Why did 🧙Gandalf tell Frodo to go to Rivendale instead of Rohan?

[BalrogRingDestroyer]

I see that Gandalf recommended that he go to Rivendale, but that seems out of the way if he wants to ultimately go to Mordor. The much quicker route, and, it would seem, as far as Gandalf knew, safer route, would have been to go toward Longbottom and the Gap of Rohan and ultimately cross the Misty Mountains there, where, as far as Gandalf knew, at least he had allies present in Rohan and Isengard, and cross the Anduin from that way (basically where he crossed in the end of Fellowship anyway but instead going the opposite route that the company, sans Frodo and Sam, went in The Two Towers. While I'm getting the impression that Gandalf would have left immediately with Frodo and not even bothered to go to Isengard if he'd had a strong enough inkling that the Nazgul were out already and looking for the Shire, I'm still thinking that Rivendale is an odd route. I mean, other than going through Caradros or whatever that mountain's name is, or through Moria, there was no sensible other way (we can rule out the route Bilbo took in the Hobbit as not only was it possibly goblin-infested again, but that way was also blocked by Dol Guldor, unless they want to go all the way down from the Long Lake down that river and miles and miles down, possibly into Rhun and hostile territory, to the Ash Mountains, which would likely have taken too long, allowing Sauron to break through Gondor by then, not to mention, I think Mirkwood was still unsafe anyway and probably growing more so even than it was when Bilbo went through, unless he went way around, which would take even longer and also go too near goblin territory.), that the best route, seemingly, would be again to head near Isengard, which they could have done earlier anyway, as I mentioned, so going to Rivendale seemed out of the way in the long run.

Other than having one of the three Elven Rings to protect it, it doesn't seem anything special that could be worth going out of the way for.

I'm wondering if Gandalf had some kind of misgiving toward Saruman, even if he didn't state it or wasn't fully sure, or some premonition from Eru, that caused him not to send Frodo toward the south but instead northeast.

 

[grendel]

I think at that point, even if Gandalf knew what ultimately should be done with the Ring, he wasn't sure that Frodo would be the one to do it, and he certainly wasn't going to make that decision unilaterally. He probably envisioned that there would be some sort of meeting at Rivendell (not sure why Galadriel wasn't invited) where such decisions would be made after much discussion. Besides, Rivendell was familiar to Frodo and it was where Bilbo was. I don't see any reason to send him to Rohan at that point in the story.

 

[Deimos]

I think at that point, even if Gandalf knew what ultimately should be done with the Ring, he wasn't sure that Frodo would be the one to do it, and he certainly wasn't going to make that decision unilaterally. He probably envisioned that there would be some sort of meeting at Rivendell (not sure why Galadriel wasn't invited) where such decisions would be made after much discussion. Besides, Rivendell was familiar to Frodo and it was where Bilbo was. I don't see any reason to send him to Rohan at that point in the story.

Total agreement.
Also, as to Galadriel not being invited, he may have already consulted her.
We do know they (Gandalf, Galadriel and Celeborn) were to some degree telepathic, at least with one another.

 

[Aldarion]

I see that Gandalf recommended that he go to Rivendale, but that seems out of the way if he wants to ultimately go to Mordor. The much quicker route, and, it would seem, as far as Gandalf knew, safer route, would have been to go toward Longbottom and the Gap of Rohan and ultimately cross the Misty Mountains there, where, as far as Gandalf knew, at least he had allies present in Rohan and Isengard, and cross the Anduin from that way (basically where he crossed in the end of Fellowship anyway but instead going the opposite route that the company, sans Frodo and Sam, went in The Two Towers. While I'm getting the impression that Gandalf would have left immediately with Frodo and not even bothered to go to Isengard if he'd had a strong enough inkling that the Nazgul were out already and looking for the Shire, I'm still thinking that Rivendale is an odd route. I mean, other than going through Caradros or whatever that mountain's name is, or through Moria, there was no sensible other way (we can rule out the route Bilbo took in the Hobbit as not only was it possibly goblin-infested again, but that way was also blocked by Dol Guldor, unless they want to go all the way down from the Long Lake down that river and miles and miles down, possibly into Rhun and hostile territory, to the Ash Mountains, which would likely have taken too long, allowing Sauron to break through Gondor by then, not to mention, I think Mirkwood was still unsafe anyway and probably growing more so even than it was when Bilbo went through, unless he went way around, which would take even longer and also go too near goblin territory.), that the best route, seemingly, would be again to head near Isengard, which they could have done earlier anyway, as I mentioned, so going to Rivendale seemed out of the way in the long run.

Other than having one of the three Elven Rings to protect it, it doesn't seem anything special that could be worth going out of the way for.

I'm wondering if Gandalf had some kind of misgiving toward Saruman, even if he didn't state it or wasn't fully sure, or some premonition from Eru, that caused him not to send Frodo toward the south but instead northeast.

Several reasons.

First, they didn't decide anything yet. One Ring was a massive threat to the entirety of Middle Earth, and with Sauron back in Mordor, this was no longer the case of simply taking a stroll. And considering the stakes, a council was necessary. And what better place to have it than Rivendell?

Second, I believe Gandalf had misgivings about Saruman long before latter openly revealed himself. So did he really believe he had an ally in Isengard? And even if he did, it was still the best for as few people to know about the Ring as possible.

Third, as Galadriel mentions, it may be that Gandalf had intended to go to Lothlorien from the outset. He will have been familiar with Galadriel and that she can help - and frankly, without her help, the quest will have failed. So your route will have meant going south to Isengard, then north to Lothlorien, then back south... it simply wasn't an option. Could she have provided the same help had she come to Rivendell? I doubt it.

 

[Red Leaf]

As others have said, *the plan* simply wasn't in place when Gandalf told Frodo to make for Rivendell - Gandalf wanted both Frodo and the ring in Rivendell *simply* because it was a strong place where the ring could be protected, and with a great deal of wisdom in it about what to do next - it also bought time to make better decisions.

Think of it as a liferaft. Your ship is sinking, at night: you *could* sit down with your maps and try to work out the currents and tides, weather reports and work out which landfall to swim for, or you could grab your stuff, jump into the life raft, and make that decision tomorrow when you've had more time to work it out properly.

 

[Elbereth Vala Varda]

I think Gandalf may have had a bit more wisdom than most might give him credit for, and perhaps he understood that it was critical for them to go to Rivendell for the ultimate journey. Yet at the same time, I think Gandalf sought to have Frodo not keep the Ring, believing that it would need to be destroyed some day. We know Gandalf cared for Frodo very dearly, and the thought of sending him to utter peril would not have been a welcomed one.

I think all the reasoning is unclear, but we can be confident that Gandalf wanted the best for Frodo, and for all of Middle-Earth. He may also have desired that Elrond and others were made very aware of the Ring, as they knew more of it.