Gandalf's Best Options for Defeating Smaug: The Role of Aragorn, Legolas, and Burglars

In the epic The Hobbit, if Gandalf wanted to kill Smaug, would it have made more sense to enlist the help of skilled fighters like Aragorn or Legolas? Let's explore the reasoning behind Gandalf's choices and the unique advantages of different characters in this confrontation.

The Role of Aragorn

Aragorn, as a ranger and skilled swordsman, possesses both combat prowess and leadership qualities. With experience dealing with formidable foes, Aragorn could rally support for a larger effort against Smaug. His tactical skills and knowledge of the land would be invaluable in such a endeavor.

The Role of Legolas

Legolas, an elf with exceptional archery skills and agility, could effectively target Smaug from a distance. His elven heritage grants him heightened senses and reflexes, making him a valuable asset in such a confrontation. His long-range abilities would complement a direct assault on the dragon.

Gandalf's Strategy

However, Tolkien's rationale for choosing a burglary as the strategy over a direct assault is compelling. In a serious work, Gandalf might indeed have sought out a warrior like Aragorn or Legolas. Yet, when he created The Hobbit, he had a specific narrative in mind. Aragorn was initially envisioned as a ten-year-old child, and his creation came later in Tolkien's writings.

As Gandalf explains in The Hobbit:

'I tried to find [a Warrior or a Hero] but warriors are busy fighting one another in distant lands and in this neighbourhood heroes are scarce or simply not to be found. Swords in these parts are mostly blunt and axes are used for trees and shields as cradles or dish-covers and dragons are comfortably far-off and therefore legendary. That is why I settled on burglary— especially when I remembered the existence of a Side-door. And here is our little Bilbo Baggins the burglar the chosen and selected burglar. So now let’s get on and make some plans.'

To justify this choice, Gandalf's strategy was to rely on a burglar who could perform an impossible task—crawling through a tunnel and finding Smaug's lair. Neither a man nor an elf, no matter how mighty, could have done this. Their physical and strategic abilities would be insufficient to overcome the defenses of a dragon like Smaug.

Bilbo's role is central to the narrative, as he famously spots the weak point in Smaug's armor through a hole in his shield. His unique background as a hobbit, unburdened by the rigorous training of humans or elves, allows him to approach the problem with a fresh perspective. This cleverness and ingenuity prove to be more effective than raw force.

In conclusion, while Aragorn and Legolas would have been formidable in their own right, Gandalf's choice of a burglar was a stroke of genius that leveraged Bilbo's unique strengths. The combination of Aragorn's combat skills and Legolas' archery would certainly be useful during a direct assault, but the success of the plan hinged on Bilbo's ability to infiltrate and neutralize the dragon.

Therefore, in the grand scheme of matters, Gandalf's approach was strategically sound and aligned with the broader narrative of The Hobbit.