Episode 144 Summary

Tony Meade

Active Member
SESSION 144

Gazing eastward from the porch:
  • Gandalf seems to recognize the irony, in retrospect that the Ring was so close for so long.
  • His sigh shows the emotion that he feels, in that he was at fault and must admit that to the Council. He shows a vulnerability here over his mistake in not listening to his own doubts.
  • Gandalf is fallible, and this is part of his kind of incarnation in Middle-earth, but he also understands that his mistake might have grave consequences.
  • Any failure concerning the Ring is directly affects his mission to oppose Sauron, and if they had figured this out much sooner, they could have done the upcoming quest much easier.
  • However, if he is thinking about Gollum, there isn’t any way for them to have learned about him, and he has said before that some other power arranged Bilbo to find the Ring.
  • He has a conviction that they found the Ring when they were meant to find it, and that possibly the Ring being hidden there was to their benefit in the end.
  • Gandalf is trying to understand the arc of this story of which they are a part, past and future.
  • Saruman had proposed a different story which turned out to be a lie, but he now understands that the Valar have taken a hand, though not the one that Saruman used to deceive them.
  • If Providence has taken this matter in hand in hiding the Ring in the Mountains, he now seeks to understand the counsel of the West in this hour and going forward.
  • Gandalf finds fault with himself not in believing that they would take a hand, but that hiding the Ring in the Sea would not be their plan, and he should know better as part of that plan.
  • Not only would the Valar wish for the Ring to be destroyed for good, but they would also not take the power out of the hands of the people of Middle-earth, which is why Gandalf is there.
  • While Gandalf has not fully revealed Saruman’s treachery yet, he has laid the groundwork here.
  • Note: From the perspective of the people in Middle-earth, the distinction between the intervention of Ilúvatar and that of the Valar is one without a difference. While in The Silmarillion we are privy to when each party does things, within the story of The Lord of the Rings there is no way to know, and the Valar are the agents of Ilúvatar in any case. We might distinguish through the manifestation that these interventions take, but that is speculation. While the Valar are creatures separate from Eru, they are also instruments of his will and agents of Providence, and they understand the plan that they have been delegated power to carry out.
Watching and waiting only:
  • Elrond shows solidarity with Gandalf to reassure him and speaks for the rest of the White Council in this, but this further sets up the reveal of Saruman’s treason.
  • Elrond seems to understand that the others in the room don’t know what it is to which they are referring, and by saying “But say on!” he acknowledges this and prompts Gandalf to continue.
  • Gandalf emphasizes that his knowledge told against the Ring being the One, despite his feelings, however this was based on a lie from Saruman told that they would all believe.
  • The lie is a high-stakes play by Saruman, as it goes beyond simply twisting facts about the Ring. Bearing false witness about the Valar is a crime that crosses lines into blasphemy or heresy.
  • Saruman is not only deviating from his mission, but he is also actively betraying the trust of the of the White Council and the Valar at the same time, with the consequence of their inaction.
  • Note: There is a parallel with the theological lie that Sauron tells in Númenor considering the truth about Eru and Melkor, and in the real world with the selling of fake relics or easy penance given out by friars, in that a person of spiritual trust is actively betraying that trust, which not only harms the salvation of the people in their trust and breaking their vows before God. This has a similar tone to Luther’s complaints concerning the selling of indulgences.
  • Saruman’s betrayal undermines the entire mission of the Istari, as they are the messengers of the Valar, and if he cannot be trusted to deliver the truth, trust in all of the Istari is affected.
  • To Gandalf, that another ring was made that was not one of the Rings of Power, and for which was not accounted, seems at least as likely as the idea of Saruman’s betrayal.
  • They also don’t know anything about the lesser rings, or the full mind of Celebrimbor, or everything that Sauron made Mount Doom, so there are many alternate explanations.
  • Gandalf has experienced a cognitive dissonance between what he believes to authoritative knowledge and what he has seen and worked out with his own reasoning, causing his inaction.
  • By pursuing the knowledge of the origin of Gollum’s ring, Gandalf feels that he can at least learn something more about what happened to the Rings of Power.
  • It isn’t told who Gandalf set as a watch over Gollum, who failed to find him. It may have been the Wood-elves, or Rangers, or even the Beornings, but Gandalf politely doesn’t name anyone.
  • There is an implication that at this time, the search for Gollum was not the most important thing on his mind, and so he doesn’t prioritize this curiosity above other things he might be doing.
  • That Gandalf calls it “his darkness” instead of “the darkness” with regards to Gollum seems to be a foreshadowing of Gollum’s possible reemergence from his darkness in pursuit of the Ring.
  • The darkness belongs to Gandalf both in terms of his home under the mountain, and his own spiritual darkness, as he has already told Frodo that there is “not no hope” for him to be cured.
Treason has ever been out greatest foe:
  • The incident which reawakens Gandalf’s doubts is almost certainly Bilbo’s actions after the Party, though he pointedly avoids telling this story, as Elrond had done before with Bilbo.
  • Once Gandalf is resolved that this is the One Ring, he has to prove that theory without a doubt in order to oppose the lore of Saruman. He has also moved on to considering what to do with it.
  • Who is Gandalf afraid might learn about his theory? Why is treason their greatest foe? While there are treasons in The Silmarillion and Akallabêth, Gandalf is not speaking of those.
  • Gandalf is speaking of the wars with Sauron and Mordor, so he may be referring to Annatar, but more likely that he is speaking of betrayals that are not recorded in the annals.
  • Is he speaking about Saruman with suspicion? Though he hasn’t yet proven that this is the One Ring, if he’s right, then either Saruman is wrong about the Ring, or he must have been lying.
  • Gandalf still seems to be willing to give Saruman the benefit of the doubt in going to Isengard.
  • He cannot be referring to spies of the Enemy because they are enemies, not traitors. If he is thinking of treason, it must mean someone within their circle of trust.
  • Saruman being mistaken also wouldn’t be treason, but merely an unfortunate error on his part.
  • Gandalf may be projecting his current knowledge back upon his unnamed suspicions earlier.
  • Note: In Unfinished Tales, there is a suggestion that Gandalf knew that Saruman was lying in the White Council and that it was due to desire for the Ring, but it doesn’t fit the story in the book. This seems to be a simple inconsistency, as if that were true, then Gandalf’s decision to go to Isengard after this conclusion doesn’t make sense in the context of this story.
  • Gandalf’s decision to keep quiet about the Ring is to keep any news of if from the Enemy, but his statement on treason seems spoken as reflection from the present moment, not at the time.
  • Note: We know now that these spies were sent by Saruman, as Sauron didn’t know the location of the Shire at the time, though Gandalf doesn’t know either of those things at the time. Also, It’s possible that Gandalf is able to identify birds and beasts as spies by the species in question, especially if they are out of place in the area where they have been spotted.
  • Gandalf assumed that any spies would come from the Enemy, not from one of their colleagues to the point that he thought Sam was one of them before they realized who it was.
  • It’s implied that the Dúnedain already had a watch on the Shire before this, but that it was only doubled now. Gandalf also uses Aragorn’s heritage as the reason he chooses to share with him.
  • This again seems to emphasize the connection between Isildur and his heirs, and the One Ring.
  • Did Gandalf speak of this to Aragorn before even Elrond and the rest of the Council? It seems possible, as he would feel pressed for time, and Aragorn is in position to act immediately.
  • Gandalf had left Bag End right after the Party, and he may have spotted these spies on his way out of the Shire, which might compel him to go to Aragorn first, though he might consult Elrond.
  • The Hobbits of the Shire might have noticed this increase in the watch, as they have noticed more Big People around the borders and troubles with other things by the Bounders.
  • Gandalf seems to be handing Aragorn the transition by referring to Isildur again, pointing to the fact that he is the hereditary enemy of Sauron and committed to his defeat.
END OF SESSION
 

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