Eminence Grise-or "Grey is the new White"

[Anguirel]

The Lord of the Rings is a book that so ennobles the underappreciated colour grey that you'd think it had been written by the Civil Service.

Firstly, grey is Gandalf's old-and, I would say, his natural, innate-colour. It symbolises his unwillingness to adopt absolute positions; his doubt in himself; and his humility. Truly, it is a colour befitting the Istar who, alone, of his Order, is willing to admit that he fears Sauron. It also links him with the wisdom of the Elves, with Elrond and Galadriel, of which more will be said later.

Of course, the Istar wearing absolute White falls into the trap of pride; though Saruman's fall does not in itself taint white. It only shows that he who believes himself worthy of White can never be so; that pride and self-confidence can be overweening and destructive. Compare this with Gandalf's return after he has truly earnt his White robes; he still veils himself in Grey, and is referred to as Mithrandir, the Grey Pilgrim.

The grey is importantly the Elven colour, and the colour of raiment gifted to Elf-friends. The Men of Gondor and the Dunedain of the North have clean grey eyes, a reminder of the former beauty and honour of Westernesse. Frodo and Sam, even, are exalted by their grey; so that Faramir's rangers consider their being Elves, though Elves are supposed to be "wondrous fair to look upon". Later, Frodo, explaining about Galadriel, says:

"She it was who clothed us in elven-grey."

Yet Grey, and this is important, seems to stand for the unexpected, the enchanted, the stuff of fairytales which startles Men like Eomer and Theoden. in this way the Hobbits themselves are "grey", like Ents, "Quickbeam, a tall grey ent." This contrasts with the practical militarism of the perceived White wielded by Denethor and his armies:

"No travellers pass here, only servants of the Dark Tower or the White."

Here we see how perilously close White and Black have come, as with Saruman; and it is left to Grey to be the true white, and salvation.

So...ah...discuss!