[The Saucepan Man]

Catching up ...

Draw no weapon, speak no haughty words, I counsel you all, until we are come before Theoden's seat.

Gandalf speaks these words as the companions approach Edoras. And it is this advice that Aragorn, initially at least, ignores before the door of the Golden Hall. He refuses to hand in his weapon in defiance of the King's law and he speaks haughtily to Hama. All before they are "come before Theoden's seat".

I am with those who believe that Aragorn behaves wrongly here. It is arrogant of him to deem himself above the law of the King in whose land he finds himself - to believe that his will should prevail over that of Theoden in Theoden’s own court. He may be the heir to the throne of Gondor but, as has been pointed out, he has not yet been crowned and Rohan is in any event an ally of, and not subservient to, Gondor. He has no right to refuse to obey the King's law.

But this, surely, marks another stage in Aragorn's development as a man worthy to be King of Gondor. We saw in the Chapters marking the end of Book I and the beginning of this Book a man who had very little confidence in himself. He remarked on two occasions upon how all of his choices during the day in which the Fellowship split seemed to have gone ill and he was in a state of deep despair following Boromir's death:

This is a bitter end. Now the Company is all in ruin. It is I that have failed. Vain was Gandalf's trust in me. What shall I do now?

But he is able to find hope and renewed confidence in himself. We see this in the confident manner in which he employs his formidable tracking skills during the hunt for Merry and Pippin and in his refusal to give up hope in their search. Now, however, he seems to have gone too far the other way. He has become over-confident and arrogant, regarding himself as above the laws of Rohan. It seems to me that we are seeing here adjustments in his approach as he works towards finding the balance necessary for him truly to be regarded as a worthy King. If Aragorn emerges from the Breaking of the Fellowship with low self-confidence, he emerges from this experience having found the appropriate balance of confidence and humility. This (as has been noted by Boromir88) pays dividends when Aragorn first arrives at Minas Tirith and displays the humility that he has learned by declining at first to enter the White City.

And it is, of course, Gandalf who guides him in this journey with his calming words at the door (even though he is steeling himself at that moment for a confrontation which he knows will come when they enter the Golden Hall).

But going back to Gandalf’s words as they approach Edoras, these raise some interesting points. Why did Gandalf feel the need to speak them? OK, he knows that Gimli is a bit headstrong, so perhaps that is a sufficient explanation. But is he also using a measure of foresight here? Does he foresee how Aragorn will react to turning Anduril in at the door? Or has he picked up that Aragorn still has a little way to go before he is truly worthy to take the throne of Gondor and therefore needs a little bit of guidance. It is difficult to see how, given the humility that Aragorn showed him in the previous Chapter. But Gandalf is a wily old soul. Which is also apparent in the “let out” he gives himself in his words. His advice is to draw no weapon and speak no haughty words until they are “come before Theoden’s seat”. But once they are before Theoden’s seat, it is Gandalf who draws his staff and speaks boldly (to say the least).

Another, more “technical” function of the exchange before the door of Edoras is to highlight the importance and lineage of Anduril. It is important, I think, that we are reminded of this before it is drawn in anger in the next Chapter (it having received little mention since Bree and Rivendell). Indeed, the importance of weapons and their lineage is one of the themes that stands out in this Chapter. They have names and are portrayed almost as characters. We have Anduril of course, but even Gimli’s axe is given a measure of character in his reference to it not being ashamed to stay at the door if it is in Anduril’s company. Later in the Chapter, we see Eomer’s sword have a revitalising effect on Theoden when he grasps it. And Theoden’s sword too has a name, Herugrim, and is described as an “ancient blade“. The fact that Wormtongue had hidden it is in a way symbolic of his prior influence over the King. So these are not just weapons, they are almost characters in themselves, with their own histories and their own significance.

Which brings me to Gandalf’s staff. The fact that he (far more subtly than Aragorn) insists on retaining it lends some credence to the theory that the Staves of the Istari were more than symbolic. I wonder whether he would have been able to achieve what he does once within the Hall without it? The suggestion is that it at least enhances his power to dispel Wormtongue’s webs of deceit.

A final thought. Does Gandalf use a smidgeon of mind-control at the Gates of Edoras?

“… Will you not go or send to say that we are come?” His eyes glinted under his deep brows as he bent his gaze upon the man.

“Yes, I will go,” he answered slowly.

What reason does the Guard have to comply with Gandalf’s request? Perhaps it is just his mistrust of Wormtongue. But it seems to me that the glint in Gandalf’s eyes as he “bends his gaze” on the Guard and the Guard’s slow response suggest that there is something more at work here - that Gandalf is using an element of coercion. Or am I just reading too much into it?