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<p align="center"><font size="5" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><b>Tolkien’s
Magic</b></font></p>
<p>This study is my interpretation of Tolkien’s personal
concept of magic in Middle Earth and how magic was used by the
various races. In a letter to a fan (Letter 131), he refers to
‘inherent inner power or talents’ and to the fact that
the Rings of Power ‘enhanced the natural powers of a
possessor’. The point we can draw from this is that what
Men, or Hobbit adventurers, regarded as magic was actually the
use of natural powers. As Tolkien puts it in another letter:</p>
<p><font color="#800000">"...a difference in the use of
‘magic’ in this story is that it is not to be come by
lore or spells; but it is an inherent power not possessed or
attainable by Men as such."</font></p>
<p align="right">Letter 155</p>
<p align="left">In Middle Earth those unfamiliar with such powers
regarded them as magical but the people possessing the abilities
did not view them as unnatural. When offering Sam and Frodo a
chance to use her Mirror, Galadriel says</p>
<p><font color="#800000">"For this is what your folk would
call magic, I believe, though I do not understand clearly what
they mean..."</font></p>
<p align="right">(LOTR.B2.VII, p.353)</p>
<p>In LOTR, we see magic used in various ways: Firstly with
physical effects, such as Elrond controlling the River Briunen or
Gandalf fighting the Nazgul on Amon Sul and lighting fires to
warm his companions. Secondly, magic is used to effect the will
of others: for example creating illusions, such as the image of
horses Gandalf crafted onto the flooding of the river Bruinen, or
to control individuals and animals, such as Sarumans use of birds
to spie on the Fellowship in Eriador or his attempts to sway
Theoden at the foot of Orthanc. Thirdly, a person's power could
be used in the creation of objects. Hence we have Elven swords
like Glamdring, which glowed at the presence of Orcs. Artefacts
like the Mirror of Galadriel, the Palantiri and the Doors of
Khadzad-dum are other examples of objects that reflected the
power of their makers. </p>
<p>Examining Gandalf’s use of his powers, it is possible to
get some general ideas of how magic was channeled. Gandalf made
use of spells, words that invoked his powers. For example,
lighting a circle of treetops he says ‘Naur an edraith
ammen!’. Were spells essential or merely a focus for using
magic? The opening quote from Tolkien implies that mere knowledge
of the words of a spell did not sufice and that a person would
need natural talent and an understanding of what was being done
by that spell.</p>
<p>Spells could not be cast freely. They required time and
strength. Even then they could be resisted or overcome:
explaining the shutting spell he put on their exit from
Balin’s burial chamber, Gandalf said</p>
<p><font color="#800000">"...to do things of that kind
rightly requires time, and even then the door can be broken by
strength."</font></p>
<p align="right">(LOTR.B2.V, p. 318)</p>
<p>Gandalf’s shutting spell was attacked by the power of the
Balrog, another Maiar. </p>
<p><font color="#800000">"The counter-spell was terrible. It
nearly broke me. For an instant the door left my control and
began to open! I had to speak a word of Command."</font></p>
<p align="right">(LOTR.B2.V, p. 319)</p>
<p>The clash of magic involved peril for those involved.
Furthermore, Gandalf was wearied by this struggle with the
Balrog. The use of magic thus could drain a person much as if
they were drained of bodily strength by physical effort.</p>
<p> </p>
<p align="center"><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><b>The
Powers of the Different Races</b></font></p>
<p>It is probable that magic was part of the fabric of Elven
lands and lives more so than most places in Middle Earth..
Tolkien described Elven ‘magic’ as Art; its objective
was creation, not Power (i.e domination). They used their Art to
preserve and beautify their lands in Middle Earth. The Three
Rings created by the Nolder in the Second Age were wielded by
Elrond and Galadriel to preserve and enhance the beauty of
Rivendell and Lothlorien. Elves used their powers in the crafting
of objects (boats, clothes, weapons, for example) or songs even,
so that they possessed a ‘magical’ quality:</p>
<p><font color="#800000">"For we put the thought of all that
we love into all that we make."</font></p>
<p align="right">(Elf to Pippin, LOTR.B2.CVIII, p.361)</p>
<p>All members of this race appear to possess a natural power;
their lords were especially strong, and so were feared by the
Nazgul and other evil creatures. </p>
<p>The Elves also used their power for war and defence. Elrond
defeated the Nazgul by flooding the River Bruinen:</p>
<p><font color="#800000">"The river of this valley is under
his power, and it will rise in anger when he has great need to
bar the Ford."</font></p>
<p align="right">(Gandalf, LOTR B2.I, p.218)</p>
<p>Lothlorien’s success in resisting Sauron is attributed to
power of that country</p>
<p><font color="#800000">"The Power that dwelt there was too
great for any to overcome, unless Sauron had come there
himself."</font></p>
<p>And Galadriel doubtlessly uses her power destroying
Sauron’s stronghold at Dol Guldor (see LOTR Tale of Years).</p>
<p>Among the other races, Dwarves definitely had their own
natural powers. This they manifested in their physical works,
such as the secret entrance to Erebor, which could not be
distinguished from the mountain rock and which had a lock that
would only appear on a certain day; or the western Doors of
Khadzad-dum (created with Elven aid), which again were set into
the mountain fabric and had to be activated and opened by
commands. </p>
<p>We can picture the Dwarf smithies at their forges chanting and
channeling their power into their creations - helms with
undimming brightness, axes with deadly sharpness, gates of
unbreakable strength, and toys of wonder. </p>
<p align="center"><font color="#000080">"The dwarves of yore
made mighty spells,</font></p>
<p align="center"><font color="#000080">While hammers fell like
ringing bells "</font></p>
<p align="right">(The Hobbit, Chapter 2, p.14)</p>
<p>The extent of Dwarfen powers is unknown, such is the nature of
this secretive race. They do not appear to have employed them in
anyway bar to influence what they shaped. It is known though that
their race were particularly resistant to control by magic (Sil.
p.347).</p>
<p>Dragons, having immense physical power and cunning, might
appear to have little need of additional talents. But Glaurung,
the great First Age dragon, seems to have been able to exercise
mind-control over individuals (Unf. 1.II, p.118-119). His
descendents had some similar power, a danger referred to in
Bilbo’s conversation with Smaug: whenever the dragon’s
gaze swept where he hid, Bilbo felt an urge to reveal himself;</p>
<p><font color="#800000">"In fact he was in greivous danger
of coming under the dragon-spell."</font></p>
<p align="right">(The Hobbit, Chapter XII, p.202)</p>
<p>Of other creatures like Tom Bombadil & Old Man Willow or
races like the Ents even less is known, though I would guess that
it is only the nature of their natural powers, not their
existent, that would be in doubt. Of Hobbits it can be said that
they had no power (apart from their stealth or appetites) that
would be held to be magical. Men were almost similar.</p>
<p> </p>
<p align="center"><font face="Lucida Calligraphy"><b>The Men of
Middle Earth</b></font></p>
<p>Men from the time of Middle Earth did not have powers
different from ours and regarded as magic that which others could
do that was beyond their understanding or ability. As stated
above, magic was not ‘possessed or attainable by Men’.
A possible reason for this lack of natural powers could be their
position in the grand scheme of Illuvatar. Unlike Dwarves, Elves
and Maiar, Men were not bound by the Circles of the World. After
death they would pass beyond to another place. Perhaps by not
being bound they could not be linked to the power of the world.
Hobbits, lacking natural powers too, may have shared a similar
fate.</p>
<p align="center"><img src="Image30.gif" width="531" height="395"></p>
<p>However, among Men there were exceptions to the rule. Aragron
displayed great healing powers against the Black Shadow. This
could be attributed to his distant ties to the Eldar. But in
addition we have the shape-changing ability of Beorn and
references to Malbeth the Seer, who served the last two kings of
Arnor. Finally there is the story of the Faithful Stone from the
First Age, in which a Druedain called Aghan put some of his power
into a watch-stone he had made to guard his friends. In the story
the watch-stone comes to life to beat off orc raiders and stamp
out a fire. Some of the damage suffered by the watch-stone is
passed onto Aghan as injuries, a consequence of placing his
powers in an object. The use of power displayed in this story is
equivalent to the use of powers by Elves and Dwarves in their
crafting. Though the Druedain of the Third Age are not known to
have this talent, it does prove that not all Men were alike in
their talents.</p>
<p>The abilities of each of these people, Aragorn, Boern, Malbeth
and Aghan, were natural. Some men, however, sought to achieve
enhanced powers by unnatural means.</p>
<p>Faramir of Minas Tirith, in conversation with Sam and Frodo,
gave a brief history of Gondor in which he noted that his people
were not tainted with the use of sorcery </p>
<p><font color="#800000">"It is not said that evil arts were
ever practised in Gondor..."</font></p>
<p align="right">(LOTR B4.V, p.662) </p>
<p>However, he tells of the Numenoreans obsession with death, and
how in their longing for longer life some turned to alchemy:</p>
<p><font color="#800000">"Childless lords sat in aged halls
musing on heraldry; in secret chambers withered men compounded
elixirs, or in high cold towers asked questions of the
stars."</font></p>
<p align="right">(LOTR B4.V, p.662-663)</p>
<p>Such arts were probably kept secret because of a person’s
fear of being regarded as an evil sorceror, rather than because
they were sinister or successful. Far darker was the practise by
Men and other beings of the Black Arts.</p>
<p> </p>
<p align="center"><font face="Lucida Calligraphy"><b>The Black
Arts</b></font></p>
<p>Morgoth and Sauron had great natural powers (as a Valar and
Maiar, respectively). Although they could rely on massive armies,
machines and tributary lands, magic provided the Dark Lords with
a powerful weapon in pursuing their goal of domination.</p>
<p>The form of magic associated with the Dark Lords was known as
the Black Arts or sorcery. It was evil and unnatural. Among its
practioners were Men. Examples of such men were the Numenoreans
who settled the southern coasts in the Second Age and fell under
Sauron’s influence:</p>
<p><font color="#800000">"Many became enamoured of the
Darkness and the black arts..."</font></p>
<p align="right">(LOTR B4.V, p.662)</p>
<p align="right">The Lieutenant of the Tower of Barad-dur (who
parleyed with the Captains of the West before the Gates of
Mordor) was one of these Black Numenoreans; we are told he
‘learned great sorcery’ in Sauron’s service (LOTR
B5.X, p.870). Another specific example are the men who Sauron
ensnared with the Nine Rings; some of them were sorcerors in
mortal life:</p>
<p><font color="#800000">"Those who used the Nine Rings
became mighty in their day, kings, sorcerors, and warriors of
old."</font></p>
<p align="right">(Silmarillion, p.348).</p>
<p>Like natural powers, the magic of the Black Arts could be
channeled into physical creations. Grond, the great battering-ram
that destroyed the gates of Minas Tirith, was one such object:</p>
<p><font color="#800000">"Long had it been forging in the
dark smithies of Mordor, and its hideous head, founded of black
steel, was shaped in the likeness of a ravening wolf; on it
spells of ruin lay."</font></p>
<p align="right">(LOTR B5.IV, p.810)</p>
<p>A unique aspect of the Black Arts was that it did not draw on
a person’s inner power alone, but tapped into something
external and dark. This can be surmised from the fact that Men
could practise sorcery. As Men lacked magic powers, they must
have got their power from somewhere else, a violation of one of
the natural laws of magic in Middle Earth. </p>
<p>Another feature of the Black Arts was the summoning and
control of undead spirits. Little are known of these spirits,
whether they were natural inhabitants of Middle Earth, or shades
of the dead (such as the Dead Men of Dunharrow), or whether they
came from beyond the world, from the Void where Morgoth was
banished.</p>
<p>There are a few known examples of the Enemies’ use of
spirits:</p>
<p><strong>The Ring-wraiths</strong> were men whose spirits were
enslaved by Sauron and became undead. Their leader, the
Witch-King, was a powerful sorceror. </p>
<p><strong>The Barrow Wights</strong> of Eriador were a legacy of
the Lord of the Nazgul’s sorcery. He used them in 1636 to
befoul the Tyrn Gorthad, the former dwellings of the Dunedain of
Cardolan. They were bound to the burial chamber they inhabited
and ensnared passerbys with their powers. Only by scattering the
treasure of a mound could the spell binding a wight be broken. </p>
<p><strong>The Two Watchers</strong> of Cirith Ungol.The entrance
to the fortress was guarded by the power of the undead creature
inside the two statues:<font color="#800000"> </font></p>
<p align="center"><font color="#800000">"...some dreadful
spirit of evil vigilance abode in them."</font></p>
<p align="right">(LOTR B6.I, p.882)</p>
<p>The power of the Two Watchers was encountered by Sam Gamgee,
who felt an unseen force blocking him; later the spirit emitted a
warning cry when the Hobbits broke past it.</p>
<p>The use of magic for the summoning and control of spirits
appears to be unique to the Black Arts; others may have had
communion with unseen spirits, but were unlikely to dominate them
or contact the undead.</p>
<p> </p>
<p align="center"><font face="Lucida Calligraphy"><b>Conclusion</b></font></p>
<p>Magic pervaded Middle-Earth. Though rare and misunderstood in
Hobbit or Mannish societies, it was a part of the very nature of
other races. Its presence was strongest among the Elves. Indeed
by the end of the Third Age Lothlorien and Rivendell had come to
rely on magic for their preservation. Magic required personal
strength and was a delicate task, assisted by spells or
receptacles of power. Natural powers tended to be used for
creative, practical or protective reasons. They were also be used
to control and destroy. This was the main use for sorcery, an
abused form of magic practised in lands ruled by the Enemy.</p>
<p>The strength of magic in Middle Earth can be seen as strongest
in the First Age, declining from the Second Age with the gradual
departure of the Elves and the growth of Men. This is hastened at
the end of the Third Age by the ending of the power of the Three
Rings. In the age of the Dominion of Men, the practise of the
Black Arts may have survived in lands formerly dominated by
Mordor. Use of their powers continued naturally among the
non-Mannish races, but in time magic may have faded from Middle
Earth.</p>
<p align="center"><font size="5"></font></p>
<p align="left">Since composing this work, I have come across
articles by other fans on the same theme. I will hopefully
include links to these related sites when I rediscover the sites.<font
size="5"></font></p>