Here at the Volokh Conspiracy, we make a point of informing our readers about all the really important issues of our time. Thus, I was distressed to learn from the comments about my post criticizing the analogy between John McCain and Gandalf that many of our learned readers don't know what happened to Radagast the Brown, the third wizard mentioned by name in The Lord of The Rings. As LOTR fans know, Gandalf, Saruman, and Radagast were three of the five Wizards (known as the Istari) sent by the Valar to help the Elves and Men of Middle Earth battle Sauron. Unlike that of Gandalf and Saruman, Radagast's ultimate fate is not discussed in LOTR.
Fortunately, J.R.R. Tolkien informed us of what happened to him in his later essay, "The Istari,"(excerpted here):
Indeed, of all the Istari, one only remained faithful, and he was the last-comer. For Radagast, the fourth, became enamoured of the many beasts and birds that dwelt in Middle-earth, and forsook Elves and Men, and spent his days among the wild creatures.
It's not entirely clear whether Radagast stayed among the "beasts and birds" of Middle Earth forever, or whether the Valar eventually forgave him for his (partial) failure and allowed him to return home to Valinor.
Commenters on the previous post proposed various modern politicians as analogues to Radagast. One possible one is Fred Thompson, the preferred presidential candidate of many of my fellow Conspirators. Thompson's heart, like Radagast's, may have been in the right place; but he too had no real enthusiasm for his mission, and soon dropped out of the race without ever having made much of an effort. Whether Thompson deserves the abuse hurled at Radagast by Saruman ("Radagast the Bird-tamer! Radagast the Simple! Radagast the Fool! Yet he had just the wit to play the part that I set him..."), is left as an exercise for the reader.
As for the other two Istari, Alatar and Pallando, Tolkien gave contradictory indications as to their ultimate fate, but probably they failed even more completely than Radagast.
Related Posts (on one page):
- The Fate of Radagast the Brown:
- John McCain as Gandalf?
Thank you.
The McCain of 2000, the man I often disagreed with and yet respected as a man of principle, was Anakin McCain.
The angry, confused Republican nominee, who has embraced the Dark Side of Republicans, is Darth John.
Speedy
Chicks dig Radagast the Brown:). To say nothing of Aragorn and Legolas.
Snap.
Actually that quote is concerned solely with describing Radagast's abandonment of his mandate and says nothing about his fate. Presumably he remained in Middle Earth like Tom Bombadil, Goldberry, and the other minor Maiar who became excessively enamored with aspects of Arda associated with their part of the Ainulindale.
Now there's one US candidate who might have found useful the ability to levitate a crashed fighter back into the air...
Back to Tolkien: Some claim that McCain is the true heior of Bilbo, but others dispute this.
If one were to go only upon the quoted passage from The Istari, I guess one could take the term "spend" to mean some mixture of "squander" and "exhaust". As in, Radagast (a) squandered and (b) exhausted his days among the wild creatures, reflecting both (a) that he failed in his mission and (b) that he had stayed there until the end of his days, however many that may be.
I think the blue wizards got distracted fighting for the right to marry in Massachusetts. Now they live in Cambridge with their four cats and operate a very popular catering business.
Ah. He was a Texan, then?
Well, yes. He had a gifted tongue
AKA Radagast the Brownsville...
Tolkien writes later that all the Istari failed their mission except Gandalf, largely because he roamed middle earth making sure to linger no longer than necessary in any one place. This stopped him from becoming corrupt by the forces of the world avoiding the fate of Sarumon and Radagast.
The blue wizards departed into the East with possibly the aid of Sarumon. Aragorn hints that once he travelled into the South toward Harah (possibly with Gandlaf) in search of something - perhaps the blue wizards.
Some suggest that the blue wizards did not fail their mission, but ultimately were partially successful in limiting the number of barbarians from the East and South that joined Sauron, thus allowing the forces of free men to win at Minas Tirith and in Rohan. Tolkien hints that Sauron was expecting reinforcements from the East that never seem to arrive.
Naw. Just good friends.
"Presumably he remained in Middle Earth like Tom Bombadil, Goldberry, and the other minor Maiar who became excessively enamored with aspects of Arda associated with their part of the Ainulindale."
I don't get the sense Tolkien considered Bombadil so minor, or even a mere Maia. His publishers had other ideas, and so Tom as seen in LotR.
Thx, Ilya for the update from 1968(!) on Alatar and Pallando. Although I can't top Felix Sulla, I'd suggest that given the Old Tolk's latest thoughts and Hanson's scenario, Gorbachev and Deng Xiaoping would fit. Tolkien's supposed hatred of such games is likely at least partially tongue-in-cheek (a dig at Lewis' transparent allegory).
I'm too attached to Hobbits as Jews to give it up.
Oh, he was probably just making that up.
Tolkien hints that Sauron was expecting reinforcements from the East that never seem to arrive.
Oh, he was probably just making that up.
Tolkien Lied! Orcs Died!
Bombadil wasn't tempted by the Ring like Gandalf and Saruman, therefore he can't be a Maiar. The most likely explanation is that he's the spirit of the forest and Goldberry of the river, related to the giants Bilbo saw in the Misty Mountains.
Sooooooo.
How about the Ents? Did they ever find the Entwives? Perhaps in the Shire?
Just in case someone's read a book I haven't and knows the answer.
Here you go.
As far as I know, Tolkien never said whether they were found, but I'm guessing not, as the passing of the Ents was emblematic of the passing of a simpler world Tolkien saw happening before his eyes.
"Happening before his eyes? By all accounts, Tolkien was having a hard time getting over the Norman conquest."
My point entirely. Hence Ents.
But Maiar is exactly what nature spirits are. They are Ainu who, compared to the Valar and more significant Maia like Melian, represent extremely tiny portions of Eru's mind and are fixated on their portion of creation pretty much to the exclusion of everything else. That narrowness of focus is why Tom has no interest in the ring and no desire for its power.
As to why the ring didn't "affect" him, the invisibility is caused by the partial displacement of the wearer into the spiritual realm. That is why Frodo can see the true forms of the Nazgul when he is wearing the ring. Tom already exists fully in both the physical and spiritual realms. So do elves who have dwelt in Valinor and seen the light of the two trees, which explains Glorfindal's appearance to Frodo at the ford of Bruinen. Frodo gets a glimpse of how the elf lord looks in the non-material world.
The giants are just a form of sentient life whose creation, like that of the Hobbits and great eagles, is not mentioned in the myths available to us.
I knew all that time spent in damp basements would pay off someday!
"On a related note though, I still mourn the passing of Entwhistle in 2002."
Well at least we can be assure -he- had plenty of "Entwives" eh?
:)
"Here you go.
As far as I know, Tolkien never said whether they were found, but I'm guessing not, as the passing of the Ents was emblematic of the passing of a simpler world Tolkien saw happening before his eyes."
Dude. That is soooooo wrong.
Now I've got to make my saving throw ...
My other Tolkien question, who was on Middle Earth earlier - Tom Bombadil or Fangorn?
They were in the outfield.
"Dude. That is soooooo wrong."
I guess that settles it then. So was it emblematic of his enthusiasm for hard sci-fi or the burgeoning MMORPG industry he foresaw his work giving birth to? Or perhaps his lust for Liv Tyler?
Frankly I think JRRT would be horrified by what the MMO industry has done with his ideas.
Let's face it. Having characters running around called "Too Hard For You" and "Bubbas Axle Grease" are somehow not quite in ... genre.
And there are a lot worse name, and much worse people, in many MMO games.
"gold plz" or "gimme stuff"
Oh yeah. Horrified.
Yasssssss PRESH-shassssssss... but didn't you actually mean to say, "I think the two lizards got dessicated fighting for the left to marry in Sashaychusetts. Now they live in Cambridge with their fur coats and operate a very pecular altering business named "Last One Out of His Caftan Is a Republican!"?
"Oh yeah. Horrified."
OK, that eliminates one of the possible ways in which I was so wrong. Perhaps you'd like to suggest a plausible one? Been wrong before. Curious.
Nick
By the way, to the extent anyone is interested in MMORPGs, I cannot recommend EVE Online highly enough. Though there is no fantasy element as such there: it's entirely space based. But, everyone is on the same server, and it is the only MMORPG of which I am aware that actually hires economists to advise on the in game economy, which is almost obsessively market based.