The Lord of the Rings: The Voice of Saruman (Part One)

The Tale

Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas, Merry, and Pippen pass into the ring of Isengard. The waters have now subsided, but the valley is full of dark pools, broken rock and pillars, and it is coated with scum and slime. Coming from the north, Legolas can see Gandalf, Theoden, and the King’s company approaching the tower of Orthanc from the other side. It pauses and waits for the Fellowship members to join them in the shadow of the tower.

Once united, Gandalf tells them he and Treebeard have made a few plans and asks if they are rested. Merry says they have fared so pleasantly that they feel less indisposed toward Saruman. Gandalf says he doesn’t; still, he must pay Saruman a farewell visit. Probably both useless and dangerous, but it must be done. The Ents have hidden themselves so that the defeated wizard will be less shy. Who will go with him?

Pippin asks what’s the danger? Will he shoot fire at them or put a spell on them? Gandalf says the last is most likely. Saruman has powers that are not obvious, and he may use them deviously upon you if you are unwary. ‘Beware his voice!’

They come to the foot of the dark stone tower, which shows only a few small chips at the base as evidence of the fury of the Ents. Between two piers of the tower are stairs leading up to a great door, above which is a balcony hedged with iron bars. They decide that Gandalf, Theoden, Eomer, and Aragorn will ascend to the door, while the Riders will remain below. Gimli and Legolas declare they too will go, as representatives of their people. They climb up, but Merry and Pippin stop and sit on the bottom step, ‘feeling both unimportant and unsafe.’

Gandalf bangs on the door with his staff, demanding that Saruman come forth. At last the window above is unbarred, but no figure is seen. A voice asks who they are and what do they want. Theoden knows that voice: it is Wormtongue. Gandalf says that, since he’s fallen from counselor to footman, to fetch out Saruman pretty quick. The window closes and they wait.

‘Suddenly another voice spoke, low and melodious, its very sound an enchantment.’ Saruman has come to start gaslighting the situation.

Bits and Bobs

Here we start learning a few things about Saruman, to up the ante of the encounter. To Gimli’s declaration that he wants to see if Saruman really looks like Gandalf, Gandalf replies that the fallen wizard could appear to the dwarf as looking just like him. Whether this would be a pure transformation or a mere ‘glamour’ or bamboozlement is never demonstrated.

Saruman’s voice is mentioned, of which we will learn more soon. It seems his main wizardly power is persuasion, which he has since corrupted to his own ends. It originally could have been used to bring people into accord and convince them to right action. We can read its subtle perversion in his convincing the White Council that the Ring had been irrevocably lost, rolling down to the Sea. This left his search for it undisturbed. In contrast, Gandalf’s main power is to kindle the hearts of the despairing and inspiring them through hope into action. All the fireworks and spells are just tools, almost window dressing. Cirdan gives Gandalf Narya, the Ring of Fire, to enhance these powers of enflaming encouragement.

Both the words ‘spell’ and ‘enchantment’ have their roots in speaking and singing. They are worked by language, by the spoken word, and it is by his cunning spin on his words that Saruman tries to weave his webs around his victims. Tolkien has a deep dive on the proper use of this kind of magic in his essay ‘On Fairy Stories.’