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24. Radagast is Scrappy-Doo!
Jared, Oriana and Ned talk about Jared’s choice of topic: the Istari. Also
known as the Five Wizards, the cohort of Gandalf, Saruman, Radagast, and the
two mysterious Blue Wizards, these beings are superficially some of the most
easily understandable characters in Tolkien’s mythology: old men who know
magic and can cast spells, very much in a long standing mythological and
folktale tradition. But while Gandalf may have made his debut in The Hobbit as
just such a character, over time, as with so many other elements in his work,
Tolkien deepened his background and that of his wizardly brethren in ways that
still weren’t fully developed by his passing, ultimately leaving as many
questions as answers. What’s suggestive about the two alternate possibilities
of the fates of the Istari in Middle-earth—that they mostly failed, or that
they mostly succeeded? What elements of Catholic theology are touched on in
the conception of the Istari as incarnated spirits from Valinor in Middle-earth? How did Tolkien address what this was meant to represent in terms of
what the Valar and Maiar had learned over time? Is it possible that Tolkien
contrasted the methods of lore and knowledge Gandalf and Saruman favored in a
way that had a personal relevance to his own work and life experience? And
just how wonderfully human—if that’s the best comparison—is Gandalf in
particular in his deeply down-to-earth ways throughout the major works?
Show Notes.
Jared’s
doodle. Who
knows what, in the end, the Blue Wizards were up to elsewhere in Middle-earth?
Yup, it’s been a year. Stay
well everyone.
No Amazon series news but you can read Oriana’s
argument about what it
should include.
Tolkien Gateway’s summary entry on
the wizards of Middle-earth.
Our earlier episode on magic.
There’s plenty of discussion of how the Istari are essentially angels on
Middle-earth - this article addresses it from a specifically Catholic perspective, and
that’s just one of many.
Letter 156 from The Letters of J.
R. R. Tolkien features a discussion in more detail on what Gandalf was,
specifically.
“Of Aulë and
Yavanna” is a whole
chapter of The Silmarillion for a reason.
To say there’s a lot of writing on ‘classic’ wizards in world literature and
mythology is an understatement. Here’s one
example.
And indeed, modern wizards in other media: Harry
Potter! The Sorcerer’s
Apprentice! The
Sword in the
Stone!
Star
Wars!
Dragonslayer!
(That does count.)
Gandalf’s letter to Frodo is such a fun-yet-important element.
Linked it before but Lindsay Ellis really did call
it.
The figure on the edge of
Fangorn remains a subject of debate…
Have a laugh with our Silver Call
Duology episode!
Support By-The-Bywater: A Tolkien Podcast on
Patreon along with all the other fine
Megaphonic shows. (And thank you if you do!)
View all episodes
By Jared Pechaček, Oriana Scwindt, and Ned Raggett
4.8
2929 ratings
Jared, Oriana and Ned talk about Jared’s choice of topic: the Istari. Also
known as the Five Wizards, the cohort of Gandalf, Saruman, Radagast, and the
two mysterious Blue Wizards, these beings are superficially some of the most
easily understandable characters in Tolkien’s mythology: old men who know
magic and can cast spells, very much in a long standing mythological and
folktale tradition. But while Gandalf may have made his debut in The Hobbit as
just such a character, over time, as with so many other elements in his work,
Tolkien deepened his background and that of his wizardly brethren in ways that
still weren’t fully developed by his passing, ultimately leaving as many
questions as answers. What’s suggestive about the two alternate possibilities
of the fates of the Istari in Middle-earth—that they mostly failed, or that
they mostly succeeded? What elements of Catholic theology are touched on in
the conception of the Istari as incarnated spirits from Valinor in Middle-earth? How did Tolkien address what this was meant to represent in terms of
what the Valar and Maiar had learned over time? Is it possible that Tolkien
contrasted the methods of lore and knowledge Gandalf and Saruman favored in a
way that had a personal relevance to his own work and life experience? And
just how wonderfully human—if that’s the best comparison—is Gandalf in
particular in his deeply down-to-earth ways throughout the major works?
Show Notes.
Jared’s
doodle. Who
knows what, in the end, the Blue Wizards were up to elsewhere in Middle-earth?
Yup, it’s been a year. Stay
well everyone.
No Amazon series news but you can read Oriana’s
argument about what it
should include.
Tolkien Gateway’s summary entry on
the wizards of Middle-earth.
Our earlier episode on magic.
There’s plenty of discussion of how the Istari are essentially angels on
Middle-earth - this article addresses it from a specifically Catholic perspective, and
that’s just one of many.
Letter 156 from The Letters of J.
R. R. Tolkien features a discussion in more detail on what Gandalf was,
specifically.
“Of Aulë and
Yavanna” is a whole
chapter of The Silmarillion for a reason.
To say there’s a lot of writing on ‘classic’ wizards in world literature and
mythology is an understatement. Here’s one
example.
And indeed, modern wizards in other media: Harry
Potter! The Sorcerer’s
Apprentice! The
Sword in the
Stone!
Star
Wars!
Dragonslayer!
(That does count.)
Gandalf’s letter to Frodo is such a fun-yet-important element.
Linked it before but Lindsay Ellis really did call
it.
The figure on the edge of
Fangorn remains a subject of debate…
Have a laugh with our Silver Call
Duology episode!
Support By-The-Bywater: A Tolkien Podcast on
Patreon along with all the other fine
Megaphonic shows. (And thank you if you do!)
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