Gandalf's Staff

[Gothmog]

If the stafff makes it EASIER to cast spells, why does he not use his staff on the two of the most important confrontations - 1/ on the door to the chamber he had to say a Word of Command - which spent him of most of his power and 2/ breaking Saruman's staff - neither of these occasions did he use his staff, but in the case of number 1 - Ten minutes later he DOES use his staff to break the Bridge. Very confusing I have to admit....... a mistake by the Author??????

I don't have any good answers to your question, but I can see one explanation for case 2 if we look at this action as the official end of Saruman's power more than an actual breaking of it. It might be that Saruman, by his disobedience towards Valar, has lost his power and Gandalf only performs the last, official act in removing the power. He takes away Saruman's token of office and power: his staff. If that's the case, Gandalf wouldn't need any great power to break it. One can also suspect the interference of Valar, that Gandalf has their support in this action and only works as a tool for the execution of their will. That would perhaps give him the power of Valar for this task and the use of a staff would be unnecessary.

In the first case, we don't even know what this Word of Command really is, so how can we discuss the necessity of a staff for this? This Word of Command is a word and maybe it's used orally, without any special focusing of it's power? I don't know...

[davem]

We also have Denethor breaking his staff of office as he stands on his pyre. This seems to be a symbolic setting aside of authority, or rank/position. Denethor rejects the position of Steward, Saruman has his position as head of the Order taken from him by Gandalf.

[alatar]

And I would note that unless it states otherwise, Gandalf always has his hand on his staff, so even when it doesn't come into play (or to the forefront of the text), it's still there. Rarely does he set it down or aside.

[Gothmog]

Yes, I forgot that... Does it say that he didn't use his staff when he used the Word of Command?

[Morsul the Dark]

Gandalf died after killing the balrog because he broke his staff but more because without it he collapsed from exhaustion.

no actually the staff although imbued with power is more likely a lightning rod of sorts Gandalf has the power within himself but its unfocused like electricity or radio waves going every which way but the staff like an attenna or a wire controls where the magic goes gandalf when he came back had more power yes and received a staff that could handle the power on the bridge he sent so much power through the staff it shattered like a fuse after a powersurge

[alatar]

Originally Posted by Morsul the Dark

Gandalf died after killing the balrog because he broke his staff but more because without it he collapsed from exhaustion.

I disagree. Although no one knows what happens to Gandalf's staff from the time he is jailed on Orthanc to the time he shows up at Rivendell, I would assume that for some time at least he was bereft of his staff, yet suffered no ill effects (except from being humiliated by Saruman ).

no actually the staff although imbued with power is more likely a lightning rod of sorts Gandalf has the power within himself but its unfocused like electricity or radio waves going every which way but the staff like an attenna or a wire controls where the magic goes gandalf when he came back had more power yes and received a staff that could handle the power on the bridge he sent so much power through the staff it shattered like a fuse after a powersurge

Or is the staff a way of obfuscating his power? Remember when Bilbo disappears using the Ring at his birthday party? Gandalf adds a bit of smoke so that Bilbo just doesn't vanish, and this permits alternate explanations for his disappearance ("It was a trick of that magician Gandalf," etc). So, in the same way, does Gandalf use his staff so that he doesn't have to shoot power/fire/etc from his hand, but can (when he so chooses) make the magic appear from his staff? As an example I would point to the light that he produces in Moria. If this glow would have emanated from his hands or head, I think that there would have been more notice to the magic than by simply having the tip of his staff produce a faint glow.

It's an understated way of working.

[Morsul the Dark]

first off the exhaustion thing was joke...


secondly what i mean is lets go with your light example if gandalf didnt have his staff and went to use light magic or what not it go everywhere probably giving away their postion much quicker and also lets say gandalf was like hey i want to kill that orc with fire say without his staff hed shoot fire every which way burning a bunch of stuff including his friends...or former friends anyway

the staff is almost like an aiming device

oh and with bilbo one can assume being the pyrotechnition he is gandalf had in his possesion what you could consider a smoke grenade.(he did have prior knowledge o Bilbos plan remember"so you mean the go on with your plan then?")