written on Gandalf\u2019s nature<\/a> in shaping the events of the Third Age <\/p>\nThis side, the oft-examined side, focuses on Gandalf\u2019s entextualized persona and relationships; here, we are used to defining him as the archetypal \u201cmentor\/guardian\/wise old man.\u201d <\/p>\n
While this archetype allows us to examine the works internally, we must use another archetypal lens to analyze the text from an external point of view, even from the author\u2019s very own. <\/p>\n
In my research, I have not found any suitable characterization of this archetype, but I have come to define it as the \u201cvoluntas scriptoris\/creatoris,\u201d the \u201cwill of the author\/creator.\u201d (I find \u201cvoluntas creatoris\u201d particularly preferable in the context of mythopoeic fantasy, where the author is the creator of the world.) <\/p>\n
When we read Tolkien\u2019s works defining Gandalf simply as the \u201cmentor,\u201d I argue, we see only half of his greatness — and the amazing quality about him is that this half, just one half, is filled with such wondrous amazement in skill and wit and wisdom. <\/p>\n
But when we read the texts defining Gandalf as the \u201cvoluntas creatoris,\u201d we are opened up to an entirely new realm of exploration, one that shows even more so the existential importance and (perhaps) cosmic nature of this much-beloved character. Only when we note this duality in Gandalf\u2019s character can we give praise where praise is due. And no offence to hobbits, men, or any other actors in the Third Age, but I am here to champion Gandalf. <\/p>\n
![\"THE](\"http:\/\/www-images.theonering.org\/torwp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Hobbit2_3Gandalf.jpg\")
Mithrandir, Ol\u00f3rin, Thark\u00fbn, Inc\u00e1nus, Stormcrow — whatever you wish to call him, let\u2019s all, every denizen of Middle-earth, come together and give a proper \u201cthank you\u201d to one who, ever so deserving, has never asked for it. <\/p>\n
When reading The Lord of the Rings<\/i> or The Hobbit<\/i>, we naturally do so as the \u201cintended reader,\u201d or specific \u201caudience,\u201d for whom Tolkien was writing. Through such a reading, we are easily drawn to the notion of Gandalf as the archetypal \u201cmentor,\u201d \u201cguardian,\u201d or \u201cwise old man.\u201d The problem with these archetypes nowadays is that they lend themselves to esoteric, stale, and platitudinous studies of a vastly more colorful, enigmatic, and amazing character. <\/p>\n
The inclusion of the \u201cmentor\u201d archetype is evidently axiomatic in mythopoeic literature, and is one we as Tolkienites encounter in many of our favorite works from numerous authors across time. And we know that this archetype denotes an entextualized relationship; it, thus, leads generally to an examination of the relationship between the \u201cmentor\u201d and protagonist, if not other archetypes in the cast. <\/p>\n
Let me lay it all out more explicitly. <\/p>\n
The importance of the \u201cmentor\u201d archetype lies in that character\u2019s link with the protagonist; but, the importance of the \u201cvoluntas creatoris\u201d lies in its link with the author. Before going on, I must also address the issue of dichotomy, for it is an integral part of the latter archetype. The \u201cvoluntas creatoris\u201d is at once realized as himself and another, distinct archetype (though often this is just the \u201cmentor\u201d). Not surprisingly, Gandalf\u2019s role in the legendarium exemplifies this dichotomy. <\/p>\n
However, by studying Gandalf\u2019s relationship with other characters, we only see one side of the coin. The other side is one we do not often examine, let alone consider, when we read works of literature because we are taught in school to ignore it. It requires us to read more introspectively from the author\u2019s own point of view; that is, it requires us to examine the text not as the \u201cintended reader,\u201d but as the author. We must remove ourselves from the story for a while and learn to look at the events, words, and characters used as what they inherently are — choices.<\/p>\n
You may be wondering how I settled on the name \u201ccreator\u2019s will\u201d for this archetypal role. By now, however, I\u2019m sure you have a number of reasons and guesses as to why. <\/p>\n
Yes, this archetype is the embodiment of the creator\u2019s will, wants, and desires. But much more specifically than that, we often find in fantasy literature that this character exists to ensure what the author desires ultimately comes about; in most cases, this is to ensure that good does triumph over evil, and that bonds of love, friendship, and courage rule the day. I\u2019m sure that a number of such characters come to mind at this description. However, in the context of Tolkien — or at least the works of the Third Age — none rivals Gandalf in this role. <\/p>\n
![\"Gandalf](\"http:\/\/www-images.theonering.org\/torwp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/1756-300x165.jpeg\")
Moreover, we can distinguish Gandalf from almost any other character in all of the legendarium as the major \u201cvoluntas creatoris.\u201d Certainly, as an Istari, Gandalf shares many traits with the four other wizards sent by Manwe to Middle-earth. However, we can plainly discount two of these (the Blue), and Radagast (since he is barely mentioned). We are left with Saruman and Gandalf. What distinguishes Gandalf from Saruman, however, is a sense of fear. It may be odd to associate such power with fear, but even from the very beginning, when Manwe first asked him to go East, Gandalf exhibited a rational sense of fear of his enemy.<\/p>\n
Tolkien takes this sense of fear to heart in his crafting of Gandalf\u2019s persona; with this fear always present — not an overwhelming, consuming fear, as perhaps may have caused Saruman\u2019s treachery — Gandalf has been able to craft calculated responses to all the problems he has faced. That is, fear has been a motivator for Gandalf, and it has set him to do things that would, ultimately, alleviate itself. <\/p>\n
Beyond this sense of fear, however, there is a myriad of powerful \u201cshapers\u201d and \u201cmovers\u201d in Middle-earth lore who could perhaps contend for the title of \u201cvoluntas creatoris.\u201d What distinguishes Gandalf from any of them? <\/p>\n
First, Gandalf was sent to Middle-earth with a mission. This means that his outlook remains fundamentally different from other inhabitants of those lands. For Gandalf, he is constantly motivated by his Valar-determined goals; he is never really troubled by the web of personal matters that engirth so many of Middle-earth\u2019s native-born finest. And though many others have had the same goal as Gandalf, and have striven equally valiantly to defeat darkness and evil, one explicit event in his life distinguishes his importance: his return from death. <\/p>\n
As many know, Gandalf used his last strength to defeat the Balrog Durin\u2019s Bane — all in the name of continuing his quest and saving the Fellowship. Thus, when his spirit left his body, he having \u2018died\u2019 still faithfully devoted to his task, Eru sent him back. Tolkien\u2019s, or Eru\u2019s, explicit saving of Gandalf — their request that he return until his job is done — highlights the true importance of this specific character. <\/p>\n
Thus, we begin to paint a portrait of Gandalf rooted in intentionality, both of existence and design, towards Tolkien\u2019s will. What exactly is that will and desire, specific to these texts? <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
It is the timeless theme of an absolute Good versus an absolute Evil, a struggle playing out both cosmically and terrestrially. Unequivocally, Gandalf plays a major role in this fight. The consciousness behind his role is, maybe, one spot of contention. Tolkien, as subcreator of Middle-earth, imbued his mythology with a full span of themes, emotions, and motifs to lay the foundation for the ultimate existential struggle that constitutes the bulk of his stories. He consciously chose to include the Evil, the bad and wicked sides that motivate people to great action and make great tales. But he was a firm believer in the Good. <\/p>\n
![\"The](\"http:\/\/www-images.theonering.org\/torwp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/The-Silmarillion-300x300.jpg\")
We come now to the more psychological, or psychoanalytic, notion of Tolkien\u2019s attachment to his world. For someone as devoted to his creation as Tolkien — who, it may seem, was primed to write and create as he did even from his youth — it should come as no surprise that great attachment and emotional involvement with the peoples, places, and traditions would ensue. <\/p>\n
The struggle between authors and the filmmaking establishment is another showcase of the true emotions creators feel for their works; but, even those of us who write or craft things on our own feel the same passion. This is inherent in any personal craft. The difference with authors as opposed to other artists lies in the narrative form of their work. <\/p>\n
Authors, thus, can see to the manifestation of their desires — and thanks to the medium of literature, they can make it seem as though this desire was a naturally-occurring event or plot point. What I mean to say is this: because Tolkien wanted the Good to triumph over Evil, he ensured that it did. And he did so by means of Gandalf, who does succeed in his task (though Tolkien, master that he was, wove Gandalf\u2019s role seamlessly into the narrative). In this way, Gandalf truly is the \u201cvoluntas creatoris.\u201d<\/p>\n
Some of you will ask after the intention behind all this. My answer is that it does not matter, per se. If Tolkien consciously thought to develop Gandalf\u2019s character from the beginning in this way, or whether he assumed this \u201cde facto\u201d role finally, does not really make a difference. <\/p>\n
What matters is that Gandalf always happens to guess at more than we can, to be in the right place at the right time, and generally to be one step ahead. Gandalf\u2019s goal is the same as Tolkien\u2019s — this is not mere coincidence, especially in light of Gandalf\u2019s task being given him by another unquestioning, high authority, Manwe. <\/p>\n
None of this is meant to demean Gandalf\u2019s role; on the contrary, I am writing this to highlight his true importance, as we do not often see it. We often associate hobbits with the Professor, self-proclaimed one as he may be. But although Tolkien may not have seen himself as a perpetual wanderer, never knowing where the next meal may come from or when he next will sleep, he shares a fundamental similarity of mind and spirit with Gandalf. <\/p>\n
Tolkien may have wanted the \u201clittle people\u201d to be the ones to change the course of the world, but it is (literally) Gandalf that shoves them out the door to their task.<\/p>\n
As such, we should direct some of the attention we throw at hobbits — the \u201cfinestest\u201d though they be — in favor of Gandalf who, much more than we realize, has a special connection to Tolkien. Recognizing the \u201cvoluntas creatoris\u201d relationship between Gandalf and the Professor, perhaps upon rereading and reexamining the texts, we will find more of the Professors true thoughts and musings as manifest in the wisdom of this wizard. <\/p>\n
After all, remember what he says to Bilbo at the end of The Hobbit: \u201cYou don\u2019t really suppose, do you, that all your adventures and escapes were managed by mere luck, just for your sole benefit?\u201d.<\/p>\n
Tedoras is a bibliophile, linguist, and regular attendee at TORn\u2019s live weekly webcast. He splits his time between scouring the web for Tolkien books to add to his collection and the study of Chinese politics and public policy.<\/b><\/p>\n
![\"C_Gand_JH\"](\"http:\/\/www-images.theonering.org\/torwp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/C_Gand_JH.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In our latest Library feature, Tedoras muses on how we can view Gandalf as the prime extension of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":57003,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[36,331,7,153,35,38,148,149,37,152],"tags":[807,1788],"class_list":["post-89658","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fotr-book","category-greenbooks","category-hobbit-book","category-tolkien-life","category-lotr-books","category-rotk-book","category-hobbit","category-lotr","category-ttt-book","category-tolkien","tag-gandalf","tag-library"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.theonering.net\/torwp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/hobbit_gandalf.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1tLoH-nk6","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theonering.net\/torwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89658","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theonering.net\/torwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theonering.net\/torwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theonering.net\/torwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theonering.net\/torwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=89658"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.theonering.net\/torwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89658\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":89669,"href":"https:\/\/www.theonering.net\/torwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89658\/revisions\/89669"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theonering.net\/torwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57003"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theonering.net\/torwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=89658"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theonering.net\/torwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=89658"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theonering.net\/torwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=89658"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"hobbit_gandalf\"](\"http:\/\/www-images.theonering.org\/torwp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/hobbit_gandalf.jpg\")
In our latest Library feature, Tedoras muses on how we can view Gandalf as the prime extension of the will of J.R.R. Tolkien within The Lord of Rings. <\/p>\n