Were the Staves of Wizards Important? Middle-earth Explained & Artifacts of Arda

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11 ай бұрын

The Wizards were very powerful beings in Tolkien’s Middle-earth, yet, one question regarding them has always surrounded the Legendarium: were their staves important? Today, we will explore and attempt to answer that question! Thank you all so much for watching, let me know your thoughts on the importance of Wizards’ staves! As always, a great thanks to the online artists whose visual works made this video possible! If you are one of the artists, please let me know and I will post your name and a link to your work in this description!
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Пікірлер: 230

@slicerneons3300 11 ай бұрын

I told you to take the wizard's Staff!

@wlam205 11 ай бұрын

Grade A use of quotes my good slicer of neons😂❤

@ChronicUnderachiever420 11 ай бұрын

You would not part an old man from his walking stick!

@ryansauchuk7290 11 ай бұрын

Stave

@anthonyhanks-yv9on 11 ай бұрын

I will draw you slicer neons as poison from our wound.

@Svinfylka 10 ай бұрын

Except I would wager that Grimma would not know where the real power comes from. It’s a great quote but I don’t believe IMHO that it proves any power in the staff

@Darkgeran7 11 ай бұрын

My guess is when Gandalf staff breaks during his fight with the balrog it shows the inner maia showing just a fraction of its immense power that not even his staff could bear such a immense burden

@hojowarf6488 11 ай бұрын

Correct. The staff is a focusing and limiting power for the Istari. The wizards were there to inspire and direct the peoples of Middle Earth, not to fight Sauron themselves. The staffs serve to limit the power of the maia within and most likely if they tried to channel too much power the staff would break.

@robertcoplin2830 11 ай бұрын

I've always felt that the staff is a focus, with no inherent power of its own. It is a way for the wizard to direct his, or her, power. Maybe the type of material enhances or amplifies.

@jasperl180 11 ай бұрын

This is what I always thought

@shawn092182 11 ай бұрын

Same here. I always thought that it's required for the wizards to use them because they were bound to their mortal bodies in Middle Earth, unlike being in their true form in Valinor.

@ms0824 11 ай бұрын

Like a wizard or witches wand.

@bobjohnson1633 10 ай бұрын

Only the wizards were ever shown to wield a staff to cast magic or speak words of power.

@orionspero560 10 ай бұрын

I also thought of as a focus but a focus of vala. That would make galron breaking of the staff of Saruman was expulsion/renunciation of Curumo by the vala (prosumibly Manwë) preformed through Gandalf.

@miaththered 11 ай бұрын

By the rods of the five wizards, I approve of this message.

@Thechezbailey 9 ай бұрын

OoooOoOooOOOoo I suppose you want the keys of Orthanc!?

@archades115 11 ай бұрын

Personally, I think Tolkien took inspiration from the real world. In the practice of ceremonial magic and other forms of paganism, the wand or staff is used by magicians. This is done for two purposes. 1: The wand/staff symbolizes a scepter, representing the magician's authority over spirits and magic. 2: The wand/staff is used to draw power from the ethereal and astral planes. Given how much more prevalent such practices were in Tolkien's time, I believe that is where he drew inspiration from.

@JeffYPbPr 11 ай бұрын

What? The dude made wizards and wizards have staffs, come on

@bradylewis9698 11 ай бұрын

@@JeffYPbPr he also has werewolves that don't become human, vampires that aren't the traditional vampires, and used elves in a way that no one had used them before as tall great warriors instead of tiny little beings. Tolkien doesn't exactly follow the norms for mythical races and creatures.

@JDB2552 11 ай бұрын

What is your data for the greater prevalence of ceremonial magic in Tolkien’s time, which is 1892-1973?

@Vandelberger 10 ай бұрын

@@JeffYPbPrThis comment is bizarre, but I think it’s a joke? As far as I can tell, Freya priestesses (Volva) used wands to perform rituals.

@michelzwiers7742 11 ай бұрын

4:38 what about the possibility that Gandalf is using Glamdring as a sort of makeshift staff of sorts? Instead of using his wooden staff here, I think a sword that's as great as Glamdring is might be able to be used to channel magic in some sort of way

@AKadir8 11 ай бұрын

I agree with you. He uses his staff during his fight with Balrog in a defensive manner, casting shields against Balrog's attacks, light rays to banish the Nazgul to save the men, and defending the fellowship. His offense is almost only with his sword against the magical creatures who are much stronger than the lesser orcs and uruk, by channeling lightning and secret fire, etc. Staff and sword is just different extensions of him, honed to channel the uncut, core energy of his being for different intentions.

@isaackim7675 11 ай бұрын

I just wonder how strong his staff is given to how hard he swings it at an Orc’s head

@DannyJane. 11 ай бұрын

IMO, the staff was a tool to focus the magical energy inherent in each wizard. A walking-stick, unlike a cane or crutch, isn't necessary for one to travel on foot. However, it IS helpful. So it is with the staff. A wizard can perform magic without a staff, but it helps to focus.

@Tadicuslegion78 11 ай бұрын

I think the Staffs were more a symbol of the Valar giving the wizards their missions hence why Gandalf breaking Saruman's staff was such a big deal because it was the Valar telling Saruman he's out of the club for what he's done.

@AugustusR 11 ай бұрын

You are onto something here I'd say... as a symbol of their delegated authority the staffs were a channel for the magic they were allowed to use, both a focus tool and a limit on their powers much like their elderly bodies; once lost the Istari are rendered weaker, as if they had been striped of their connection to Aman. For Gandalf then to be given a new one was a symbol of his consecrated authority as the new white wizard, a conduit for more of the power already within him.

@tyrport 11 ай бұрын

Tolkien said he kept as much unsaid and mysterious about the magic in Lord of the Rings as possible. I think you agree this was wise. I wish though there was an explanation of what happened when he was Saruman’s prisoner to his staff. I was hoping you knew.

@Kornheiser10 11 ай бұрын

I believe you failed to mention (in the movie) when Sauruman used both his and Gandalf's stave in his battle against Gandalf and sent him to the top of Orthanc.

@orrointhewise87 11 ай бұрын

"His staff! I TOLD you to take the wizards staff!!" Now these would b my kind of weapon!! I'm not a sword or bow guy I would have a staff most certainly 😍 They represent wisdom and strength, something everyone needs in middle earth. Rather sad that other weapons and tools received names but not these great instruments of great work. I don't know enough elvish to conjure a name but mine would have one 😂 In the end they were just as strong and useful and mysterious as the ones who wielded them.

@bobjohnson1633 10 ай бұрын

I'll stick with my guns. A handy magnum revolver can solve most problems.

@yodaslovetoy 11 ай бұрын

"A wizards staff has a knob on the end" - Discworld, Sir Terry Pratchett

@shaggycan 11 ай бұрын

The staff is a spell focus/anchor; when you cast a spell without it you become much more tired because the magic is grounded in your body. With a focus you push magic through it and it's much easier. In a way the Ring is also a spell focus, but in addition adds a set level of unexhaustable magic. It's in many ways a perfect focus. Think of the body as a battery and the staff as a wire. The ring is more like a fusion generator.

@whiteknightcat 11 ай бұрын

I can agree that the staves were more conduits for focusing power than sources of power themselves. We can see this in another genre - consider the old Star Trek episode Return of the Archons. The "lawgivers" in the episode used rods of similar dimensions to the wizards' staves to kill unbelievers by projecting an energy force of some sort. Upon inspection, though, Spock determined the rods were merely long featureless cylindrical tubes with no apparent functionality whatsoever. The source of the energy was elsewhere.

@chevin0 11 ай бұрын

I feel like it was done because that's how it was in Tolkien's inspirations, but if asked, he would say (drawing on the old reasons) that the wizards gave up a good bit of power, control and most importantly knowledge in taking mortal forms and the staff just helped them focus and direct the power. Gandalf could do fireworks and magic smoke rings and such without it, but with his staff, we mostly saw him use it in greater magic with higher stakes, usually being resisted by another powerful being.

@jungsbodyguard 11 ай бұрын

I initially misread this title as, "Were the Slaves of Wizards Important?", and was perplexed

@seriously..... 11 ай бұрын

Excellent topic! Excellent video! Thx for sharing!!

@baystated 11 ай бұрын

I'd like to imagine that each staff was a give from their Valar sponsor, connected to that Valar's and the Wizard's themes, although I cannot connect them nicely to the designs. Like "we restrain your full Maiar power behind old men but here, we provide you with this blessed implement to hone your great abilities in smaller, direct ways."

@MarvinT0606 11 ай бұрын

they're probably closer to adapter kits, like the Valar saying "as much as we'd like to let you go on your mission at full-power, we can't allow you to because you might go ham on the magic and do more harm than good- so take these staves and use them only when needed. They look cool and they double as walking-sticks."

@Scrub_Jake 11 ай бұрын

It is spelled “Staves” but pronounced like “Halves” or like say “Stabs” but replace the “b” with a “v”, I believe…

@genghisgalahad8465 11 ай бұрын

The Habs and the Habs not? I'll take a stab at pronouncing it!

@madambutterfly1997 11 ай бұрын

What did Saruman refer to in the 3rd movie when he said The crowns of the seven kings and the rods of the five wizards?

@translationnation4589 11 ай бұрын

Fantastic video bud! 👍 never knew it was staves: love learning about things that are harder to find in lore.

@travismoriarty669 11 ай бұрын

Insightful video. Thanks

@bmcg4977 11 ай бұрын

Let us not forget the famous drinking song, “A Wizard’s Staff Has a Knob on the End”.

@spaceluke420 10 ай бұрын

I love your videos! keep up with the good work

@shanenolan5625 11 ай бұрын

Thanks haven't gotten a notification yet , but came looking.

@Narco42 10 ай бұрын

The staff is a channeling device. It lets them grow in tune with the forces around them.

@urmwhynot 10 ай бұрын

The stick, as an extension of the will is as old as the magical traditions from whence Tolkien drew his inspiration from. Whether from the wands of Europe, to the Godsticks of the Polynesians - the stick has always held a place in our human history

@MountainFisher 11 ай бұрын

The Witch King never broke Gandalf's staff in the books and only did in the extended movie.

@tylerabbott4562 10 ай бұрын

I love the wisdom at the end of your videos. Too often we attribute bettering what we have instead of bettering who we are.

@roberthofmann8403 11 ай бұрын

Good vid

@Comicnut64 11 ай бұрын

Here we go artifacts we’re gonna figure out how staves work

@brandonstubbs1369 11 ай бұрын

I like how one RPG game implements magic benefits of staves: "Staves are long, wooden poles five to seven feet in length. A staff may or may not be banded in metal. Magic staves are always carved with runes and various magical formula. To use a staff, the user must be a trained magic-user, All items of this type require specific rites and cantrips to activate the power that is within them. The following rules should be followed in staff operation: A) Staves allow the magic-user to cast more mana points than his or her limit. The amount that is added to the user’s mana points equals Staff's magic level x 8. Any mana points in excess of the user’s is cast-able with the staff. B) Staves may be used in channel a normal magic spell when it is cast. When they are, the caster will add two to the number of mana points required to cast the spell. He will subtract the magic level of the staff from his success roll in addition to any normal modifiers that may apply. C) Staves are imbued with powerful focal points of magic such as large flawless gems that attune with the wizards magic school. Therefore when the staff is broken, unless he possesses some innate magic spell, as opposed to a learned magic spell, he is banished from the school and can no longer focus that magic to affect the world around them.

@chrysm6842 7 ай бұрын

Ty !

@stevengentry9396 11 ай бұрын

I really enjoyed this video. I always thought of the wizard's staff as similar to a sword worn by an army officer; a symbol of rank and identity, but also can be employed, if necessary, in battle.

@duyguovunchacihamdioglu1692 10 ай бұрын

It feels like Gandalf can turn anything he gets into a magic stave. He has both power and sensitive heart. it was an interesting and good topic, nice talk, thanks

@ItsQuiteCool 11 ай бұрын

Great topic! Tolkien's soft magic is really interesting. I do wonder when Gandalf became Gandalf the White, with his new power and staff, if his fire magic changed colour too? As Gandalf the Grey on Caradhras "He thrust the end of his staff into the midst of it. At once a great spout of green and blue flame sprang out" he then says "I have written Gandalf is here in signs that all can read" and also in Moria his smoke rings were green too "and in the dim light it made him look strange and sorcerous." Like he may be grey but green's still his favourite colour. Tolkien uses green quite a bit come to think of it. The green light in Smeagol's eyes when he's more Stinker/Gollum, but then Tree Beards eyes also had a green light but was described differently as "solemn, but very penetrating" and not as a sign of evil. Went on a little tangent there 😂

@bitterzombie 11 ай бұрын

Makes sense, with green being a color associated with nature. In that way it can have multiple meanings. Gandalf can be understood as a sage or steward of nature, having a deep understanding of the interconnected parts. Trebeard is a guardian or shepard, his focus & concerns being purely those of the trees, those who cannot speak or defend themselves. And in the case of gollum, it could be an inference to the feral state that gollum has become, being compelled purely by his animal needs. Those being food, & of course, his PRECIOUS, arguably more important to him than food after 500 years of being compelled by it. He would already be dead without it

@Sliverwalker 11 ай бұрын

If you light a small bit of gunpowder in your hand, you get a small flash and maybe a burn. Close your hand tightly around that same pile and you will lose that hand. Staves are focuses to direct power when finesse and caution are needed. Like the barrel of a shotgun...

@JimRodgers 11 ай бұрын

The vagueness and mystery of Tolkein's magic system is part of the allure of the storyline. Much is left up to the reader's/observer's imagination.

@Justin-pe9cl 10 ай бұрын

I think the staves were a badges of office as the istari. When Saruman’s staff was broken he was essentially excommunicated from the order of the istari. He was probably weaker because he no longer had the backing of the Valar.

@The-Mstr-Pook 10 ай бұрын

"A Wizard staff has a Knob on the end, but no one can bug**r a hedgehog " ~song by witch Nanny Ogg, Terry Pratchett Wyrd Sisters disc world novel.

@apdarkness3027 11 ай бұрын

A most interesting chronicle of some of the most important artefacts of Middle Earth, outside the Rings of Power and a few of the legendary weapons. As for the importance of the staves, I believe that they where a means of channelling and focusing the magic of the Istari, almost like a physical manifestation of the power each Wizards, who were probably capable of using their spells without them, but the effects would likely be less controlled and unrefined, and to what significance the Staves played, it's clear that they were a symbol of status among the order, as well as means of spell craft, and support when walking.

@annecarter5181 11 ай бұрын

Can you imagine, “You shall not pass”!! without a staff??!!

@justinmaitland7335 10 ай бұрын

Created with the staves, I see it as the tool to fully access their power as a myar while bound in this form.

@centralscrutinizer6108 10 ай бұрын

I couldn't help but have a good chuckle when I saw this video pop up. I watch a couple different Tolkien channels and Broken Sword did this very topic only a day or 2 ago. I dunno if you guys collaborate and get ideas from each other but quite a few times yall seem to make videos on the same thing within days of each other. Don't think I'm tearing you down for this your channel to me has been the best by far with all the Tolkien lore and how you present it. Men of the West, The Broken Sword, and In Deep Geek are the ultimate source for anything you need to know about this stuff. Its great having multiple points of view and thoughts on these things too its really great!

@wolfyboy 10 ай бұрын

I think it was a conduit that focused their powers, thus also making them more powerful.

@TarMody 10 ай бұрын

I think that for the Ainur in Tolkien mythology, the magic phenomenon is based on the incarnation of spiritual power. At this point, staff seem to be tools that symbolize incarnation and the embodiment of spiritual power. Magic can also be performed without a staff, but it is also possible to have catalytic effects in channeling spiritual power to a specific purpose.

@geviesanta3631 11 ай бұрын

I bet the staves represents each powers that are possessed for the wizards involved

@stephenleggett4243 11 ай бұрын

Its just that an arcane focus is so much easier than a component pouch to role play, far less to think about. Besides, when there whole party turned up in session one of the new "Middle earth" campaign, and it turned out everyone created a wizard, it will look kinda cool to have a unifieing feature.

@gonpala 9 ай бұрын

Gandalf needed his staff in Meduseld because he was going against Saruman's magic at his peak and Gandalf 2.0 hadn't proved himself yet. In fact, it wasn't so easy to free the King, but it was the moment when Gandalf surpassed Saruman as the most powerful wizard. Hence, emphasis on the NEEDING of the staff.

@douglasjenkins2770 8 ай бұрын

6:49 this is true but as Saruman died his spirit rose from his body and looked west before being dispersed by the winds of Manwe, so seemingly he was still following some rules laid out to the in the hopes of forgiveness when he finally returns west

@douglasjenkins2770 8 ай бұрын

2:46 in my opinion and from the lore I've gone through Saruman was still trying to convince Gandalf to give him his secrets and hopefully have him join forces to use the ring to overthrow Sauron and the two would rule Middle-Earth

@prickly10000 11 ай бұрын

They are actually Walkingstick!

@thomaspeterson8357 10 ай бұрын

Saruman's staff was badass. My favorite a metal staff you could spear someone with too

@jakelaurence30 11 ай бұрын

My interpretation is that the staves are somewhat like arcane focuses from dnd. The wizard can do some magic without it, but more powerful stuff requires the staff to channel the magic

@Restilia_ch 11 ай бұрын

I feel like it was part of the limiters placed on them by the Valar to have them go to Middle Earth. They were not going to use their power to solve all the problems, they were going to advise, but neither would they be powerless. By needing a staff to use most of their, still very limited, powers they were forced to act more like their disguises as old men. Gandalf with the Balrog and after his return might be exceptions because a Balrog is a problem outside the scope of the War of the Ring so, possibly on his own authority or something else, he was able to use closer to his full Maiar might to bring it low. After his return, the Valar knew that Saruman had turned traitor and so Gandalf might have been given more leave to act as more than an advisor, such as we see with Theoden or Faramir.

@Jay-ql4gp 11 ай бұрын

It's staves. And thank you. Yes they were important, not only as a symbol, but as a way of channeling power, much in the way you described.

@RyanHaney55 11 ай бұрын

Interesting stuff. I kinda think of the wizard staff as a conduit. It helps them, but they can use magic without it. Plus, they look cool.

@cryoshakespeare4465 10 ай бұрын

I think the power is in a sense symbolic, but this is also deeply important. Since the wizards are ultimately a motif within the music of the Ainur and Illuvatar's design, the symbolic aspects to their existence likely reflect their role in the music - they could perform great acts at times without the staves when there was clear resolve and it rang true in the moment, but I would say it is also so symbolically impactful that a wizard would have had their staff removed of them that likely only by an allegiance and endowment from Melkor directly, in a sense symbolically adjoining to the apparent rebellion against Illuvatar's motifs, that they could wrought their magics for personal and selfish use.

@stevedenis8292 11 ай бұрын

The Staff makers in middle earth closed shop early when ever they saw Gandalf showing up.

@timw483 11 ай бұрын

I think we are all on the same basic page that a wizard's staff lets him focus and control his innate power and that on its own, a staff is just a fancy piece of wood. According to Tolkien, the Maiar exist at once in both this world and also what we would call the spirit world. They can draw great power from that world but need a means to direct and control it and that is what a staff does. Mortals cannot access that world so a staff is useless to them. Similarly, the great rings do essentially the same job but on steroids, but also allow mortals to access that power as well.

@AugustusR 11 ай бұрын

Ugh... I really hated that scene where the Witch King of Angmar breaks Gandalf's staff in the movies!! It is like comparing that jumped up wraith to a Balrog, when only his master (Saruman) could have gone toe to toe against another Mair. Loved the movies really, but they did have moments like that where they take cheap dramatic shots at the expense of immersion and coherence.

@billylyons7212 11 ай бұрын

I believe it's easier to focus magic through a staff. Sort of like light and using a magnify glass to focus the light. They can summon magic but hard to control it and focus it without a staff.

@erikbender1967 11 ай бұрын

You would not deprive an old man of his walking stick? Wink, wink.

@lucyosborne9239 11 ай бұрын

And you gotta love in the film when the Witch King broke his staff, and then in the next shot he's carrying the same staff. Was his spare stowed on Shadowfax? Pippin wasn't exactly large enough to store it anywhere... Where did it come from? Just one of those movie lore "oops" moments. And I love the last one in the movie too, very reminiscent of Lorien art which is meet as he was, well, improved? as Mithrandir dressed in white by The White Lady, Lady Galadriel.

@mirshitin1775 11 ай бұрын

He’s not. In the next scene he goes to stop Denethor from burning Faramir in the pyre and takes the spear/halberd from one of the guards of the citadel and uses it against him. He does not have a staff again (in the films) until after the end of the War of the Ring, when they go to the Grey Havens.

@MidwestManMountain 10 ай бұрын

An opportunity was missed to further pluralize staves as Sméagol would have. Imagine talking about “staveses my precious” 😂

@Teehashee 10 ай бұрын

I don't exactly remember if Radagast is ever mentions in recent times bearing his staff. This would make sense as he is both portrayed as weak and as one who has abandoned his purpose for a new one.

@flatbill2 11 ай бұрын

I have a hypothesis that the staves are made out of pieces of the trees inv Valinor or at least related to them like the trees from lothlorien. A living embodiment of the Valar on middle-earth, that allows them to wield the power of the Valar

@Tim.Stotelmeyer.2984 10 ай бұрын

My take is the staves were a misdirect to make people think they were the source of the wizard's power to help hide the wizards being Maiar. Saruman fell for the misdirect and forgot his staff was not the source of his power.

@trevorfernandes5184 11 ай бұрын

I haven’t reviewed as much but staves are used by The Clave and others in the Land in the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever. The Lords used Staffs such as the Staff of Law. I don’t ever remember the use of the word “stave” in LOTR or Hobbit or Silmarillion. Offered respectfully.

@phily8093 4 ай бұрын

The staff is symbolic of the powers of the Istari, unlike other Maiar, they are permitted to be in Middle Earth as servants of purpose for the Valar, and their abilities are limited to this extent. When Gandalf declares Saruman's staff to be broken, he is really using the authority given to him by the Valar to remove his power, and humble him. A wizard can still do "magic" without his staff, whilst still serving the order, and I believe that it does help them focus their energy for certain spells, but once it is broken by those greater than, rather than by accident, they are significantly reduced. I see it in a similar way to George Banks having his hat punched through in Mary Poppins - dismissing his employment and status by removing one of the signifiers of his former rank.

@beatleblev 11 ай бұрын

Exercising overt power in Middle Earth seems to mandate externalization of that power in some form, whether that be a Ring, a Jewel, a Staff or, a dragon. 1 v. 1 mental combat does not seem to require this sort of material focus. Gandalf, Galadriel, Glaurung, Smaug, Morgoth, and Sauron can daunt with their eyes/countenance alone. Alterations to the natural world and mass domination require externalization greater that the force or persons you wish to Master. This is why Sauron poured so much of his native power into the One Ring. He is not the only inhabitant of Middle Earth to focus their will into their creations. The Arnorian will to kill the Witch King is manifested in the Daggers of Westernesse, the Elven loathing of Orcs burns blue on the blades of the swords of Gondolin, and the ethereal nature of Rivendell and Lorien are a testament to the power of the Elven Rings of Power when left in one place for an Age. The staves of the Istari seem to be both a focus for and a limitation on their native Maia power in addition to the limits that come with incarnation.

@Vandelberger 10 ай бұрын

As far as I can tell, Freya priestesses (Volva) used wands to perform rituals.

@ethanmillward675 10 ай бұрын

Just gonna point out that there are a few instances of Gandalf using magic without his staff in the movies. Not only when he fights the balrog but also when he blows smoke shaped like a ship and when he breaks the ring’s hold over Bilbo he doesn’t have his staff in either scene

@mykeybarbee2587 11 ай бұрын

People are capable of magic as is, and any item or place is just an enhancement, a stave, an alter, a sacred place.

@adamredmond3136 11 ай бұрын

It seems in the movies they put much more power & emphasis into the staves. Gandalf uses it to ward off the Nazghul from Faramir & the returning Gondor soldiers on the field in ROTK. He also uses it to expell Saruman's hold from Theodin and Grima tells the Rohan guards they should have taken Gandalf's staff from him! Then there's the fight in the tower between Gandalf and Saruman were the staves came into it a lot! Probably more of a visual movie motif thing, as often staves and wands seem to be a conduit for a wizard's power on the big screen! 😆

@genghisgalahad8465 11 ай бұрын

Yes!! First line explains it all! The word of the magician is most powerful and even moreso than the staff which is but a tool and conduit and holder of the power the wizard wields! And yes, staves! But I will go with "staffs" when it comes to ME simply because of "elves for elfs" and creative inventiveness with "eleventy first" and, a stretch, "orcses and hobbitses..."

@Dirtnap1986 10 ай бұрын

The staff or even the wand is just a way to channel a witch or wizards power. They tend to have something within (feather/bone/stone) to help intensify the power.

@CONTINGENCY_sys 8 ай бұрын

Implements of magic in any genre and fantastical depictions have a grand and many diverse functions. I have found that they are as much a sword as they are a shield. Soaking up as much as they can dish out. Some protecting from over channeling of magic, breaking to prevent adverse effects protecting the user who in the moment would simple cast beyond their own measure. A checks and balance. Some focus and amplify said power allowing more to be accomplished with less, keeping the caster active and alert in situations they would without it feel drained, weakened, or exhausted. Other time it prevents backlash injury from opposing magic, soaking up adverse effects to their breaking point to protect their wielder. Magic in itself is ranged in both use and limits and varies greatly among the many flora, fauna, and locations it resides in all fantastically crafted works. Gandolf specifically was lucky enough to have many with varying capability to help support his endevors to be his shield, his conduit, and his sword. In all instances. Focus and pairing matters much as well, as foreign wielders of bound objects tend to be less effective as those bond to them. Great deeds in some hands and great failures in the hands of others. Even as objects some can have tales of their own and pass on their heroic legacies to the hands of those who they measure.

@jamesdietz29 11 ай бұрын

I think that the staves are merely used to channel or focus the power(s) of the wizard, especially in magics of a grand scale. It would not necessarily be needed for mundane spells... only for those that require a great deal of the wizards power. However, that power resides in the wizard, not the staff. Think of it like a magnifying glass, light doesn't exist in the glass but can be focused through it if used correctly.

@dams6829 10 ай бұрын

Didn't know staff in plural is staves.

@jackwadeiv956 11 ай бұрын

I believe they were amplifiers of the wizards inner power. As you said in the video, conduits essentially. Each one crafted specifically to enhance the particular wizards type or flavor of magic/power. I also agree that in the hands of a mortal or non-wizard they were useless.

@victorminkov5183 11 ай бұрын

It’s always been strange that Saruman became so weak after leaving Orthink. Was Gandalf also just a weak? There is never a chance to show his lessened power but I tend to think Gandalf’s power was greatly diminished after Sarun falls. Its possible that all magic in the world was diminished after due to some working from Iru or that the power that put them into middle earth weakens them now that the task is done. It could be without a staff for an extended period that a wizards powers do deteriorate. That would be an interesting thing to take a look at.

@claytonbarnett7084 11 ай бұрын

Yes, they are Maiar but they are also embodied in the physical world. Objects mean things. So, I would think a stave was something like a lens, to ease the use of Secondary World power into Middle Earth. It, obviously, can be bypassed in a brute force manner, but otherwise they acted as, like I said, a lens or tuning mechanism.

@RavenTheBlackheart 10 ай бұрын

I think it was intended to be super needed for a Wizard to have a staff to use magic, my guess is when they were bidden take elderly forms before leaving the undying lands it was intended as a nerf from the beginning. I think in essence they were spoken into a physical body and diminished in power at the outset, I HIGHLY doubt someone like Saruman who is already rebelling and turning traitor would not just take a Maiar Form again if he were capable of it. I think the Staff is like a focus for what Divine power they are allowed to use in these borrowed forms for their intended works which where supposed to be temporary from the outset.

@zacharycollins9485 11 ай бұрын

Gandalf has the most badass walking stick in all of Middle-Earth! Lol 😂 Hey Yoystan! Big fan, first time caller. Quick question: who's your favorite LotR character?

@warrengouldthorpe5091 11 ай бұрын

The staff's were probably used to help channel their magic through them

@psychkosys 11 ай бұрын

Spells have components. (Thinking in D&D terms) Those components can be vocal, somatic, or component/focus based. Depending on the individual spell, some of those components are not there. One spell could require a somatic and vocal component. Some could require a material focus and vocal and/or somatic. Perhaps Gandalf used spells that did not require a staff and some that did.

@draenesteron 11 ай бұрын

You missed an opportunity to call it staff'sessess

@tsuchan 10 ай бұрын

But a problem with the analysis of Saruman maintaining one staff is what you said about it looking like Orthanc. He had only lived in Orthanc for about 250 years, and it's implicit that he didn't have the Orthanc-looking staff before then. Also we only have a sentence or so of description about the blue wizards, so they might have got through a staff each year for all we know. And we know next-to-nothing about Radagast either. Isn't it likely that Gandalf got through staffs apace because we were following his progress in a particular period perilous to staffs? His average may have been no different than other wizards. Sure, Saruman was less of a wanderer... maybe he had a lower batting average.

@rhov-anion 11 ай бұрын

I love that "staves" is another example of Tolkien's obsession with language. Dwarfs? No, Dwarves! Elfs? No, Elves! Staffs? No, Staves! Tolkien said about using the word dwarves, "I am afraid it is just a piece of private bad grammar, rather shocking in a philologist; but I shall have to go with it."

@TheSaneHatter 11 ай бұрын

The wizards' staffs seem to be a low-key, but central symbol of their covenant (of sorts) with the Valar, and their commitment only to using magic in the human forms that they took. To replace a staff was to renew that vow, in a way, to take it away was to take away power, and to have it shattered was to have their magic innately spurned and denied to them.

@shanenolan5625 11 ай бұрын

Staff is singular. But rod works as well .

@silmarian 9 ай бұрын

I wonder if Gandalf the White, being a buffed wizard more powerful than before he was sent back, had less need of his staff than the others.

@NegatveSpace 9 ай бұрын

I wonder if somehow the wizards and their staves were a package somehow. I don't know of another way to have that come across. But then again like you said there are a few examples of Gandalf doing magic without one. Even so maybe they were less of themselves without one.

@szczypior2714 10 ай бұрын

in my opinion you should change the title to "Staffs" since non-native english speakers could be confused by the word "Staves". When I saw it I was confused as to what a "stave" could be and I assume many others could be too and may skip the video

@zaphoddog3878 10 ай бұрын

The staves were probably more symbolic than necessary though they could have been a handy tool in a way beyond just being a walking stick. Where the issue really comes in is that Balrogs and others were ALSO Maiar. If the staves were necessary, what did Balrogs carry?

@animisttoo3890 10 ай бұрын

FWIW: The name "Gandalf" literally means "the elf with a staff" in old norse. (Gand = stick or staff) The alf/elf people were a pale-skinned tribe from the lake country (Alfheim) east of Oslo. Basically, this is how the imagery of the spirit-man with a staff entered into Tolkien's prehistory of Europe. "Alf" or "Alv" or "Alba" literally means "white" in norse-germanic. This tribal paleness may have been from intermarrying with the inland Sami (indigenous arctic shamanists), which would give the Alves magic a certain prestige or ominousness to other norse clans, as Sami magic was much respected for its ability to deal with both Nature and fate. There was even a war-crime treaty put in place regarding inter-norse fighting, amounting to: "Thou shalt not hire Noaidi [Sami shamans] to curse your enemies in battle." At one point, when the king of Denmark lost several battles unexpectedly to the king of Sweden, he accused the Swede of violating this law. The Swede's response was essentially, "You can't actually prove that..." and when it went to vote, the king of Norway (who was part Sami himself) backed the Swede, and so the case was dismissed. At one point Tolkien sort of bemoaned that he had drawn so heavily on adapting names or imagery from historical norse sources, since he really wanted to be doing a prehistory, not a historical translation, but one can hardly blame him for these kinds of easter-egg references given how much original work he put into his world development overall.

@gandalfolorin-kl3pj 11 ай бұрын

According to Miriam Webster, the plural of staff is staffs or staves. I don't think Tolkien used staves at all. It was a point of superiority for one wizard to demand the staff of another, or failing that, to destroy it. Jackson wanted more drama, but I think he abused to idea of who would have that power. Also, if Saruman kept Gandalf's staff after capturing him, was there a new staff given in Rivendell or did Gandalf somehow retain his original staff? I wonder if Tolkien answered this question. Namarie.

@hikarisnowfield5853 11 ай бұрын

My theory is that when the wizards channel their power it takes a toll on their bodies, as the are old men this toll is a hard price to pay so they instead channel through their staff's there by letting the toll be born by the staff. This is also why appearing as old men serves to limit their power and is also why Saruman appeared as he did in bagend, channel his magic without a staff had withered his body and by the time he tried to stab Frodo he feared his body couldn't endure channelling any further magic. Just my theory so could be completely wrong but it makes sense in my head.

@Svinfylka 10 ай бұрын

I think it’s more of a symbol of their status, and important for that reason not really because there’s any innate ability within them. Their power comes from whom they serve, proportional to their service. Thus the reason the seemingly lesser Gandalf the White was able to throw down Saruman the head of the order even though previously Saruman had been able to overpower Gandalf the Grey. But Gandalf had given his life to destroy the Balrog, thus demonstrating the level of his devotion and the increase in his power.