Gandalf's Staff

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Originally Posted by Morsul the Dark

Gandalf died after killing the balrog because he broke his staff but more because without it he collapsed from exhaustion.

I disagree. Although no one knows what happens to Gandalf's staff from the time he is jailed on Orthanc to the time he shows up at Rivendell, I would assume that for some time at least he was bereft of his staff, yet suffered no ill effects (except from being humiliated by Saruman ).

no actually the staff although imbued with power is more likely a lightning rod of sorts Gandalf has the power within himself but its unfocused like electricity or radio waves going every which way but the staff like an attenna or a wire controls where the magic goes gandalf when he came back had more power yes and received a staff that could handle the power on the bridge he sent so much power through the staff it shattered like a fuse after a powersurge

Or is the staff a way of obfuscating his power? Remember when Bilbo disappears using the Ring at his birthday party? Gandalf adds a bit of smoke so that Bilbo just doesn't vanish, and this permits alternate explanations for his disappearance ("It was a trick of that magician Gandalf," etc). So, in the same way, does Gandalf use his staff so that he doesn't have to shoot power/fire/etc from his hand, but can (when he so chooses) make the magic appear from his staff? As an example I would point to the light that he produces in Moria. If this glow would have emanated from his hands or head, I think that there would have been more notice to the magic than by simply having the tip of his staff produce a faint glow.

It's an understated way of working.