Does the Lord of the Rings contain Witchcraft? Well it all depends on what you call witchcraft. Most people today define witchcraft mystical power like something from Harry Potter. The definition of Witchcraft in the New World Dictionary is "The power or practices of witches; sorcery. Most people would just stop there and say "yes there is sorcery in it, Gandalf uses it. In reality it is however not sorcery. The definition of sorcery is "The forced control of evil super natural power". But is the power that Gandalf uses Evil?
As many know the world of Middle-Earth has its own history, it also has its own Creator such as our own world. This Creator is called Eru, The One, who in Arda is called Iluvatar. This Creator had followers called Ainur. Now there are two types of Ainur, the Valar (greater Ainur) and the Istari (lesser Ainur). These two types of Ainur are the direct representatives of Iluvatar. Enough of that now back to Gandalf. What is he?
Letter 156 from J.R.R. Tolkien to Robert Murray, states "But Gandalf is not, of course, a human being (Man or Hobbit). There are no precise modern terms to say what he was. I would venture to say that he was an incarnate "angel" that is an Istari "wizard", as an emissary to the lords of the west, sent to Middle-Earth as the great crisis of Sauron loomed on the horizon.By incarnate I mean to take on a physical body capable of pain, and weariness, and of afflicting the spirit with physical fear, and of being "killed",though supported by the angelic spirit they might endure long, and only show slowly the wearing of care and labor."
So now we have our answer. The power that Gandalf uses is (in Middle-Earth because the Istari are fantasy) not sorcery it is the angelic power endowed in him. This also goes for Sauruman and Radagast the Brown.
