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How Did Gandalf Come To Possess A Ring Of Power?
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Why Did Círdan Choose Gandalf Out Of All The Wizards?
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Did Gandalf Ever Use The Ring’s Power?
As someone who is constantly reminding others of just how dangerous the rings of power can be, especially in the wrong hands, it might come as a surprise to learn that Gandalf himself possesses a ring of power in The Lord of the Rings. However, it’s important to note that he didn’t come to hold a ring of power through anything nefarious.
Gandalf is the wielder of one of the three Elven rings during the Third Age, with the other two holders of rings of power being Galadriel and Elrond. This might seem strange, especially since there are plenty of Elves who are more than worthy enough to hold a ring of power, such as Celeborn (Galadriel’s husband and Prince of Doriath). Yet, in The Lord of the Rings, the ring remains with Gandalf instead of an Elven lord or lady.
When the three Elven rings of power were first forged by Celebrimbor, the first to wield the rings were Gil-galad, High King of the Noldor, and Galadriel. Galadriel is the only known elf to be the bearer of her ring, Nenya (the Ring of Adamant). Gil-galad first wore two of the three Elven rings. He kept one of them for himself (Vilya, the Ring of Air) but passed the second one, (Narya, the Ring of Fire), on to Círdan, Master of the Grey Havens.
If only Elves originally held the rings of power, how did Gandalf come to have one?
How Did Gandalf Come To Possess A Ring Of Power?
The ring Gandalf comes to possess is Narya, the Elven Ring of Fire. As mentioned, this ring was originally held by Círdan. He was Lord of the Falathrim during the First Age of Middle Earth. Later, he would come to be the Master of the Grey Havens during the Second, Third, and Fourth Ages.
As one of the oldest living Elves in Middle Earth during the Second through Fourth Ages, Círdan was also one of the wisest of the Elves. When the Valar originally sent the Istari through the Grey Havens on their journey to Middle Earth, Círdan recognized them for what they were. He knew they were wizards and, being as wise as he was, knew it was time to pass along his ring of power. Círdan entrusted Narya to Gandalf, who has wielded the ring of power since.
Why Did Círdan Choose Gandalf Out Of All The Wizards?
When the Valar sent Istari to Middle Earth, they sent a total of five wizards: Saruman the White, Gandalf the Grey, Radagast the Brown, Alatar the Blue, and Pallando the Blue. Although much isn’t known about the two blue wizards, they were sent to deal with Sauron and his followers in the eastern and southern parts of Middle Earth. As it’s later revealed in The Lord of the Rings, Saruman does become corrupted by Sauron, becoming an enemy of Middle Earth. But at the time of arriving in Middle Earth, all five wizards were considered good beings without any bad intentions at heart.
If all five wizards had good intentions when first crossing through the Grey Havens, why did Círdan choose to give his ring of power to Gandalf, especially when Saruman was head of their order at the time?
The answer is actually quite simple. Being one the oldest and wisest Elves of the time, Círdan could sense that Gandalf was the least likely of all five wizards to turn to evil. Círdan also knew the wizards were being sent to Middle Earth to complete important tasks. As such, Narya would be more useful to Gandalf on Middle Earth than it would be to Círdan in the Grey Havens.
Take now this ring for thy labors and thy cares will be heavy, but in all, it will support thee and defend thee from weariness. For this is the Ring of Fire, and herewith, maybe, thou shalt rekindle hearts to the valor of old in a world that grows chill.
Did Gandalf Ever Use The Ring’s Power?
Gandalf’s ring of power, Narya, had several magical properties. One of which renders the ring invisible while being worn, (the opposite effect as the One Ring, which turns the wielder invisible instead). All three Elven rings of power possessed this ability, which especially helped when the Elves needed to hide the rings from Sauron. The three Elven rings could also extend the lifespan of the user.
As someone who knew how dangerous rings of power could be, it could easily be assumed that Gandalf chose not to use his ring of power. But that’s actually not the case. Gandalf did in fact use the ring throughout the ages, but he did so carefully and sparingly.
Although all three Elven rings shared the invisibility trait, Narya also had its own unique abilities. As the Ring of Fire, the ring was said to possess fire abilities. This doesn’t come as a surprise, as Gandalf himself said he is the wielder of the Flame of Anor to the Balrog in the Mines of Moria.
You cannot pass! I am the servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the Flame of Anor. The dark fire will not avail you, Flame of Udûn. Go back to the shadow. You shall not pass!
But most importantly, Narya had the power to inspire others. It could inspire those near the wielder to resist horrible things such as despair, oppression, and domination, and it helped people to find courage. This is likely the power of Narya that Gandalf used most often in The Lord of the Rings, such as when he inspired courage in the soldiers of Gondor during the siege of Minas Tirith. The ring’s power also played a part in getting the Ents to act against Saruman and to inspire soldiers during the Battle of Helm’s Deep.
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