The White Council, Dol Guldur, & the Necromancer (FR)

[shastastwin]

(Warning: This thread will contain spoilers for both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings)

What is up with all the shots of Galadriel in The Hobbit trailers? Wasn’t she just a character in The Lord of the Rings? Well, yes, but because the filmmakers are incorporating Tolkien’s writings that concern what Gandalf was up to during his disappearances during the events of TH, that means that the White Council (which included Elrond, Galadriel, Gandalf, and Saruman, among others) will also be included.

Still curious? Well, here’s a list of places you can go to find out just what Tolkien said about the Council and its influence in the battles for Middle-earth.
In the chapters “The Council of Elrond,” “Lothlorien,” and “The Mirror of Galadriel,” in The Fellowship of the Ring, we learn a little of what happened with the White Council. Saruman was chosen as the head because he knew the most about the making of the Great Rings (the source of the conflict in LotR). Galadriel wanted Gandalf to be the head of the Council, but he was never one for taking on that sort of role (at least at the time). The Council’s prime purpose was to discover the nature of the power that was lurking in Dol Guldur in southern Mirkwood. This is what Gandalf is up to during his absences in TH. He even tells us that he is trying to learn more about the Necromancer (who we later learn is Sauron). Dol Guldur was eventually assaulted and Sauron was driven out (and during LotR, Galadriel and other lords of the Elves assaulted it again and utterly destroyed it).

For a timeline of these events, check out Appendix B of The Lord of the Rings, in which Tolkien recorded a rough timeline of the history of Middle-earth. You’ll want to look at the section on the Third Age, beginning about Year 2060 and ending Year 2953. (This range will slightly overreach the end of The Hobbit and should be read carefully because of the chance of spoilers for both TH and LotR.)

What do you expect to see of these events in the films? What aspects most intrigue or fascinate you? What do you hope the filmmakers do not use in the films? Discuss anything and everything to do with the White Council, Dol Guldur, and the Necromancer.

[Pattertwigs Pal]

I don't have my books in front of me so my comments will be from memory. I want to get a sense of the tension between Saruman and Gandalf. The movie did a fairly decent job at this. I want their discussion to mesh with the events in the books. For example, I'm pretty sure that when Gandalf leaves the company, he is going to Dol Guldor to meet the others to see if they can drive out the Necromancer. Not simply to find out who or what is there. It should be made clear that the Necromancer and Sauron are the same. I'd also like to see Saruman reassuring the White Council that the ring is beyond Sauron's reach. I do not think I would mind a slight hint that Saruman is not to be trusted (wants the ring for himself.)