Lincoln Alpern
Active Member
When explaining why Frodo has a place of honor in the house of Elrond, Gandalf jokingly says he himself is one reason; his endorsement alone is sufficient cause to hold a person in high regard. (I can't find my copy of the book right now, so I can't quote the text directly, but that's the gist.)
This got me thinking. Gandalf can be humble, but I can't think of any instances of him displaying false modesty. On the other hand, I can think of plenty of instances of Gandalf asserting his own authority and status, often in a position of superiority over others. Often, as here, he tempers the assertion with humor, but not always, and even those times, the sense I get is more of Gandalf mixing the truth with levity, rather than being straight sarcastic.
I think we can safely conclude that while boasting is not a virtue in Middle-earth, being forthright about one's own status and superiority is not necessarily a vice.
This got me thinking. Gandalf can be humble, but I can't think of any instances of him displaying false modesty. On the other hand, I can think of plenty of instances of Gandalf asserting his own authority and status, often in a position of superiority over others. Often, as here, he tempers the assertion with humor, but not always, and even those times, the sense I get is more of Gandalf mixing the truth with levity, rather than being straight sarcastic.
I think we can safely conclude that while boasting is not a virtue in Middle-earth, being forthright about one's own status and superiority is not necessarily a vice.