LotR -- Book 3 - Chapter 10 - The Voice of Saruman

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by davem

It is interesting that Gandalf has taken over the role of ‘White Wizard’. Whether this is because Saruman forsook the role, or because Gandalf, when he ‘strayed beyond thought & time’ was given the role & title, is not clear. What is clear is that there can only be one White Wizard’ in Middle earth. Certainly Saruman does not realise Gandalf has taken up this mantle.

Originally Posted by davem

Poor Saruman, what place is there for a failed megalomaniac in Middle earth, what is he to do, what can he contribute? ‘A little mischief in a mean way.’ Its a terrible fate he chooses for himself. Its as if his response to Gandalf here seals his fate. If he could have accepted Gandalf’s mercy maybe he could have avoided his nasty little death in the Shire, but perhaps even by this time he was too far gone. Or maybe he preferred his fate to accepting mercy from a former subordinate.

Once Saruman broke the Light and became 'Saruman of many colours' the position of White Wizard must have effectively become vacant. He cannot be both White and Many-Coloured, certainly not in the defined moral structure of Arda. Once Saruman took the step to break the Light he effectively became a heretic. The concept of 'White' possibly encompassed the powers of all the other wizards, which may be what 'the rods of the five wizards' refers to, and also as White light encompasses all colours; it is composed of those colours and has no substance without them. Saruman of course, in breaking the Light, broke his own power in terms of Arda.

Saruman may be refusing to accept that Gandalf has taken over his former role; after all, he may well assume that with his inceredible intelligence he has achieved something beyond the bounds of the established order in becoming 'many-coloured'. He may be labouring under the false belief that his new found power is somehow 'outside' the established order. But it is not. 'White' encompasses all the other colours, and without this his power is rendered fragile.

Gandalf must neutralise Saruman's power as it is unstable in terms of the world they exist in; it exists outside the existing moral framework. All this makes me wonder what is the significance of the wizard's staff, what does it do and what does it symbolise.