What's in a Staff?

[Ancalagon'sFire]

I know many of you can search tirelessly to find references to 'staff's' in Tolkien's work, but really, what do you know about them? Tolkien give's great credence to staff's specifically in reference to the Istari and it is that which interests me most. What is it about an Istari wizard that requires him to have a staff? 5 entered Middle-Earth, all of whom had staff's but what connects each and what, if any, power lies in possession of a staff?

[Boromir88]

Wood?

But seriously, I've always thought of them as an ordinary stick, that can be used as a prop for walking or in the hands of a "magical" person, as a tool. Gandalf performs magic without his staff, note his description of his fight against the Balrog. His staff breaks on the bridge, but he's still lighting up the mountain.

I think Hama's got the best idea of a staff:

"The staff in the hand of a wizard may be more than a prop for age."~King of the Golden Hall

The key being "in the hand of a wizard," in someone like Hama's hands, it would just be a piece of wood.

[Inziladun]

I've always thought the staffs of the Wizards to act much as the wands in the Harry Potter books: a means of focusing, and perhaps amplifying the magic, but not the ultimate source of it.

[Ibrîniðilpathânezel]

As Tolkien made it quite clear that "magic" in his world is the power native to the being wielding that "magic," I have wondered about the nature of an Istar's staff for a long time. While there appears to be some connection between the staff and power, I think it is more symbolic than real. The staff may act as a conduit for the wizard's innate power at his whim, but I really haven't seen anything that convinces me that it is necessary for the wielding thereof. There does appear to be something about them that makes them important to the Istari -- why go through the rigamarole of breaking Saruman's staff if there was not some point to it?

Finally, after a good thirty or more years of puzzling over this, it finally occurred to me: the wizard's staves were not the only ones Tolkien mentioned; there was also the staff of stewardship of the Stewards of Gondor. The wizard's staff may be an emblem of office, as the white staff is an emblem of the office of the stewards of Gondor. After all, Gandalf did say to Denethor, "I am also a steward. Did you not know?" That was the real job of Istari in ME, to be stewards who would teach and guide the people for the protection of their world against the "illegal" incursion of Sauron. It was a visible emblem of their office, possibly given to them by the Valar when they were sent on their mission, and as such it would be quite important and precious to the wizards, as a scepter or crown or any other signet of office is to any person. Embodied in the human form with its many burdens both physical and emotional, they probably became quite attached to them, and would not want to lose them, or hand them to another save at great need. The breaking of Saruman's staff would thus be akin to the breaking of a king's scepter, or Denethor's deliberate breaking of the Steward's staff: a sign that the office was at end, that the reign was over. Saruman's tenure as head of the Istari ended, and his staff was broken.

Just my thoughts, as ever.

[Formendacil]

In addition to being a prop form a wizard's age, it occurs to me that a staff in the hands of a wizard might also be a prop in a more dramatic sense--that is, it's part of the visual equipment dealt the Istari for their role in Middle-earth as wizards.

The idea being, that, because the Istari are Maia in their nature, their power will certainly come from their own being, rather than from some stick they carry--but perhaps they carry the stick as a prop--the people of Middle-earth wouldn't know the difference, and it might make the power appear less inherent in the wizard.

On the other hand, however, it's clear that some sort of power must reside in the staff, since when Gandalf the White breaks Saruman's staff, this is not merely a ceremonial act--it actually deprives Saruman of some/most of his power (it is said that his voice is pretty much all that is left thereafter).

So...

Gandalf fights the Balrog without his staff, with no apparent problems.

Saruman has his staff broken and loses his power.

How to reconcile these points?

Perhaps it is not that the staff, itself, has any power, but rather that it houses a wizard's authority. The distinction between the two is subtle, but I think there is one. A staff broken for a wizard will not cripple his power, because his power does not reside there. However, a staff broken by a higher authority (as the returning Gandalf is to Saruman--whether in his own right or on behalf of Manwë--or Eru--is another matter), robs a wizard of his ability (or authority) to exercise his power.

Does that make sense?

Until and unless broken by a competent authority, a wizard's staff could be any old stick--but he would typically have to have one as the badge of his office. If broken by a competent authority, however, no matter that it was just some old stick, his ability to exercise his power was gone.

Which leads to an interesting question... was Saruman a competent authority to break Gandalf's staff--thereby rendering his power inert? One assumes not, since he did not do any such thing when he had Gandalf prisoner in Isengard... but it's hardly conclusive. Was it because he didn't see the need? Because such an action would have involved the Valar?

Or I am overcomplicating it, and it was merely that Saruman, though head of the order, did not have that authority? In which case, Gandalf returning as the White would be a separate matter from Gandalf returning empowered to divest Saruman of his authority.

EDIT: Crossposted with Ibrîn, who seems to be taking a similar line.

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by Ibrîniðilpathânezel

The breaking of Saruman's staff would thus be akin to the breaking of a king's scepter, or Denethor's deliberate breaking of the Steward's staff: a sign that the office was at end, that the reign was over. Saruman's tenure as head of the Istari ended, and his staff was broken.

I can certainly see symbolism in the staffs, as well. When Saruman's staff is broken, the head of it falls at Gandalf's feet. This would seem a clear indication that Gandalf was then the 'head' of the Order.

All the same, the staff seems to have some quality of magic of its own, or at least the ability to channel it. Consider the Fellowship at Moria.

As the wizard passed on ahead up the great steps, he held his staff aloft, and from its tip there came a faint radiance.

A Journey In the Dark

And earlier, when Gandalf, Bilbo, and the Dwarves were caught in the trees in The Hobbit:

Then Gandalf climbed to the top of his tree. The sudden splendour flashed from his wand like lightning..

Out of the Frying-Pan Into the Fire

'Wand' there, should surely be read for 'staff'.
I think the staffs are both instruments of power, and, as Ibrin said, symbols of office.

[Rumil]

Well all I know for sure is that Terry Pratchett claimed that a Wizard's Staff has a knob on the end .

I am temped to agree with Formy regarding the authority to 'practice magic' maybe resided in the staff, as I read it Saruman was deprived of his magical power, apart from his hypnotic voice, when Gandalf broke his staff.

I wonder if a proportion, maybe even a majority, of an Istari's power did reside in their staff, or require the staff to allow its use? Could this have been one of the limitations that was imposed by the Valar when the Wizards were sent?