6 Comments

My son is so into LOTR and the Hobbit, so I shared your writing with him. Thank you for sharing the lovely article about James Earl Jones. There is only one.

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Thanks for sharing!

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Thanks for the shoutout! Radagast fascinated me in high school: “There’s another wizard who’s just not involved in the plot??” Now, like you, I see him as the scientist or academic who tries to remain apolitical.

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Yeah man! Though honestly I still love his portrayal in The Hobbit films

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Wasn't Gandalf the Mair who served four Valar, and was chosen by Manwe to go to Middle-earth?

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Good question! I am definitely no expert, but I'm paging through Unfinished Tales and The Silmarillion, and it looks like Gandalf -- as Olorin, his Maia name -- was asked by Manwe to join as the third Istar to go to Middle-earth to stand against Sauron. He didn't want to; he was afraid. But that fact made Manwe want him to go all the more. He's connected (at least in these notes I'm seeing) to both Manwe and Varda as their delegate (in the same way Radagast was connected to Yavanna). But who else Gandalf served before then, I'm not sure (though I bet I could keep reading... :-)

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