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Gandalf is a protagonist in J. R. R. Tolkien’s novels The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. He is a wizard, one of the Istari order, and the leader of the Fellowship of the Ring. Tolkien took the name «Gandalf» from the Old Norse «Catalogue of Dwarves» (Dvergatal) in the Völuspá.

As a wizard and the bearer of one of the Three Rings, Gandalf has great power, but works mostly by encouraging and persuading. He sets out as Gandalf the Grey, possessing great knowledge and travelling continually. Gandalf is focused on the mission to counter the Dark Lord Sauron by destroying the One Ring. He is associated with fire; his ring of power is Narya, the Ring of Fire. As such, he delights in fireworks to entertain the hobbits of the Shire, while in great need he uses fire as a weapon. As one of the Maiar, he is an immortal spirit from Valinor, but his physical body can be killed.

In The Hobbit, Gandalf assists the 13 dwarves and the hobbit Bilbo Baggins with their quest to retake the Lonely Mountain from Smaug the dragon, but leaves them to urge the White Council to expel Sauron from his fortress of Dol Guldur. In the course of the quest, Bilbo finds a magical ring. The expulsion succeeds, but in The Lord of the Rings, Gandalf reveals that Sauron’s retreat was only a feint, as he soon reappeared in Mordor. Gandalf further explains that, after years of investigation, he is sure that Bilbo’s ring is the One Ring that Sauron needs to dominate the whole of Middle-earth. The Council of Elrond creates the Fellowship of the Ring, with Gandalf as its leader, to defeat Sauron by destroying the Ring. He takes them south through the Misty Mountains, but is killed fighting a Balrog, an evil spirit-being, in the underground realm of Moria. After he dies, he is sent back from Valinor to Middle-earth to complete his mission as Gandalf the White. He reappears in dazzling light to three of the Fellowship and helps to counter the enemy in Rohan, then in Gondor, and finally at the Black Gate of Mordor, in each case largely by offering guidance. When victory is complete, he crowns Aragorn as King before leaving Middle-earth for ever to return to Valinor.

Tolkien once described Gandalf as an angel incarnate; later, both he and other scholars have likened Gandalf to the Norse god Odin in his «Wanderer» guise. Others have described Gandalf as a guide-figure who assists the protagonists, comparable to the Cumaean Sibyl who assisted Aeneas in Virgil’s The Aeneid, or to Virgil himself in Dante’s Inferno. Scholars have likened his return in white to the transfiguration of Christ; he is further described as a prophet, representing one element of Christ’s threefold office of prophet, priest, and king, where the other two roles are taken by Frodo and Aragorn.

The Gandalf character has been featured in radio, television, stage, video game, music, and film adaptations, including Ralph Bakshi’s 1978 animated film. His best-known portrayal is by Ian McKellen in Peter Jackson’s 2001–2003 The Lord of the Rings film series, where the actor based his acclaimed performance on Tolkien himself. McKellen reprised the role in Jackson’s 2012–2014 film series The Hobbit.

Names[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Tolkien derived the name Gandalf from Gandálfr, a dwarf in the Völuspá’s Dvergatal, a list of dwarf-names.^[1] In Old Norse, the name means staff-elf. This is reflected in his name Tharkûn, which is «said to mean ‘Staff-man’» in Khuzdul, one of Tolkien’s invented languages.^{[T 1]}

In-universe names[edit]

Gandalf is given several names and epithets in Tolkien’s writings. Faramir calls him the Grey Pilgrim, and reports Gandalf as saying, «Many are my names in many countries. Mithrandir^[a] among the Elves, Tharkûn to the Dwarves, Olórin I was in my youth in the West that is forgotten, in the South Incánus, in the North Gandalf; to the East I go not.»^{[T 2]} In an early draft of The Hobbit, he is called Bladorthin, while the name Gandalf is used by the dwarf who later became Thorin Oakenshield.^[2]

Each Wizard is distinguished by the colour of his cloak. For most of his manifestation as a wizard, Gandalf’s cloak is grey, hence the names Gandalf the Grey and Greyhame, from Old English hame, «cover, skin». Mithrandir is a name in Sindarin meaning «the Grey Pilgrim» or «the Grey Wanderer». Midway through The Lord of the Rings, Gandalf becomes the head of the order of Wizards, and is renamed Gandalf the White. This change in status (and clothing) introduces another name for the wizard: the White Rider. However, characters who speak Elvish still refer to him as Mithrandir. At times in The Lord of the Rings, other characters address Gandalf by insulting nicknames: Stormcrow, Láthspell («Ill-news» in Old English), and «Grey Fool».^{[T 1]}

Characteristics[edit]

Tolkien describes Gandalf as the last of the wizards to appear in Middle-earth, one who «seemed the least, less tall than the others, and in looks more aged, grey-haired and grey-clad, and leaning on a staff».^{[T 1]} Yet the Elf Círdan who met him on arrival nevertheless considered him «the greatest spirit and the wisest» and gave him the Elven Ring of Power called Narya, the Ring of Fire, containing a «red» stone for his aid and comfort. Tolkien explicitly links Gandalf to the element fire later in the same essay:^{[T 1]}

Warm and eager was his spirit (and it was enhanced by the ring Narya), for he was the Enemy of Sauron, opposing the fire that devours and wastes with the fire that kindles, and succours in wanhope and distress; but his joy, and his swift wrath, were veiled in garments grey as ash, so that only those that knew him well glimpsed the flame that was within. Merry he could be, and kindly to the young and simple, yet quick at times to sharp speech and the rebuking of folly; but he was not proud, and sought neither power nor praise … Mostly he journeyed tirelessly on foot, leaning on a staff, and so he was called among Men of the North Gandalf ‘the Elf of the Wand’. For they deemed him (though in error) to be of Elven-kind, since he would at times work wonders among them, loving especially the beauty of fire; and yet such marvels he wrought mostly for mirth and delight, and desired not that any should hold him in awe or take his counsels out of fear. … Yet it is said that in the ending of the task for which he came he suffered greatly, and was slain, and being sent back from death for a brief while was clothed then in white, and became a radiant flame (yet veiled still save in great need).^{[T 1]}

Fictional biography[edit]

Valinor[edit]

In Valinor, Gandalf was called Olórin.^{[T 1]} He was one of the Maiar of Valinor, specifically, one of the people of the Vala Manwë; he was said to be the wisest of the Maiar. He was closely associated with two other Valar: Irmo, in whose gardens he lived, and Nienna, the patron of mercy, who gave him tutelage. When the Valar decided to send the order of the Wizards (Istari) across the Great Sea to Middle-earth to counsel and assist all those who opposed Sauron, Olórin was proposed by Manwë. Olórin initially begged to be excused, declaring he was too weak and that he feared Sauron, but Manwë replied that that was all the more reason for him to go.^{[T 1]}

As one of the Maiar, Gandalf was not a mortal Man but an angelic being who had taken human form. As one of those spirits, Olórin was in service to the Creator (Eru Ilúvatar) and the Creator’s ‘Secret Fire’. Along with the other Maiar who entered into Middle-earth as the five Wizards, he took on the specific form of an old man as a sign of his humility. The role of the wizards was to advise and counsel but never to attempt to match Sauron’s strength with their own. It might be, too, that the kings and lords of Middle-earth would be more receptive to the advice of a humble old man than a more glorious form giving them direct commands.^{[T 1]}

Middle-earth[edit]

The wizards arrived in Middle-earth separately, early in the Third Age; Gandalf was the last, landing in the Havens of Mithlond. He seemed the oldest and least in stature, but Círdan the Shipwright felt that he was the greatest on their first meeting in the Havens, and gave him Narya, the Ring of Fire. Saruman, the chief Wizard, learned of the gift and resented it. Gandalf hid the ring well, and it was not widely known until he left with the other ring-bearers at the end of the Third Age that he, and not Círdan, was the holder of the third of the Elven-rings.^{[T 1]}

Gandalf’s relationship with Saruman, the head of their Order, was strained. The Wizards were commanded to aid Men, Elves, and Dwarves, but only through counsel; they were forbidden to use force to dominate them, though Saruman increasingly disregarded this.^{[T 1]}

The White Council[edit]

Gandalf suspected early on that an evil presence, the Necromancer of Dol Guldur, was not a Nazgûl but Sauron himself. He went to Dol Guldur^{[T 3]} to discover the truth, but the Necromancer withdrew before him, only to return with greater force,^{[T 3]} and the White Council was formed in response.^{[T 3]} Galadriel had hoped Gandalf would lead the council, but he refused, declining to be bound by any but the Valar who had sent him. Saruman was chosen instead, as the most knowledgeable about Sauron’s work in the Second Age.^{[T 4][T 1]}

Gandalf returned to Dol Guldur «at great peril» and learned that the Necromancer was indeed Sauron. The following year a White Council was held, and Gandalf urged that Sauron be driven out.^{[T 3]} Saruman, however, reassured the Council that Sauron’s evident effort to find the One Ring would fail, as the Ring would long since have been carried by the river Anduin to the Sea; and the matter was allowed to rest. But Saruman began actively seeking the Ring near the Gladden Fields where Isildur had been killed.^{[T 4][T 1]}

The Quest of Erebor[edit]

«The Quest of Erebor» in Unfinished Tales elaborates upon the story behind The Hobbit. It tells of a chance meeting between Gandalf and Thorin Oakenshield, a Dwarf-king in exile, in the Prancing Pony inn at Bree. Gandalf had for some time foreseen the coming war with Sauron, and knew that the North was especially vulnerable. If Rivendell were to be attacked, the dragon Smaug could cause great devastation. He persuaded Thorin that he could help him regain his lost territory of Erebor from Smaug, and so the quest was born.^{[T 5]}

The Hobbit[edit]

Gandalf meets with Bilbo in the opening of The Hobbit. He arranges for a tea party, to which he invites the thirteen dwarves, and thus arranges the travelling group central to the narrative. Gandalf contributes the map and key to Erebor to assist the quest.^{[T 6]} On this quest Gandalf acquires the sword, Glamdring, from the trolls’ treasure hoard.^{[T 7]} Elrond informs them that the sword was made in Gondolin, a city long ago destroyed, where Elrond’s father lived as a child.^{[T 8]}

After escaping from the Misty Mountains pursued by goblins and wargs, the party is carried to safety by the Great Eagles.^{[T 9]} Gandalf then persuades Beorn to house and provision the company for the trip through Mirkwood. Gandalf leaves the company before they enter Mirkwood, saying that he had pressing business to attend to.^{[T 10]}

He turns up again before the walls of Erebor disguised as an old man, revealing himself when it seems the Men of Esgaroth and the Mirkwood Elves will fight Thorin and the dwarves over Smaug’s treasure. The Battle of Five Armies ensues when hosts of goblins and wargs attack all three parties.^{[T 11]} After the battle, Gandalf accompanies Bilbo back to the Shire, revealing at Rivendell what his pressing business had been: Gandalf had once again urged the council to evict Sauron, since quite evidently Sauron did not require the One Ring to continue to attract evil to Mirkwood.^{[T 12]} Then the Council «put[s] forth its power» and drives Sauron from Dol Guldur. Sauron had anticipated this, and had feigned a withdrawal, only to reappear in Mordor.^{[T 13]}

The Lord of the Rings[edit]

Gandalf the Grey[edit]

Gandalf spent the years between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings travelling Middle-earth in search of information on Sauron’s resurgence and Bilbo Baggins’s mysterious ring, spurred particularly by Bilbo’s initial misleading story of how he had obtained it as a «present» from Gollum. During this period, he befriended Aragorn and became suspicious of Saruman. He spent as much time as he could in the Shire, strengthening his friendship with Bilbo and Frodo, Bilbo’s orphaned cousin and adopted heir.^{[T 13]}

Gandalf returns to the Shire for Bilbo’s «eleventy-first» (111th) birthday party, bringing many fireworks for the occasion. After Bilbo, as a prank on his guests, puts on the ring and disappears, Gandalf strongly encourages his old friend to leave the ring to Frodo, as they had planned. Bilbo becomes hostile and accuses Gandalf of trying to steal the ring. Alarmed, Gandalf impresses on Bilbo the foolishness of this accusation. Coming to his senses, Bilbo admits that the ring has been troubling him, and leaves it behind for Frodo as he departs for Rivendell.^{[T 14]}

Over the next 17 years, Gandalf travels extensively, searching for answers on the ring. He finds some answers in Isildur’s scroll, in the archives of Minas Tirith. He also wants to question Gollum, who had borne the ring for many years. Gandalf searches long and hard for Gollum, often assisted by Aragorn. Aragorn eventually succeeds in capturing Gollum. Gandalf questions Gollum, threatening him with fire when he proves unwilling to speak. Gandalf learns that Sauron has forced Gollum under torture in his fortress, Barad-dûr, to tell what he knows of the ring. This reinforces Gandalf’s growing suspicion that Bilbo’s ring is the One Ring.^{[T 13]}

Returning to the Shire, Gandalf confirms his suspicion by throwing the Ring into Frodo’s hearth-fire and reading the writing that appears on the Ring’s surface. He tells Frodo the history of the Ring, and urges him to take it to Rivendell, saying that he would be in grave danger if he stayed in the Shire. Gandalf says he will attempt to return for Frodo’s 50th birthday party, to accompany him on the road; and that meanwhile Frodo should arrange to leave quietly, as the servants of Sauron will be searching for him.^{[T 15]}

Outside the Shire, Gandalf encounters the wizard Radagast the Brown, who brings the news that the Nazgûl have ridden out of Mordor—and a request from Saruman that Gandalf come to Isengard. Gandalf leaves a letter to Frodo (urging his immediate departure) with Barliman Butterbur at the Prancing Pony, and heads towards Isengard. There Saruman reveals his true intentions, urging Gandalf to help him obtain the Ring for his own use. Gandalf refuses, and Saruman imprisons him at the top of his tower. Eventually Gandalf is rescued by Gwaihir the Eagle.^{[T 13]}

Gwaihir sets Gandalf down in Rohan, where Gandalf appeals to King Théoden for a horse. Théoden, under the evil influence of Gríma Wormtongue, Saruman’s spy and servant, tells Gandalf to take any horse he pleases, but to leave quickly. It is then that Gandalf meets the great horse Shadowfax who will be his mount and companion. Gandalf rides hard for the Shire, but does not reach it until after Frodo has set out. Knowing that Frodo and his companions will be heading for Rivendell, Gandalf makes his own way there. He learns at Bree that the Hobbits have fallen in with Aragorn. He faces the Nazgûl at Weathertop but escapes after an all-night battle, drawing four of them northward.^{[T 13]} Frodo, Aragorn and company face the remaining five on Weathertop a few nights later.^{[T 16]} Gandalf reaches Rivendell just before Frodo’s arrival.^{[T 13]}

In Rivendell, Gandalf helps Elrond drive off the Nazgûl pursuing Frodo, and plays a leading role in the Council of Elrond as the only person who knows the full history of the Ring. He reveals that Saruman has betrayed them and is in league with Sauron. When it is decided that the Ring has to be destroyed, Gandalf volunteers to accompany Frodo—now the Ring-bearer—in his quest. He persuades Elrond to let Frodo’s cousins Merry and Pippin join the Fellowship.^{[T 13]}

Taking charge of the Fellowship (comprising nine representatives of the free peoples of Middle-earth, «set against the Nine Riders»), Gandalf and Aragorn lead the Hobbits and their companions south.^{[T 17]} After an unsuccessful attempt to cross Mount Caradhras in winter, they cross under the mountains through the Mines of Moria under the Misty Mountains, though only Gimli the Dwarf is enthusiastic about that route. In Moria, they discover that the dwarf colony established there by Balin has been annihilated by orcs. The Fellowship fights with the orcs and trolls of Moria and escapes them.^{[T 18]}

At the Bridge of Khazad-dûm, they encounter «Durin’s Bane», a fearsome Balrog from ancient times. Gandalf faces the Balrog to enable the others to escape. After a brief exchange of blows, Gandalf breaks the bridge beneath the Balrog with his staff. As the Balrog falls, it wraps its whip around Gandalf’s legs, dragging him over the edge. Gandalf falls into the abyss, crying «Fly, you fools!».^{[T 19]}

Gandalf and the Balrog fall into a deep lake in Moria’s underworld. Gandalf pursues the Balrog through the tunnels for eight days until they climb to the peak of Zirakzigil. Here they fight for two days and nights. The Balrog is defeated and cast down onto the mountainside. Gandalf too dies, and his body lies on the peak while his spirit travels «out of thought and time».^{[T 20]}

Gandalf the White[edit]

Gandalf is «sent back»^[b] as Gandalf the White, and returns to life on the mountain top. Gwaihir carries him to Lothlórien, where he is healed of his injuries and re-clothed in white robes by Galadriel. He travels to Fangorn Forest, where he encounters Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas (who are tracking Merry and Pippin). They mistake him for Saruman, but he stops their attacks and reveals himself.^{[T 20]}

They travel to Rohan, where Gandalf finds that king Théoden has been further weakened by Wormtongue’s influence. He breaks Wormtongue’s hold over Théoden, and convinces the king to join in the fight against Sauron.^{[T 21]} Gandalf sets off to gather warriors of the Westfold to assist Théoden in the coming battle with Saruman. Gandalf arrives just in time to defeat Saruman’s army in the battle of Helm’s Deep.^{[T 22]} Gandalf and the King ride to Isengard, which has just been destroyed by Treebeard and his Ents, who are accompanied by Merry and Pippin.^{[T 23]} Gandalf breaks Saruman’s staff and expels him from the White Council and the Order of Wizards; Gandalf takes Saruman’s place as head of both. Wormtongue makes an attempt to kill Gandalf or Saruman with the palantír of Orthanc, but misses both. Pippin retrieves the palantír, but Gandalf quickly takes it, passing it to Aragorn.^{[T 24]} After the group leaves Isengard, Pippin takes the palantír from a sleeping Gandalf, looks into it, and comes face to face with Sauron himself. Gandalf takes the chastened Pippin with him to Minas Tirith to keep the young hobbit out of further trouble.^{[T 25]}

Gandalf arrives in time to help to arrange the defences of Minas Tirith. His presence is resented by Denethor, the Steward of Gondor; but when his son Faramir is gravely wounded in battle, Denethor sinks into despair and madness. Together with Prince Imrahil, Gandalf leads the defenders during the siege of the city. When the forces of Mordor break the main gate, Gandalf, alone on Shadowfax, confronts the Lord of the Nazgûl. At that moment the Rohirrim arrive, compelling the Nazgûl to withdraw to fight. Gandalf is required to save Faramir from Denethor, who seeks in desperation to burn himself and his son on a funeral pyre.^{[T 26]}

Aragorn and Gandalf lead the final campaign against Sauron’s forces at the Black Gate, in an effort to distract the Dark Lord’s attention from Frodo and Sam; they are at that moment scaling Mount Doom to destroy the One Ring. In a parley before the battle, Gandalf and the other leaders of the West meet the nameless lieutenant of Mordor, who shows them Frodo’s mithril shirt and other items from the Hobbits’ equipment. Gandalf rejects Mordor’s terms of surrender, and the forces of the West face the full might of Sauron’s armies, until the Ring is destroyed in Mount Doom.^{[T 27]} Gandalf leads the Eagles to rescue Frodo and Sam from the erupting mountain.^{[T 28]}

After the war, Gandalf crowns Aragorn as King Elessar, and helps him find a sapling of the White Tree of Gondor.^{[T 29]} He accompanies the Hobbits back to the borders of the Shire, before leaving to visit Tom Bombadil.^{[T 30]}

Two years later, Gandalf departs Middle-earth for ever. He boards the Ringbearers’ ship in the Grey Havens and sets sail to return across the sea to the Undying Lands; with him are his friends Frodo, Bilbo, Galadriel, and Elrond, and his horse Shadowfax.^{[T 31]}

Concept and creation[edit]

Appearance[edit]

Tolkien’s biographer Humphrey Carpenter relates that Tolkien owned a postcard entitled Der Berggeist («the mountain spirit»), which he labelled «the origin of Gandalf».^[3] It shows a white-bearded man in a large hat and cloak seated among boulders in a mountain forest. Carpenter said that Tolkien recalled buying the postcard during his holiday in Switzerland in 1911. Manfred Zimmerman, however, discovered that the painting was by the German artist Josef Madlener and dates from the mid-1920s. Carpenter acknowledged that Tolkien was probably mistaken about the origin of the postcard.^[4]

An additional influence may have been Väinämöinen, a demigod and the central character in Finnish folklore and the national epic Kalevala by Elias Lönnrot.^[5] Väinämöinen was described as an old and wise man, and he possessed a potent, magical singing voice.^[6]

Throughout the early drafts, and through to the first edition of The Hobbit, Bladorthin/Gandalf is described as being a «little old man», distinct from a dwarf, but not of the full human stature that would later be described in The Lord of the Rings. Even in The Lord of the Rings, Gandalf was not tall; shorter, for example, than Elrond^{[T 32]} or the other wizards.^{[T 1]}

Name[edit]

When writing The Hobbit in the early 1930s Tolkien gave the name Gandalf to the leader of the Dwarves, the character later called Thorin Oakenshield. The name is taken from the same source as all the other Dwarf names (save Balin) in The Hobbit: the «Catalogue of Dwarves» in the Völuspá.^[7] The Old Norse name Gandalfr incorporates the words gandr meaning «wand», «staff» or (especially in compounds) «magic» and álfr «elf». The name Gandalf is found in at least one more place in Norse myth, in the semi-historical Heimskringla, which briefly describes Gandalf Alfgeirsson, a legendary Norse king from eastern Norway and rival of Halfdan the Black.^[8] Gandalf is also the name of a Norse sea-king in Henrik Ibsen’s second play, The Burial Mound. The name «Gandolf» occurs as a character in William Morris’ 1896 fantasy novel The Well at the World’s End, along with the horse «Silverfax», adapted by Tolkien as Gandalf’s horse «Shadowfax». Morris’ book, inspired by Norse myth, is set in a pseudo-medieval landscape; it deeply influenced Tolkien. The wizard that became Gandalf was originally named Bladorthin.^[9][10]

Tolkien came to regret his ad hoc use of Old Norse names, referring to a «rabble of eddaic-named dwarves, … invented in an idle hour» in 1937.^{[T 33]} But the decision to use Old Norse names came to have far-reaching consequences in the composition of The Lord of the Rings; in 1942, Tolkien decided that the work was to be a purported translation from the fictional language of Westron, and in the English translation Old Norse names were taken to represent names in the language of Dale.^[11] Gandalf, in this setting, is thus a representation in English (anglicised from Old Norse) of the name the Dwarves of Erebor had given to Olórin in the language they used «externally» in their daily affairs, while Tharkûn is the (untranslated) name, presumably of the same meaning, that the Dwarves gave him in their native Khuzdul language.^{[T 34]}

Guide[edit]

Gandalf’s role and importance was substantially increased in the conception of The Lord of the Rings, and in a letter of 1954, Tolkien refers to Gandalf as an «angel incarnate».^{[T 35]} In the same letter Tolkien states he was given the form of an old man in order to limit his powers on Earth. Both in 1965 and 1971 Tolkien again refers to Gandalf as an angelic being.^{[T 36][T 37]}

In a 1946 letter, Tolkien stated that he thought of Gandalf as an «Odinic wanderer».^{[T 38]} Other commentators have similarly compared Gandalf to the Norse god Odin in his «Wanderer» guise—an old man with one eye, a long white beard, a wide brimmed hat, and a staff,^[12][13] or likened him to Merlin of Arthurian legend or the Jungian archetype of the «wise old man».^[14]

Marjorie Burns’s comparison of Gandalf and the Norse god Odin^[13]

The Tolkien scholar Charles W. Nelson described Gandalf as a «guide who .. assists a major character on a journey or quest .. to unusual and distant places». He noted that in both The Fellowship of the Ring and The Hobbit, Tolkien presents Gandalf in these terms. Immediately after the Council of Elrond, Gandalf tells the Fellowship:^[15]

Someone said that intelligence would be needed in the party. He was right. I think I shall come with you.^[15]

Nelson notes the similarity between this and Thorin’s statement in The Hobbit:^[15]

We shall soon .. start on our long journey, a journey from which some of us, or perhaps all of us (except our friend and counsellor, the ingenious wizard Gandalf) may never return.^[15]

Nelson gives as examples of the guide figure the Cumaean Sibyl who assisted Aeneas on his journey through the underworld in Virgil’s tale The Aeneid, and then Virgil himself in Dante’s Inferno, directing, encouraging, and physically assisting Dante as he travels through hell. In English literature, Nelson notes, Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur has the wizard Merlin teaching and directing Arthur to begin his journeys. Given these precedents, Nelson remarks, it was unsurprising that Tolkien should make use of a guide figure, endowing him, like these predecessors, with power, wisdom, experience, and practical knowledge, and «aware[ness] of [his] own limitations and [his] ranking in the order of the great».^[15] Other characters who act as wise and good guides include Tom Bombadil, Elrond, Aragorn, Galadriel—who he calls perhaps the most powerful of the guide figures—and briefly also Faramir.^[15]

Nelson writes that there is equally historical precedent for wicked guides, such as Edmund Spenser’s «evil palmers» in The Faerie Queene, and suggests that Gollum functions as an evil guide, contrasted with Gandalf, in Lord of the Rings. He notes that both Gollum and Gandalf are servants of The One, Eru Ilúvatar, in the struggle against the forces of darkness, and «ironically» all of them, good and bad, are necessary to the success of the quest. He comments, too, that despite Gandalf’s evident power, and the moment when he faces the Lord of the Nazgûl, he stays in the role of guide throughout, «never directly confront[ing] his enemies with his raw power.»^[15]

Christ-figure[edit]

The critic Anne C. Petty, writing about «Allegory» in the J.R.R. Tolkien Encyclopedia, discusses Gandalf’s death and reappearance in Christian terms. She cites Michael W. Maher, S.J.: «who could not think of Gandalf’s descent into the pits of Moria and his return clothed in white as a death-resurrection motif?»^[16][17] She at once notes, however, that «such a narrow [allegorical] interpretation» limits the reader’s imagination by demanding a single meaning for each character and event.^[16] Other scholars and theologians have likened Gandalf’s return as a «gleaming white» figure to the transfiguration of Christ.^[18][19][20]

The philosopher Peter Kreeft, like Tolkien a Roman Catholic, observes that there is no one complete, concrete, visible Christ figure in The Lord of the Rings comparable to Aslan in C. S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia series. However, Kreeft and Jean Chausse have identified reflections of the figure of Jesus Christ in three protagonists of The Lord of the Rings: Gandalf, Frodo and Aragorn. While Chausse found «facets of the personality of Jesus» in them, Kreeft wrote that «they exemplify the Old Testament threefold Messianic symbolism of prophet (Gandalf), priest (Frodo), and king (Aragorn).»^[21][22][23]

Peter Kreeft’s analysis of Christ-figures in Lord of the Rings^[21]

Adaptations[edit]

In the BBC Radio dramatisations, Gandalf has been voiced by Norman Shelley in The Lord of the Rings (1955–1956),^[26] Heron Carvic in The Hobbit (1968), Bernard Mayes in The Lord of the Rings (1979),^[27] and Sir Michael Hordern in The Lord of the Rings (1981).^[28]

John Huston voiced Gandalf in the animated films The Hobbit (1977) and The Return of the King (1980) produced by Rankin/Bass. William Squire voiced Gandalf in the animated film The Lord of the Rings (1978) directed by Ralph Bakshi. Ivan Krasko played Gandalf in the Soviet film adaptation The Hobbit (1985).^[29] Gandalf was portrayed by Vesa Vierikko in the Finnish television miniseries Hobitit (1993).^[30]

Ian McKellen portrayed Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings film series (2001–2003), directed by Peter Jackson, after Sean Connery and Patrick Stewart both turned down the role.^[31][32] According to Jackson, McKellen based his performance as Gandalf on Tolkien himself:

We listened to audio recordings of Tolkien reading excerpts from Lord of the Rings. We watched some BBC interviews with him—there’s a few interviews with Tolkien—and Ian based his performance on an impersonation of Tolkien. He’s literally basing Gandalf on Tolkien. He sounds the same, he uses the speech patterns and his mannerisms are born out of the same roughness from the footage of Tolkien. So, Tolkien would recognize himself in Ian’s performance.^[33]

McKellen received widespread acclaim^[34] for his portrayal of Gandalf, particularly in The Fellowship of the Ring, for which he received a Screen Actors Guild Award^[35] and an Academy Award nomination, both for best supporting actor.^[36] Empire named Gandalf, as portrayed by McKellen, the 30th greatest film character of all time.^[37] He reprised the role in The Hobbit film series (2012–2014), claiming that he enjoyed playing Gandalf the Grey more than Gandalf the White.^[38][39] He voiced Gandalf for several video games based on the films, including The Two Towers,^[40] The Return of the King,^[41] and The Third Age.^[42]

Charles Picard portrayed Gandalf in the 1999 stage production of The Two Towers at Chicago’s Lifeline Theatre.^[43][44] Brent Carver portrayed Gandalf in the 2006 musical production The Lord of the Rings, which opened in Toronto.^[45]

Gandalf appears in The Lego Movie, voiced by Todd Hanson.^[46] Gandalf is a main character in the video game Lego Dimensions and is voiced by Tom Kane.^[47]

Gandalf has his own movement in Johan de Meij’s Symphony No. 1 «The Lord of the Rings», which was written for concert band and premiered in 1988.^[48]

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

Primary[edit]

This list identifies each item’s location in Tolkien’s writings.

Secondary[edit]

Sources[edit]

• Carpenter, Humphrey, ed. (1981), The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, ISBN 978-0-395-31555-2
• Tolkien, J. R. R. (1937). Douglas A. Anderson (ed.). The Annotated Hobbit. Boston: Houghton Mifflin (published 2002). ISBN 978-0-618-13470-0.
• Tolkien, J. R. R. (1954a), The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, OCLC 9552942
• Tolkien, J. R. R. (1954), The Two Towers, The Lord of the Rings, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, OCLC 1042159111
• Tolkien, J. R. R. (1955), The Return of the King, The Lord of the Rings, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, OCLC 519647821
• Tolkien, J. R. R. (1977), Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, ISBN 978-0-395-25730-2
• Tolkien, J. R. R. (1980), Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, ISBN 978-0-395-29917-3
• Tolkien, J. R. R. (1988), Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Return of the Shadow, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, ISBN 978-0-395-49863-7

Gandalf is a protagonist in J. R. R. Tolkien’s novels The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. He is a wizard, one of the Istari order, and the leader of the Fellowship of the Ring. Tolkien took the name «Gandalf» from the Old Norse «Catalogue of Dwarves» (Dvergatal) in the Völuspá.

As a wizard and the bearer of one of the Three Rings, Gandalf has great power, but works mostly by encouraging and persuading. He sets out as Gandalf the Grey, possessing great knowledge and travelling continually. Gandalf is focused on the mission to counter the Dark Lord Sauron by destroying the One Ring. He is associated with fire; his ring of power is Narya, the Ring of Fire. As such, he delights in fireworks to entertain the hobbits of the Shire, while in great need he uses fire as a weapon. As one of the Maiar, he is an immortal spirit from Valinor, but his physical body can be killed.

In The Hobbit, Gandalf assists the 13 dwarves and the hobbit Bilbo Baggins with their quest to retake the Lonely Mountain from Smaug the dragon, but leaves them to urge the White Council to expel Sauron from his fortress of Dol Guldur. In the course of the quest, Bilbo finds a magical ring. The expulsion succeeds, but in The Lord of the Rings, Gandalf reveals that Sauron’s retreat was only a feint, as he soon reappeared in Mordor. Gandalf further explains that, after years of investigation, he is sure that Bilbo’s ring is the One Ring that Sauron needs to dominate the whole of Middle-earth. The Council of Elrond creates the Fellowship of the Ring, with Gandalf as its leader, to defeat Sauron by destroying the Ring. He takes them south through the Misty Mountains, but is killed fighting a Balrog, an evil spirit-being, in the underground realm of Moria. After he dies, he is sent back from Valinor to Middle-earth to complete his mission as Gandalf the White. He reappears in dazzling light to three of the Fellowship and helps to counter the enemy in Rohan, then in Gondor, and finally at the Black Gate of Mordor, in each case largely by offering guidance. When victory is complete, he crowns Aragorn as King before leaving Middle-earth for ever to return to Valinor.

Tolkien once described Gandalf as an angel incarnate; later, both he and other scholars have likened Gandalf to the Norse god Odin in his «Wanderer» guise. Others have described Gandalf as a guide-figure who assists the protagonists, comparable to the Cumaean Sibyl who assisted Aeneas in Virgil’s The Aeneid, or to Virgil himself in Dante’s Inferno. Scholars have likened his return in white to the transfiguration of Christ; he is further described as a prophet, representing one element of Christ’s threefold office of prophet, priest, and king, where the other two roles are taken by Frodo and Aragorn.

The Gandalf character has been featured in radio, television, stage, video game, music, and film adaptations, including Ralph Bakshi’s 1978 animated film. His best-known portrayal is by Ian McKellen in Peter Jackson’s 2001–2003 The Lord of the Rings film series, where the actor based his acclaimed performance on Tolkien himself. McKellen reprised the role in Jackson’s 2012–2014 film series The Hobbit.

Names[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Tolkien derived the name Gandalf from Gandálfr, a dwarf in the Völuspá’s Dvergatal, a list of dwarf-names.^[1] In Old Norse, the name means staff-elf. This is reflected in his name Tharkûn, which is «said to mean ‘Staff-man’» in Khuzdul, one of Tolkien’s invented languages.^{[T 1]}

In-universe names[edit]

Gandalf is given several names and epithets in Tolkien’s writings. Faramir calls him the Grey Pilgrim, and reports Gandalf as saying, «Many are my names in many countries. Mithrandir^[a] among the Elves, Tharkûn to the Dwarves, Olórin I was in my youth in the West that is forgotten, in the South Incánus, in the North Gandalf; to the East I go not.»^{[T 2]} In an early draft of The Hobbit, he is called Bladorthin, while the name Gandalf is used by the dwarf who later became Thorin Oakenshield.^[2]

Each Wizard is distinguished by the colour of his cloak. For most of his manifestation as a wizard, Gandalf’s cloak is grey, hence the names Gandalf the Grey and Greyhame, from Old English hame, «cover, skin». Mithrandir is a name in Sindarin meaning «the Grey Pilgrim» or «the Grey Wanderer». Midway through The Lord of the Rings, Gandalf becomes the head of the order of Wizards, and is renamed Gandalf the White. This change in status (and clothing) introduces another name for the wizard: the White Rider. However, characters who speak Elvish still refer to him as Mithrandir. At times in The Lord of the Rings, other characters address Gandalf by insulting nicknames: Stormcrow, Láthspell («Ill-news» in Old English), and «Grey Fool».^{[T 1]}

Characteristics[edit]

Tolkien describes Gandalf as the last of the wizards to appear in Middle-earth, one who «seemed the least, less tall than the others, and in looks more aged, grey-haired and grey-clad, and leaning on a staff».^{[T 1]} Yet the Elf Círdan who met him on arrival nevertheless considered him «the greatest spirit and the wisest» and gave him the Elven Ring of Power called Narya, the Ring of Fire, containing a «red» stone for his aid and comfort. Tolkien explicitly links Gandalf to the element fire later in the same essay:^{[T 1]}

Warm and eager was his spirit (and it was enhanced by the ring Narya), for he was the Enemy of Sauron, opposing the fire that devours and wastes with the fire that kindles, and succours in wanhope and distress; but his joy, and his swift wrath, were veiled in garments grey as ash, so that only those that knew him well glimpsed the flame that was within. Merry he could be, and kindly to the young and simple, yet quick at times to sharp speech and the rebuking of folly; but he was not proud, and sought neither power nor praise … Mostly he journeyed tirelessly on foot, leaning on a staff, and so he was called among Men of the North Gandalf ‘the Elf of the Wand’. For they deemed him (though in error) to be of Elven-kind, since he would at times work wonders among them, loving especially the beauty of fire; and yet such marvels he wrought mostly for mirth and delight, and desired not that any should hold him in awe or take his counsels out of fear. … Yet it is said that in the ending of the task for which he came he suffered greatly, and was slain, and being sent back from death for a brief while was clothed then in white, and became a radiant flame (yet veiled still save in great need).^{[T 1]}

Fictional biography[edit]

Valinor[edit]

In Valinor, Gandalf was called Olórin.^{[T 1]} He was one of the Maiar of Valinor, specifically, one of the people of the Vala Manwë; he was said to be the wisest of the Maiar. He was closely associated with two other Valar: Irmo, in whose gardens he lived, and Nienna, the patron of mercy, who gave him tutelage. When the Valar decided to send the order of the Wizards (Istari) across the Great Sea to Middle-earth to counsel and assist all those who opposed Sauron, Olórin was proposed by Manwë. Olórin initially begged to be excused, declaring he was too weak and that he feared Sauron, but Manwë replied that that was all the more reason for him to go.^{[T 1]}

As one of the Maiar, Gandalf was not a mortal Man but an angelic being who had taken human form. As one of those spirits, Olórin was in service to the Creator (Eru Ilúvatar) and the Creator’s ‘Secret Fire’. Along with the other Maiar who entered into Middle-earth as the five Wizards, he took on the specific form of an old man as a sign of his humility. The role of the wizards was to advise and counsel but never to attempt to match Sauron’s strength with their own. It might be, too, that the kings and lords of Middle-earth would be more receptive to the advice of a humble old man than a more glorious form giving them direct commands.^{[T 1]}

Middle-earth[edit]

The wizards arrived in Middle-earth separately, early in the Third Age; Gandalf was the last, landing in the Havens of Mithlond. He seemed the oldest and least in stature, but Círdan the Shipwright felt that he was the greatest on their first meeting in the Havens, and gave him Narya, the Ring of Fire. Saruman, the chief Wizard, learned of the gift and resented it. Gandalf hid the ring well, and it was not widely known until he left with the other ring-bearers at the end of the Third Age that he, and not Círdan, was the holder of the third of the Elven-rings.^{[T 1]}

Gandalf’s relationship with Saruman, the head of their Order, was strained. The Wizards were commanded to aid Men, Elves, and Dwarves, but only through counsel; they were forbidden to use force to dominate them, though Saruman increasingly disregarded this.^{[T 1]}

The White Council[edit]

Gandalf suspected early on that an evil presence, the Necromancer of Dol Guldur, was not a Nazgûl but Sauron himself. He went to Dol Guldur^{[T 3]} to discover the truth, but the Necromancer withdrew before him, only to return with greater force,^{[T 3]} and the White Council was formed in response.^{[T 3]} Galadriel had hoped Gandalf would lead the council, but he refused, declining to be bound by any but the Valar who had sent him. Saruman was chosen instead, as the most knowledgeable about Sauron’s work in the Second Age.^{[T 4][T 1]}

Gandalf returned to Dol Guldur «at great peril» and learned that the Necromancer was indeed Sauron. The following year a White Council was held, and Gandalf urged that Sauron be driven out.^{[T 3]} Saruman, however, reassured the Council that Sauron’s evident effort to find the One Ring would fail, as the Ring would long since have been carried by the river Anduin to the Sea; and the matter was allowed to rest. But Saruman began actively seeking the Ring near the Gladden Fields where Isildur had been killed.^{[T 4][T 1]}

The Quest of Erebor[edit]

«The Quest of Erebor» in Unfinished Tales elaborates upon the story behind The Hobbit. It tells of a chance meeting between Gandalf and Thorin Oakenshield, a Dwarf-king in exile, in the Prancing Pony inn at Bree. Gandalf had for some time foreseen the coming war with Sauron, and knew that the North was especially vulnerable. If Rivendell were to be attacked, the dragon Smaug could cause great devastation. He persuaded Thorin that he could help him regain his lost territory of Erebor from Smaug, and so the quest was born.^{[T 5]}

The Hobbit[edit]

Gandalf meets with Bilbo in the opening of The Hobbit. He arranges for a tea party, to which he invites the thirteen dwarves, and thus arranges the travelling group central to the narrative. Gandalf contributes the map and key to Erebor to assist the quest.^{[T 6]} On this quest Gandalf acquires the sword, Glamdring, from the trolls’ treasure hoard.^{[T 7]} Elrond informs them that the sword was made in Gondolin, a city long ago destroyed, where Elrond’s father lived as a child.^{[T 8]}

After escaping from the Misty Mountains pursued by goblins and wargs, the party is carried to safety by the Great Eagles.^{[T 9]} Gandalf then persuades Beorn to house and provision the company for the trip through Mirkwood. Gandalf leaves the company before they enter Mirkwood, saying that he had pressing business to attend to.^{[T 10]}

He turns up again before the walls of Erebor disguised as an old man, revealing himself when it seems the Men of Esgaroth and the Mirkwood Elves will fight Thorin and the dwarves over Smaug’s treasure. The Battle of Five Armies ensues when hosts of goblins and wargs attack all three parties.^{[T 11]} After the battle, Gandalf accompanies Bilbo back to the Shire, revealing at Rivendell what his pressing business had been: Gandalf had once again urged the council to evict Sauron, since quite evidently Sauron did not require the One Ring to continue to attract evil to Mirkwood.^{[T 12]} Then the Council «put[s] forth its power» and drives Sauron from Dol Guldur. Sauron had anticipated this, and had feigned a withdrawal, only to reappear in Mordor.^{[T 13]}

The Lord of the Rings[edit]

Gandalf the Grey[edit]

Gandalf spent the years between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings travelling Middle-earth in search of information on Sauron’s resurgence and Bilbo Baggins’s mysterious ring, spurred particularly by Bilbo’s initial misleading story of how he had obtained it as a «present» from Gollum. During this period, he befriended Aragorn and became suspicious of Saruman. He spent as much time as he could in the Shire, strengthening his friendship with Bilbo and Frodo, Bilbo’s orphaned cousin and adopted heir.^{[T 13]}

Gandalf returns to the Shire for Bilbo’s «eleventy-first» (111th) birthday party, bringing many fireworks for the occasion. After Bilbo, as a prank on his guests, puts on the ring and disappears, Gandalf strongly encourages his old friend to leave the ring to Frodo, as they had planned. Bilbo becomes hostile and accuses Gandalf of trying to steal the ring. Alarmed, Gandalf impresses on Bilbo the foolishness of this accusation. Coming to his senses, Bilbo admits that the ring has been troubling him, and leaves it behind for Frodo as he departs for Rivendell.^{[T 14]}

Over the next 17 years, Gandalf travels extensively, searching for answers on the ring. He finds some answers in Isildur’s scroll, in the archives of Minas Tirith. He also wants to question Gollum, who had borne the ring for many years. Gandalf searches long and hard for Gollum, often assisted by Aragorn. Aragorn eventually succeeds in capturing Gollum. Gandalf questions Gollum, threatening him with fire when he proves unwilling to speak. Gandalf learns that Sauron has forced Gollum under torture in his fortress, Barad-dûr, to tell what he knows of the ring. This reinforces Gandalf’s growing suspicion that Bilbo’s ring is the One Ring.^{[T 13]}

Returning to the Shire, Gandalf confirms his suspicion by throwing the Ring into Frodo’s hearth-fire and reading the writing that appears on the Ring’s surface. He tells Frodo the history of the Ring, and urges him to take it to Rivendell, saying that he would be in grave danger if he stayed in the Shire. Gandalf says he will attempt to return for Frodo’s 50th birthday party, to accompany him on the road; and that meanwhile Frodo should arrange to leave quietly, as the servants of Sauron will be searching for him.^{[T 15]}

Outside the Shire, Gandalf encounters the wizard Radagast the Brown, who brings the news that the Nazgûl have ridden out of Mordor—and a request from Saruman that Gandalf come to Isengard. Gandalf leaves a letter to Frodo (urging his immediate departure) with Barliman Butterbur at the Prancing Pony, and heads towards Isengard. There Saruman reveals his true intentions, urging Gandalf to help him obtain the Ring for his own use. Gandalf refuses, and Saruman imprisons him at the top of his tower. Eventually Gandalf is rescued by Gwaihir the Eagle.^{[T 13]}

Gwaihir sets Gandalf down in Rohan, where Gandalf appeals to King Théoden for a horse. Théoden, under the evil influence of Gríma Wormtongue, Saruman’s spy and servant, tells Gandalf to take any horse he pleases, but to leave quickly. It is then that Gandalf meets the great horse Shadowfax who will be his mount and companion. Gandalf rides hard for the Shire, but does not reach it until after Frodo has set out. Knowing that Frodo and his companions will be heading for Rivendell, Gandalf makes his own way there. He learns at Bree that the Hobbits have fallen in with Aragorn. He faces the Nazgûl at Weathertop but escapes after an all-night battle, drawing four of them northward.^{[T 13]} Frodo, Aragorn and company face the remaining five on Weathertop a few nights later.^{[T 16]} Gandalf reaches Rivendell just before Frodo’s arrival.^{[T 13]}

In Rivendell, Gandalf helps Elrond drive off the Nazgûl pursuing Frodo, and plays a leading role in the Council of Elrond as the only person who knows the full history of the Ring. He reveals that Saruman has betrayed them and is in league with Sauron. When it is decided that the Ring has to be destroyed, Gandalf volunteers to accompany Frodo—now the Ring-bearer—in his quest. He persuades Elrond to let Frodo’s cousins Merry and Pippin join the Fellowship.^{[T 13]}

Taking charge of the Fellowship (comprising nine representatives of the free peoples of Middle-earth, «set against the Nine Riders»), Gandalf and Aragorn lead the Hobbits and their companions south.^{[T 17]} After an unsuccessful attempt to cross Mount Caradhras in winter, they cross under the mountains through the Mines of Moria under the Misty Mountains, though only Gimli the Dwarf is enthusiastic about that route. In Moria, they discover that the dwarf colony established there by Balin has been annihilated by orcs. The Fellowship fights with the orcs and trolls of Moria and escapes them.^{[T 18]}

At the Bridge of Khazad-dûm, they encounter «Durin’s Bane», a fearsome Balrog from ancient times. Gandalf faces the Balrog to enable the others to escape. After a brief exchange of blows, Gandalf breaks the bridge beneath the Balrog with his staff. As the Balrog falls, it wraps its whip around Gandalf’s legs, dragging him over the edge. Gandalf falls into the abyss, crying «Fly, you fools!».^{[T 19]}

Gandalf and the Balrog fall into a deep lake in Moria’s underworld. Gandalf pursues the Balrog through the tunnels for eight days until they climb to the peak of Zirakzigil. Here they fight for two days and nights. The Balrog is defeated and cast down onto the mountainside. Gandalf too dies, and his body lies on the peak while his spirit travels «out of thought and time».^{[T 20]}

Gandalf the White[edit]

Gandalf is «sent back»^[b] as Gandalf the White, and returns to life on the mountain top. Gwaihir carries him to Lothlórien, where he is healed of his injuries and re-clothed in white robes by Galadriel. He travels to Fangorn Forest, where he encounters Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas (who are tracking Merry and Pippin). They mistake him for Saruman, but he stops their attacks and reveals himself.^{[T 20]}

They travel to Rohan, where Gandalf finds that king Théoden has been further weakened by Wormtongue’s influence. He breaks Wormtongue’s hold over Théoden, and convinces the king to join in the fight against Sauron.^{[T 21]} Gandalf sets off to gather warriors of the Westfold to assist Théoden in the coming battle with Saruman. Gandalf arrives just in time to defeat Saruman’s army in the battle of Helm’s Deep.^{[T 22]} Gandalf and the King ride to Isengard, which has just been destroyed by Treebeard and his Ents, who are accompanied by Merry and Pippin.^{[T 23]} Gandalf breaks Saruman’s staff and expels him from the White Council and the Order of Wizards; Gandalf takes Saruman’s place as head of both. Wormtongue makes an attempt to kill Gandalf or Saruman with the palantír of Orthanc, but misses both. Pippin retrieves the palantír, but Gandalf quickly takes it, passing it to Aragorn.^{[T 24]} After the group leaves Isengard, Pippin takes the palantír from a sleeping Gandalf, looks into it, and comes face to face with Sauron himself. Gandalf takes the chastened Pippin with him to Minas Tirith to keep the young hobbit out of further trouble.^{[T 25]}

Gandalf arrives in time to help to arrange the defences of Minas Tirith. His presence is resented by Denethor, the Steward of Gondor; but when his son Faramir is gravely wounded in battle, Denethor sinks into despair and madness. Together with Prince Imrahil, Gandalf leads the defenders during the siege of the city. When the forces of Mordor break the main gate, Gandalf, alone on Shadowfax, confronts the Lord of the Nazgûl. At that moment the Rohirrim arrive, compelling the Nazgûl to withdraw to fight. Gandalf is required to save Faramir from Denethor, who seeks in desperation to burn himself and his son on a funeral pyre.^{[T 26]}

Aragorn and Gandalf lead the final campaign against Sauron’s forces at the Black Gate, in an effort to distract the Dark Lord’s attention from Frodo and Sam; they are at that moment scaling Mount Doom to destroy the One Ring. In a parley before the battle, Gandalf and the other leaders of the West meet the nameless lieutenant of Mordor, who shows them Frodo’s mithril shirt and other items from the Hobbits’ equipment. Gandalf rejects Mordor’s terms of surrender, and the forces of the West face the full might of Sauron’s armies, until the Ring is destroyed in Mount Doom.^{[T 27]} Gandalf leads the Eagles to rescue Frodo and Sam from the erupting mountain.^{[T 28]}

After the war, Gandalf crowns Aragorn as King Elessar, and helps him find a sapling of the White Tree of Gondor.^{[T 29]} He accompanies the Hobbits back to the borders of the Shire, before leaving to visit Tom Bombadil.^{[T 30]}

Two years later, Gandalf departs Middle-earth for ever. He boards the Ringbearers’ ship in the Grey Havens and sets sail to return across the sea to the Undying Lands; with him are his friends Frodo, Bilbo, Galadriel, and Elrond, and his horse Shadowfax.^{[T 31]}

Concept and creation[edit]

Appearance[edit]

Tolkien’s biographer Humphrey Carpenter relates that Tolkien owned a postcard entitled Der Berggeist («the mountain spirit»), which he labelled «the origin of Gandalf».^[3] It shows a white-bearded man in a large hat and cloak seated among boulders in a mountain forest. Carpenter said that Tolkien recalled buying the postcard during his holiday in Switzerland in 1911. Manfred Zimmerman, however, discovered that the painting was by the German artist Josef Madlener and dates from the mid-1920s. Carpenter acknowledged that Tolkien was probably mistaken about the origin of the postcard.^[4]

An additional influence may have been Väinämöinen, a demigod and the central character in Finnish folklore and the national epic Kalevala by Elias Lönnrot.^[5] Väinämöinen was described as an old and wise man, and he possessed a potent, magical singing voice.^[6]

Throughout the early drafts, and through to the first edition of The Hobbit, Bladorthin/Gandalf is described as being a «little old man», distinct from a dwarf, but not of the full human stature that would later be described in The Lord of the Rings. Even in The Lord of the Rings, Gandalf was not tall; shorter, for example, than Elrond^{[T 32]} or the other wizards.^{[T 1]}

Name[edit]

When writing The Hobbit in the early 1930s Tolkien gave the name Gandalf to the leader of the Dwarves, the character later called Thorin Oakenshield. The name is taken from the same source as all the other Dwarf names (save Balin) in The Hobbit: the «Catalogue of Dwarves» in the Völuspá.^[7] The Old Norse name Gandalfr incorporates the words gandr meaning «wand», «staff» or (especially in compounds) «magic» and álfr «elf». The name Gandalf is found in at least one more place in Norse myth, in the semi-historical Heimskringla, which briefly describes Gandalf Alfgeirsson, a legendary Norse king from eastern Norway and rival of Halfdan the Black.^[8] Gandalf is also the name of a Norse sea-king in Henrik Ibsen’s second play, The Burial Mound. The name «Gandolf» occurs as a character in William Morris’ 1896 fantasy novel The Well at the World’s End, along with the horse «Silverfax», adapted by Tolkien as Gandalf’s horse «Shadowfax». Morris’ book, inspired by Norse myth, is set in a pseudo-medieval landscape; it deeply influenced Tolkien. The wizard that became Gandalf was originally named Bladorthin.^[9][10]

Tolkien came to regret his ad hoc use of Old Norse names, referring to a «rabble of eddaic-named dwarves, … invented in an idle hour» in 1937.^{[T 33]} But the decision to use Old Norse names came to have far-reaching consequences in the composition of The Lord of the Rings; in 1942, Tolkien decided that the work was to be a purported translation from the fictional language of Westron, and in the English translation Old Norse names were taken to represent names in the language of Dale.^[11] Gandalf, in this setting, is thus a representation in English (anglicised from Old Norse) of the name the Dwarves of Erebor had given to Olórin in the language they used «externally» in their daily affairs, while Tharkûn is the (untranslated) name, presumably of the same meaning, that the Dwarves gave him in their native Khuzdul language.^{[T 34]}

Guide[edit]

Gandalf’s role and importance was substantially increased in the conception of The Lord of the Rings, and in a letter of 1954, Tolkien refers to Gandalf as an «angel incarnate».^{[T 35]} In the same letter Tolkien states he was given the form of an old man in order to limit his powers on Earth. Both in 1965 and 1971 Tolkien again refers to Gandalf as an angelic being.^{[T 36][T 37]}

In a 1946 letter, Tolkien stated that he thought of Gandalf as an «Odinic wanderer».^{[T 38]} Other commentators have similarly compared Gandalf to the Norse god Odin in his «Wanderer» guise—an old man with one eye, a long white beard, a wide brimmed hat, and a staff,^[12][13] or likened him to Merlin of Arthurian legend or the Jungian archetype of the «wise old man».^[14]

Marjorie Burns’s comparison of Gandalf and the Norse god Odin^[13]

The Tolkien scholar Charles W. Nelson described Gandalf as a «guide who .. assists a major character on a journey or quest .. to unusual and distant places». He noted that in both The Fellowship of the Ring and The Hobbit, Tolkien presents Gandalf in these terms. Immediately after the Council of Elrond, Gandalf tells the Fellowship:^[15]

Someone said that intelligence would be needed in the party. He was right. I think I shall come with you.^[15]

Nelson notes the similarity between this and Thorin’s statement in The Hobbit:^[15]

We shall soon .. start on our long journey, a journey from which some of us, or perhaps all of us (except our friend and counsellor, the ingenious wizard Gandalf) may never return.^[15]

Nelson gives as examples of the guide figure the Cumaean Sibyl who assisted Aeneas on his journey through the underworld in Virgil’s tale The Aeneid, and then Virgil himself in Dante’s Inferno, directing, encouraging, and physically assisting Dante as he travels through hell. In English literature, Nelson notes, Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur has the wizard Merlin teaching and directing Arthur to begin his journeys. Given these precedents, Nelson remarks, it was unsurprising that Tolkien should make use of a guide figure, endowing him, like these predecessors, with power, wisdom, experience, and practical knowledge, and «aware[ness] of [his] own limitations and [his] ranking in the order of the great».^[15] Other characters who act as wise and good guides include Tom Bombadil, Elrond, Aragorn, Galadriel—who he calls perhaps the most powerful of the guide figures—and briefly also Faramir.^[15]

Nelson writes that there is equally historical precedent for wicked guides, such as Edmund Spenser’s «evil palmers» in The Faerie Queene, and suggests that Gollum functions as an evil guide, contrasted with Gandalf, in Lord of the Rings. He notes that both Gollum and Gandalf are servants of The One, Eru Ilúvatar, in the struggle against the forces of darkness, and «ironically» all of them, good and bad, are necessary to the success of the quest. He comments, too, that despite Gandalf’s evident power, and the moment when he faces the Lord of the Nazgûl, he stays in the role of guide throughout, «never directly confront[ing] his enemies with his raw power.»^[15]

Christ-figure[edit]

The critic Anne C. Petty, writing about «Allegory» in the J.R.R. Tolkien Encyclopedia, discusses Gandalf’s death and reappearance in Christian terms. She cites Michael W. Maher, S.J.: «who could not think of Gandalf’s descent into the pits of Moria and his return clothed in white as a death-resurrection motif?»^[16][17] She at once notes, however, that «such a narrow [allegorical] interpretation» limits the reader’s imagination by demanding a single meaning for each character and event.^[16] Other scholars and theologians have likened Gandalf’s return as a «gleaming white» figure to the transfiguration of Christ.^[18][19][20]

The philosopher Peter Kreeft, like Tolkien a Roman Catholic, observes that there is no one complete, concrete, visible Christ figure in The Lord of the Rings comparable to Aslan in C. S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia series. However, Kreeft and Jean Chausse have identified reflections of the figure of Jesus Christ in three protagonists of The Lord of the Rings: Gandalf, Frodo and Aragorn. While Chausse found «facets of the personality of Jesus» in them, Kreeft wrote that «they exemplify the Old Testament threefold Messianic symbolism of prophet (Gandalf), priest (Frodo), and king (Aragorn).»^[21][22][23]

Peter Kreeft’s analysis of Christ-figures in Lord of the Rings^[21]

Adaptations[edit]

In the BBC Radio dramatisations, Gandalf has been voiced by Norman Shelley in The Lord of the Rings (1955–1956),^[26] Heron Carvic in The Hobbit (1968), Bernard Mayes in The Lord of the Rings (1979),^[27] and Sir Michael Hordern in The Lord of the Rings (1981).^[28]

John Huston voiced Gandalf in the animated films The Hobbit (1977) and The Return of the King (1980) produced by Rankin/Bass. William Squire voiced Gandalf in the animated film The Lord of the Rings (1978) directed by Ralph Bakshi. Ivan Krasko played Gandalf in the Soviet film adaptation The Hobbit (1985).^[29] Gandalf was portrayed by Vesa Vierikko in the Finnish television miniseries Hobitit (1993).^[30]

Ian McKellen portrayed Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings film series (2001–2003), directed by Peter Jackson, after Sean Connery and Patrick Stewart both turned down the role.^[31][32] According to Jackson, McKellen based his performance as Gandalf on Tolkien himself:

We listened to audio recordings of Tolkien reading excerpts from Lord of the Rings. We watched some BBC interviews with him—there’s a few interviews with Tolkien—and Ian based his performance on an impersonation of Tolkien. He’s literally basing Gandalf on Tolkien. He sounds the same, he uses the speech patterns and his mannerisms are born out of the same roughness from the footage of Tolkien. So, Tolkien would recognize himself in Ian’s performance.^[33]

McKellen received widespread acclaim^[34] for his portrayal of Gandalf, particularly in The Fellowship of the Ring, for which he received a Screen Actors Guild Award^[35] and an Academy Award nomination, both for best supporting actor.^[36] Empire named Gandalf, as portrayed by McKellen, the 30th greatest film character of all time.^[37] He reprised the role in The Hobbit film series (2012–2014), claiming that he enjoyed playing Gandalf the Grey more than Gandalf the White.^[38][39] He voiced Gandalf for several video games based on the films, including The Two Towers,^[40] The Return of the King,^[41] and The Third Age.^[42]

Charles Picard portrayed Gandalf in the 1999 stage production of The Two Towers at Chicago’s Lifeline Theatre.^[43][44] Brent Carver portrayed Gandalf in the 2006 musical production The Lord of the Rings, which opened in Toronto.^[45]

Gandalf appears in The Lego Movie, voiced by Todd Hanson.^[46] Gandalf is a main character in the video game Lego Dimensions and is voiced by Tom Kane.^[47]

Gandalf has his own movement in Johan de Meij’s Symphony No. 1 «The Lord of the Rings», which was written for concert band and premiered in 1988.^[48]

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

Primary[edit]

This list identifies each item’s location in Tolkien’s writings.

Secondary[edit]

Sources[edit]

• Carpenter, Humphrey, ed. (1981), The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, ISBN 978-0-395-31555-2
• Tolkien, J. R. R. (1937). Douglas A. Anderson (ed.). The Annotated Hobbit. Boston: Houghton Mifflin (published 2002). ISBN 978-0-618-13470-0.
• Tolkien, J. R. R. (1954a), The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, OCLC 9552942
• Tolkien, J. R. R. (1954), The Two Towers, The Lord of the Rings, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, OCLC 1042159111
• Tolkien, J. R. R. (1955), The Return of the King, The Lord of the Rings, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, OCLC 519647821
• Tolkien, J. R. R. (1977), Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, ISBN 978-0-395-25730-2
• Tolkien, J. R. R. (1980), Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, ISBN 978-0-395-29917-3
• Tolkien, J. R. R. (1988), Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Return of the Shadow, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, ISBN 978-0-395-49863-7

Давно хотела об этом написать, лет 15, наверное. Очередной наезд на священную корову опубликованных переводов Толкина и мнение широких слоев публики.

============
Как правильно: Гэндальф или Гандальв?

Анариэль Р.

За помощь в работе над статьей я хотела бы поблагодарить Маэлора и Дмитрия Браткина

«By some curious chance one morning long ago in the quiet of the world, when there was less noise and more green, and the hobbits were still numerous and prosperous, and Bilbo Baggins was standing at his door after breakfast smoking an enormous long wooden pipe that reached nearly down to his woolly toes (neatly brushed) — Gandalf came by. Gandalf!»
Так в первой главе «Хоббита» в толкиновском легендариуме возникает Серый Странник. Существуют разные мнения, как должно выглядеть его имя в русских переводах Толкина – Гэндальф или Гандальв? Давайте разберемся.
Имя «Gandalf» Толкин придумал не сам, а, как имена большинства карл в «Хоббите» и ВК, взял из «Старшей Эдды», из 12 строфы «Прорицания вёльвы». Переводится «Gandálfr» с древнеисландского как «эльф с посохом». На полях можно заметить, что в древнеисландской литературе известен еще один персонаж с таким именем – на сей раз человек, ярл из Норвегии: например, он упоминается в «Круге земном» — в «Саге о Харальде Прекрасноволосом» (читать здесь: http://norse.ulver.com/src/konung/heimskringla/harald-harf/ru.html) и в саге «О Форньоте и его родичах» (http://norse.ulver.com/src/forn/frafornjoti/ru1.html).
И вот так – абсолютно как у Толкина – выглядит это имя в английском переводе «Эдды»: Gandalf (отсюда: http://ru.scribd.com/doc/40146250/Poetic-Edda-Old-Norse-English-diglot). По-английски это имя действительно произносится примерно как «Гэндалф» (что мы слышим в аудиокнигах и фильмах). Казалось бы, вопрос решен. Очевидно, что John Lennon – это Джон Леннон, не так ли? Но, однако, Gospel of John – это никак не «Евангелие Джона», а «Евангелие от Иоанна».
В чем же разница, почему одни Джоны будут Джонами, а другие – Иоаннами? Нетрудно ответить на этот вопрос. John the Apostle (он же St. John the Theologian, John the Divine) – это не персонаж английского фольклора, это персонаж (и один из авторов) Нового Завета – произведения, появившегося задолго до возникновения русского и английского языка. Имя его, если передавать его звуковую оболочку, было «Иоханнес» или «Иоаннес» — от этого имени произошли и английское «John», и русские «Иоанн» и «Иван». И в русской традиции этот апостол именуется Иоанном. И коль скоро John the Apostle – это то же самое лицо, то логично, что в русском переводе он оказывается именно Иоанном, а не Джоном и не Иваном.
Так же восстанавливаются по изначальной традиции, откуда было сделано заимствование, и другие имена: Plato в русском переводе с английского будет не Плейтоу, а Платон, Caesar будет не Сизэ(р), а Цезарь, а два французских короля, которых по-английски называют John, будут снова Иоаннами.
Это называется принципом этимологического соответствия при передаче имен собственных: он заключается в том, что «имена собственные в разных языках, которые различаются по форме, но имеют общее лингвистическое происхождение, используются для передачи друг друга» (цит. по Ермолович Д.И. «Имена собственные на стыке культур», с.24).
Поскольку имя «Gandalf» Толкином не придумано, а заимствовано, причем не из английской традиции, а из скандинавской, то и в русском переводе «Хоббита» это имя должно быть передано так, как оно передается в русских переводах «Старшей Эдды».
Хотя из принципа этимологического соответствия имеются исключения, я полагаю, что в данном случае применить надо именно его, а не практическую транскрипцию, которая дала бы нам «Гэндалф» (кстати, без мягкого знака). Мне представляется, что очень важно сохранить связь этого персонажа с традицией «Старшей Эдды»: в конце концов, это «неподлинное» имя Олорина-Митрандира, а прозвание и впервые с ним мы сталкиваемся в книге, которая является своего рода прологом, дверью в Средиземье. «Хоббит» — это со всей отчетливостью посредник, с точки зрения темы книги, движения сюжета и главного ее героя.
Мне кажется важным подчеркнуть этот переходный момент в творчестве Толкина, когда он экспериментировал с разными способами подачи собственного мира во многих произведениях этого периода, в диапазоне от «Мистера Блисса» до «Утраченного пути». Например, в «Хоббите» в качестве сравнения фигурируют паровоз и рождественская елка; в «Роверандоме» упоминается кит Уин из «Утраченных сказаний», лунный маг похож на Человека-с-Луны, упоминаются Тенистые моря и Залив Волшебной Страны (из традиции «Сильмариллиона»); в «Письмах Рождественского деда» опробованы некоторые сюжетные ходы и элементы «Хоббита» и ВК; и даже в «Мистере Блиссе» при желании можно углядеть связки с Ардой: имя «папаша Гэмджи» впервые появляется именно там, а мясник All-bone – «Одни кости» – практически тезка Альбоина Эррола из «Утраченного пути», которого так дразнили одноклассники. Явно имена карлов в «Хоббите» взяты из «Эдды» с примерно той же целью — соединить тот и этот миры.
Впоследствии Толкин жалел, что связался с эддическими именами, но назад пути не было. Работая над ВК, Толкин решил, что подаст свой труд как перевод с вестрона на английский, где вестронские имена собственные как бы заменены на английские аналоги, в то время как имена карлов и Гандальва в силу своего неанглийского, северного происхождения должны отражать происхождение имен своих владельцев из земель около Дейла. Это означает, что и в русском переводе это имя должно оставаться не вполне английским, а должно быть взято из русских переводов «Эдды» и саг.
Давайте посмотрим, как выглядит это имя в русских переводах первой песни «Старшей Эдды» – их четыре. Первый, перевод Свириденко, был сделан в начале ХХ века и считается устаревшим. Второй перевод — первый полный перевод «Старшей Эдды» — это перевод А.Корсуна под редакцией крупнейшего отечественного скандинависта М.Стеблина-Каменского. Он был опубликован в 1963 году (запомните эту дату).
Вот как выглядит здесь 12-ая строфа (отсюда: http://e-libra.ru/read/248879-starshayaya-yedda-perevod-a.-i.-korsuna.html):

12
Гандальв и Вейг,
Виндальв, Торин,
Трор и Траин,
Текк, Вит и Лит,
Нюр и Нюрад —
вот я карликов —
Регин и Радсвинн —
всех назвала.

Третий перевод «Прорицания вёльвы» принадлежит Е.М.Мелетинскому, видному отечественному филологу, но не скандинависту. Опубликован перевод в 1980 году (читать здесь: http://norse.ulver.com/src/edda/voluspa/ru2.html).

12
Гандольв и Вейг, Виндольв, Траин,
Тенк и Торин, Трор, Вит и Лит,
Нар и Нюрад — названы все
Регин и Радсвин — цверги верно.

Последний, четвертый, перевод принадлежит В.Г.Тихомирову (читать здесь: http://norse.ulver.com/src/edda/voluspa/rut.html). Хотя Тихомиров и не являлся профессиональным германистом, над переводом «Беовульфа» он работал вместе с германистом Анатолием Либерманом (на всякий случай: замысловатая история комментариев к «Беовульфу» изложена здесь — http://old.russ.ru/krug/20030122_kalash.html), а над книгой «Древнеанглийская поэзия» — с О.А.Смирницкой, еще одним крупнейшим отечественным германистом (у которой я имела счастье учиться). Итак, последняя версия 12-ой строфы «Прорицания вёльвы»:

12
Вейг и Гандальв,
Виндальв и Траин,
Текк и Торин,
Трор, Вит и Лит,
Нар и Нирад
(ныне всех цвергов),
Регин и Радсвинн
(разом поименую),

Итак, два варианта из трех, поддержанные германистами, – «Гандальв».
Но как же так, скажете вы, ведь во всех русских переводах – «Гэндальф», начиная с самого первого, публикации отрывка из «Хоббита» в журнале «Англия» в 1969 году, и у Рахмановой так, и у Кистяковского с Муравьевым…
Что можно ответить на это? Наверное, только напомнить, что уже в школе Толкин знал несколько живых и мертвых языков; что он сначала учился, а потом был профессором англосаксонского и позже — профессором английского языка и литературы в одном из самых прославленных университетов мира. Все это не могло не отразиться на его творчестве, и в итоге получается, что для перевода Толкина, по крайней мере – основных его произведений — требуется практически такой же уровень знаний и добросовестности, как для перевода ранней литературы германских народов, т.е. переводчик должен быть не просто англистом, а германистом (человеком, разбирающимся в истории, литературе и языках германских народов) или работать в тесной связке со специалистом, чтобы хотя бы не путать древнеисландский с древнеанглийским, Альфреда с Артуром, а Гренделя – с Гренландией. Обычному переводчику, пусть даже он хорошо справляется с более простыми авторами (или даже таким не самым простым, как К.С.Льюис), Толкин вряд ли будет зубам. Скорее всего, бОльшая часть авторов опубликованных переводов Толкина просто не опознала в имени «Gandalf» отсылку к «Старшей Эдде», несмотря на то, что к тому времени уже существовало целых два перевода «Прорицания вёльвы».
Поэтому если вы видите в русском переводе «Гэндальф», то вы можете твердо быть уверены в одном из трех: либо у этого переводчика недостаточная квалификация для перевода такого сложного автора, как Толкин, а с германистами он почему-то, в отличие от А.Корсуна и В.Г.Тихомирова, не советовался; либо ему наплевать на Толкина, читателей и качество своей работы; либо он идет на поводу у «широкой публики». Четвертого, увы, не дано.
============

гэндальф

«He wore a tall pointed blue hat, a long grey cloak, and a silver scarf. He had a long white beard and bushy eyebrows that stuck out beyond the brim of his hat.«

—The Fellowship of the Ring, «A Long-expected Party»

Gandalf the Grey, later known as Gandalf the White, and originally named Olórin (Quenya; IPA: [oˈloːrin]), was an Istar (Wizard), dispatched to Middle-earth in the Third Age to combat the threat of Sauron. He joined Thorin II Oakenshield and his company to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from Smaug, helped form the Fellowship of the Ring to destroy the One Ring, and led the Free Peoples in the final campaign of the War of the Ring.

Biography

Years of the Lamps

Originally called Olórin, he was accounted as the wisest of the Maiar. He was created by Ilúvatar before the Music of the Ainur^[1], and was at the beginning of Time amongst the Ainur who entered into Eä.^[2] In his «youth» he became one of the Maiar who served Manwë, Varda, Irmo, and Nienna. He was associated with light and fire, much like Varda^[3], yet his ways often took him to Nienna, from whom he learned pity and patience. He loved the Elves, but walked unseen among them, or wore the guise of an Elf, and sent them fair visions in their hearts that made them wiser. Throughout his life he followed the example of Nienna, talking pity on the sorrows of the Children of Ilúvatar and drawing those who listened to him out of despair.^[3]

When the Valar decided to send the Istari (also called Wizards) to Middle-earth to counsel and assist all those who opposed the Dark Lord Sauron, Manwë and Varda included Olórin among the five to be sent. At first, Olórin was nervous and described himself as too weak and afraid of Sauron. Manwë understood, and told Olórin that such was a reason why he should go, to overcome that fear. Furthermore, the One Ring, containing much of Sauron’s power, presumably still existed somewhere. Thus, Manwë insisted that Olórin should go as the third, but Varda convinced him to send Olórin as the second instead.^[4] He agreed, and prepared for Olórin’s departure from the Undying Lands with the other four, arriving about the same time that the Necromancer appeared in Mirkwood.

Third Age

Arrival in Middle-earth

Olórin, like the other Wizards, took the shape of an old man. He was robed in grey and wandered about as a counsellor. At Mithlond he was welcomed by Glorfindel, his friend from Valinor (who had been sent earlier on a similar mission), and Círdan the shipwright who possessed Narya, one of the Three Elven Rings of Power. Círdan divined in Olórin a sense of strength and power despite his appearance as a bent and aged man. Círdan gave Narya to Olórin with a prediction of his future struggles with evil, and a promise that it would support and aid him in his labours.^[5]

He then began his sojourn in Middle-earth and over many centuries, he walked among the Elves as a stranger, learning from them and teaching them. Unlike Saruman, Olórin did not take up a single permanent residence and never went to the east^[6], apparently restricting his activities to the Westlands of Middle-earth, where the remnants of the Dúnedain and the Eldar remained to oppose Sauron. He was known by many names during the long years he wandered: Elves named him Mithrandir, the «Grey Pilgrim», while the Men of Arnor named him Gandalf, which became his most common name. He was also known as Incánus (in the south), and Tharkûn to the Dwarves.^[4] He later revealed himself as one of the Istari, and eventually became known as not only the wisest but also the most powerful individual in that order.

A legend says that Gandalf was given by Yavanna the Elfstone of Eärendil, to bring to the peoples of Middle-earth as a token that the Valar had not forsaken them. He gave it to Galadriel, bearer of one of the three Elven Rings and mighty among the Eldar, remarked prophetically that she would in turn pass it to an individual who would also be called Elessar.^[7]

Reemergence of the Necromancer

Around year TA 1100, the Istari and Eldar discovered that some evil entity resided in at Dol Guldur in Mirkwood; while some thought a Nazgûl had returned to torment the world, or some new evil was arising, Gandalf began to suspect that perhaps Sauron himself might have returned.^[5][8] As in the next two hundred years, evil continued to grow and spread, as well as the source directing it. Gandalf went to Dol Guldur in TA 2063 to discover its secret.^[5] However, the Necromancer fled upon Gandalf’s arrival, preventing Gandalf from identifying him.^[8] After Gandalf’s incursion, the evil there seemed to desist, and its absence allowed for some centuries of calmness.^[8]

That peaceful period was known as the Watchful Peace and lasted for almost four hundred years, but the Nazgûl had used this period to prepare for Sauron’s return, in TA 2460.^[5] Realising the returning evil, Galadriel formed and reunited the White Council three years later composed of four members: herself, Gandalf, Saruman, and Elrond the Half-elf (who was the bearer of another of the Three Rings). Galadriel wished Gandalf to be the chief of the Council, but he refused the position, wishing to set down no roots and to maintain his independence; Saruman took this place instead because of his vast knowledge and skill.^[8] However, he later grew jealous and afraid of Gandalf,^[5] which was one of the reasons for his future betrayal.

During his wanderings in Eriador, Gandalf met and befriended the isolated and secretive people of the Hobbits in their country, the Shire. During the Long Winter of TA 2758 Gandalf came to their aid.^[5] It was then when he witnessed and admired the pity and courage that the humble Hobbits reserved in their hearts.^[9]
He then passed onward but nevertheless would return to visit the Shire occasionally and participate in the Midsummer-eve parties of the Old Took, where he impressed young Hobbits with his fireworks, and his stories about Dragons, Goblins and princesses.^[9] He was thus known to be «responsible for so many quiet lads and lasses going off into the Blue for mad adventures». He also met a relatively adventurous Hobbit named Bilbo Baggins, although he was in fact far from «adventuresome.»^[10]

When King Thráin II, a Dwarf of the royal line of Durin, disappeared on journey to Erebor, Gandalf looked for him. At some point after TA 2845 he entered the abandoned city of Khazad-dûm during this search. After this proved to be in vain, the Wizard exited through the Doors of Durin; however this experience did not help him know how to open the doors from the outside.^[11] In TA 2850, his quest led him once more to Dol Guldur, this time in secrecy.^[5] He found Thráin in the dungeons, who gave the Wizard his last possessions, the map and key to Erebor.^[12] Most importantly, he found out that the Necromancer was not a Nazgûl – it was Sauron himself, and he had taken the last of the Seven Rings from the Dwarf King; Sauron was gathering the remaining Rings of Power and possibly searching for his lost One Ring.

Gandalf escaped Dol Guldur and returned to the White Council.^[8] After relating his discoveries, he urged the council to attack Sauron while the One Ring was still lost and while Sauron’s power was not yet beginning to be restored . But Saruman said that it was better to watch and wait; that the One Ring had long ago rolled from Anduin to the Sea. The majority of the council agreed with Saruman. Elrond later privately told Gandalf he had a foreboding that the Ring would be found, and that the war to end the Age was coming. Indeed, Elrond added, he feared that it would end in darkness and despair. Gandalf encouraged him, saying there were many «strange chances,» and that, «help oft shall come from the hands of the weak». Gandalf did not yet realize that Saruman now wanted the Ring for himself and was secretly searching for it along the banks of the River Anduin.

As time went on, the wizard became increasingly troubled by his knowledge of Sauron’s resurgent strength. He knew that Sauron was already plotting war from Dol Guldur, and that as soon as he felt strong enough, he would attack Rivendell. Unfortunately, the only power left besides Rivendell to resist an attempt from Mirkwood to regain the lands of Angmar were the isolated Dwarves of the Iron Hills.

Quest of Erebor

Main article: Quest of Erebor

Conception of a plan

Over the years, Gandalf became concerned about the weak state of the North. Smaug the dragon had destroyed both the Kingdom under the Mountain and the town of Dale, and the wizard feared that Sauron might use the desolation around Erebor to regain the northern passes in the mountains and the old lands of Angmar. Gandalf knew that exiled Dwarf King of Durin’s Folk, Thorin II Oakenshield, planned to battle against Smaug, but he knew that it would not be enough. In TA 2941,^[5] while staying the night in Bree, Gandalf happened across the Dwarf King.^[9] Thorin initiated conversation; he had been having a strange feeling urging him to seek Gandalf. The same was intrigued, for he had thought to seek Thorin as well. They found they were taking the same road for a while (Thorin passing through the Shire on his way to the Ered Luin), and they agreed to travel together. Thorin wanted advice, and Gandalf in turn wanted to discuss the dragon Smaug with Thorin.

Ultimately, Gandalf concocted a plan wherein Thorin could destroy Smaug and recover his family fortune, albeit with a «burglar» of Gandalf’s own choosing.

Leading the company

Feeling that a Hobbit should be involved, Gandalf remembered Bilbo Baggins. At first he found only Holman Cotton as Bilbo had left on the occasion of the Elven new year, something that persuaded Gandalf that Bilbo was the right person for the job.^[9] He visited Bilbo later, bringing along the kinsmen of Thorin.^[10] In the end, Gandalf convinced the reluctant Baggins to become a burglar for Thorin. Gandalf then accompanied Thorin and Company to Rivendell. During the journey Gandalf was instrumental in saving the travellers’ lives from several calamities. He saved them from a trio of Stone-trolls, and later obtained the legendary sword Glamdring from their Troll-hoard; Gandalf bore it thenceforth.^[13]

He also helped Thorin and Company through the Misty Mountains; when unknowingly they camped in the Front Porch of the Goblin-town, the same captured the whole company except Gandalf, who surprised them much later, killing the Great Goblin and then leading the Dwarves to the exit.^[14] It was during this time that Bilbo obtained a «magic ring».^[15] Bilbo initially claimed he «won» it from the creature «Gollum» while the company was under the Misty Mountains.^[16] The Ring conferred invisibility on Bilbo when he wore it, and he kept it secret from Gandalf for some time.

On their escape out, the Company was saved by the Eagles of the Misty Mountains; Gandalf once had healed the Great Eagle from a poisoned wound, and thenceforth they became friends. The Eagles picked them up to their eyrie, and the next day they dropped them off on the Carrock.^[16]

Pressing business

Gandalf then sought the hospitality of Beorn, persuading him to welcome and host the whole Company in his hall. But then he left the quest prior to its completion; after leading the Company to the outskirts of the Forest Gate, he gave them some final advice before they entered Mirkwood, and went to attend other obligations.^[17][18] The White Council had met under the gravest of circumstances: Sauron’s power was returning, even without his Ring. Gandalf at last convinced the Council to attack Dol Guldur, to which even Saruman agreed (as by now he feared Sauron as a rival, and wished to delay his search for the Ring). Gandalf joined his peers in assailing Dol Guldur, ridding Mirkwood of the Necromancer’s presence, who fled to Mordor to his long-prepared stronghold of Barad-dûr.^[19] When he was about to finish his task, news about what happened to Thorin’s Company in Mirkwood reached him, and realized that the instructions he gave did not help them; they had lost their way, and then vanished due to the encounter with the Wood-elves, who had captured them. He was anxious to get back to them as soon as possible.^[20]

The Battle of Five Armies

Meanwhile Thorin’s quest was successful: Erebor was retaken and Smaug was killed,^[21] but when Gandalf finally arrived to the area, he found the Dwarves of Erebor and the Iron Hills preparing for an attack by the Lake-men and the Elves of Mirkwood. He was with Bard and Thranduil and thus revealed his presence, trying to reason with Thorin. When the attack was beginning, Gandalf halted them, to warn that the Orcs and Wargs were coming to claim the treasure. He invited Dáin Ironfoot for council, and soon Dwarves, Elves and Men formed an alliance, and defeated the Orcs of the Misty Mountains in the Battle of Five Armies.^[22]

King Thorin was mortally wounded and after his funeral and the reestablishment of Erebor under Dáin, Bilbo and Gandalf followed their way back; they celebrated Yule at Beorn’s, and then returned to Rivendell, where he discussed with Elrond the events of Dol Guldur and the Lonely Mountain. Gandalf had accomplished his immediate goal, which was to destroy Smaug, since he could have been used to disastrous effect by Sauron. A large number of Orcs and Wargs also were killed in the North, removing threats to Rivendell and Lothlórien.^[9] The two agreed that it would be better if the Necromancer were banished from the world altogether.^[23]

As Gandalf and Bilbo passed by the site of their former encounter with the stone-trolls, they made sure to recover the gold of the troll-hoard they had buried before the Wizard left to perform other duties and Bilbo returned to the Shire.^[23] Gandalf, for his part, found himself amazed by the Hobbit; until then, the Wise had paid no attention to Hobbits and knew little of them. For the rest of his sojourn in Middle-earth, Gandalf took a special interest in Hobbits, and particularly in the Baggins family.

Return of the Shadow

Despite the Council’s hopes, Sauron was not weakened by this attack. He had foreseen the move that drove him from Mirkwood, and his retreat was but a feint. Ten years after the attack, Sauron declared himself openly in Mordor in 2951 and rebuilt his fortress of Barad-dûr. The White Council met for one last time in 2953 to debate the fate of the Rings of Power. Saruman quieted his peers claiming to have the knowledge that the One Ring was lost in the Belegaer. After their meeting, Saruman, jealous and afraid of Gandalf, set spies to watch all his movements; this would affect the peaceful Hobbits, as Saruman thus discovered the existence and noted Gandalf’s interest in the Shire, and started sending agents to Bree and the Southfarthing.^[5]

In 2956, Gandalf met Aragorn, the hidden Heir of Isildur, and soon became friends with him. From that point on Aragorn and Gandalf often worked together towards a common end — the defeat of Sauron.

Return to the Shire

During this period Gandalf visited the Shire frequently, especially his friend Bilbo Baggins, and his younger nephew, Frodo. He noted Bilbo’s unusual youthfulness, despite his advancing age; the suspicious «magic ring» that Bilbo had acquired during his adventure began to weigh on his mind. Gandalf recalled the deceit Bilbo used in originally claiming it for his own — Bilbo had later admitted to stealing it from Gollum. Gandalf could see that Bilbo was now very preoccupied with the Ring and had begun to suspect that the same was indeed a ring of power. Such un-hobbitlike behaviour aroused his suspicions.

In 3001, Bilbo planned what would become known as his Farewell Birthday Party, and at the culmination of the hobbit’s speech, Bilbo put on the mysterious Ring and disappeared, as a joke on his neighbors. Later as he was bidding farewell to Gandalf, who had known about his plans to leave, Bilbo began to change his mind about leaving his Ring to Frodo, as he had earlier agreed. When Gandalf tried to persuade him to leave it, Bilbo became hostile and accused Gandalf of trying to steal the Ring for his own benefit, which he referred to as his «precious.» Horrified by Bilbo’s outburst, Gandalf stood to his full height and projected his power, frightening the hobbit. This brought Bilbo back to his senses; he apologized, admitted that the Ring had been troubling him lately, and left it behind. Bilbo and Gandalf bid each other goodbye before Bilbo left the Shire for his journey.^[24] Before leaving the Shire, he spoke with Frodo and emphatically warned Frodo not to use the Ring.^[25]

Searching for the Ring

Keen now to find out more about Gollum, he sought Aragorn’s help to capture him. Studying the records in Minas Tirith, he found the Scroll of Isildur and pieced together the missing history of the One Ring. In TA 3017 on his way back to the Shire he got word from the Galadhrim that Aragorn had finally captured Gollum and he went to Mirkwood to meet him. For days he interrogated him in order to verify what he already suspected. A great fear came over him when he learned that Gollum had been to the Tower of Barad-dûr. Sauron had tortured Gollum and learned not only of the «magic ring», but also the names «Shire» and «Baggins». Gandalf left Mirkwood soon after, and left Gollum with the Wood-elves of Northern Mirkwood.^[5] He now returned in haste to the Shire, certain that Frodo’s ring was not simply a ring of power: it was the One Ruling Ring of Sauron.

War of the Ring

Main article: War of the Ring

Upon returning to the Shire, Gandalf immediately went to Frodo and confirmed his suspicions by throwing the Ring into Frodo’s hearth fire, which revealed, in Black Speech, the inscription upon the Ring. Gandalf then told a dumbfounded Frodo about the One Ring and its history, and how Sauron would seek to regain it. Instructing Frodo to go to Rivendell with the Ring, Gandalf told him to make arrangements to leave the Shire quietly.

While in the Shire, he had a sense of foreboding; in the aftermath of Sauron’s assault on Osgiliath, Gandalf heard disturbing news about war in Gondor and a Black Shadow. He started wandering around Eriador, hearing news from the refugees who had a fear they could not speak about, until he met Radagast the Brown who brought a message from Saruman that he must seek him at once; and a warning that the Ringwraiths were looking for the Shire.^[26] He went to The Prancing Pony at Bree. Believing that he would not be able to return to Frodo in time, he wrote a letter, urging him to move as soon as possible for Rivendell, and seek a «Strider» whose real name was Aragorn, along with a riddle to identify him; Gandalf would then try to catch up with them when available. He also instructed Barliman Butterbur to send the letter to Hobbiton and to expect a Mr. Baggins that would come under the name of «Mr. Underhill». He left the inn, but Barliman would forget to send the letter.^[27]

Saruman’s betrayal

Soon thereafter Gandalf arrived at Isengard. At their meeting, Saruman at last revealed his desire for the One Ring. He offered to his «old friend and helper» that they take the Ring for themselves and seize power from Sauron. Gandalf rejected this with horror, and was imprisoned by Saruman on the pinnacle of Orthanc. Gwaihir, Lord of the Eagles, soon arrived and helped Gandalf escape. Gwaihir’s real purpose for visiting Orthanc was to report a sighting of the Nazgûl, as Radagast had appealed to him to do so earlier on. Gandalf knew he must return quickly to the Shire, as Frodo (and the Ring) were in grave danger from both Sauron’s Nazgûl and now Saruman’s treacherous desire for the Ring.

Journey to Rivendell

Gandalf hurriedly went to Rohan, desiring to find a strong steed; there he obtained Shadowfax from King Théoden, who later resented the gift. This mighty horse and Gandalf forged a special bond, and Gandalf made quick use of Shadowfax’s incredible strength and endurance.

Gandalf sped to the Shire. Fortunately, Frodo had already left the Shire without waiting for Gandalf, and was seeking the refuge of Rivendell. Upon arrival Gandalf learned that the Nazgûl, arrayed as Black Riders, had been searching the area. Dismayed, he set out for Bree; Barliman apologised to Gandalf for forgetting to send the letter, worried that the hobbits had left with Strider, the suspicious Ranger. But for Gandalf this was a hope which far exceeded his expectations. After congratulating a puzzled Barliman, and blessing his beer, Gandalf then made for Weathertop, a high point in the region, to observe the surrounding area.

There he was assaulted at night by the Nazgûl, but drove them off after a great battle of light and flame. These phenomena were seen by Aragorn and the hobbits from afar, without knowing it was Gandalf. Before leaving, he marked some stones with the cirth G for them to find, then fled east, drawing four of the Ringwraiths after him.

Several days later, Frodo, Aragorn, and company stayed at Weathertop and were confronted by the remaining five Nazgûl. Despite their escape, Frodo was stabbed in the process by the Lord of the Nazgûl with a Morgul-knife.^[28] Gandalf was able to evade the four Nazgûl and successfully reach Rivendell and was welcomed by Glorfindel. However, several days later, an injured Frodo arrived at the Ford of Bruinen, though the Nazgûl pursued him all the way there. Gandalf, along with Elrond, saved Frodo from the Nazgûl by enchanting the water and sweeping them away.^[29]

Forming of the Fellowship

Elrond called a council after Frodo was healed to consider the momentous decision regarding the Ring. There Gandalf explained to the others how Saruman had imprisoned him and how the White Wizard was creating his own army of Orcs to rival Sauron’s.^[26] By chance, representatives of most of the free peoples happened to be in Rivendell already for various reasons. Elrond and Gandalf advised that the Ring should be destroyed in the fires of Mount Doom, where it was made. Others dissented or objected, but eventually submitted to Gandalf’s plan. Ultimately, Elrond appointed the Fellowship of the Ring as nine walkers, numerically set against Sauron’s nine Nazgûl. The relatively small number reflected the realisation by Elrond and the other council members that the Quest of Mount Doom would not rely upon strength of arms, but on stealth and good fortune. Gandalf was chosen to lead the company, which included Aragorn, Boromir of Gondor, Legolas the Elf, Gimli the Dwarf, and the hobbits Frodo, Samwise Gamgee, Peregrin Took, and Meriadoc Brandybuck.

Several obstacles stood in the company’s way. The vast Misty Mountains had to be crossed, for Gandalf was determined not to lead the company near Isengard. Gandalf decided to take a southern route to the Redhorn Pass and there to cross the Misty Mountains, traversing the mountain range and avoiding Isengard. When this attempt failed due to a terrible storm he then decided to take the Fellowship through the ruins of Moria, where the remains of the great Dwarf city of Khazad-dûm was now a labyrinth of abandoned tunnels under the mountains. Others in the company were loathe enter the maze, as it was now the lair of Orcs and something known only as «Durin’s Bane».

Fall in Moria

At the Doors of Durin on the west side of the mountains, Gandalf, after some delay, spoke the password and led the company into the dark. Having been in Moria on an earlier perilous errand, he was somewhat familiar with the underground passages. Eventually the party came to the Chamber of Mazarbul, where Gandalf read the Book of Records, which revealed the fate of Balin, the leader of an ill-fated attempt to re-colonise Moria. Soon after, the party was attacked by Orcs, and forced to flee the chamber. By then Gandalf was well aware of their location, and he led the party quickly towards the eastern exit.

You cannot pass,» he said. The Orcs stood still, and a dead silence fell. «I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor. You cannot pass. The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udûn. Go back to the Shadow! You cannot pass.
—The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, Book II, Chapter 5: «The Bridge of Khazad-dûm»

Unfortunately Durin’s Bane caught up to the group at the Bridge of Khazad-dûm. Gandalf and Legolas immediately realised what it was: a Balrog of Morgoth, a servant of the first Dark Lord. In a spectacular display of bravery Gandalf faced the demon and broke the bridge both stood upon, leaving the beast to fall into a seemingly bottomless chasm. But the Balrog’s whip lashed out, and grasped Gandalf by the knees, causing him to fall into the pit. While falling, Gandalf shouted «Fly, you fools» and vanished into the abyss.^[30]

Yet Gandalf did not die; he and the Balrog fell for a long time, and the wizard was burned by the Balrog’s fire. Then they plunged into a deep lake in the depths of the mountain, which Gandalf later said was cold as the tide of death and almost froze his heart. They fought in the water until finally the Balrog fled into dark tunnels, where the world was gnawed by nameless things, older even than Sauron. Gandalf pursued the creature until it led him to the spiralling Endless Stair, and they climbed it until they reached Durin’s Tower in the living rock of Zirakzigil, the pinnacle of the Silvertine above the clouds. There they fought, until at last Gandalf threw down his enemy, and the Balrog broke the mountain-side as it fell. Then darkness took Gandalf, and he passed away. His body lay on the peak. The entire battle, from the confrontation on the Bridge of Khazad-dûm to the mutual demise of the Balrog and Gandalf, had taken ten days.

Resurrection

Then darkness took me, and I strayed out of thought and time, and I wandered far on roads that I will not tell… Naked I was sent back – for a brief time, until my task is done. And naked I lay upon the mountain-top. … There I lay staring upward, while the stars wheeled over, and each day was as long as a life-age of the earth.
—The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers, Book Three, Chapter V: «The White Rider»

But Gandalf’s spirit did not depart Middle-earth forever at this time. As the only one of the five Istari to stay true to his errand, Olórin/Gandalf was sent back to mortal lands by Eru, and he became Gandalf once again. Yet, as he was now the sole emissary of the Valar to Middle-earth, he was granted the power to «reveal» more of his inner Maiar strength. This naked power that lay within him was seldom used during the remainder of his time in Middle-earth, as his mission was essentially the same: to support and succor those who opposed Sauron. Nevertheless, when Gandalf’s wrath was kindled his «unveiled» strength was such that few of Sauron’s servants could withstand him.

Three days later he was found by the windlord Gwaihir, Lord of the Eagles, who had been sent by Galadriel to find him. Gandalf was carried to Caras Galadhon in Lothlórien, where he was healed, given a new staff, and clothed in white, and thus became Gandalf the White. He soon learned that Frodo and Sam had left the Fellowship and were attempting the quest of Mount Doom alone.

War in Rohan

As Frodo was beyond his assistance now, Gandalf promptly went south to Fangorn Forest, where he met the Three Hunters, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli, and gave them messages from Galadriel. Then he called forth Shadowfax, and rode with them to Edoras. There he found that Saruman’s spy Gríma Wormtongue had deceived King Théoden into hopeless impotence. Gandalf quickly deposed Wormtongue and encouraged Théoden to ride west to war against Saruman. Gandalf by now was keenly aware that the great war to end the age was beginning; if Saruman conquered Rohan then Gondor would be alone with enemies on all sides.^[31][32]

Keep well the Lord of the Mark, till I return. Await me at Helm’s Gate. Farewell!
—Gandalf to Aragorn and Éomer and the men of the king’s household

At Gandalf’s encouragement King Théoden went west to the Hornburg where he was quickly besieged; Gandalf then searched for Erkenbrand and the scattered forces of the Westfold, which he later found and led to the Deep, thus breaking the siege. Meanwhile, the Ents (along with the Hobbits Merry and Pippin) moved against Saruman and sent Huorns against the Orcs, resulting in the utter ruin of the outer walls of Isengard and the complete annihilation of Saruman’s Orcs. After the battle, Gandalf went to Orthanc with Théoden, Aragorn, and a small group. There Saruman rejected Gandalf’s offer of forgiveness with contempt. Gandalf then broke Saruman’s staff and cast him from the Istari Order and the White Council. Gandalf imposed a strict watch on Isengard by the Ents and then advised King Théoden to ride to Gondor’s defense as soon as possible. The wizard’s mind had already turned to Gondor and the coming climactic battle in the east.^[33]

Siege of Gondor

As a ‘reward’ for Pippin, who had foolishly gazed into a palantír, Gandalf took the Hobbit with him to Minas Tirith, the last bastion of the west. Soon after arriving, Gandalf confronted Denethor II, the Ruling Steward, and learned that he was near despair over the death of his eldest son, Boromir. Pippin entered the Steward’s service in payment of the debt that he and Merry owed, the death of Boromir. Ostensibly they were allies, but the Steward treated Gandalf with scorn and suspicion. When Faramir, the Steward’s younger son, returned from Osgiliath and was attacked by Nazgûl, Gandalf upon Shadowfax drove them away by revealing the power within him; later Faramir told him that Frodo and Sam were still alive and headed towards Mordor.

Minas Tirith was soon besieged by a vast force from Mordor, led by the Witch-king of Angmar. Faramir having received a wound from a poisoned dart in the retreat from Osgiliath, lay near death inside the Tower. Still, Gandalf encouraged the men of Minas Tirith to have hope, and dispelled the fear of the Ringwraiths by his very presence. But Sauron’s catapults hurled flaming bolts upon the city; soon the first circle of the city burned unchecked. Denethor now lost all heart as the city burned and his only remaining son hovered near death; he abandoned his leadership of the city. Gandalf then took it upon himself to direct the defense in cooperation with Prince Imrahil of Dol Amroth. When the gigantic ram Grond destroyed the Great Gate of Minas Tirith, Gandalf placed himself alone at the ruined gateway. The Witch-king then appeared in the midst of the blasted gate upon a black horse and threatened Gandalf with death; but Gandalf did not move — seated upon Shadowfax he defied the mightiest of Sauron’s minions. However, the stand-off ended inconclusively, as the morning arrived along with the host of the Rohirrim. Hearing the horns of the Riders of Rohan, the Witch-king departed.

But Gandalf did not pursue his foe, for Pippin brought him news that Denethor was about to commit suicide in the Houses of the Dead, burning himself and his son Faramir on a pyre like the heathen Kings of old. Gandalf rushed to stop this madness and was able to save Faramir, but not Denethor, whose despair and grief had overcome his mind. Gandalf also learned how it was that Denethor’s will had been broken: Denethor clutched a palantír in his hands as he burned. Clearly Denethor had been using the stone’s special properties for some time — extending his vision far beyond those of men’s eyes, but also wrestling in thought with Sauron. And even though Sauron could not completely overwhelm Denethor’s mind, his courage was daunted by knowledge of the vast might of Mordor. Thus the shadow entered into the capital of Gondor.

Nevertheless, and against all hope, the siege was broken. Éowyn of Rohan and the hobbit Merry defeated the Witch-king, whose last wail was heard by many as he was reduced to impotence. Soon after, Aragorn arrived with a large valour of Men from the southern fiefs upon a captured Corsair fleet from Umbar. The forces of the men of the west then utterly defeated Sauron’s attack against Minas Tirith, relieving the city and killing virtually all of the invaders. Gandalf’s carefully laid plans and words of wisdom, along with acts of heroism not seen since the elder days, had defeated Sauron’s first move.

Fall of Sauron

In Minas Tirith, Gandalf was selected by Aragorn, Imrahil, and Éomer (the Captains of the West) to be their leader in the coming final battles. This would be the culmination of Gandalf’s efforts in Middle-earth. Fully aware that the west would stand or fall on the outcome of Frodo’s mission, he advised the lords to launch an attack against the Morannon, thereby drawing Sauron’s eye away from Frodo’s likely location. This plan surely would result in a catastrophic loss for the outnumbered army, but it gave Frodo a chance to achieve the quest of Mount Doom.

Led by Gandalf and Aragorn, the Army of the West crossed the Anduin and marched north, pausing occasionally to announce their coming and to dispatch small numbers of men to lesser tasks. Upon arriving at the Black Gate, the forces halted and prepared for battle. As they ordered their companies, the foul Mouth of Sauron rode forth to parley with them; he revealed Frodo’s mithril coat and Sam’s Barrow-blade and implied that their owner was captured and tortured. The emissary of Sauron then proposed that the forces of the west surrender; Gandalf however was undaunted, and, seizing his friend’s belongings, rejected Sauron’s offer. In shock, the Mouth of Sauron turned back towards the Black Gate, which slowly opened to reveal a vast army of Orcs and Trolls advancing on the lords of the west. Sauron’s trap was sprung.

Yet Sauron himself became the victim of Gandalf’s trap. Unbeknownst to all, Frodo and Sam had succeeded in scaling Mount Doom and even as the Battle of the Black Gate began Frodo stood at the Cracks of Doom. But the power and lure of the Ring finally overcame his will and he placed the Ring upon his finger, claiming it as his own. Immediately the Nazgûl were summoned by their lord, as he in terror realized his blunder: his enemies intended to destroy his Ring.

But Gandalf’s foresight proved accurate again as the creature Gollum, who had been doggedly following the Ring-bearer, seized the Ring from Frodo, and, while celebrating his reunion with «his precious,» unwittingly fell into the fires of Orodruin. The Ring was unmade as the fiery mountain erupted. The tower of Barad-dûr, the Black Gate and the Towers of the Teeth began to collapse, their foundations crumbling, the Ring-wraiths burned out like shooting stars, and Sauron was reduced to a mere shadow of malice, never to torment the world again. With Sauron gone, his forces scattered like frightened insects; the Men of the West now set upon them with fury. Gandalf announced the success of the Ring-bearer and the end of Sauron; the quest had been fulfilled. Seeing that victory was achieved, Gandalf then mounted on Gwaihir the Eagle for a third time, and set out to see if Frodo and Samwise had survived the tumults of Mount Doom. To his great relief, the two were found on the slopes of Orodruin, clinging to life amid the volcanic eruptions. The great quest was over.

Final deeds

In Minas Tirith, Gandalf and the remaining members of the Fellowship reunited. At the coronation of King Elessar, Gandalf (at Aragorn’s request) set the crown upon the King’s head, and declared «Now come the days of the King, and may they be blessed while the thrones of the Valar endure!». Thus Gandalf ushered in the new age of Men. Not long after Gandalf led Aragorn to the High Hallow on the upper slopes of Mindolluin and there they found a sapling of the White Tree of Gondor, a sign of the renewal that was to come.

After the coronation and wedding of Aragorn to Arwen, Gandalf left with the rest of the remaining Fellowship on the journey home. For Gandalf, it was his last long journey in Middle-earth. His errand had been fulfilled; Sauron had been defeated. He said farewell to his friends one by one until at last only the four Hobbits remained at his side. At the borders of the Shire he, too, turned away. He left the Hobbits to settle with the Shire, for the shattered pieces of evil still remaining in the world were no longer his concern, and went to talk to «moss gatherer» Tom Bombadil.

What Gandalf did during the next two years is unknown; it is possible that his «long talk» with Bombadil was just that. At any rate, on September 29 3021, he met Frodo at the Grey Havens ready to take a White Ship over the sea to Aman. He wore Narya openly on his finger, and Shadowfax was beside him (perhaps even to take ship with him). His mission was over, and his homecoming after more than 2000 years was nigh. He bade farewell to Samwise, Merry, and Pippin (the latter two of whom he had forewarned of the passage), then boarded the ship beside Frodo, Bilbo, Elrond, and was never seen again in Middle-earth.^[34]

The ship passed west upon the sea, and then took the hidden straight path to Valinor: Gandalf became Olórin once more. There, presumably, he dwells still in the gardens of Irmo. Olórin, the wisest of the Maiar and the sole Istar to remain true to his mission, had successfully kindled the hearts of the free people in Middle-earth to overcome the evil of their time. In a large way, it was his victory.

Etymology

The name Gandalf means «Elf of the wand» or «Wand-elf», from old northern Mannish.

Within Tolkien’s legendarium, «Gandalf» is a mysterious name of the meaning «Wand-Elf» (alternatively cane/staff) in old northern Mannish. Most denizens of Middle-earth incorrectly assumed Gandalf was a Man (human), although he was really a Maia spirit (equivalent to an angel).

The name Gandalf is originally from the «Dvergatal», a list of Dwarf-names found in the Völuspá poem of Norse Mythology, from which the names of Thorin and his fellow Dwarves were also drawn.^[35]

Other names

• Olórin, his name in Valinor and in very ancient times. It comes from the Quenya olor or olos («dream»).^[36] The name could also be spelled as Olorion.^[37]
• Mithrandir, his Sindarin name, used in Gondor and by the Elves. It means «Grey Pilgrim», from the Sindarin mith («grey») and ran («wander») or rhandir («pilgrim»).^[36][38]
• Tharkûn, given by the Dwarves, which means «Staff man».^[37]
• Incánus, a name of unclear language and meaning. He must have acquired the name from one of his many travels in the south, near Harad.^[37] Tolkien several times changed his mind about it, varying between the Latin word incanus (meaning Grey and a possible Westron invention meaning «Greymantle»), a word Ind-cano (meaning Cruel Ruler), or even a form of Southron meaning «Spy of the North».
• Old Greybeard, by the Mouth of Sauron when they meet at the Morannon.
• The White Rider (when mounted on the great horse Shadowfax)
• Stormcrow (a reference to his arrival being associated with times of trouble), often used by his detractors to mean he is a troublesome meddler in the affairs of others.
• Láthspell, by Gríma Wormtongue^[32]
• Gandalf Greyhame
• The Grey Pilgrim, a reference to his solemn duties and many difficult travels.
• Gandalf the Grey, and later Gandalf the White after he was reborn as the successor to Saruman.
• Gandalf the Wandering Wizard

Two names that were later discarded were Shorab (or Shorob) that was a name of unclear language and meaning used in the East, while in the south he was known as Forlond (or Forlong).^[37]

Character development

Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment. For even the very wise cannot see all ends.
—The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, «The Shadow of the Past»

Mythical roots

The Old Norse name «Gandalfr» appears in the list of Dwarves in the Völuspá of the Elder Edda; the name means «cane-elf,» or «wand-elf.» J.R.R. Tolkien took the name along with the Dwarves’ names when he wrote The Hobbit in the 1930s. He came to regret the creation of this «rabble of eddaic-named Dwarves, […] invented in an idle hour» (The Return of the Shadow, pg. 452), since it forced him to come up with an explanation of why Old Norse names should be used in Third Age of Middle-earth. He solved the dilemma in 1942 by the explanation that Old Norse was a translation of the language of Dale. The figure of Gandalf has other influences from Germanic mythology, particularly Odin in his incarnation as «the Wanderer», an old man with one eye, a long white beard, a wide brimmed hat, and a staff. Tolkien states that he thinks of Gandalf as an «Odinic wanderer» in a letter of 1946.^[39]

Gandalf is also similar to Väinämöinen, a Bard in Finnish mythology.

Gandalf’s equivalence to Merlin the Magician, of English Mythology, is discussed in episode two of the 2014 documentary Looking for the Hobbit,featuring French Arthurian expert Nicholas Mezzalira and Medieval specialist Leo Carruthers.

Der Berggeist

Tolkien had a postcard labelled Der Berggeist («the mountain spirit»), and on the paper cover in which he kept it, he wrote «origin of Gandalf» at some point. The postcard reproduces a painting of a bearded figure, sitting on a rock under a pine tree in a mountainous setting. He wears a wide-brimmed round hat, and a long cloak and a white fawn is nuzzling his upturned hands.

Humphrey Carpenter in his Biography said that Tolkien had bought the postcard during his 1911 holiday in Switzerland. However, Manfred Zimmerman (1983) discovered that the painting was by German artist Josef Madlener and dates to the late 1920s. Carpenter concluded that Tolkien was probably mistaken about the origin of the postcard. Tolkien must have acquired the card at some time in the early 1930s, at a time when The Hobbit had already begun to take shape.^[40]

The original painting was auctioned at Sotheby’s in London on July 12, 2005 for 84,000. The previous owner had been given the painting by Madlener in the 1940s and recalled that he had stated the mountains in the painting’s background were the Dolomites.

Personality

Gandalf is often described in The Lord of the Rings as quick to anger, and equally quick to laugh.^[41] His deep wisdom and compassion clearly derived from the patience he learned in Valinor, just as his care for all creatures of good will must have come from his strong sense of compassion for the weak. Both his patience and sense of kindness were revealed again and again, extending even to the servants of his enemies.

Keen observers of Gandalf often detected a veiled power, usually revealed in his eyes, which appeared deep and wise. He was alternately affectionate and brusque; he often surprised others with his bluntness when time was of the essence. Gandalf consistently upbraided foolish behaviour, but also richly rewarded those who acted with good intentions.

Hobbits appealed to him more than to the other Wizards, and he went often to the Shire for respite from errands. His attachment was likely because the Shire was of more bliss and peaceful than other inhabited realms of Middle-earth.

Appearance

Gandalf is described as an old man with a pointed blue hat, a long grey cloak, and a silver scarf. He had a long white beard and bushy eyebrows that stuck out beyond the brim of the hat.

After he is resurrected, the change of his signature colour from grey to white is significant, for he was sent back to replace the corrupted head of the Order of Wizards and leader of the White Council Saruman as the Chief of the Order of Wizards. In the book, he says that he has himself become what Saruman should have been.

Círdan the Shipwright seemed to have foreseen this, for he entrusted the care of Narya, the Ring of Fire (one of the Three Rings of the Elves) to Gandalf rather than Saruman.

Powers & abilities

Gandalf was one of the wisest and most knowledgeable beings in Middle-earth, believed by Galadriel to be more worthy than Saruman in leading the White Council, though he was less mighty in magic, until his resurrection. He had extensive knowledge of many languages and writing systems used in Middle-earth, as well as in the history and customs of several of its peoples. He considered himself the greatest scholar of Hobbit traditions. His long journeys allowed him to meet many influential and powerful individuals and form lasting bonds with them. The Hobbits knew him as a masterful crafter of firecrackers.

Outside of the Shire, however, Gandalf the Grey was revered as one of the most powerful and wisest beings to tread Middle-earth, although he was wary of confronting Saruman and Sauron directly as Gandalf the Grey, and admitted the latter was still more powerful after his rebirth. He was considered the most powerful member of the Fellowship of the Ring, as well as, according to Aragorn, its leader, not in small part thanks to his encyclopedic knowledge. His great intelligence allowed him to accurately guess the thoughts of others and made him perhaps the preeminent architect of Sauron’s defeat. Moreover, Gandalf was skilled at telling men things that were true from a certain point of view, such as when he scammed Háma into allowing him to bring his staff before the king.

Armed with an Elven blade, Gandalf was as valiant a fighter as the other swordsmen in the Fellowship, in no way hindered by his elderly appearance when fighting or riding. Gandalf reaped Orcs and other servants of evil with his blade, and slew the Balrog in a duel, though he perished as well. He is rendered even more formidable by his magic. Gandalf killed a squad of Goblins with lightning during the quest to slay Smaug, then hurled lightning and fire at the Nazgûl when he was attacked on Weathertop—something noticed for miles around and that seared the battlefield. Gandalf described himself as «a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor». Coincidentally, many of his spells were based on light and fire. He was able to light a faggot of wet wood simply with a touch of his staff, which he considered distinctive enough that any onlooker would recognize his handiwork. Gandalf purged the room of the Great Goblin with blue glowing smoke which scattered piercing white sparks to kill the Orcs. He could cause the tip of his staff to glow with bright white light so as to see in the dark and increase the radiance at will, as demonstrated in Moria. Gandalf could conjure sparks, such as to light pinecones on fire, and could choose any color for his flames. When fighting a pack of wolves, he set fire to all treetops on a hill with a single blazing branch, and the air became so hot that an arrow burned mid-flight. At the cost of shattering his staff, he was able to conjure a sea of white flames that caused the bridge under the feet of Durin’s Bane to crumble.

Gandalf the Grey has command over a great array of spells for all situations, such as magically healing wounds (though he stated Elrond was a better healer), being able to enhance Elrond’s flood spell by giving the water the appearance of galloping knights, and seal doors shut or open them, although it should be noted that he was unable to open the Doors of Durin prior to remembering the password. During the Battle of Five Armies, Gandalf amplified his voice to be heard by the armies of Men, Elves, and Dwarves. Gandalf could control the color and shape of smoke, such as to make a cloud of smoke float around himself. Moreover, Gandalf could manipulate the taste of beer, and he stated that Durin’s Bane nearly overpowered him with its counterspell, forcing him to rely on a word of Command that resulted in a blast which caused the ceiling of the room beyond the door to collapse. Gandalf also could make illusions such as when he covered Bilbo’s use of the One Ring at his party. Gandalf once had a comprehensive knowledge of Orc, Elf, and Manish magic, at least for the defending and locking of places, and while he had forgotten many of these spells by the time of the War of the Ring, he still had a firm grasp of many.

Gandalf the White displayed these same powers, but more advanced and with a few more spells. When he first met Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas in his new form, he shocked and quickly overpowered them with his agility and magic: he effortlessly disarmed the former two, one by causing his sword to burst into flames, the other by pulling the axe from his hands with a wave of his staff, and burnt the Elf’s arrow into nothing when the latter loosed it. Shortly afterwards, he said that he had recently battled Sauron’s eye to prevent him from locating Frodo, and although successful, the confrontation left him spent. Gandalf’s mere presence was frightening to those who were about him if the White Wizard willed it and his voice could stun weaker beings or cause them to hesitate. Gandalf the White could force others to obey his orders, as he demonstrated against Gimli and Saruman. He also displayed the ability to communicate with horses and was able to reach Shadowfax with his mind. Gandalf’s control over lighting and shadows increased after his return, as he was able to strike down Gríma Wormtongue without really harming the man, just after controlling the darkness in a whole room to remove the light as a show of power. He later displayed the ability to focus raw light (called the «white fire») into beams and blasts to drive off the Ringwraiths and these attacks were so powerful that only the Witch-king dared to duel Gandalf, using this spell caused Gandalf’s eyes to glow. Gandalf also telekinetically disarmed Denethor and was able to increase his physical strength, without needing to speak spells. Finally, he also shattered Saruman’s staff, and thus stripped the rogue wizard of his divine/magical power, save the power of Saruman’s voice.

For all his power as Gandalf the White, he admitted that Sauron was far stronger and would win if they ever dueled and was unsure if he could defeat the Witch-king, once the latter had been empowered for the assault on Gondor.

As his unrestricted form, Olórin, he possibly had all his previous powers massively boosted, and the ability to shapeshift. However, even this form seems to have restrictions, as the Ainur were said to have their power restricted upon descending to earth.

Weapons

Gandalf primarily used his staff, but also carried a sword in combat. Sometimes during combat, Gandalf would be seen wielding both weapons against his enemies.

Staff

Main article: Wizard Staff

Gandalf utilized his staff for various spells and abilities. He used it not just as a weapon, but a walking stick. He initially had an old wooden staff which he lost in the Mines of Moria while fighting the Balrog. He used a new one upon becoming Gandalf the White.

Glamdring

Main article: Glamdring

This was an Elven sword Gandalf found in a troll cave. From that point until the resolution of the War of the Ring, he used this as a weapon to complement his staff, wielding them with equal skill. In many cases, he fought with both weapons at once.

Gandalf’s second staff

Glamdring

Gandalf finds Glamdring in the Trolls’ cave

Portrayal in adaptations

The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings film trilogies

Sir Ian McKellen portrayed Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy directed by Peter Jackson.

I gave you the chance of aiding me willingly, but you have elected the way of pain!
—Saruman to Gandalf

Sean Connery was originally considered for the role of Gandalf, but turned it down because he didn’t want to spend so long in New Zealand, where the film was shot; Tom Baker of Doctor Who fame, Patrick Stewart, Christopher Plummer, and David Bowie were also considered or approached^[42]. McKellen’s interpretation of the role was widely praised. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his portrayal of Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, making him the only individual cast member to be nominated for his performance. Christopher Lee, a lifelong fan of Tolkien’s works, had hoped to be cast as Gandalf, but due to his advancing age instead opted for the role of Saruman, as Gandalf would require horse riding and more swordsmanship.

Gandalf’s staff in The Fellowship of the Ring film was sculpted by Brigitte Wuest, after a drawing by Alan Lee.^[43]

Ian McKellen reprised his role of Gandalf the Grey for The Hobbit film trilogy, noting in early interviews that he preferred portraying Gandalf the Grey to Gandalf the White, as Gandalf the Grey required a more nuanced performance. He maintains, however, that he enjoyed playing both Gandalf’s, but felt Gandalf the Grey was easier and calmer to portray.

Voice dubbing actors

Rankin/Bass films

John Huston provided the voice of Gandalf in two animated television features by Rankin/Bass (The Hobbit and The Return of the King).

Ralph Bakshi’s The Lord of the Rings

In the 1978 animated film of The Lord of the Rings by Ralph Bakshi, Gandalf was voiced by William Squire with John A. Neris doing the modeling. (It is not known whether Squire played him in the live-action recordings used for rotoscoping.)

Radio

• Norman Shelley voiced the character in the 1955 BBC Radio adaptation of The Lord of the Rings.
• Heron Carvic voiced the character in the 1968 BBC Radio radio adaptation of The Hobbit.
• Bernard Mayes voiced the character in the 1979 The Mind’s Eye radio adaptations of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.
• Bernhard Minetti voiced the character in the 1980 German radio serial adaptation of The Hobbit.^[44]
• Sir Michael Hordern played him in the (1981) BBC Radio radio serial of the The Lord of the Rings .
• Karol Machata voiced the character in the 1989 Slovak two-episode radio miniseries adaptation of The Hobbit. ^[45]
• Manfred Steffen voiced the character in the 1991-1992 German radio serial adaptation of The Lord of the Rings. ^[46]
• Martin Huba voiced the character in the 2001-2003 three-season Slovak radio serial adaptation of The Lord of the Rings. ^[47]

Video games

Trivia

• Gandalf is one of only three characters to appear in all six films of both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogies, the other two being Galadriel and Sauron.
• Wells the Grey is a homage to Gandalf from the TV show The Flash.
• Gandalf is considered by many to be the archetypal wizard or at least “wise old man” wizard in fantasy.
• Gandalf is considered by many to be one of the characters that Tolkien, a devout Roman Catholic, created to embody Jesus Christ. Though Tolkien’s work has no single concrete figure to represent Christ, Gandalf’s good nature, his role as a guide, his self-sacrifice, and his death/resurrection make him one of the three protagonists identified as Christ-like (alongside Frodo and Aragorn).^[48][49]

Gallery

Gandalf the Grey in Rankin/Bass adaptation of the Hobbit

Gandalf the White in Ralph Bakshi’s 1978 animated version of Lord of the Rings

Gandalf the Grey in Peter Jackson’s The Fellowship of the Ring

Gandalf the Grey

Gandalf the White in Peter Jackson’s The Return of the King

Gandalf as a LEGO minifigure

Gandalf in the 2003 The Hobbit game

Gandalf in Guardians of Middle Earth trailer

Gandalf in Guardians of Middle Earth

Gandalf in An Unexpected Journey

Gandalf the Grey in the Desolation of Smaug

Gandalf the White poster

Gandalf and Bard

Appearances

Books

• The Hobbit — First appearance as «the Grey»
• The Lord of the Rings
  • The Fellowship of the Ring
  • The Two Towers — First appearance as «the White»
  • The Return of the King
• The Silmarillion — First appearance as «Olórin»
  • Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age
• Unfinished Tales
  • The Istari
• The History of Middle-earth

Films

• The Hobbit
• The Lord of the Rings
• The Return of the King
• The Lord of the Rings film trilogy
  • The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
  • The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
  • The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
• The Hobbit film trilogy
  • The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
  • The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
  • The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

Video games

• The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
• The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn’s Quest
• The Lord of the Rings: War in the North
• LEGO The Lord of the Rings: The Video Game
• Guardians of Middle-earth
• LEGO The Hobbit: The Video Game
• LEGO Dimensions

Translations

References