None that can hurt him?

[Lolidir]

true. I guess i wasnt thinking straight last night. i guess it all goes back to who wields it and who strikes the Nazgul. that whole "no man can kill me"

[Finwe-89]

Well, I think Gandalf can't die again, since he has been send back. Cause he had a task to fulfill so I think the Valar made him immortal untill he fulfilled his task,cause I don't think Valar wants to take any risk that Gandalf dies again.

[Assasin]

Exactly. I'm glad YOU grasp the concept.

[ohtatyaro]

I'm glad YOU grasp the concept.

I'm afraid I'm not convinced I mean, if a person has a body, and body is made outta matter, and matter being destructible - surely there is a possibility of destroying it, than?

See:

Originally Posted by Gandalf at the Last Debate

We must walk open-eyed into that trap, with courage, but small hope for ourselves. For, my lords, it may well prove that we ourselves shall perish utterly in a black battle far from the living lands; so that even if Barad-dûr be thrown down, we shall not live to see a new age. But this, I deem, is our duty. And better so than to perish nonetheless - as we surely shall, if we sit here - and know as we die that no new age shall be.’

I doubt Gandalf was so cruel as to have second thougts, I mean, cackling and giggling in his mind along the lines as you surely shall, if we sit here - and know as you persih blah-blah-blah. I mean, it's just not a way Tolkien good guy would do.

[Formendacil]

Originally Posted by Finwe-89

Well, I think Gandalf can't die again, since he has been send back. Cause he had a task to fulfill so I think the Valar made him immortal untill he fulfilled his task,cause I don't think Valar wants to take any risk that Gandalf dies again.

Didn't he have a task to fulfill BEFORE he died?

And Gandalf as sent back is merely an "enhanced" Gandalf. He has more authority, he is more able to unveil his power, but he remains a Maia in human form, hence he is still subject to death. Of course, the mere fact that he is more able to use his powers and skills means that the chances of anyone actually being skilled enough or clever enough or whatnot to actually hurt or kill him are pretty slim, but I do NOT think that Gandalf was unkillable.

I strongly agree with Formendacil! When the Ainur made the Music for Eru certain events where set in time and space before they actually came into being, right? The Valar remember the vision of Eru (especially Mandos, proclaimer of Doom). Some things are therefore Doom, unchangeable, like the fact the Witch King could not be killed by any man. Gandalf was given a task to fulfill, whether to victory or defeat. Gandalf knew this because he had been sent back to complete his task, with the knowledge and blessing of the Valar. Therefore he knew that it was not in his “doom” to die at the hand of a friend, he would ride out as the white rider against the Nine, and he would break the power of Saruman the Treacherous before he would come to the blessed relm again. For this reason no weapon held by a friend would hurt him.

All this is however theory, and I have no textual quotes to back me up, other then the general pattern of Doom and Fulfillment through out JRRT's work.

[Lolidir]

i must say that that is an interesting way to look at it, and after a little bit of thought i must agree. Even in LotR there are other forces at work than just magic. the Valar want Gandalf to finish his task and help save Middle Earth, therefor i doubt that they would allow something like being the accidental target of Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas in Fangorn stop him. i am sure that they would intervene to make sure Gandalf got to where he needed to go.

[Finwe-89]

Originally Posted by Formendacil

Didn't he have a task to fulfill BEFORE he died?

And Gandalf as sent back is merely an "enhanced" Gandalf. He has more authority, he is more able to unveil his power, but he remains a Maia in human form, hence he is still subject to death. Of course, the mere fact that he is more able to use his powers and skills means that the chances of anyone actually being skilled enough or clever enough or whatnot to actually hurt or kill him are pretty slim, but I do NOT think that Gandalf was unkillable.

I think that the Valar thought Gandalf couldn't die cause of his power, but when he did, they made him immortal. And if he get's a arrow orsomething in his body, I think he can regerate him self

[Formendacil]

Originally Posted by Finwe-89

I think that the Valar thought Gandalf couldn't die cause of his power, but when he did, they made him immortal. And if he get's a arrow orsomething in his body, I think he can regerate him self

As far as an arrow goes, it would have to hit him with the right force in the right place if it was to kill him anyway. Otherwise, he'd just be wounded.

Remember too, that Gandalf's power is still cloaked most of the time. He only unveils his power at truly desperate moments, like when the Nazgul are bearing down on Faramir. And even then, he does no more than drive them off.

Gandalf, were he to completely unveil his power, would have no need of diversions to get Frodo to Mount Doom. The invasion of Mordor would be deadly serious, it would be like the War of Wrath in miniature. Because Gandalf would no longer have any reason to hold back, to only encourage and not command, the War of the Ring would have gone VERY differently.

For these reasons (and those previously mentioned), I am of the solidified opinion that Gandalf was still very "killable" after his return from death. He was just more unlikely to be killed. He had, after all, been enhanced, given more allowance to use his power, and it had taken a Balrog his life to get rid of him the first time. Gandalf would have been beyond the skill of pretty much anyone to kill, but that doesn't mean that he was impossible to kill. He was, after all, still a Maia incarnate.

[Neurion]

Originally Posted by Formendacil

As far as an arrow goes, it would have to hit him with the right force in the right place if it was to kill him anyway. Otherwise, he'd just be wounded.

Remember too, that Gandalf's power is still cloaked most of the time. He only unveils his power at truly desperate moments, like when the Nazgul are bearing down on Faramir. And even then, he does no more than drive them off.

Gandalf, were he to completely unveil his power, would have no need of diversions to get Frodo to Mount Doom. The invasion of Mordor would be deadly serious, it would be like the War of Wrath in miniature. Because Gandalf would no longer have any reason to hold back, to only encourage and not command, the War of the Ring would have gone VERY differently.

For these reasons (and those previously mentioned), I am of the solidified opinion that Gandalf was still very "killable" after his return from death. He was just more unlikely to be killed. He had, after all, been enhanced, given more allowance to use his power, and it had taken a Balrog his life to get rid of him the first time. Gandalf would have been beyond the skill of pretty much anyone to kill, but that doesn't mean that he was impossible to kill. He was, after all, still a Maia incarnate.

I wonder though. Does he not remark that "No weapon you have could harm me", or something like that?

[Assasin]

Why would he be brought back just to die again? He wouldn't have been sent back unless he had something else to do. He has to do that thing that he was sent back to do before he can drop dead again. Neurion, he probably has some sort of wizard force field or something. Don't they have those at Wal-Mart?

[Neithan]

Originally Posted by Saucepan Man

Based on this, I think that Lhuna is right. Gandalf the White was just as much incarnate as Gandalf the Grey.

Well the Valar ate at that whole harvest feast thing, so Gandalf could be eating and sleeping to keep up the act and keep others from realizing what he was. For this reason we cannot discount the theory of Gandalf being clothed so easily.
It all depends on how you interpret Gandalfs words. If you take it literally to mean that Anduril could not hurt Gandalf then the only explanation is that he is clothed. If you interpret it as that no weapons in the hands of those three could hurt him then he has already demonstrated that to be true. This is somewhat amazing though, that Isildur can harm Sauron but Aragorn can't harm Gandalf. It is hard to imagine that Gandalf has this power but Sauron does not.
Anyway it depends on what you think is more unlikely, that Gandalf would go into an actual sleep in order to keep up the act or that Gandalf's words which seemed to say that Anduril could not hurt him was actually saying, in a round about way, that they could not hurt him.