More than five Istari? - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

TheLostPilgrim · 12-23-2013, 06:43 PM

In UT it said that the number of the Istari is unknown, but that Five were considered chief among them--or at least important. I find it interesting that Tolkien would say that the number of the Istari is unknown--he never seemed to say something without it having some meaning.

What do you take from this? Do you believe there was perhaps more than the chief Five, perhaps other Istari sent on other missions--that Gandalf and his order might not even have been aware of?

I mean, it is said the Blue Wizards, for example, might have been just as important to the victory against Sauron in the East, as Gandalf was in the West, yet we know little of them except that they were clad in blue.

Could it not also be possible that Valar elected to send more than Five, perhaps on sub-missions or with missions of a slightly different character than Gandalf, Radaghast, Saruman and Allatar and Pallando, and we simply don't know of them because their activities and mission were not in the main 'theater' of the War?

12-23-2013, 06:43 PM	#1
TheLostPilgrim Haunting Spirit Join Date: Dec 2011 Posts: 72	More than five Istari? In UT it said that the number of the Istari is unknown, but that Five were considered chief among them--or at least important. I find it interesting that Tolkien would say that the number of the Istari is unknown--he never seemed to say something without it having some meaning. What do you take from this? Do you believe there was perhaps more than the chief Five, perhaps other Istari sent on other missions--that Gandalf and his order might not even have been aware of? I mean, it is said the Blue Wizards, for example, might have been just as important to the victory against Sauron in the East, as Gandalf was in the West, yet we know little of them except that they were clad in blue. Could it not also be possible that Valar elected to send more than Five, perhaps on sub-missions or with missions of a slightly different character than Gandalf, Radaghast, Saruman and Allatar and Pallando, and we simply don't know of them because their activities and mission were not in the main 'theater' of the War?