The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum - View Single Post - LotR -- Book 3 - Chapter 10

davem · 08-13-2006, 06:35 AM

Staffs 'n' stuff

Just struck by the 'breaking of the Staff' thing. It could be seen to be a display of power on Gandalf's part, breaking Saruman's Staff, & therefore breaking his power, but is that the case? My feeling is that when Gandalf breaks Saruman's Staff he is actually taking away his authority as head of the Istari. We see with Denethor that in breaking his Staff he is casting aside his rule of Gondor. Denethor turns his back on authority (but not on 'power' - he still desires to 'rule his own end') & wishes to go his own way. Gandalf cannot take away Saruman's power, only his authority.

So, Staffs seem less to do with 'power' & more to do with 'Office' - ie the bearer of a Staff has a certain 'rank'. In both cases, with Saruman & with Denethor, there is a confrontation with Gandalf, & in both cases it is Gandalf who is left with Staff intact. But perhaps more interesting is that with Saruman the contest is between Wizards & Gandalf comes out on top, with Denethor it is a contest of 'Stewards' ('I also am a Steward, did you not know?' he asks Denethor).

So, a Staff is a symbol of office, & the breaking of it symbolises the withdrawal of that role. When one's Staff is broken one's authority is ended. But perhaps it goes deeper than that - there is clearly a difference between breaking one's own Staff & having it broken for one - there are two voluntary breakings of Staffs in LotR - Denethor's has been mentioned already, but Gandalf also breaks his Staff - in Moria. Interestingly in both these cases death follows almost immediately. It is as though to break one's Staff is to lay down one's life (there was speculation in a talk at Tolkien 2005 that when a Steward was about to surrender his office he would break his Staff & the next Steward would recieve a new one).

Gandalf's authority over Saruman seems to come as much from Right as from 'power'. Saruman obeys Gandalf not simply (if at all) because Gandalf is more powerful, but rather because, in Middle-earth, Authority, place in a hierarchy, has 'power' in & of itself. Aragorn can safely use the Palantir not simply because of any physical/mental power he has but because his Numenorean inheritance gives him authority to use it.

Of course these 'badges of Office' are not limited to Staffs. Elendil's Sword springs to mind for one...

08-13-2006, 06:35 AM	#16
davem Illustrious Ulair Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: In the home of lost causes, and forsaken beliefs, and unpopular names,and impossible loyalties Posts: 4,256	Staffs 'n' stuff Just struck by the 'breaking of the Staff' thing. It could be seen to be a display of power on Gandalf's part, breaking Saruman's Staff, & therefore breaking his power, but is that the case? My feeling is that when Gandalf breaks Saruman's Staff he is actually taking away his authority as head of the Istari. We see with Denethor that in breaking his Staff he is casting aside his rule of Gondor. Denethor turns his back on authority (but not on 'power' - he still desires to 'rule his own end') & wishes to go his own way. Gandalf cannot take away Saruman's power, only his authority. So, Staffs seem less to do with 'power' & more to do with 'Office' - ie the bearer of a Staff has a certain 'rank'. In both cases, with Saruman & with Denethor, there is a confrontation with Gandalf, & in both cases it is Gandalf who is left with Staff intact. But perhaps more interesting is that with Saruman the contest is between Wizards & Gandalf comes out on top, with Denethor it is a contest of 'Stewards' ('I also am a Steward, did you not know?' he asks Denethor). So, a Staff is a symbol of office, & the breaking of it symbolises the withdrawal of that role. When one's Staff is broken one's authority is ended. But perhaps it goes deeper than that - there is clearly a difference between breaking one's own Staff & having it broken for one - there are two voluntary breakings of Staffs in LotR - Denethor's has been mentioned already, but Gandalf also breaks his Staff - in Moria. Interestingly in both these cases death follows almost immediately. It is as though to break one's Staff is to lay down one's life (there was speculation in a talk at Tolkien 2005 that when a Steward was about to surrender his office he would break his Staff & the next Steward would recieve a new one). Gandalf's authority over Saruman seems to come as much from Right as from 'power'. Saruman obeys Gandalf not simply (if at all) because Gandalf is more powerful, but rather because, in Middle-earth, Authority, place in a hierarchy, has 'power' in & of itself. Aragorn can safely use the Palantir not simply because of any physical/mental power he has but because his Numenorean inheritance gives him authority to use it. Of course these 'badges of Office' are not limited to Staffs. Elendil's Sword springs to mind for one... __________________ “Everything was an object. If you killed a dwarf you could use it as a weapon – it was no different to other large heavy objects."