Comments on: Gandalf vs. Holmes

By: Dreamflower

Dreamflower — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 21:33:35 +0000

Apples and oranges.

Gandalf is intelligent. Sherlock Holmes is intelligent. But what they exhibit in their various realms are two entirely different things. Sherlock Holmes is clever and rational, skilled in logic. Gandalf is wise and compassionate with inherent compassion.

Actually, when it comes to modus operandi, Holmes is more akin to Saruman– he relies on the evidence of his own senses, and tries to apply common reason to the situation. We see in Saruman how that approach works in Middle-earth.

Gandalf’s approach is intuitive, based on his foresight and his feelings more than mere logic. In our world, he’d be lost. His approach of trusting to things to work out for the best would certainly not work against someone like Moriarty. But it is the perfect approach in M-e, where faith, mercy and compassion are rewarded in spite of the odds.

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Wed, 09 Dec 2009 14:23:38 +0000

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By: Mike Burleson

Mike Burleson — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 12:57:40 +0000

Trusting the Ring to Frodo was a stroke of genius, though more akin to great military strategy than detective work. Who would have suspected that this tiny insignificant Hobbit was a threat to the mighty Dark Lord himself?

Holmes is the better thinker. Gandalf is the decisive one. Holmes might be the one you want advising you before a battle, but Gandalf would lead it.

By: Grace

Grace — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 08:55:44 +0000

Gandalf was sent to Middle-Earth to be an emissary and a guide from the Powers of Arda, not to take an active hand in the actions of the People of Middle-Earth. So we dont have a true representation of his full skill and intelligence, but what we do see hints that it is much greater than what is put into the story.

Holmes might be better when he loses his British accent and becomes diagnostician in New Jersey.

By: Ben

Ben — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 03:26:32 +0000

Heresy! Of course Gandalf is smarter! However, I think the comparison isn’t very straightforward because Gandalf and Holmes excel in completely different spheres of intelligence. Holmes, as you say, is a master of deduction. Gandalf, on the other hand, is a master of the human heart. He knows who can be trusted, what they are capable of, and what they will do. Even more important, he’s a master ethicist. He always knows what’s RIGHT. I think he’s got a better intuition than Holmes by far. While Holmes may best Gandalf in logic games, he’ll lose the overall battle.

By: Alex

Alex — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 01:20:40 +0000

Gandalf really should have suggested they use the giant eagles to take The Ring to Mordor. Had he done that, his intelligence wouldn’t be in question.

By: Adam

Adam — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 20:08:16 +0000

Not to mention the shrewd decision to send Sam with Frodo (since Frodo, you know, failed), another ambitious-less hobbit dude who never really had any designs on power. And not killing Gollum.

I dunno, I think gandalf is a pretty wise dude, and I never thought the whiners who complained about not flying the ring to mordor on an eagle had arguments that held much water.

Anyway, Sherlock Holmes is pretty ace, and I’d give him the edge because going against a celestial being isn’t fair.

By: TS

TS — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 18:42:38 +0000

While you make a mostly excellent case, I have to disagree with your point about Gandalf’s decision to entrust the Ring to Frodo. Frodo is not a bad-ass warrior hobbit, but that’s the whole point. A bad-ass warrior hobbit couldn’t have handled the Ring and Gandalf knows that. The bearer of the Ring has to be someone without ambition, otherwise he/she wouldn’t be able to withstand its power - look at what happened to bad-ass warrior Boromir, afterall. Boromir succumbed because he had ambition and drive and that made him vulnerable to the Ring’s power. Gandalf knows that Frodo is a safe choice because Frodo offers to give up the Ring. Therefore, Gandalf makes a wise and correct decision in entrusting the Ring to Frodo.

That being said, I’m still siding with Holmes in this debate.

By: DRickard

DRickard — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 16:46:53 +0000

As Rajan said, Gandalf is not human: he’s a Maiar (basically, a low-ranking angel); and his knowledge and magic are inherent characteristics–he hasn’t worked to gain either.

By: Rajan

Rajan — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 15:38:23 +0000

I think I agree with you. I also would pick Holmes because Gandalf knows a lot but is really bad about telling people about it. He keeps Frodo in the dark about a lot of what’s really going on, withholding information that could have helped him. Holmes, IMO, would have broken that all down very clearly. Additionally, Gandalf needed a lot of help to figure out the backstory of the ring. Holmes probably would have taken some soil samples and checked some foot impressions and figured the whole thing out. Plus it rubs me the wrong way that Gandalf is not a human being and part of his knowledge seems inherent. Holmes worked to develop his mind.

Now who’s going to start writing the Holmes in Middle Earth fanfic?