Gandalf's intentions regarding the Quest of Erebor

[rjm]

Hello All!
This is my first (hopefully of many) post on this site so please forgive me if my questions and comments have been overdone.
I have recently be reinvigorated with the entire JRRT world and have read the Hobbit, LotR, Silm, and most of the Unfinished Tales in the last few months.
My question deals with Gandalf and his original intentions of sending Bilbo on the quest in the Hobbit. It seems that Gandalf chose Bilbo to be the bearer of the ring (Gandalf says this in UT)and therefore knew Bilbo would find the ring on his quest with the Dwarfs. It also seems that Gandalf knew Bilbo had the ring even when at first Bilbo kept it a secret.
If this is so, why do you think Gandalf waited so many years to determine if the ring was actually the One Ring? And why was he so surpised when he confirmed it was the One Ring?

[Gil-Galad]

welcome rjm!
I think that Gandalf wasn't sure that Bilbo's ring is the one ring he was just suspecting it.Or if he knew that Bilbo had the one he believed that the Shire is secret place for some time.
As a matter of fact I think that Gandalf knew what he was doing all the years,between the finding of the ring and the war of the ring.

[Beleg]

and his original intentions of sending Bilbo on the quest in the Hobbit. It seems that Gandalf chose Bilbo to be the bearer of the ring (Gandalf says this in UT)and therefore knew Bilbo would find the ring on his quest with the Dwarfs.

I don't understand it. How the heck could he know it? And is it explictly stated that Gandalf knew that Bilbo would find the ring?

[Lantarion]

I don't think it says that.. I just quickly reread 'The Quest of Erebor' in UT, and I didn't see any such indication. Was it in that chapter, or in another one like 'The Hunt For the Ring'?
As I recall, Gandalf only wanted Bilbo on the journey because he saw his potential, and indeed the potential of all Hobbits, to achieve greatness if they wanted to. He wanted to 'test' Bilbo's particular hidden courage, which he might have guessed because he had some Took blood in him.
But that's just an interpretation.

Welcome to TTF, rjm! :)

[FrankSinatra]

I think the child appealing justifications used in 'The Hobbit' are difficult to apply when reviewing the whole story in terms of the history.

The concepts Tolkien introduced in order to make the Hobbit understandable to children, would not be as fully fleshed out i would imagine.

[Glomund]

Gandalf did not say in UT that he chose Bilbo to have the ring, he had a foreboding that the quest for Erebor would not succeed without Bilbo, and he saw the need for the re-establishment of the kingdom under the mountain as neccessary in the defense of the west against the growing power of Sauron. He says in a alternate version, when asked by Gimli how much he knew when he sent Bilbo,
I do not know the answer...Bilbo was meant to find the ring, and not by its maker, and you(Frodo) were meant to bear it, and I was meant to guide you both to those points
And Gandalf chose Bilbo to prepare the Shire for the coming troubles, and needed a start to remind the people of the Shire how to deal with this type of adversity(UT345). So he may have suspected what the ring was but he did not know for years, and when he had the proof of fire writings, he was not suprised that it was the one, but resigned to the fact that what he knew was true, the little bit of hope he had that he was wrong was now gone, and his worst fears realized

[Lasgalen]

Gandalf could not have known Bilbo would find the ring. If he knew, he would not have been surprised to discover Bilbo's ring was the One Ring.

[Ithrynluin]

My question deals with Gandalf and his original intentions of sending Bilbo on the quest in the Hobbit. It seems that Gandalf chose Bilbo to be the bearer of the ring (Gandalf says this in UT)and therefore knew Bilbo would find the ring on his quest with the Dwarfs.

Gandalf had a premonition, as has already been said. I think some of his actions may have been guided by Eru himself, or at least Eru 'instilled' some fragments/ideas/plans into Gandalf's subconsciousness. Gate7ole and myself have debated Gandalf's premonition of going into Moria in this thread: Gandalf's road (http://www.thetolkienforum.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=10540) - if you are interested in reading our ramblings of course. :)

Welcome to TTF! :D