One month (31 days) to the publication of "The Proverbs of Middle-earth"

Gandalf declares that the world is too wild to predict or control, so that Even the very wise cannot see all ends. Many proverbial expressions in Middle-earth deal with this issue of unpredictability – of the deceptiveness of appearances – and Gandalf uses the most. First impressions should not be trusted, warns the angel in the body of an old man. Through his proverbs, optimistic bravado is tempered and those who lose heart are strengthened. Hope is not victory, he reminds the cocksure, while to the disheartened he says, Despair is only for those who see the end beyond all doubt.

Chapter 4 - The Istari

David Rowe
To be published by Oloris Publishing on the 18th November