Possible Saruman Sighting?

Cafe Society
1

One more LOTR question. So who exactly was that old man Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas saw?

It turns out it wasn’t Gandalf but could it be Saruman? And what was his motivation?

Later on, Gandalf showed his power in the forest by making short work of the company’s bow, axe and sword. If Saruman had similar strengths, why didn’t he just dispose of the three? It would have made his life a lot easier.

2

Well, there are a finite number of strange old men wandering Fangorn, so odds are in favor of it being Saruman. In fact, I thought Gandalf pretty much came out and said so.

As to why he didn’t toast the company then and there, well, he didn’t know who they were, didn’t have any reason to care, and was really only looking for any survivors of his decimated orc band before hustling back to Orthanc. He’s not really at home ‘in the field’ and may very well -not- have had the ability to take on the Three Hunters at that point, even if he had known and cared to do so. Simply because Wizards have similar levels of Power doesn’t mean they necessarily have the same abilities.

3

It’s weird that Gandalf says it wasn’t him (and states that Saruman has no woodcraft).

The references we have are:

  • the old man leaves no trace of his passing, even to a Ranger of Aragorn’s skill (possibly a sending by Gandalf?)
  • the old man wears a hat, not a hood (Saruman is described as ‘cloaked and hooded’, whereas Gandalf wears a hat)
  • although the horses fled, they were not terrified, but glad to have met an old friend (i.e. Gandalf, not Saruman)
  • when the three do see Gandalf, they state that it is the old man they saw

Perhaps Gandalf was still dazed by recent events…

4

That was my understanding - Gandalf has only recently recovered human form, and hasn’t quite assimilated all his memories yet…

5

Typical Regeneration Sickness. Happens all the time.

6

So, Gandalf was also a Time Lord then?

Wonder what form his TARDIS would take, as a Police Box would look rather out of place in Middle Earth…

7

I expect his TARDIS would be a horse and cart, with fireworks covering up the dematerialisation… :slight_smile:

8

That was how I interpreted it, as well.