The ‘Flame of Anor’ is a power or weapon talked about by Gandalf as he claims to possess it when he was fighting with Durin’s Bane. As there is no reference made to it, only assumptions can be made about its significance and meaning. [1]
Background
In ‘The Lord of the Rings’, when Gandalf fought with the Balrog, he boasted that he was the wielder of the ‘Flame of Anor’. Nowhere else in the trilogy is the reference to this thing and hence its exact meaning is not clear. To make an interpretation, it can be said that the ‘Flame of Anor’ talked about the light of the Sun as Anor meant ‘Sun’ in Elvish. Gandalf said, “I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor’.
Through this sentence, he wanted to tell the Balrog that he was the Maia and a servant of Eru Iluvatar. [2] Alternatively, through this declaration, Gandalf may have referred to the Ring of Fire, Narya that he possessed and wore but it is unlikely that Gandalf would reveal the ownership of the Ring of Power to an enemy as it was a matter of high secrecy.
It is possible that he wanted to scare the Balrogs by saying so. In the earlier writings of Tolkien, this passage has many variations. He says ‘I am the master of white flame. The Red Fire cannot come this way.’ Gandalf wanted to convey meanings through these terms. Red stood for Sauron and his servants while White was for the powers of good.
In one version, there is also a reference to Black Shadow. Eventually, terms like ‘Black shadow’ and ‘Red fire’ were lost and the White Flame remained which was evolved into a better phrase ‘Flame of Anor’. In the later writings, this term does not point to a single thing but a way for Gandalf to announce his own identity and his power as a servant of the Valar.
Through this sentence, he wanted to tell the Balrog that he was the Maia and a servant of Eru Iluvatar. [2] Alternatively, through this declaration, Gandalf may have referred to the Ring of Fire, Narya that he possessed and wore but it is unlikely that Gandalf would reveal the ownership of the Ring of Power to an enemy as it was a matter of high secrecy.
It is possible that he wanted to scare the Balrogs by saying so. In the earlier writings of Tolkien, this passage has many variations. He says ‘I am the master of white flame. The Red Fire cannot come this way.’ Gandalf wanted to convey meanings through these terms. Red stood for Sauron and his servants while White was for the powers of good.
In one version, there is also a reference to Black Shadow. Eventually, terms like ‘Black shadow’ and ‘Red fire’ were lost and the White Flame remained which was evolved into a better phrase ‘Flame of Anor’. In the later writings, this term does not point to a single thing but a way for Gandalf to announce his own identity and his power as a servant of the Valar.
Etymology
The literal meaning of ‘Flame of Anor’ is ‘The Light of the Sun’ because Anor stands for the Sun in Elvish. This light is believed to have come from the fruit of the Two Trees of Valinor. Secondly, the ‘Flame of Anor’ can also refer to Gandalf’s Narya, the Ring of Fire.