 By the time the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Narya has been entrusted to Gandalf to resist the corrupting influence of evil, preserve the world from decay, and give strength to its wielder, says Tolkien head John Shelton, who has not engaged in fantasy literature, is policy director for advancing American freedom, founded by Mike Pence. Gandalf, unlike the other great powers in Lord of the Rings, cared for the hobbits and other lowly people of Middle Earth, so it's unsurprising Vance would see himself as a kind of Gandalf.