[Child of the 7th Age]

Valerie--That's the great thing about the net. Everyone throws in their two cents and, in the end, you hopfully come out with something that is more insightful that what you would get sitting at home and thinking by yourself. To say nothing of the fact, that it is a lot more fun. Now the whole question of Gandalf and fate is far afield from characters falling in love, but it's also very tempting to try and respond. And I'll stick in something at the end, (anything?) to tie it in somehow with the thread.

I haven't thought a lot about this subject, but I'd have to say it is complex and, on a certain level, unknowable. There are a number of different forces coming to play here. First of all, you can definitely go through the book and find instances where Gandalf seems to have a pretty good idea of what will or might(the two are not identical) happen next. A good transparent one familiar to us all is how Gandalf responded as the company entered the mountain to face the perils of the mines of Moria. He clearly had some foreknowledge (and perhaps Aragorn too?) of the problems they would encounter. But you can also find other instances in the story where Gandalf seemingly has little idea how something might turn out. I think the truth is somewhere in the middle, and there may be many reasons for this.

I do believe that, as a Maia, Gandalf had access to information that no one else in Middle-Earth has. On a personal level, I am reminded of the cryptic moment when he made a brief allusion to the fact that he knew something about the origin of the hobbits, a topic which is never discussed by Tolkien anywhere else. Then, much to my frustration, Gandalf never elaborates further on this mysterious glimmer so we do not find out whether the hobbits are simply a sub-plot of Man's creation, or whether there is actually a separate story of origin for hobbits as members of the human race but as a branch subtly separate and distinct from Man. So Gandalf does have sources of information which he sometimes reveals to us and sometimes doesn't. This can look an awful lot like "knowing Fate" but really it is only knowing more background information than the other beings around you, and being able to make wise guesses about what's likely to happen.

Secondly, Tolkien is quite clear in his writing that the characters in his book have freedom of choice, not complete freedom but the freedom to determine which path they will go on. This is part of his belief as a Christian and a Catholic, and I feel it was at the core of his being and writing. Frodo could have said no to carrying the Ring. Gandalf truly couldn't say with certainty ahead of time what Frodo's answer would be. He might understand Frodo enough to have a strong idea of what he might do, but that is not the same thing as Fate or knowing something with certainty. Didn't Gandalf say you could study hobbits for a hundred years, and still find that you had much more to learn? If Fate had been all encompassing, there would have been no reason to study hobbits in this way since there would be no possibility of different responses by Frodo or anyone else, at least not in significant situations.

What's interesting is that this view has little in common with Tolken's training as a specialist in ancient northern mythology. In the ancient lays of Finland and Iceland, there is no question that things are determined by Fate. There is always one or more goddess figures who weave the marvelous web and determine what will happen to Man before it actually occurs. Again, Tolkien made a point to differentiate his world from this fatalistic view. Vaire the Weaver who dwells in the halls of Mandos only puts in her web that which has already occurred. So again, there have to be limitations on what Gandalf can possibly forsee.

Finally, there is the whole question of the role which Gandalf played when he is placed in an incarnate body and sent to Middle Earth in the Third Age. According to Tolkien's Letters, Gandalf is under the distinct obligation of concealing his power and teaching those around him rather than forcing or dominating wills as he easily might have done. This, indeed, is the path that Sauron the maia took. Now it is true that, after his battle with the Balrog, he returns with seemingly augmented instructions. He is now allowed to do things he wasn't permitted before. Tolkien says that this is because Gandalf was first sent out under the plan of the Valar, but "that Authority had taken up this plan and enlarged it, at the moment of its failure." Even with this seeming expansion of instrucions, Gandalf continues to operate mainly through others. He does do a few things--rescuing Faramir and guarding the entrance to Minas Tirith against the Nazgul--but the focus of activity is on the company and assemblage as a whole. Given this focus and the extent to which Gandalf purposely minimizes his personal role, how can he possibly control Fate in the same manner as an ancient Norse god?

Finally, all through the early Silmarillion, it is made quite clear that each of the Valar know only a tiny part of Eru's mind and song. And Gandalf was not one of the Valar, but only a Maia. So, although he appears to us mortals as an incredibly important personage, in the total picture and hierarchy of Eru, he is one of many and would only know a small glimmering of the mind of the One.

Finally, I would say that perhaps we are using the wrong terminology in this situation. When we describe foreknowing in Tolkien's writings, perhaps the word that we want is not "fate" but "providence". Gandalf certainly knew more than others about what might happen. And I definitely prefer "might" to "would". Gandalf's role was to interpret providence to the characters of Middle-earth, to the extent that these characters were able to understand and internalize his values. He did this, for example, in his conversations with Frodo about pity and mercy, an idea which crept slowly but steadily into Frodo's thoughts and heart not just in relation to Gollum but even at the end of the telling in the scouring of the Shire.

So I think the true answer to your post is a little yes, but mostly no. Gandalf certainly knew more than Aragorn or Frodo or even Galadriel, but that something was a tiny drop in the ocean of reality.

And how does this all tie in with getting Gandalf paired up with a soul mate? I would say that it is great fun to conjecture how singles like Gandalf and Frodo could end up with the mate of their dreams. But, in reality, those who are chosen as instruments by the Valar, or even more by Eru, have a terribly serious task at hand, involving their whole core and being. I truly believe that, for such individuals, there is too much to focus on, to much to give up and to sacrifice, and that the sweet loving family, by which I measure my own happiness, does not lie within their embrace.

This is why, on a certain level, I may get exasperated with fan fiction that insists on giving Frodo a wife and/or children or somehow sending him back to the Shire from Tol Eressa. I feel that it trivializes his contribution and sacrifice, and takes it down to a level which might feel more comfortable for me. However, I don't read Tolkien to feel comfortable or to go down a level. I would rather have both the joy and sadness there because that is just the way Life is, not only in the Third Age but also in the troubled world in which we live. sharon, the 7th age hobbit