[Lyra Greenleaf]

you know what, I'd never thought about the Istari as a hand but that makes a lot of sense...

I'm not sure about the five hobbits, though its possible. As for the five sailing to the West, Im very doubtful- surely other elves went with them? and when you say they were the chief instruments in the defeat, doesnt that cut out a heck of a lot of other people? for a start, to quote elijah wood, "Frodo wouldnt have got far without Sam"

I dont get your point about the nine rings

the birthday numbers are probably the most convincing thig because there was obviously a lot of thought went into it by Tolkien.

these things are possible because they seem deliberate, while other things like what (I'm sorry) Eruantalon say seem a lot more vague.

I think that with the fact that Tolkien didnt just write a book but created a world, it is inevitable that there will be a lot of these things which he intended or didnt, like the importance of these numbers.

i think i was a little hasty (believe it or not i only realised after I wrote that that it might sound like Im quoting treebeard!) dismissing numerology in the books, but on a limited scale. some of it has to be important- such as seven stars and seven stones, does anyone have a theory about seven?- but i think its possible that Tolkien was imagining his own significance, maybe a Gondorian significance, rather than one from our world. Does that make sense?

on the other hand i have to admit i still think a lot of the theories are, well, theoretical!