Episode 196: Lord of the Rings magic and wizards

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[Spoiler alert for The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame]

This week on Fable and the Verbivore, we’re continuing our summer of J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings (LOTR) series by unpacking magic and wielders of magic within this series and from a legacy perspective.

Throughout this conversation, we talk about the magic in the LOTR series, contrasting magic users and the different elements of their magic as well as their personal characteristics. These include:

  • Saruman the White/Many Colored - An ability to have birds spy on others, a voice that can manipulate, possibly an ability to control the minds of the weak, a desire for power

  • Radagast the Brown - A love of growing things, an ability to speak with and befriend animals, “a master of shapes and changes of hue”

  • Gandalf the Gray/White - Maker of fireworks, wielder of fire (the flame of Anor), steeped in lore and wisdom from many ages of man

  • Galadriel - A mirror that shows things that are, things that were, and things that may be. The ability to read what other’s fear. The power tied to the Elven ring Nenya that she uses to protect Lorien and her people

We also talk about how Tolkien doesn’t use magic to solve problems that really should be solved the hard way, allows his magical characters to experience exhaustion or have their power weakened to increase the stakes, has his magic wielders go up against obstacles that feel larger and more powerful than them, and made magic things that are really Deus ex machina (god of the machine) feel grounded within the world and not like a trick.

Part way through the episode, we unpack Gandalf as a character. Discussing some of the ways his character is used by Tolkien in the series, his funny and short tempered edges, the ways he’s employed to both solve problems and create them, the wonderful way facts and lore can easily come from his character’s mouth, and the masterful and subversive way his character is temporarily removed from the board part way through the first LOTR book.

Towards the end of this episode, we talk about character Galadriel and her magic mirror as well as how the scene of her temptation from the ring is used to further show why the ring must be destroyed and the great danger of what would happen should it fall into the hands of someone “wise and powerful”.

Next week, we’ll be sharing another episode digging more deeply into the LOTR characters.

We hope you enjoy this episode! Keep reading, writing, and putting your voice out there!

Into the woods,

Fable & The Verbivore

Notes:

The Verbivore references several quotes from this series. They are:

  • “Fool of a Took! Throw yourself in next time and rid us of your stupidity!" - The Fellowship of the Ring film

  • “You cannot pass," he said. The orcs stood still, and a dead silence fell. "I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor. You cannot pass. The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udûn. Go back to the Shadow! You cannot pass.” - The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien

  • [Galadriel] said, turning to Sam. 'For this is what your folk would call magic, I believe; though I do not understand clearly what they mean; and they seem also to use the same word of the deceits of the Enemy. But this, if you will, is the magic of Galadriel. Did you not say that you wished to see Elf-magic?' - The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien

  • “And now at last it comes. You will give me the Ring freely! In place of the Dark Lord you will set up a Queen. And I shall not be dark, but beautiful and terrible as the Morning and the Night! Fair as the Sea and the Sun and the Snow upon the Mountain! Dreadful as the Storm and the Lightning! Stronger than the foundations of the earth. All shall love me and despair!…

    I pass the test. I will diminish, and go into the West and remain Galadriel.” - The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien

Books and Movies Mentioned:

Music from: https://filmmusic.io
‘Friendly day’ by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
Licence: CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Bethany Stedman