Gandalf the Mischiefmonger Essay - 1362 Words

If people tried to make an argument that J.R.R. Tolkien didn’t used Norse mythology as a backbone structure when writing The Hobbit in 1937, they would be without-a-doubt completely wrong. Many creatures were pulled straight from the Norse myths and thrown into his famous story, but did he use some of the Norse gods as structures for his characters as well? In the book The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, he states that Gandalf is seen almost as an â€Å"Odinic Wanderer†, comparing him to Odin the Allfather (Carpenter, C. Tolkien, J.R.R. Tolkien). Rather than Odin, though, another almost-unlikely god could fit the part of Gandalf’s basis, and that would be the trickster god, Loki, son of Laufey and Farbauti. Loki, without a doubt, would be an†¦show more content†¦They demand that he uses his not-so noble tricks to return the goddess, along with her cherished apples. Gandalf is not an outright liar, though he does slightly bend the truth throughout the story. H e is the reason that Bilbo is referred to as the burglar, as he puts the sign on the Hobbit’s door himself. Gandalf told the throng â€Å"‘If I say he is a burglar, a burglar he is, or will be†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Tolkien 49). His intentions for lying are more beneficial than Loki’s reasons, though he is still manipulating the idea of Bilbo being a burglar, convincing Thorin and Co. that Bilbo has experience with thieving. Before they take off for their long journey, Thorin says to Bilbo, â€Å"‘Aren’t you the burglar? And isn’t sitting on the doorstep your job, not speak of getting inside the door?’† His words show that he has some form of faith in Gandalf’s white lie about the hobbit being a thief, even though Bilbo had never stolen anything in his life. Both Gandalf and Loki are gifted with magical abilities, and they rely their magic as well as their wit to solve their problems. In the myth â€Å"The Building of Asgardâ₠¬â„¢s Wall†, the builder (or rock giant), offered to build a wall around Asgard and for his payment, he wanted Freyja’s hand in marriage, along with both the sun and the moon. Odin turned to Loki for a plan, and he suggested to give the builder six months rather than the eighteen months that he originally demanded. The builder agreed to the terms, with one condition—his steed is allowed to