Magic in Middle Earth

[artanaro]

Tolkien admits that `magic' exists in Middle-earth, but only certain peoples could use it. And he further writes that the word itself is problematic because it does not adequately describe what it means within the context of Middle-earth. He had to "settle" on the word, much as he did for the word "wizard" when describing the Istari; it was the closest word in the English language, but it still didn't mean exactly what he wanted.




Who Could Use This Magic?
Tolkien believed that `magic' in Middle-earth was derived from an inherent power contained within the individual. Elves were given this ability, but Men and the other races of Middle-earth including the Dwarves, Hobbits, Orcs, and others did NOT have this type of power:

" Anyway, a difference in the use of `magic' in this story is that it is not to be come by by `lore' or spells; but is in an inherent power not possessed by Men as such. "[Letter #155]

Notice that Tolkien makes a distinction between the use of magic and that of lore or spells. Of all the races of Middle-earth, only the Elves (and of course the Wizards, but they aren't a race) could use magic - meaning the use of an innate and internal power to create effects or items.

However, he goes on to explain that there are exceptions to this (as with most everything in Middle-earth) especially in the case of Aragorn because of his Elvish descent:

" Aragorn's `healing' might be regarded as `magical', or at least a blend of magic with pharmacy and `hypnotic' processes. But it is (in theory) reported by hobbits who have very little notions of philosophy and science; while A.(ragorn) is not a pure `Man', but at long remove one of the `children of Luthien'. "[Letter #155]

The word itself, "magic", is a relative term used by mortal races of Middle-earth for those acts or items whose workings could not be explained. The Elves themselves only use the term figuratively because to them this ability is completely natural for them. Notice Galadriel's comments to Sam in Lothlorien when she asks Frodo and Sam to look into her mirror:

" `And you?' she said, turning to Sam. `For this is what your folk would call magic, I believe; though I do not understand clearly what they mean; and they seem also to use the same word of the deceits of the Enemy. But this, if you will, is the magic of Galadriel. Did you not say that you wished to see Elf-magic?' " [The Fellowship of the Ring: The Mirror of Galadriel]

Galadriel is somewhat confused on what the word means because it is in the nature of the Elves to have and to use an innate power that is artistic in purpose and different from the magic used by the Enemy primarily for domination.


What is the Nature of This Magic?
The nature of magic is wrapped around Tolkien's philosophy of power and domination:

" [Elf-magic] is Art, delivered from many of its human limitations; more effortless, more quick, more complete (product, and vision in unflawed correspondence). And its object is Art not Power, sub-creation not domination and tyrannous re-forming of Creation....The Enemy in successive forms is always `naturally' concerned with sheer Domination, and so the Lord of magic and machines... "[Letter #131]

This description implies a capability that the mortal races of Middle-earth do not, will not, can not obtain because it "exceeds human limitations" (NOT read as learning or technology). It implies a power that is more effortless in the creation of "things". Effortless means without the use of tools, or external devices. Its source is within Elves and not external, and is more than wisdom or lore.

Magic also quickened the process between the conception of thought and actual realization of effect:

" The basic motive for magia - quite apart from any philosophic consideration of how it would work - is immediacy: speed, reduction of labour, and reduction also to a minimum (or vanishing point) of the gap betweeen the idea or desire and the result or effect. "[Letter #155]

Good magic is meant to be "artistic" for the purpose of creating or preserving beauty, whereas bad magic was used for "deceit" or to dominate the wills of others. Tolkien explains the differences in types and motives of magic in another one of his letters:

" But I suppose that, for the purposes of the tale, some would say that there is a latent distinction such as once was called the distinction between `magia' and `goeteia'. Galadriel speaks of the `deceits of the Enemy'. Well, enough, but magia could be, was, held good (per se), and goeteia bad. Neither is, in this tale, good or bad (per se), but only by motive or purpose of use. Both sides use both, but with different motives. The supremely bad motive is domination of other `free wills'. The Enemy's operations are by no means all goetic deceits, but `magic' that produces real effects in the physical world. But his magia he uses to bulldoze both people and things, and his goeteia to terrify and subjugate. Their magia the Elves and Gandalf use (sparingly): a magia, producing real results (like fire in a wet f*g**t) for specific beneficent purposes. Their goetic effects are entirely artistic and not intended to deceive: they never deceive the Elves (but may deceive or bewilder unaware Men) since the difference is to them as clear as the difference to us between fiction, painting, and sculpture, and `life'. "[Letter #155]



How is Magic Invoked?
Magic was predominantly invoked by speaking. Words were extremely important to Tolkien, who was a philologist - someone interested in the origins of words. Consider the following passage where Tolkien likens words to spells:
" The incarnate mind, the tongue, and the tale are in our world coeval. The human mind, endowed with the powers of generalisation and abstraction, sees not only `green-grass', discriminating it from other things, but sees that it is `green' as well as being `grass'. But how powerful, how stimulating to the very faculty that produced it, was the invention of the adjective: no spell or incantation in Fairie is more potent...The mind that thought of light, heavy, grey, yellow, still, swift, also concevied of magic that would make heavy things light and able to fly, turn grey lead into gold, and the still rock into swift water. "[The Monsters and the Critics - The essay: On Fairie Stories]

What more appropriate way to make real the desire of thought than to speak the words which form the thought?

The invocation of magic thru words occurs both in the Silmarillion and Lord of the Rings:

- Felagund struggles against Sauron while chanting words of power:

" The chanting swelled, Felagund fought, And all the magic and might he brought of Elvenesse into his words. "[The Silmarillion - Beren & Luthien]

- Luthien commands Carcaroth, the wolf who guards the gates of Morgoth, to sleep so that she and Beren can enter Thangorodrim to reclaim a Silmaril:

" Lifting up her hand she commanded him to sleep, saying: `O woe-begotten spirit, fall now into dark oblivion, and forget for a while the dreadful doom of life.' And Carcaroth was felled, as though lightning had smitten him. "[The Silmarillion - Beren & Luthien]

- Gandalf creates fire to warm the Fellowship:

" Picking up a f*g**t he held it aloft for a moment, and then with a word of command, naur an edraith ammen! he thrust the end of his staff into the midst of it. At once a great spout of green and blue flame sprang out, and the wood flared and sputtered. "[The Fellowship of the Ring - The Ring Goes South]

- Gandalf invokes a word of Command in his contest with the Balrog at the Tomb of Balin:

" Then something came into the chamber-I felt it through the door, and the orcs themselves were afraid and fell silent. It laid hold of the iron ring, and then it perceived me and my spell. What it was I cannot guess, but I have never felt such a challenge. The counter-spell was terrible. It nearly broke me. For an instant the door left my control and began to open! I had to speak a word of Command. That proved too great a strain. "[The Fellowship of the Ring - The Bridge of Khazad-dum]

- Aragorn heals Faramir, Eowyn, and Merry, by speaking their names and calling to them, with the aid of the healing virtues of athelas/kingsfoil:

" Then Aragorn laid his hand on Merry's head, and passing his hand gently through the brown curls, he touched the eyelids, and called him by name. And when the fragrance of athelas stole through the room, like the scent of orchards, and of heather in the sunhsine full of bees, suddenly Merry awoke, and he said: `I am hungry. What time is it?' "[The Return of the King - The Houses of Healing]

- Gimil's mistaken warning about Gandalf to Legolas in Fangorn:

" Your bow, Legolas! Bend it! Get ready! It is Saruman. Do not let him speak, or put a spell upon us! Shoot first! "[The Two Towers - The White Rider]

But the use of magic in this manner comes at a price: it temporarily tires the user, as it requires the expenditure of energy from within the individual. Gandalf expressed that he needed to rest after his struggle with the Balrog in Moria:

" I am weary. I must rest here a moment, even if all the orcs ever spawned are after us. "[The Fellowship of the Ring - The Bridge of Khazad-dum]

However, characteristic of Tolkien, there are several exceptions where magic is invoked without the use of words, but these occurrences are invariably associated with using items. The most potent example of this kind is when Sam uses the phial of Galadriel, which contains the reflected starlight in Galadriel's mirror of Earendil's star-which is itself the light of a Silmaril far removed in the sky:

" As if his indomitable spirit had set its potency in motion, the glass blazed suddenly like a white torch in his hand. It flamed like a star that leaping from the firmament sears the dark air with intolerable light. "[The Two Towers - The Choices of Master Samwise]

The phial itself contains the power of light, and Sam's desire to use the light, without words, is what causes it to blaze forth to burn the eyes of Shelob.


Aren't there instances of Mortals using Spells for Magic?
Yes, as with all things in Tolkien's Middle-earth there seem to be exceptions. Note Gandalf's words as the Fellowship tries to enter Moria via the Gates:

" I once knew every spell in all the tongues of Elves or Men or Orcs, that was ever used for such a purpose. "[The Fellowship of the Ring - A Journey in the Dark]

This passage implies that other races (including Orcs!) could use spells for the purpose of opening doors. However, it is more likely that the Gates of Moria were themselves "magical" with a specific phrase/spell that had to be spoken in order to open them: "mellon".

This would also apply to other "magical" items where a word or phrase can invoke the special abilities. In other words, a mortal can use the magic of an item by speaking/casting the correct spell.

For example, Sam gets his rope, made in Lothlorien, to untie itself:

" `But I don't like leaving it, and that's a fact.' He stroked the end and shook it gently. `It goes hard parting with anything I brought out of the elf-country. Made by Galadriel herself, too, maybe. Galadriel,' he murmured, nodding his head mournfully. He looked up and gave one last pull to the rope as if in farewell. To the complete suprise of both the hobbits it came loose...Frodo laughed. `Who tied the rope?' he said. `A good thing it held as long as it did!'...`Have it your own way, Mr. Frodo,' he said at last, `but I think the rope came off itself-when I called.' He coiled it up and stowed it lovingly in his pack. "[The Two Towers -The Taming of Smeagol]

Sam, of course, is no wizard, nor does he have any magical ability, but perhaps the rope does, and by speaking the name of Galadriel he invokes a virtue of the rope to untie itself so that its owner can use it for another day.

Yet, all these items were made thru the use of _Lore_, which is different, according to Tolkien, than the use of "magic".




What is the difference between Magic and Lore?
Tolkien specifically stated that magic could only be performed by individuals possessing an inherent power (which did NOT include Men). Magic allowed for the instantaneous creation of effect from thought. Lore, on the otherhand, was knowledge gained by study to be used in the creation of items such as weapons, helms, rings, etc. Lore could be likened to technology and an understanding of how nature functions. Tolkien likened this form of magic to technology in one of his letters:

" The particular branch of the High-Elves concerned, the Noldor or Loremasters, were always on the side of `science and technology', as we should call it: they wanted to have the knowledge that Sauron genuinely had... The particluar `desire' of the Eregion Elves - an `allegory' if you like of a love of machinery, and technical devices - is also symbolized by their special friendship with the Dwarves of Moria. "[Letter #153]

Take a flashlight, for example. To a less advanced culture, a flashlight would certainly seem as a magic source of light. But for us, its manufacture and use is in accordance with the laws of nature. So it was for the mortals of Middle-earth when witnessing the "technology" of the Elves. Sam thought as much when he asked to see Elven magic.

Lore is the means by which items are created with special abilities. Some (but not all) examples of items created with lore are:

Elvish Origin:

The Three Elven Rings; Nenya, Vilya, and Narya
The Palantir; the seeing stones of the Numenoreans
The Elven Lamps; shining lamps with no fuel source
Galadriel's Mirror; an oracle of future events
Galadriel's Phial; a shining source of light
The Sheath of Anduril; runes of protection against breaking
The Elessar; healing properties
Dwarvish Origin:

The Helm of Hador; runes of protection and fear in enemies
The Carven Runes of Power in the throne room of Moria
The Gates of Moria; opened only by the correct word
Numenorean Origin:

The Barrowdown Blades; made with spells of ruin for the Witch-king
Evil Origin:

The One Ring
Grond; the battering ram with spells of ruin and destruction
Morgul blades; cursed to make the victim into a wraith



Didn't the Istari, or Wizards use Magic?
The Istari, of course, could also use magic, but they are not a race. Nor were they intended to be viewed as traditional "wizards" or "magicians" as we have them in later European legends. Tolkien stated that unfortunately there was no appropriate word that clearly denoted his intent and that he more or less settled on the word "wizard" as coming closest, but that there were differences.

There were a total of five Istari who came as messengers from Valinor to help the races of Middle-earth resist the domination of Sauron. They were Maiar, angelic powers of a lesser order than the Valar, "but clad in bodies as of Men", and subject to the trials and effects of Middle-earth. Being changed into Istari, their inherent power was used as magic, but in a restrictive manner; they were forbidden to use their power openly in direct confrontation or for domination.

How exactly the Wizards used magic is speculation, but it could be argued that their staffs were conduits for their inherent power to be used as magic. Consider the following passages where Gandalf uses his staff:

" In his left hand he held up his glimmering staff, the light of which just showed the ground before his feet; in his right he held his sword Glamdring. "[The Fellowship of the Ring - A Journey in the Dark]

" He lifted up his staff, and Gimli's axe leaped from his grasp and fell ringing on the ground. The sword of Aragorn, stiff in his motionless hand, blazed with a sudden fire. Legolas gave a great shout and shot an arrow high into the air: it vanished in a flash of flame. "[The Two Towers - The White Rider]

" He raised his staff. There was a roll of thunder. The sunlight was blotted out from the eastern windows; the whole hall became suddenly dark as night. The fire faded to sullen embers. Only Gandalf could be seen, standing white and tall before the blackened hearth. In the gloom they heard the hiss of Wormtongue's voice: `Did I not counsel you, lord, to forbid his staff? That fool, Hama, has betrayed us!' There was a flash as if lightning had cloven the roof. Then all was silent. Wormtongue sprawled on his face. "[The Two Towers - The King in the Golden Hall]

Also, consider Tolkien's translation of the name "Gandalf":

" Gandalf is a substitution in the English narrative on the same lines as the treatment of Hobbit and Dwarf names. It is an actual Norse name (found applied to a Dwarf in Voluspa) used by me since it appears to contain GANDR, a staff, especially one used in `magic', and might be supposed to mean `Elvish wight with a (magic) staff'. "[Unfinished Tales - The Istari]

It would appear then, that the staffs of the Istari are necessary for their ability to use magic. Not that the staffs were themselves magical, but were a device by which their magic was manifested. As discussed above, the Elves and the Maiar (Gandalf was himself one) possessed the requisite inherent power for magic. But in the case of the Istari, a staff serves both as a symbol of their order and as a conduit. Indeed, it is so, as is demonstrated by Gandalf when he breaks the staff of Saruman and casts him out from the order of the Istari causing Saruman to lose his powers. This is confirmed by Frodo during the last encounter with Saruman:

" [Saruman] drew himself up and stared darkly with his black eyes. `But do not think that when I lost all my goods I lost all my power!'...The hobbits recoiled. But Frodo said: `Do not believe him! He has lost all his power, save his voice that can still daunt you and deceive you, if you let it.' "[The Return of the King - The Scouring of the Shire]




The Nazgul were mortal, yet they used magic, didn't they?
Yes, they did. We know that as wearers of the Nine Rings they were given magical powers:

" Men proved easier to ensnare. Those who used the Nine Rings became mighty in their day, kings, sorcerers, and warriors of old. "[The Silmarillion - Of The Rings of Power and The Third Age]

But a distinction should be made between the power lent to them by their rings as "magic" while they were still alive as mortals and the evil necromancy wielded by them as Nazgul - that is after they became ringwraiths. It has been argued elsewhere that the Nazgul did not wear their own rings, yet they did perform acts of magic in several instances:

- During Frodo's flight from the Nazgul at the Ford of Bruinen:

" Then the leader, who was now half across the Ford, stood up menacing in his stirrups, and raised up his hand. Frodo was stricken dumb. He felt his tongue cleave to his mouth, and his heart labouring. His sword broke and fell out of his shaking hand. "[The Fellowship of the Ring - The Flight to the Ford]

- At the Seige of Gondor:

" Then the Black Captain rose in his stirrups and cried aloud in a dreadful voice, speaking in some forgotten tongue words of power and terror to rend both heart and stone. Thrice he cried, Thrice the great ram boomed. And suddenly upon the last stroke the Gate of Gondor broke. As if stricken by some blasting spell it burst asunder: there was a flash of searing lightning, and the doors tumbled in riven fragments to the ground. "[The Return of the King - The Seige of Gondor]

However, the source of this magic was derived from Sauron himself; it was the nature of the Nazgul to have this ability as defined by Sauron and as a result of their enslavement to him thru the continued use of their rings. The Nazgul's ability to use magic was "bought" at a terrible price - to be the invisible thralls of Sauron under his dominion.

What about the Magic of the Valar and Maiar?
The Valar and Maiar should be treated separately and not associated with magic in the everyday sense. The Valar were considered as the `angelic guardians' of Middle-earth, and the Maiar as their lesser servants. They certainly could perform supernatural feats, but these abilities should be considered as "divine power" and not magic. The word `Valar' as given in the index of the Silmarillion means `Those with Power', not magic.

Such is not the case with Sauron, even though he is a Maia. Because he debased himself to the role of tyrannt and squandered his power to dominate lesser beings he is reduced from angelic being to "Dark Lord" and "Necromancer". As such, his original divine power is lowered to the level of magic - his involvement in Middle-earth is that of constant domination and the exercise of his will to subjugate and control as "evil magic".

What About Runes of Power?
Runes are used to instill an item or thing with special powers or abilites. The use of Runes is knowledge gained from lore. The Dwarves, especially used Runes of Power. Take the following examples:

" A king he was on carven throne In many-pillared halls of stone With golden roof and silver floor and runes of power upon the door. "[The Fellowship of the Ring - A Journey in the Dark]

" The Helm of Hador was given into Thingol's hand. That helm was made of grey steel adorned with gold, and on it were graven runes of victory. A power was in it that guarded any who wore it from wound or death... "[Unfinished Tales - Narn I Hin Hurin]

The nature of runes is never explained by Tolkien, but we can infer something about them from the historical contexts which Tolkien used to construct Middle-earth. We know that Tolkien was influenced by Germanic, Anglo-Saxon, as well as Norse history and literature. As such, the use of runes by these cultures was also for "magic" purposes on swords, scabbards, and other items. Simply, then, runes had names and were meant to represent certain fundamental concepts such as victory or protection. If one knew the rune for a certain property one could then enscribe it on an item and pass on this property into the desired item.

Interesting information especially the inherent magick(that we possess ) and Lore magick such as Runes and learned systems.....Our tradition I think will help to reawaken our elven inherent magick through the use of Lore magick, thereafter the Lore magick will only be used in the most dire of situations....Our inherent Magick carries over into our daily lives, so we practice this path with every breath we breathe.

namarie
Artanaro