White Council

The White Council, known in Elvish as the Council of the Wise, was the supreme deliberative body of the free peoples in the Third Age, convened to oppose the reawakening of Sauron. Its members included the chief of the Istari, Saruman the White, along with Gandalf the Grey, and the Elven-lords Elrond of Rivendell and Galadriel of Lothlórien. The Council was first summoned by Galadriel herself, who had foreseen the need for a united front against the growing shadow. Its purpose was to share knowledge, debate strategy, and coordinate actions against the Dark Lord and his servants, though its decisions were not binding on any member who chose to act independently.

Formation and Early Actions

The Council's most significant early achievement was the decision to act against the Necromancer, a dark power that had established itself at Dol Guldur in southern Mirkwood. For many years, Saruman, who had been chosen as the head of the Council, counseled patience and watchfulness, arguing that the Necromancer was merely one of the Nazgûl and not Sauron himself. This dissuaded the Council from open attack for a long period. However, as the shadow grew, Saruman eventually yielded, and the Council put forth its strength. In the very year of the finding of the One Ring by Bilbo Baggins, they drove the evil power out of Mirkwood. This timing was later seen as a strange chance, for Sauron had been watching the Council as closely as they watched him, and he had long prepared against their stroke, governing Mordor from afar through Minas Morgul until all was ready. He gave way before them only in feigned flight, soon after openly declaring himself in the Dark Tower.

The Debate over the One Ring

The Council's final meeting was called in response to the revelation that the One Ring had been found. Gandalf, who had long suspected the truth, brought his fears before the assembly. Saruman, however, denied the danger, repeating his earlier claim that the One Ring would never again be found in Middle-earth. He argued that it had been rolled down the Great River Anduin to the Sea long ago, while Sauron slept, and that there it should lie until the End. Gandalf was lulled by these words, a mistake he later deeply regretted, for Saruman's knowledge of Ring-lore was deep, and he had long studied the subject, seeking the lost secrets of their making. When the Rings were debated in the Council, all that Saruman would reveal of his ring-lore told against Gandalf's fears, and so the wizard's doubt slept, but uneasily. It was only later that Gandalf learned the truth: Saruman had already begun to lust for the Ring for himself, and his feet were already on a crooked path. He knew that the Ring was not lost forever but wished the Council to think so.

Saruman's Treachery and the Council's End

Saruman's betrayal was fully unmasked when he imprisoned Gandalf in Orthanc, revealing his ambition to seize the One Ring for himself and to rule Middle-earth. He had long studied the arts of the Enemy himself, and by his devices the Council had often been able to forestall Sauron. But his pride had grown with his knowledge, and he took ill any meddling. When Gandalf finally confronted him, Saruman declared himself Saruman of Many Colours, having abandoned the white for a robe woven of all colours that shimmered and changed hue. He offered Gandalf a choice: to join with him in a new Power, or to be destroyed. Gandalf refused, and Saruman held him captive on the pinnacle of Orthanc. The Council was thus broken, its purpose undone by the very leader chosen to guide it. The fall of Saruman was a grievous blow, for he had been deep in all their counsels, and his treason had been long prepared. The Council never met again, and the war against Sauron was left to the individual efforts of its remaining members, most notably Gandalf, Elrond, and Galadriel.