Yavanna's Chosen

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by Raynor

Well, we might attribute that to many things. On one hand, Gandalf may have impressed the ent very much, with his dedication, passion, and possible higher spiritual standing, so that even if the other istari did they best, they just couldn't measure up to him.

That would seem to say even less for Radagast. Gandalf's forte was primarily working with the remaining Eldar and Dúnedain, and the fact that to the chief of the Ents he was more notable than Radagast, who was supposedly looking out for Yavanna's interests, suggests Radagast failed even in his 'secondary' mission.

[Raynor]

Why is being notable to an ent of any relevance here? Like I said before, it's not like ents have a natural inclination towards quick and exhaustive exchange of information. They may take a whole day just to greet each other :/ Furthermore, the race of the ents is one with no future in the later history of Arda. If Aiwendil has a limited time at his disposal, why would he waste time with a dying race, instead of planting "seeds", of doing actions that will have far reaching repercussions, no matter how subtle and inconspicuous they may seem - the last act of Yavanna, her last chance to influence the reign of the living, to fulfill her role and "guard" her title as queen of the earth.

The wisdom of the plans of this valie, second in reverence only to Varda, certainly surpasses the comprehension power of an ent; after all, ents seem to have a rather narrow focus on the tall trees and the likes, pretty much ignoring the greater variety of the reign of the living. Ents, who also weren't capable of comprehending/ preventing the departure of the entwives, thus sealing their own departure from the stage.

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by Raynor

Why is being notable to an ent of any relevance here
Like I said before, it's not like ents have a natural inclination towards quick and exhaustive exchange of information. They may take a whole day just to greet each other :/ Furthermore, the race of the ents is one with no future in the later history of Arda.?

I see it entirely differently. If we are to judge Radagast on the basis of how well he fulfilled his secondary task of looking out for Yavanna's interests, I would think the Ents would have been the most credible, as they themselves had the fundamental purpose of protecting trees and forests, in line with Yavanna's desire.
All I'm saying is that I think it's telling when someone like Treebeard, who knew Gandalf fairly well (even though trees were far from the latter's focus) didn't even think to speak of Radagast during the entire time we see and hear him. I have to wonder whether Radagast did anything really worthwhile in the Third Age. Yes, he had a rapport with beasts and birds, and perhaps they were able to bring some useful information to the White Council. However, I think the Eagles of the Misty Mountains would have aided Gandalf with or without Radagast's help, and they were apparently Gandalf's chief source of news. Saruman, however seems to have found Radagast fairly helpful in tracking the Fellowship after they left Rivendell.
Aragorn noted the crebain watching them in Hollin were native to Fangorn. Since Saruman doesn't give the impression of being very good with animals and birds, I have to put that down to another of Radagast's 'accomplishments'. There's no indication Radagast ever realised Saruman had turned to evil, and for all we know he may have told his bird friends to keep sending Saruman news while he frolicked in some woodland meadow, oblivious to the War of the Ring.

[Sarumian]

Originally Posted by Inziladun

Aragorn noted the crebain watching them in Hollin were native to Fangorn. Since Saruman doesn't give the impression of being very good with animals and birds, I have to put that down to another of Radagast's 'accomplishments'.

I think this suspicion is going a bit too far. When Saruman needed, he contacted even ents, as Treebeard told hobbits. After all, he was a wizard and was able to persuade living creatures into his service.

I believe that although Radagast failed to fight or give any significant help during the War of the Ring, he was sent to ME not in vain. He probably made an influence on living creatures which could prevent Sauron to use them. What was his main goal was that he established good relationships with Beorn. Beorn defenitely had high opinion of Radagast and I am not sure whether Gandalf could have conquered Beorn's heart so easily if he hadn't had an opportunity to introduce himself as Radagst's cousin. Now let's recall that Beorn made a final blow in The Battle of Five Armies which gave a chance to reform the entire region east of Misty Mountains.Can we suppose that Radagast's influence was important for harmony in the area between Misty Mountains and Dale?

No doubt, Radagast failed to give any aid during the most important period of struggle against Sauron. We don't know why he disappeared. He could've been killed by Nazgul of Dol Gudur. But it looks more likely that he went into hiding after the outbreak of the war in his area. So he didn't return to Valinor, but he hadn't fallen like Saruman. He probably could've been granted some quiet retirement like Bombadil (if we choose a version that the latter was a Maia too).

[Raynor]

I see it entirely differently. If we are to judge Radagast on the basis of how well he fulfilled his secondary task of looking out for Yavanna's interests, I would think the Ents would have been the most credible, as they themselves had the fundamental purpose of protecting trees and forests, in line with Yavanna's desire.

Again, ents are very limited in their own focus:

Originally Posted by FotR, Chapter 4

The ents loved the great trees; and the wild woods, and the slopes of the high hills... But the entwives gave their minds to the lesser trees, and to the meads in the sunshine beyond the feet of the forests; and they saw the sloe in the thicket, and the wild apple and the cherry blossoming in spring, and the green herbs in the waterlands in summer, and the seeding grasses in the autumn fields.

We were only a legend to [Men], a secret in the heart of the forest.

The ents' major interest seem to be the really big trees of the forest, while all the rest seem to be outside their concern. That doesn't make them very reliable source tbh. Also, the very fact that they take care of at least the trees in their area, would require very little intervention on Aiwendil's behalf; that, coupled with the fact that ents are rather reclusive and sticking to their own parcel ["we are a legend to [Men], a secret in the heart of the forest"], gives a pretty good reason for their very limited knowledge about his abilities and actions.

We have a single opinion expressed here, by one representative of a race concerned with a limited land, and even there, probably focused on just a few species - everything else, even there (sloe, small trees, green herbs, grasses, etc) seem to escape their notice anyway. If they aren't experts and/or watchers over all these "fields", I don't see why we should be concerned too much with their opinion, if the work of Yavanna has a greater scope anyway.

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by Raynor

We have a single opinion expressed here, by one representative of a race concerned with a limited land, and even there, probably focused on just a few species - everything else, even there (sloe, small trees, green herbs, grasses, etc) seem to escape their notice anyway. If they aren't experts and/or watchers over all these "fields", I don't see why we should be concerned too much with their opinion, if the work of Yavanna has a greater scope anyway.

I'll concede Treebeard's line, while to me highly suggestive, is in itself not proof of Radagast's failure.
If successful though, even at the secondary task of protecting flora and fauna from Sauron and his armies, why do we not see him taking ship with Gandalf after Sauron's defeat? The Istari, at the end of the day, were the enemies of Sauron, and their primary concern was his fall. Saruman obviously did not fulfill his part in that mission. The 'Blue Wizards' too, we are told, were unsuccessful. It is said that only Gandalf 'remained faithful', and he is the only one of the Istari returning home to the West after Sauron's destruction. Either Radagast couldn't take the ship because he had failed in the Eyes of Authority in the West, or he wouldn't, because he had forgotten both his tasks: the 'official' one, and the 'secret'. If he had accomplished things to Yavanna's satisfaction, surely she could have arranged for him to return home, as the 'secret' mission would have been well known to Manwë.

[Ibrîniðilpathânezel]

Here's something Tolkien had to say on the matter, from letter 156, beginning with a commentary on the incarnate nature of the Wizards:

Why they should take such a form is bound up with the 'mythology' of the 'angelic' Powers of the world of this fable. At this point in the fabulous history the purpose was precisely to limit and hinder their exhibition of 'power' on the physical plane, and so that they should do what they were primarily sent for: train, advise, instruct, arouse the hearts and minds of those threatened by Sauron to a resistance with their own strengths; and not just do the job for them. They thus appeared as 'old' sage figures. But in this 'mythology' all the 'angelic' powers concerned with this world were capable of many degrees of error and failing between the absolute Satanic rebellion and evil of Morgoth and his satellite Sauron, and the faineance of some of the other higher powers or 'gods.' The 'wizards' were not exempt, indeed being incarnate were more likely to stray, or err. Gandalf alone fully passes the tests, on a moral plane anyway (he makes mistakes of judgement).

If, in Tolkien's mind, Gandalf alone succeeded in the mission of the Istari, then Radagast failed -- not in the hideously spectacular way of Saruman, utterly betraying their purpose, but nonetheless falling away from the job he was sent to do. I think, perhaps, the fact that Treebeard mentions Gandalf as being the only wizard who loves trees is really quite telling. The Ents, the Shepherds of the Trees, were brought about as a result of Yavanna's supplication to Manwe (and Eru) for some protection for those things of Arda that she loved (as per the Aule and Yavanna chapter of TS). And yet, when it came to arousing the hearts and minds of the Ents to resistance of Sauron, it fell to two Hobbits rather than to Radagast, who of all the wizards should have been the one to make a specific effort to contact and advise and instruct the Ents. He apparently didn't, and thus failed his mission, as well, perhaps, as Yavanna, who I think would have wanted the Ents to be included among those peoples threatened by Sauron. The trees were the one thing that she selected as most beloved to her, and Radagast would appear to have either ignored or forgotten about them, in favor of his own personal love for birds (which is the meaning of his name as a Maia, Aiwendil).