[The Saucepan Man]

This thread is entitled "Magic v Power". Surely these concepts are not mutually exclusive. And surely, they both cover a multitude of concepts in themselves.

Take power. Now, that can mean physical power, such as that displayed by Tulkas or Broromir. It can mean magical power, such as that imbued in items such as the One Ring, the Elven Rings or Glamdring, or displayed by the likes of Galadriel and Gandalf. Or it can me the power of resilience and friendship, such as that displayed by Sam, Merry and Pippin.

So, magic is a form of power. But, what is "magical power"? Well, we have magical items, such as the Rings, Galadriel's Mirror, the Palantiri, Elven Rope and magical weapons such as Glamdring, Orcrist and Sting. Each of these items was imbued with magical abilities by their makers. Some, such as the weapons and the rope, can be used by anybody. Others, such as the Rings and the Palantiri, can be used to varying degrees of effect, depending upon the qualities of the wielder. Others, such as Galadriel's Mirror, it seems, can only be used by one person, or a select few.

What of the magical powers of individuals? Well, some seem to be a natural, innate ability, such as the telepathy used by the Eldar. Other magical abilities seem to be more of the learnt kind, which might require words of command or ingredients to make them work. The Witch King, for example, was a great sorceror before becoming enslaved by his Ring. I always imagined that human sorcerors such as this learnt their craft and, perhaps, needed "props" to make their spells work. The Istari seem to have used a combination of magical powers. They surely had innate magical abilities, but they also required items to assist them in discharging (some of?) their magical abilities. Their staves, for instance. And Gandalf had the Ring of Fire which, no doubt, enhanced his natural abilities. We are also told that Gandalf learnt "spells" while in ME, which he used to assist him in his mission. And what of Beorn? We are told that he was a magician of sorts. But was his shape-changing an innate magical ability, or was it an acquired skill, performed through the use of "spells"?

It seems to me that the word "magic" in JRRT's works covers a variety of concepts, from the "spell-based" magic performed by human sorcerors such as the pre-Wraith Witch King to the "psychic" abilities used by the likes of Galadriel. It also refers to magic items, which might be used by anyone, or only by one or a select few. And similarly, they could presumably be made either by those who had innate magic ability or by those who learned their craft. Or also by those who had special skill which would not necessarily be considered "magical". Mithril arnmour, for example, might be considered a kind of magical armour, but it was made by Dwarves from a naturally occuring substance (some have likened it to Aluminium). So "magic" here is not referring to an innate ability or to any kind of "spell", but to a scientific method of treatment.

So, I see magic in JRRT's works as covering different types of ability. Yes, some are innate. Others are learnt, either as a scientific method, or as spells possibly requiring words of command or ingredients. And all are a kind of power, just as someone who has a hefty sword in their hand and the ability to use it has power of a kind.