September 16, 2002

Gandalf's Fall
Swynwr

This is in response to Bob The Builder's head-scratching over Gandalf's fall in Moria. I think this part of the film can be interpreted in many ways, and your own idea is worth consideration: It may be that Gandalf did just give up hope at that point; possibly the tired-old-man side of him (the side responsible for the occasional spell of cantankerousness) took over. But considering the essence of Gandalf's character, and knowing his determination and commitment to the Ringbearer and the mission, I doubt very much that that is the case. My own thought on this is only whimsical, since there is no evidence of which I'm aware in either film or book to support it; but perhaps Gandalf made a conscious choice to fall at that point. Perhaps his intuition as a Maia had forewarned him of his fate, and had furthermore told him to embrace it for the sake of the mission's success. Perhaps Gandalf knew this to be his destiny, and knew that this self-sacrifice would lead to his rebirth as an entity of tremendous power, allowing him to ensure the completion of the task. Perhaps he knew that in his current incarnation as Gandalf The Grey, which was tired and worn and 7,000 years old, his powers were not sufficient enough to do the Fellowship justice and oversee the ring's fiery doom, so he opted to use the last of his power to battle the Balrog to the death so that he could undergo a heavenly make-over and be sent back reinvigorated. Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps. Either that or his grip loosened and he just plain fell.