Of this Order the number is unknown; but of those that came to the North of Middle-earth...the chiefs were five.

What is the significance of the colors? Why those particular ones? Do they even matter? I do think they have significance; I love Dame Ioreth's analysis of the Grey color question. Saruman with his raven hair and white robes: a study in contrasts so like his personality and ultimate fate. Brown certainly, for the closeness of Radagast to Yavanna and her connection with the earth (his brown reminds me of the 'mould' they talk about the Two Trees being born in - I picture it rather reddish brown and mulchy). And brown would fit him well, as camouflage, from a practical point of view.

That's the colors from the Istari perspective; I wonder if they were assigned colors to aid them in remembering their places, and their deities. We read in other places that their memory of the Blessed Realm will dim, and as incarnate beings they become prey to fatigue, hunger, fear and change in purpose...a reminder, calling cards from the Valar? Both marking them and reminding them of their origins?

In which case Saruman's color change is a deeper rejection then even the text describes: a rejection of the color and thus the role given to him by the Valar themsleves.

Who are the Blue Wizards? What happened to them? Again, do their colors give any clues about them? Well I have to agree that they went Into the Blue...sort of color denoting the horizon and almost presages their loss, in a way; whether this was intentional or it is a matrixing of ideas here that's the feel I get from them. (Aside form my frequent Blues Brothers jokes, that is.)

The 1954 piece is the fullest account we have of The Istari. Do you find it satisfying in anyway (as in, does it answer any of your questions), or does it add fuel to the fires of speculation? The kicker is making us wonder how large the 'order' is - even as a discarded idea.


At the end of that section, Christopher remarks that the rest of the writings of The Istari are "unhappily no more than very rapid jottings." However, he does bring up an interesting "hasty sketch of a narrative", telling of a council of the Valar summoned by Manwe. There, it is determined that three emissaries will be sent to Middle-earth. They must forgo might, disguising themselves in the flesh of men, even though it might dim their wisdom and knowledge, confusing them with the fears, cares and weariness coming from the flesh. Only two come forward: Curumo, chosen by Aule; and Alatar, chosen by Orome. Manwe then asks about Olorin, but Olorin declares himself too weak for such a task, and that he fears Sauron. Manwe tells him that is all the more reason he should go, and so he commands him to go. Varda says "not as the third", and Curumo remembers it. The note ends with the statement that Curumo (Saruman) took Aiwendil (Radagast) because Yavanna begged him, and that Alatar took Pallando (the two blue wizards are given names) as a friend.

It is stated the the meaning of the relations between Istari and Valar is that each was chosen for his innate characteristics. In simpler terms, the Valar wanted their own pawns on the board.
What do you think of the Valar council piece? It certainly expands a little on the origins of the Istari and their relationship with the Valar. And for the first time the blue wizards are given names. Absolutely so - this ties in with the color idea I wrote about above. And highlighting Olorin (who I seem to remember was off quietly in a garden when he was recruited?...I may be wrong) as the humblest of the five, and noting his fear, lends a lot to the later Gandalf as a subtext. He conquered a Balrog but the fear may have been the bigger triumph: maybe that's why JRRT gets that into the Istari backstory...the Common man theme again, and nothing noble existing without the mean and small? Everything Gandalf achieves is from his own heart and mind really - and he didn't begin as Saruman did (presumably) with confidence and 'plans' but with well-justified fear of the Enemy. I think from a literary and philosophical perspective it makes his victory mean even more.

There is then a small piece about the origins of the name Gandalf and the many different names he is given by the various peoples of Middle-earth. Tolkien went to great pains to explain that Gandalf never traveled into Harad or far south, which I find very curious. Any thoughts on this? Well the sense of menace of 'the East' and its unknown is a repeating theme...and the South has its air of menace as well. I suppose here the issue could be for Gandalf that there is the constant and maybe subconscious call to stay close to the Blessed Realm as possible? Knowing (subliminally) that his ultimate goal is to return?

As ever, please feel free to point out all the interesting stuff I missed or add your own thoughts! (And one day I promise to try to be as good at this as squire or brethil!) Pshaw Dem! This is wonderful!

As a side note, I am intrigued by Yavanna's imposition (as it is said) of Aiwendil, who then loses himself in the fauna and forests of ME. Is there an underlying idea that perhaps this is what Yavanna may have meant for him in the long term, versus existing incarnate for the defeat of Sauron only?

Another question I have is why didn't Ulmo put forward a candidate? Or did he miss the meeting? And was Olorin representing Irmo, or Nienna, or Manwe? Or was that why he was gray, as the "everyone" candidate? Even Varda had a high opinion of him.

I agree with you also that there is probably more to the story of the blue wizards than we now know. Is it possible that Tolkien had something in mind initially for them and perhaps was not able to work it into the story in a cohesive manner? Is it at all possible that he simply forgot about them? There is so little mention of them in his many thousands of pages of ME history, I can not help but wonder. I simply can not remember if there is any mention of them in any of the HOME books. Does anyone have any idea?

The struggles undergone by the characters who inhabit Tolkien's fictive world require both order and spontaneity to justify them, to give them their meaning, and above all to create that uncertainty of outcome which is a hall-mark of effective fiction. The story needs its readers awareness of both the Music and the Task. Thus , we as readers must recognize that the original great theme, proposed by Iluvatar and spoiled in the making by Melkor, is embedded first in the ensuing Music and then in the world created through that Music. We must see that the spoiled Music goes uncorrected by the godhead, who instead assigns that task to one race of his created beings. We must honor the decision (not really Eru's but Tolkien's) to introduce into this unhappy, unfinished world the two unanticipated races of Elves and Men; and the further decision to give one race, men, the freedom to change their lives and through those lives to change the Music and thus the fate of Middle-earth and its inhabitants.