Saved by Naria?

[Alfirin]

Hi all,
A though just ocurred to me with regards to Gandalf and his post "re-incarnation" trip to Lothlorien. Might this be the one time that Gandalf actually used Naria's power on himself. Much talk has been made about the possiblity that Cirdan gave Gandalf Naria to combat the weariness Gandalf would suffer in trying to complete his mission in ME, however the trip to Lothlorien may be the one time Gandalf may have actually needed that power. If he truly was sent back naked (as the text says) then he would have had to deal not only with any roving orcs he might meet but with the sheer cold of the mountain. Much as some have suggested that Galadriel got some of her abilty to make Lothlorien flourish from Nenya and Elrond may have used Vilia to call the torrent, I'm wondering if Naria migh have had some external preservative power besides is abiity to rekindle men's hearts, namely the power to keep the wearer from freezing to death (i.e. there was a a kind of physical fire it controlled along with the spiritual one). Granted Gandalf the newly reborn is now mightier, but he is still in a human body (and the fact that he still has Naria indicates its is likey the same body, unless he found the ring lying by his side when he was sent back) and so seems likey to be as liable to frostbite and hypothermia as any other human form. Gandalfs trip to Lothlorien was a grueling trial, but I'm incined to think that if I am right, had he not had Naria it might have been impossible.

[Mugwump]

~ Naked I was sent back -- for a brief time, until my task is done. And naked I lay upon the mountain-top. ... I was alone, forgotten, without escape upon the hard horn of the world. There I lay staring upward, while the stars wheeled over, and each day was as long as a life-age of the earth. ... And so at the last Gwaihir the Windlord found me again, and he took me up and bore me away. ... "Do not let me fall!" I gasped, for I felt life in me again. "Bear me to Lothlorien!"
~ "That indeed is the command of the Lady Galadriel who sent me to look for you," he answered.

[Pitchwife]

From LotR Appendix B, The Tale of Years:

February
14 The Mirror of Galadriel. Gandalf returns to life, and lies in a trance.
[...]
17 Gwaihir bears Gandalf to Lórien.

Three to four days naked on a mountain-top. In February. Even if we assume Gandalf was pretty robust, and had a new body that wasn't suffering from the injuries of fighting the Balrog, that's a feat. Alfirin has quite a point.

[Mnemosyne]

That, Alfirin, sounds like the makings of a beautiful fanfic*.

*Full disclosure: I am actively involved in the fanfic-writing part of the fandom and consider it a legitimate means of exploring canon, so there is no irony in that statement.

[Eönwë]

Well he could have just been like this man, but it is known that Gandalf could make fire (as in Caradhras). Whether it is him or Narya is another issue entirely.

[Alfirin]

Originally Posted by Pitchwife

Even if we assume Gandalf was pretty robust, and had a new body that wasn't suffering from the injuries of fighting the Balrog, that's a feat. Alfirin has quite a point.

In fact one of my points is that he proably didn't have a new body, just his old one, possibly somewhat repaired but still the same one. If the body was brand new, he wouldn't have Naria period, unless he went an retrived it from his old body (and if he did you'd think he would have stripped off whatever clothing (torn and ragged as it was) it had for warmth (anything would be better than nothing)

I'm not sure about the fanficm not that I have anything against fanfic (Heck I'm working on quite a few (non tolkein) myself) I do however think there is potential for a talented illstrator to get a good picture out of it, Gandalf, naked, huddled on the snowy mountainside dwarfed by the scenery, his hair and beard streing in the snowy wind curled around the hand with Naria, which is emitting a tiny red glow. A powerful image of Gandalf's mortal bodies frailty agains the awesome and uncaring power of nature. Powerful.

[Mugwump]

Remember, his body wasn't exactly human. He was one tough old bird!

And the Balrog's body may still have been exuding heat/fire. But even not, I don't think he was using his ring actively to do it. His owning it may have helped, though.

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by Mugwump

Remember, his body wasn't exactly human. He was one tough old bird!

From Gwaihir's comment about Gandalf being light enough to float to the earth after his return, I'd say you're right about Gandalf the White. But it's made plain that the bodies the Istari inhabited when they arrived in ME were nothing special.

For with the consent of Eru, [The Valar] sent members of their own high order, but clad in bodies as of Men, real and not feigned, but subject to the fears and pains and weariness of earth, able to hunger and thirst and be slain....

UT The Istari

[Valier]

Sorry I had to do this...a little off the topic but isn't it spelt Narya? Not that it's a huge deal...
Just because Naria is a Downer that I know, the name Narya was taken so she picked Naria so when I saw the title of the thread I had a wee laugh...again sorry for the off topic comment.

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by Valier

Sorry I had to do this...a little off the topic but isn't it spelt Narya? Not that it's a huge deal...
Just because Naria is a Downer that I know, the name Narya was taken so she picked Naria so when I saw the title of the thread I had a wee laugh...again sorry for the off topic comment.

I wondered about that, then thought it might be a translation issue or something of that nature.

[Gorthaur the Cruel]

Originally Posted by Alfirin

Hi all,
A though just ocurred to me with regards to Gandalf and his post "re-incarnation" trip to Lothlorien. Might this be the one time that Gandalf actually used Naria's power on himself. Much talk has been made about the possiblity that Cirdan gave Gandalf Naria to combat the weariness Gandalf would suffer in trying to complete his mission in ME, however the trip to Lothlorien may be the one time Gandalf may have actually needed that power. If he truly was sent back naked (as the text says) then he would have had to deal not only with any roving orcs he might meet but with the sheer cold of the mountain. Much as some have suggested that Galadriel got some of her abilty to make Lothlorien flourish from Nenya and Elrond may have used Vilia to call the torrent, I'm wondering if Naria migh have had some external preservative power besides is abiity to rekindle men's hearts, namely the power to keep the wearer from freezing to death (i.e. there was a a kind of physical fire it controlled along with the spiritual one). Granted Gandalf the newly reborn is now mightier, but he is still in a human body (and the fact that he still has Naria indicates its is likey the same body, unless he found the ring lying by his side when he was sent back) and so seems likey to be as liable to frostbite and hypothermia as any other human form. Gandalfs trip to Lothlorien was a grueling trial, but I'm incined to think that if I am right, had he not had Naria it might have been impossible.

I believe Narya was definitely a life-saver for Gandalf at that very moment. He was trapped in the peak of Silvertine without hope of escape. And he describes each day as though it were a life-age of the earth. That to me indicates his feelings of extreme weariness. And if sent back literally naked, then he would have been frozen to death, for even as Gandalf the White, his body is as real as that of a man, not feigned, but subject to weariness, cold and death. So I definitely don't doubt that Narya supported him not only physically, but as well as mentally from that wearisome three-day trance. And though Narya supported him, he still needed to go through Lothlorien for Galadriel's healing (frostbites, perhaps? hehehe). I just can't see him making it without Narya in his Istari form.