Radagast the Brown??

[Bêthberry]

Originally Posted by Boromir88

Radagast by no means was a bad guy like Saruman, or completely just said forget about Middle-earth like Alatar and Pallando, but he just didn't "do" enough to succeed in his mission like Gandalf.

The key thing is the purpose of the istari were to bring together the people of middle-earth, to combat Sauron. As far as we know Radagast does not do this. He does listen to Gandalf, and has no part to play to help Sauron, or intentionally help Saruman, but nothing is said on him sticking to his purpose. Let's look at Gandalf, he helps Elrond said up a plan, he frees Theoden, he aids Gondor, he sticks with the people of Middle-earth to fight Sauron. Radagast tends to his birds, and does his own thing, if it so happens that Gandalf needs Radagasts' help he is willing, but other than that Radagast (as far as we know and according to Tolkien) doesn't complete his task.

I've often thought that the istari had the important task of combatting Sauron and aiding the people's of middle-earth, but were also sent for personal tasks. It just so happens Radagast, chosen by Yavanna, falls in love with herbs and birds, a nature man. Possibly each istari were given a seperate, personal task, and Radagast let that one interfere with the main task.

I have the sense, and I could be all wet about this, that Radagast is something of a St. Francis of Assissi figure in LotR, and as such possibly represents Tolkien's opinion about that saint's pacifism, or the failure in general of people to keep a hard, knowing eye on evil. I wouldn't want to call this an allegorical speculation but it does fit in with Tolkien's claims that the Christianity was absorbed into the symbolism of the story.