Gandalf.
What is the background of this strange wanderer?
Where did he come from, and why is he meddling in everyone's affairs?
Let's dive into Gandalf’s backstory and see what sets him up for the critical role
he ends up playing throughout The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings.
Gandalf comes into existence at the beginning of time.
He is a supernatural entity, created by author Tolkien's supreme being, Ilúvatar.
Ilúvatar himself moves into Arda, Tolkien’s name for the world his stories take place
within, and he's joined by a host of other celestial beings like himself, called Ainur.
All of this takes place thousands upon thousands of years before The Lord of the Rings.
During his "youth", Gandalf is named Olórin.
He lives in the lands to the west of Middle-earth.
He spends a good deal of his time in Lorien, a heavenly land filled with gardens, lakes,
and rivers.
He also keeps company with Nienna, a Valar, or leader, of the Ainur who is known for her
association with grief and sorrow.
Gandalf is drawn to the "Children of Ilúvatar", the Elves and Men in Tolkien’s world, and
is always keen to help them.
However, he typically doesn't reveal himself to them in his true form, instead choosing
to communicate to them through visions, hence the name Olórin, which is translated as "fantasy"
or "dream" in these stories.
The supernatural Ainur are the highest order of beings in Middle-earth.
They're broken into two different groups: The Valar and the Maiar.
The Valar, made up of 14 Ainur including Nienna, are the kings and queens that rule over creation
in the name of Ilúvatar.
The rest of the Ainur are a group called the Maiar.
In the book Unfinished Tales, Tolkien refers to these creatures as an "angelic" order.
It's not known how many Maiar there are, but several of them show up throughout Middle-earth
history.
Sauron, for instance, is probably the most well-known Maiar.
The Balrog is another, less powerful example.
However, while these two are forces for evil, there were many other Maiar that fight for
good, including Gandalf.
While he isn't as impressive on the surface, the Grey Wanderer's great claim to fame is
that in The Silmarillion he's referred to as "the wisest of the Maiar", an impressive
trait in a group of mighty immortal spirits.
As well as being the wisest of the Maiar, Gandalf is also a wizard.
"I am Gandalf, and 'Gandalf' means me."
The "wizard" title is a bit of a misnomer when compared to the modern English definition
of the word.
In Unfinished Tales, Tolkien explains the difference.
Tolkien's "wizard" is a translation of the Elvish word "istar", representing an order
that has "eminent knowledge of the history and nature of the World."
These wizards, or "Istari", are distinct from the sorcerers and magic peddlers typically
associated with the name.
In reality, they're semi-divine beings.
There are five main wizards in Tolkien's writings, referred to in The Two Towers as, quite simply,
the "Five Wizards".
However, Unfinished Tales explains that their total number is unknown, and that some may
have visited regions beyond the northwestern portion of Middle-earth.
The Istari are technically angelic, supernatural beings from the glorious west.
However, a Maiar becomes a wizard when they've voluntarily been wrapped in a frail mortal
body.
And this isn't just putting on an appearance so that they can blend in with Men and Elves,
either.
Their bodies age and die, just like the bodies of humans.
It's made clear in Unfinished Tales that the physical forms that the wizards take restrict
their abilities and result in, quote, "dimming their wisdom and knowledge and confusing them
with fears, cares, and wearinesses coming from the flesh."
This restriction is a natural side effect of the wizards' purpose in life.
The wizards were created and sent to Middle-earth specifically to help resist Sauron.
Because of this, The Silmarillion says that they were forbidden to simply overpower the
Dark Lord with godlike powers, nor were they allowed to dominate Men or Elves when in battle.
While he's been around from the beginning of Time, it turns out that it isn't until
well into the Third Age that Gandalf is asked to take on his wizardly form.
In Unfinished Tales, the head of the Valar, Manwë, chooses Gandalf to become the, quote,
"director and coordinator of attack and defense."
However, Gandalf resists the nomination, as he is afraid of Sauron's power.
But Manwë insists, explaining that his wise caution is precisely why he is perfect for
the job.
The five main wizards are chosen and begin to arrive on the western coast of Middle-earth,
approximately one millennium into Middle-earth’s Third Age.
This roughly coincides with the time Sauron begins to set himself up in Mirkwood, as the
Necromancer we eventually meet in The Hobbit trilogy.
According to one version of the story, Gandalf is the last Istari to arrive, and it's said
that he's very unimpressive.
He's shorter than the others, already has grey hair, and leans on a staff.
In fact, the text says that he appears to be, quote, "least" of the now-mortal Maiar.
Of the Five Wizards, Gandalf is obviously the most well known to readers.
Two others appear at times throughout The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings stories, but
the last two have no active part in the narrative.
Each of these five representatives of the Valar has different strengths, but they weren't
meant to function as a team.
The most impressive of the Five Wizards is Saruman.
Known as "the Man of Skill", he is the first to arrive in Middle-earth.
He dresses in white, which contrasts boldly with his hair, which is raven black, at first.
Next up, we have Radagast.
Clad in earthen brown, Radagast is interested in beasts and birds.
Last and certainly least, as far as the story goes, are the Blue Wizards.
This pair of Maiar, dressed in sea-blue clothing, are named Alatar and Pallando, and it's said
that they traveled to Middle-earth as friends.
While having five elite wizards wandering around Middle-earth sounds like a great way
to fight back against Sauron, it turns out that the only member of the team that genuinely
has a net positive effect is Gandalf.
Tolkien refers to him as the only one who remains "faithful" to his mission of providing
aid to the free folk.
Saruman's failure is well documented.
The Wizard becomes corrupt with power and goes against the Istari by dominating others
and actually trying to replace Sauron.
Radagast's fate is quietly tragic, as the wizard slowly slips into an obsession for
birds and beasts rather than Elves and Men, fading into obscurity.
The Blue Wizards are fascinating to hardcore Tolkien fans because almost nothing is known
about them.
Tolkien talked about them as if they were a riddle that he didn't have time to solve.
It's said that the duo traveled far into the east with Saruman but never came back.
In 1958, Tolkien explained they may have founded faraway cults after failing their mission.
When Gandalf first meets the shipwright Círdan, the Elven lord immediately sees right through
the wizard's lowly appearance and recognizes the important role that Gandalf is going to
play in the war against Sauron.
This leads Círdan to give Gandalf a ring of power to help him throughout his adventures.
No, not the "One Ring" of power, but a powerful piece of enchanted jewelry nonetheless.
Círdan's gift is Narya the Red, one of the three Elven rings.
The ring is meant to help support Gandalf through his labors and spark courage in others.
While Gandalf accepts the gift, he attempts to keep it secret.
However, he's unable to conceal it from Saruman, who becomes jealous over the preferential
treatment.
In fact, according to Tolkien, this is the event that begins to erode the friendship
between the two wizards.
When the Five Wizards arrive in Middle-earth, the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the
Rings are still roughly 2,000 years in the future.
So what does Gandalf do to kill the time?
Turns out, we don't know.
His name rarely appears in the history of this lengthy period, and he seems to have
fallen off the map for huge chunks of time.
Fortunately, Tolkien gives us a little hint in Unfinished Tales when he says,
"Probably he wandered long (in various guises), engaged not in deeds and events but in exploring
the hearts of Elves and Men who had been and might still be expected to be opposed to Sauron."
In other words, he spends a lot of time wandering all over the Westlands of Middle-earth, generally
laying low, making friends, and increasing his understanding of the lay of the land.
He doesn't settle down at all during this point, either, remember, he's known as the
"Grey Wanderer" or the "Grey Pilgrim".
With so many centuries of wandering under his belt, it's natural that Gandalf would
acquire many nicknames.
The name Gandalf means "the Elf of the Wand", since Men thought he was an Elf.
Tolkien himself admitted that he got that one directly out of Norse mythology.
Beyond that, the Wandering Wizard reveals in The Two Towers that, quote, "many are my
names in many countries".
We've already heard of Olórin, his name in the West at the beginning of Time.
The Elves also call him Mithrandir, which means "the Grey Pilgrim."
Adding to the list of monikers, the Dwarves call him Tharkûn, which translates to "Staff-man."
He also says that in the South he's called Incánus.
However, Tolkien himself seemed to be unsure about how to explain this last one.
In one note, he says that it comes from the Haradrim language and meant "alien" or "North-spy."
However, in later notes, he claimed it was just a common name for the Grey Pilgrim in
One other important activity that Gandalf participates in prior to The Lord of the Rings
is befriending Hobbits.
Gandalf is the only wizard who sees the value of the Halflings, making a distinct effort
to cultivate a deep connection with the agricultural community of the Shire.
He also entertains the Shire-folk whenever possible, establishing a reputation for his
incredible fireworks, magic tricks, and excellent storytelling.
On the flip side, he also gets a bit of a bad rap throughout their tranquil community
for convincing many quiet Hobbit "lads and lasses" to run "off into the Blue for mad
adventures."
A thousand years after Gandalf’s arrival, he visits the fortress of Dol Guldur in southern
Mirkwood, where Sauron has been rebuilding his power.
The wizard drives the Dark Lord out, leading to the centuries-long period called the Watchful
Peace.
Galdalf also serves as a member of the Council of the Wise, or the White Council.
It's composed of Saruman, Galadriel, and Elrond, among others.
Gandalf actually leads this prestigious body at one point, but later leaves, and the position
is awarded to his fellow wizard Saruman instead.
At one point, Gandalf searches for the missing Dwarven king Thráin II.
In his search, he journeys through Moria and then revisits Dol Guldur.
Here, he finds a Dwarf, who gives him a map and a key for the Lonely Mountain.
He also finally discovers that the Necromancer has returned, and is just Sauron in disguise.
He urges the White Council to attack while their enemy is unprepared.
The Council eventually attacks and defeats Sauron, at which point Gandalf withdraws to
Mordor.
As we get into the events of The Hobbit, Gandalf’s backstory is drawing to a close.
At this point, we find Gandalf in Unfinished Tales, riding to the Shire for a sabbatical.
As he nears the inn called the Prancing Pony, he ponders the impending evil threats scattered
throughout Middle-earth.
Suddenly, he encounters Thorin Oakenshield.
The Dwarven hero is also deep in thought as he travels in exile thanks to Smaug the dragon,
who has taken up residence in his mountain home half a world away.
The two begin to talk, and Gandalf decides to visit the dwarf's new home.
After further discussion, the wizard heads to the Shire to contemplate.
Not long afterward he hears about the eccentric Hobbit Bilbo Baggins, whom he hasn't seen
since Baggins was a child.
He starts making a plan, and the rest is Middle-earth history.
Check out one of our newest videos right here!
Plus, even more Looper videos about classic fantasy are coming soon.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one.