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Brethren  by Ecthelion of the fountain 1 Review(s)
LindeleaReviewed Chapter: 7 on 5/27/2025
others whispered that he was no mere dealer in fireworks, but a mighty wizard, akin to Saruman of Isengard. ...and these, it sounds like, are the wiser and more perceptive heads in the region. While I know Mithrandir deferred to Saruman as the head of the Order (if I'm remembering right; this is off the top of my head), I wonder: was Gandalf always the greater but merely hid his power? (The question arises in my mind because Círdan gave him one of the Three instead of giving it to Saruman.) Or was Saruman the greater until he was corrupted? (Which still raises the question: Why give Narya to Gandalf? I suppose it would be appropriate to give the Ring of Fire to one who is a Servant of the Secret Fire, but I really don't know. I'm not even sure Saruman knew exactly who held the Three, and I'm too tired to go searching for information today.)

I regret that Théodred didn't slay Gríma then and there. Things might have been so different.

Author Reply: Ah—that is an interesting question: why did Círdan bestow the Ring of Fire upon Gandalf, and not upon Saruman? My understanding has ever been that the wizards had their own specialties: Gandalf was most skilled in the arts of fire, Radagast in dealings with beasts and birds, and Saruman in crafts and lore. UT further suggests that Círdan’s gift was born of foresight and deep insight, such as the Elves often possess—that Gandalf, in time, would prove the most faithful to his charge. It also notes that Saruman later discovered who bore the Three, and his jealousy of Gandalf was part of the bitter result of that knowledge.

As for why none of the faithful men in Rohan struck down Gríma, I believe it is the result—regrettable though it may be—of their honour and decency. Their hands were bound by a sense of justice: to kill without rightful cause or decree would be to fall into the very darkness they strove against. It is the same even in our own days: the good ones are constrained by their own conscience—and that is the very thing which makes them good.

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