Quote:
Originally Posted by Galadriel55
I think that when the Istari came to ME, Gandalf already seemed the oldest. As for the legal-or-not thing, Gandalf is the "steward" of all of ME, and thus should have the authority to decide what will happen to Isengard. He has more authority than Aragorn or Denethor or both combined.
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I... really wonder about that. Gandalf tells Denethor "I am also a steward," but that does not mean "I am also a legal authority charged with governance in the absence of the one charging me with that authority." To put it another way, Gandalf is a steward, yes--but what is he stewarding? You say Gandalf is "steward of all Middle-earth," and I agree in a sense... but not in a legal sense.
To be sure, I agree that Gandalf "has more authority than Aragorn or Denethor or both combined"... but I don't think that's
legal authority. In other words, I don't think, really, that Gandalf is "emissary of the Valar, and by reason of being Head of the Istari the chief steward of their authority in Middle-earth, which pre-empts all prior claims." In other words, I don't think Gandalf was saying "I'm standing here with the authority of Manwë, vicegerent of Arda," in the way Denethor was asserting his authority as "Steward of the House of Anárion."
It's a rather pedantic point that I'm making, but an important one in my opinion. Gandalf's actions throughout the book are not consistent with a "legal" view of his stewardship. Rather, he has a stewardship of Men's hopes. His stewardship is not to assert the Valar's authority in Middle-earth, but to keep the flame of resistance alive against Sauron. It is an important part of his mission that this is NOT done by putting his authority over that of the kingdoms of Men (and others...). On the contrary, he is an encourager, a persuader, and a bringer of hope.