Does Saruman lose his ability to use magic when his staff is broken? - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Aragrax · 08-10-2012, 06:19 PM

Saruman was implied to have no real "magical" power during the War of the Ring. He had turned against the light, so no true power came from above to him. However. . .

He was a master of science, a thing generally unloved by JRRT, and that power he had in spades: propaganda, industrialization, eugenics, explosives (and, apparently, given his tailoring, optics).

He even made a ring for himself, and while the making of rings was generally presented as the binding of things into a controlled state, those things already existed. Such was the way of evil in Tolkien's world; to twist the created into un-beautiful forms for some lesser, selfish purpose. The power of creation, and thus of light and true "magic" (tho JRRT preferred other words for such) was lost to him forever, long before his staff was shivered. Note that the storm on Caradhras was not of his making, and he had no telekinetic ability either; these were inventions of PJ.

08-10-2012, 06:19 PM	#5
Aragrax Newly Deceased Join Date: Aug 2011 Posts: 8	Saruman was implied to have no real "magical" power during the War of the Ring. He had turned against the light, so no true power came from above to him. However. . . He was a master of science, a thing generally unloved by JRRT, and that power he had in spades: propaganda, industrialization, eugenics, explosives (and, apparently, given his tailoring, optics). He even made a ring for himself, and while the making of rings was generally presented as the binding of things into a controlled state, those things already existed. Such was the way of evil in Tolkien's world; to twist the created into un-beautiful forms for some lesser, selfish purpose. The power of creation, and thus of light and true "magic" (tho JRRT preferred other words for such) was lost to him forever, long before his staff was shivered. Note that the storm on Caradhras was not of his making, and he had no telekinetic ability either; these were inventions of PJ.