Move aside Balrogs-wings for...Gandalf's boots

[narfforc]

Originally Posted by narfforc

....because Tolkien mentions a wedge somewhere else in the book.

Or was it an hedge?

[Pitchwife]

I think we can safely rule out hedge soles, as they would have made walking rather thorny.

As for the wings, the fact that he still relied on Gwaihir for aerial transportation seems to indicate the contrary; also note that when the time for him to return had come, he went home by ship, not by air. So if there were any wings at all on his boots, they would have been purely decorative.

Or maybe his boots were so highly polished that the highlights from the shoeshine created an illusion of white wings?

[Eomer of the Rohirrim]

It makes the rendering, in the films, of Sauron as a giant flaming eyeball, next to Saruman's non-rendering of a large white hand, even more perplexing -- for I had always pictured Gandalf as an imposing pair of boots.

[narfforc]

As Huan was allowed to talk three times, Gandalf's boots were allowed to turn into eagles six times..... but something went wrong once and one turned into a Landrover.

[SamwiseGamgee]

I rather feel that it is not so much the actual size of the boots but the perceived size that is the key here- as can clearly be seen from Saruman's use of the word 'purchased'.

As a mighty Istari Gandalf had many strange powers, not least of which was the ability to grow his feet. In fact, some claim this is how he first befriended Bilbo- by putting him at ease by brandishing his disproportionately large, hairy feet in Baggins's face. Of course, the Good Professor said as much in that famous letter which I shan't insult you all by mentioning here- it's assumed knowledge.

Therefore, taking the argument to its next logical step, there is no reason that Gandalf could not have purchased and utilised a large pair of boots any time he'd fancied. He did not do this previously (he didn't, of course, have shoes on when brandishing his feet at Bilbo (mentioned above)- otherwise Bilbo could have quite easily levelled the claim of empty shoes at him) and therefore the fact that Saruman, who- despite his many shortcomings- was one of the wise, mentions the boots here indicates that they must be purely metaphorical. And if they are then it is, surely, the perceived size which matters.

So simple, really.

[narfforc]

Originally Posted by SamwiseGamgee

I rather feel that it is not so much the actual size of the boots but the perceived size that is the key here- as can clearly be seen from Saruman's use of the word 'purchased'.

As a mighty Istari Gandalf had many strange powers, not least of which was the ability to grow his feet. In fact, some claim this is how he first befriended Bilbo- by putting him at ease by brandishing his disproportionately large, hairy feet in Baggins's face. Of course, the Good Professor said as much in that famous letter which I shan't insult you all by mentioning here- it's assumed knowledge.

Therefore, taking the argument to its next logical step, there is no reason that Gandalf could not have purchased and utilised a large pair of boots any time he'd fancied. He did not do this previously (he didn't, of course, have shoes on when brandishing his feet at Bilbo (mentioned above)- otherwise Bilbo could have quite easily levelled the claim of empty shoes at him) and therefore the fact that Saruman, who- despite his many shortcomings- was one of the wise, mentions the boots here indicates that they must be purely metaphorical. And if they are then it is, surely, the perceived size which matters.

So simple, really.

Yeh...well I was going to say that...but you beat me to it..

[Morthoron]

Saruman was merely referring to boots several times larger than Gandalf had presently because of Gandalf's unfulfilled wish to become a clown and join the circus.

Doesn't everyone want to run away to the circus at one point in their lives?