What broke the darkness at the Siege of Minas Tirith?

[JeffF.]

The discussion on magic and power made me think of this.

Prior to the siege Sauron creates darkness over Minas Tirith to enhance the morale of his orcs who detest the light and perhpas to protect his trolls since they turn to stone in the sunlight unless they are Olog Hai. The darkness continues until Gandalf's confrontation with the Lord of the Nazgul at the breaking of the gates. A rooster crows greeting the breaking sunlight and the horns of the Rohirrim dimly echo from the mountainsides.

But what power broke Sauron's darkness? Gandalf gives no indication that he has used his power to do so. Have Elrond and Galadriel somehow intervened? Did the Valar?

[Inziladun]

Wasn't it a wind from the Sea that blew it away? Ghân-Buri-Ghân told Théoden the wind was changing. I'd always thought that to be related.

[Pitchwife]

The wind changed (as Ghân-buri-Ghân observed). A fresh southerly wind from the sea - the same that filled the sails of Aragorn's hijacked Corsair ships - scattered the clouds of Sauron's darkness.
If you're looking for a supernatural agent who caused the wind, the obvious candidate would be Manwe (with a little help from Ulmo, perhaps).

(EDIT: x-ed with Inziladun)

[Mnemosyne]

I always thought it was the same wind from the Sea that hastened Aragorn's arrival upriver, and that later on dispelled the clouds of Mordor enough to let Sam and Frodo get their glimpse of light.

Elrond's power (which is supposed to be associated with wind) seems pretty localized. Galadriel's, too, unless you want to credit F&S's speaking in tongues to osanwe with her (which I'm not willing to do). And Gandalf is not really in the position at this point to oversee or foresee anything so far as drumming up a wind from the sea so that it'll reach the battle exactly when he confronts the WK.

I would attribute it to one of the higher Powers, as you suggest, who are rarely mentioned in LotR itself:

There was battle far above in the high spaces of the air. The billowing clouds of Mordor were being driven back, their edges tattering out as a wind out of the living world came up and swept the fumes and smokes towards the dark land of their home. Under the lifting skirts of the dreary canopy dim light leaked into Mordor like pale morning through the grimed window of a prison.

"Look at it, Mr. Frodo!" said Sam. "Look at it! The wind's changed. Something's happening. He's not having it all his own way. His darkness is breaking up out in the world there. I wish I could see what is going on!"

I think the imagery here and elsewhere suggests that something conscious is going on (i.e., it's not just coincidence), and whatever it is is much more removed from events than such figures as the bearers of the Three.

And this just became XXX-posting.

[Mithalwen]

These posts reminded me of my History lessons (small miracle) :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/He_blew_with_His_winds,_and_they_were_scattered

I am sure that Tolkien would have known about this since he was educated in a Protestant school.

[narfforc]

'I live upon the open Wold in days of peace; Widfara is my name, and to me the air brings messages. Already the wind is turning. There comes a breath out of the South; there is a sea-tang in it, faint though it be. The morning will bring new things'.

Then we have this:-


'But at midnight hope was indeed born anew. Sea-crafty men of the Ethir gazing southward spoke of a change coming with a fresh wind from the Sea'.

Maybe The Valar had not forsaken Middle-earth.

[Nogrod]

Maybe The Valar had not forsaken Middle-earth.Or maybe we should go beyond Valar with this...

I've kind of always thought that was something Ilúvatar itself looked after - or the great metaphysical forces inherent in the created world were looking after. Like "good will prevail in the end", no matter what. And think of Gandalf's resurrection and return as even more powerful Maia to help the good side... I sense the hand or thought of Ilùvatar there to be sure.

And surely this fresh wind from the sea and the first rays of the sun after such darkness can be - and even should be - read symbolically as well, at the same time.

[Mnemosyne]

Or maybe we should go beyond Valar with this...

I've kind of always thought that was something Ilúvatar itself looked after - or the great metaphysical forces inherent in the created world were looking after. Like "good will prevail in the end", no matter what. And think of Gandalf's resurrection and return as even more powerful Maia to help the good side... I sense the hand or thought of Ilùvatar there to be sure.

And surely this fresh wind from the sea and the first rays of the sun after such darkness can be - and even should be - read symbolically as well, at the same time.

I'd be with you if this weren't so clearly associated with the elements: Manwe (who, granted, is very closely associated with Iluvatar), and especially Ulmo, with this being a sea breeze and all.

Iluvatar's intervention seems to be limited to the things that even the Valar had no control over: the resurrection of Gandalf, Bilbo's finding the Ring, possibly even the fall of Gollum. Those are all too random to be in the provenance of any Vala; wind and sea not only fit in with their domain but fit into the domains of two specific Valar who would be likely to intervene (albeit very, very subtly) in such a situation.

[Eönwë]

I'd definately say that at least Ulmo is involved. I'm sure he'd be waiting to see what Aragorn would do and try to help him subtly- after all, there would be no Aragorn if it wasn't for Ulmo. And also he's never abandoned Middle-Earth the way the other Valar did (He's the "chink in the armour of fate" or something like that).

As well as this, I think it is referenced that Ulmo was closest to Manwe out of the Valar (in terms of friendship, or whatever it can be called for Valar), so it could be assumed that he probably could have persuaded Manwe to join his cause, which would also (not incidentally) change the outcome of a major battle.