Solicitr
Mithlond
Jun 10 2020, 2:40pm
Views: 6231
|
The Istari were not, in that form, "normal" Ainur; they did not have the ability to put on and take off visible forms as raiment, as did their compatriots in Valinor (and Sauron, before his fall). Their peculiar mission required that they be embodied in reality, not just in seeming. They were literally incarnate in actual hroar, their divine spirits bound to them after the manner of fear. It was for this reason that Gandalf actually died on Zirakzigil when his physical body was damaged beyond survival.
Hroar of their nature will age, since they are made of the matter of Arda, although the rate of aging is dependent on the strength of the indwelling spirit, hence the 'changelessness' of Elves to mortal eyes- yet Elves also age, albeit slowly (ergo Cirdan). So also with the Wizards, and at a rate actually perceptible to mortals. Frodo noted that at Gandalf's return to the shire after 17 years, he looked "older and more careworn." Over a longer timespan, it's worth noting that when Curunir/Saruman first arrived his hair and beard were black, and had gone grey over the span of some two millennia.
(This post was edited by Solicitr on Jun 10 2020, 2:42pm)
|
