Yesterday, I found out that my grandmother owns an old copy of "The Return of the King". When I leafed through it, something that I've never thought about before came to my mind.

There's an interesting parallel between Gandalf and Ulmo in their work to oppose Sauron and Morgoth, respectively.

Gandalf is supposedly the wisest of all Maiar. He's the only one, who doesn't fail in his mission nor does he choose the wrong way to oppose Sauron. The War of the Ring isn't only a fight between the forces of good and evil, but also a showdown between Gandalf and Sauron and their plots and devices.

Now, Ulmo is supposedly the wisest of all Ainur. He's the only one who works directly against Morgoth. Just like Gandalf is the reason of Sauron's fall, Ulmo is the reason of Morgoth's. If it wasn't for him, there would be no Nargothrond, no Gondolin, no Falas. War of Wrath is the ultimate outcome of Ulmo's plotting against Morgoth.

It's no big discovery, I just find it interesting how Tolkien favours wisdom and long, hard work in silence over force and one decisive act. Everytime someone decides to stand up against evil directly and face it, he loses. That's what happened to Fëanor, to Fingolfin, to Finrod or to Túrin. Only through wisdom and long, tiring work can light win against darkness.