria.
Obviously, it isn't a hugely elaborate or impressive discovery on my part, as far as the idea goes, flames and shafts of light being connected as they are. But while the Balrog gets blinded by his light and hewn by his sword, later on the Nazgul actually get hit by it in 'beam' form. When darkness loomed, the White Rider was a reminder of how strong day is.