The true Istari

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Originally Posted by Boromir88

Hama realizes the staff is an ordinary piece of wood. But this piece of wood could be used more than a prop for age, however only in the hand of a wizard. Hama makes the point, that the power lies within the wizard, and the wizard may be able to use a staff for more than just leaning on. Nevertheless, it's an ordinary piece of wood.

A piece of wood that could be used for support, a piece of wood that symbolizes the authority of the wizards*, and a piece of would that could be used for magical power, but the last being only in the "hands of a wizard."

*I'll go back to the note of Saruman's "rods of the 5 wizards" and when it's put in context, you can see the meaning of why Saruman said it:

Saruman was simply ranting about how Gandalf was growing power hungry. Saruman's last comment seems all to familiar with the "you have grown too big for your own boots." There's no special significance with the "5 rods" it's just a rant from Saruman saying Gandalf was power-hungry.

To be fair, I don't think Hama knew very much about the staff of wizards. We as avid readers of Tolkien, probably know much more than this character about these matters.

As for Sauruman, his rant of Gandalf gathering the 5 rods of the wizards is indeed meant metaforically rather than literally. Still, the staff is apparently what a crown is to kings. Without it the Istari is bereft of his status and, in my opinion, also of much of his 'magical' powers. I don't think it's 'just' a piece of wood. Could Frodo and a few Hobbits defeat Sauruman had he still been at the peak of his powers, which were said to be compareable to that of Gandalf?