Everything about Gandalf totally explained
In
J. R. R. Tolkien's
legendarium,
Gandalf is a character in
The Hobbit and
The Lord of the Rings, where he appears as an
archetypal wizard (though to a great extent that archetype originated with him), taking a key role in the latter book's
War of the Ring. He is a member and later the head, after
Saruman's betrayal and fall, of the order known as the
Istari, as well as leader of the
Fellowship of the Ring and the army of the West.
Concept and creation
Humphrey Carpenter in his
1977 biography relates that Tolkien owned a
postcard entitled
Der Berggeist (
German: "the mountain spirit"), and on the paper cover in which he kept it, he wrote "the origin of Gandalf". 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 red cloak, and a white fawn is nuzzling his upturned hands.
Carpenter said that Tolkien recalled buying the postcard during his holiday in
Switzerland in
1911. Manfred Zimmerman, however, discovered that the painting was by German artist
Josef Madlener and dates to the mid–
1920s. Carpenter acknowledged that Tolkien was probably mistaken about the origin of the postcard.
The original painting was auctioned at
Sotheby's in London on
12 July,
2005 for 84,000
GBP. The previous owner had been given the painting by Madlener in the 1940s and recalled that Madlener said the mountains in the background were the Torri del Vaiolet, peaks of
Dolomites.
The wizard that was to become Gandalf was originally named
Bladorthin. Tolkien later assigned this name to an ancient king who had ordered some spears from the dwarves. The
Old Norse name
Gandalfr incorporates the words
gandr meaning both "wand" and (especially in compounds) "
magic" and
alfr meaning "
elf" or in a wider sense "(mythological) being". Hence
Gandalf means roughly "magic–elf/being" or wizard (non human). This may have led Tolkien to transfer the name from the leader of the dwarves to the wizard.
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 wasn't tall; shorter, for example, than Elrond or the other wizards.
Tolkien refers to Gandalf as an '
angel incarnate' in a letter of
1954. 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..
In a letter of
1946 Tolkien stated that he thought of Gandalf as an
"Odinic wanderer". Other commentators have also 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.
Characteristics
Tolkien discusses the characteristics of Gandalf in his essay on the
Istari, which appears in the work
Unfinished Tales. He 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". 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, for his aid and comfort. Tolkien explicitly links Gandalf to the element
Fire later in the same essay:
Appearances
The Hobbit
In
The Hobbit,
Gandalf the Grey arranged (and frequently accompanied) a band of thirteen
dwarves and the Hobbit
Bilbo Baggins to reclaim from the dragon
Smaug the Dwarves' lost treasure in
Erebor. To the quest, Gandalf contributed a map and key to Erebor, which he'd received from
Thráin II while exploring the dungeons of the Necromancer. It was on this quest that Gandalf found his sword,
Glamdring, in a troll's treasure hoard, and that Bilbo found the
One Ring (though at the time it was thought to be a lesser ring).
After escaping from the
Misty Mountains pursued by Orcs and
Wargs, the party was carried to safety by the Great Eagles. Gandalf then devised a clever plan to convince
Beorn — who didn't like uninvited guests or dwarves — to house and provision the company for the trip through Mirkwood.
Gandalf left the company before they entered Mirkwood, saying that he'd pressing business to attend to. But he turned up again, disguised as an old man, before the walls of Erebor, revealing himself when it seemed the Men of Esgaroth and the Elves of Mirkwood would fight Thorin and the Dwarves over Smaug's treasure. The
Battle of the Five Armies ensued when hosts of Goblins and Wargs attacked all three parties. After the battle, Gandalf accompanied Bilbo back to the Shire, revealing at Rivendell what his pressing business had been: the White Council had attacked Dol Guldur and driven the Necromancer from Mirkwood.
The Lord of the Rings
The Fellowship of the Ring
As explained in
The Fellowship of the Ring, 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's mysterious ring, spurred particularly by Bilbo's initial misleading story of how he'd obtained it as a "present" from Gollum. During this period he befriended
Aragorn and first became suspicious of Saruman. He spent as much time as he could in the Shire, strengthening his friendship with Bilbo and
Frodo, Bilbo's heir.
He returned 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, put on the Ring and disappeared, Gandalf strongly encouraged his old friend to leave the Ring to Frodo, as they'd planned. Bilbo became hostile and accused Gandalf of trying to steal the Ring — which he called "my precious", much as
Gollum, the previous owner of the Ring, had done. (
Isildur, who earlier possessed the ring and was destroyed by it, had written that "it is precious to me"). Alarmed, Gandalf impressed on Bilbo the foolishness of this accusation. Coming to his senses, Bilbo admitted that the Ring had been troubling him, and leaving it behind for Frodo, he departed for
Rivendell. Though Bilbo would never be entirely free of the desire for the Ring, he was the first to give it up willingly.
Over the next seventeen years, Gandalf travelled extensively, searching for answers. With Aragorn he sought to find Gollum. Aragorn eventually succeeded, and Gandalf questioned Gollum, threatening him with fire when he proved unwilling to speak. Gandalf learned finally that Sauron had forced Gollum under torture in
Barad-dûr to tell what he knew of the Ring. This reinforced Gandalf's growing suspicion that Bilbo's ring was the One Ring.
Returning to the Shire, in, Gandalf confirmed his suspicions by throwing the Ring into Frodo's hearth fire and reading the writing that appeared on the Ring's surface. He told Frodo the full history of the Ring, and urged him to take the Ring to Rivendell; for he'd be in grave danger if he stayed in the Shire. Gandalf said he'd attempt to return for Frodo's fiftieth birthday party, in order to accompany him on the road thereafter; and that meanwhile Frodo should arrange to leave quietly, as the servants of Sauron would be searching for him.
Outside the Shire, Gandalf encountered
Radagast the Brown, another of the Istari, who brought the news that the
Nazgûl had ridden forth and crossed the River
Anduin — and a request from Saruman that Gandalf come to Isengard. Gandalf left a letter to Frodo (urging his immediate departure) with
Barliman Butterbur at the inn in Bree, and headed towards Isengard. There Saruman revealed his true colours, urging Gandalf to help him obtain the Ring for his own use. Gandalf refused, and Saruman imprisoned him at the top of the tower of
Orthanc. Eventually Gandalf was rescued by
Gwaihir the Eagle.
Gwaihir set Gandalf down in
Rohan, where Gandalf appealed to King
Théoden for a horse. Théoden, under the baleful influence of
Gríma Wormtongue, Saruman's spy, told Gandalf to take any horse he pleased, but to leave quickly. It was then that Gandalf met the great horse
Shadowfax, one of the
mearas, who would be his mount and companion for most of the rest of the war. Gandalf pursued the horse for two days before Shadowfax permitted Gandalf to ride him. Gandalf then rode hard for the Shire, but didn't reach it until Frodo had already set out. Knowing that Frodo and his companions would be heading for Rivendell, Gandalf began to make his own way there. He learned at Bree that the hobbits had fallen in with Aragorn. He faced the Nazgûl at
Weathertop but escaped after an all-night battle, drawing four of them northward. Frodo, Aragorn and company faced the remaining five on Weathertop a few nights later. Gandalf reached Rivendell just before Frodo's arrival.
In Rivendell, Gandalf helped Elrond drive off the Nazgûl pursuing Frodo and played a great part in the following
council as the only person who knew the full history of the Ring. He also revealed that Saruman had betrayed them and was in league with Sauron. When it was decided that the Ring had to be destroyed, Gandalf volunteered to accompany Frodo – now the Ringbearer – in his quest. He also persuaded Elrond to let Frodo's cousins
Merry and
Pippin join the Fellowship.
Taking charge of the Fellowship (comprising nine representatives of the free peoples of Middle-earth, "set against the Nine Riders"), Gandalf and Aragorn led the Hobbits and their companions south. After an unsuccessful attempt to cross Mount
Caradhras in winter, they crossed
under the mountains through the Mines of
Moria, though only Gimli the Dwarf was enthusiastic about that route. In Moria, they discovered that the Dwarf colony established there earlier had been overrun by Orcs. The Fellowship fought with the Orcs and Trolls of Moria, but were no match against "Durin's Bane," a
Balrog from ancient times. At the
Bridge of Khazad-dûm, Gandalf faced the Balrog to enable the others to escape.
After a short exchange of blows, Gandalf broke the bridge beneath the Balrog with his staff. As the Balrog fell, it wrapped its whip around Gandalf's knees, dragging him into the abyss. As his friends looked on in horror, Gandalf fell into shadow, crying "Fly, you fools!" as he went.
The Two Towers
Neither Gandalf nor the Balrog was killed by the fall into the deep underground lake under Moria. Gandalf pursued the Balrog for eight days until they climbed to the peak of
Zirakzigil. Here they
fought for two days and nights. In the end, the Balrog was cast down and broke the mountainside with its fall. Gandalf himself died during this ordeal, and his body lay on the peak while his spirit travelled outside of time.
Gandalf was "sent back" as a significantly more powerful figure,
Gandalf the White.
Gwaihir carried him to
Lórien, where he was healed of his injuries and re-clothed in white robes by Galadriel. He travelled to
Fangorn forest, where he encountered
Aragorn,
Gimli, and
Legolas (who were tracking Merry and Pippin).
They travelled to
Rohan, where Gandalf found that Théoden had been further weakened by Wormtongue's influence. He broke Wormtongue's hold over Théoden, and convinced the king to join in the fight against Sauron. Gandalf then set off to gather Erkenbrand of the Westfold and his warriors to assist Théoden in the coming battle with Saruman. Gandalf arrived just in time to shatter Saruman's attack on
Helm's Deep. After the
ensuing battle, Gandalf and the king rode to Isengard, which in the interim had itself been attacked and conquered by
Treebeard and the
Ents, along with Merry and Pippin. Gandalf broke Saruman's staff and expelled him from the White Council and the Order of Wizards, and assumed Saruman's place as head of both. Wormtongue made an indecisive attempt to kill Gandalf or Saruman with the
palantír of Orthanc, but missed both. Pippin retrieved the
palantír, but Gandalf quickly appropriated it. After the group left Isengard, Pippin took the
palantír from a sleeping Gandalf, looked into it, and came face to face with Sauron himself. Gandalf then took the chastened Pippin with him to
Minas Tirith to keep the young Hobbit out of further trouble.
The Return of the King
Gandalf arrived in time to help order the defences of
Minas Tirith. His presence was resented by
Denethor, the Steward of Gondor; but after Denethor's son
Faramir was gravely wounded in battle, Denethor sank into despair and madness. Together with Prince
Imrahil of
Dol Amroth, Gandalf led the defenders during the siege of the city. When the forces of
Mordor finally broke the main gate, Gandalf alone on Shadowfax confronted the
Witch-king of Angmar, Lord of the Nazgûl. But at that moment the Rohirrim arrived, compelling the Witch-king to withdraw and engage them. Gandalf would have ridden to their aid, but he too was suddenly required elsewhere — to save Faramir from the now-insane Denethor, who sought to burn himself and his son on a funeral pyre.
Aragorn and Gandalf then led the final campaign against Sauron's forces at the
Black Gate, in an effort to distract the
Dark Lord's attention from Frodo and
Samwise Gamgee, who were at the same moment scaling
Mount Doom to destroy the Ring. In a parlay before the battle, Gandalf and the other leaders of the West met the
Mouth of Sauron, who showed them Frodo's
mithril (Dwarven metal) shirt and other items from the Hobbits' equipment. But Gandalf rejected Mordor's terms of surrender, and the forces of the West faced the full might of Sauron's armies, until the Ring was destroyed in Orodruin. Gandalf led the Eagles to rescue Frodo and Sam from the eruption of Orodruin.
After the war, Gandalf crowned Aragorn as King Elessar, and helped him find a sapling of the
White Tree of Gondor. He accompanied the Hobbits back to the borders of the Shire, before leaving to visit
Tom Bombadil. Three years later, Gandalf — who by now had spent about 2,000 years in Middle-earth
Gandalf the Grey, and later Gandalf the White after he was reborn as the successor to Saruman.
The White Rider (when riding the great horse Shadowfax), contrast to the Black Riders (Nazgûl).
Stormcrow (a reference to his arrival being associated with times of trouble), often used by his detractors to mean he was a troublesome meddler in the affairs of others.
Incánus (in the south), of unclear language and meaning. Tolkien changed his mind about this several times, apparently trying to devise an appropriate Middle-earth origin for the Latin word incanus (meaning 'grey-haired') that was likely his source.
Tharkûn (to the Dwarves), probably meaning Staff-man.
Greybeard to the peoples of Sauron.
Within the Tolkien legendarium, "Gandalf" translates an unknown name of the meaning "Wand-Elf (alternatively cane/staff)".
Adaptations
In the BBC radio dramatizations, Norman Shelley played Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings (1955 and 1956), Heron Carvic played him in The Hobbit (1968) and Sir Michael Hordern played him in The Lord of the Rings (1981).
In Dungeons & Dragons Gandalf's demonstrated abilities were on par with a 5th level Magic-user.
John Huston provided the voice of Gandalf in two animated television features by Rankin/Bass (The Hobbit and 1978 animated version of The Lord of the Rings by Ralph Bakshi, Gandalf was voiced by William Squire.
Iron Crown Enterprises' Middle-earth Role Playing, which uses a percentile system, gives both Gandalf the White and the Grey all statistics as being around five points above or below 100, with the main difference being the Level attribute, which raises from 35 to 50, and subsequent raise in spell casting ability.
of The Fellowship of the Ring.]]
Sir Ian McKellen portrayed Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy directed by Peter Jackson. The make-up and costumes were based on designs by John Howe and Alan Lee. At the time he was cast, McKellen had never read any of Tolkien's works, but he quickly became an expert of The Lord of the Rings and also made his performance as similar to the original source as possible. For his performance in, McKellen won a Saturn Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Supporting Actor and was also nominated for an Academy Award of the same category, making him the only individual cast member to be nominated. On his personal web site, McKellen has said he'd be delighted to reprise the role in The Hobbit and its sequel, should Peter Jackson be involved, which he is, as the executive producer.
In Games Workshop's The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game, Gandalf has the highest Courage statistic (alongside Galadriel) and various magical abilities.
In the Battle of Five Armies (2005), also published by Games Workshop, Gandalf has the highest command value of any Good commanders.
Gandalf was portrayed by Brent Carver in the musical production of The Lord of the Rings, which opened in 2006 in Toronto.
Gandalf was portrayed by Tom Stiver in productions of The Two Towers (2002), and The Return of the King (2003) for Clear Stage Cincinnati in the United States. At Chicago's Lifeline Theatre, Gandalf was played by Charles Picard in The Two Towers (1999).
In popular culture
Gandalf the Grey and Gandalf the White are mentioned in Lemon Demon's song "Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny."
In the South Park episode "Imaginationland Episode II," Gandalf was among the ruling council at Castle Sunshine.
In the Doctor Who episode "The Sound Of Drums", the Master refers to the Doctor (whose appearance had been modified to that of an old man) as "Gandalf".
The German power metal band Blind Guardian has a song, called "Gandalf's Rebirth". Also, in the song "Majesty" from the same album (Battalions of Fear) Gandalf is mentioned in the following lyrics: Running and hiding I'm left for the time/ To bring back the order of divine/ Hunted by goblins no Gandalf to help/ With swords in the night
Progressive rock band Camel has a song called "Nimrodel - The Procession - The White Rider" in their album called Mirage. In the song it talks about the journey he took with the fellowship of the ring as well as other various incidents. for example in the lyrics; "Once he were grey he fell and slipped away/ Everybody sighed/ The wizard of them all/ Came back from its hole/ This time wearing white" the incident refers to his confrontation with the balrog.
There is a crust punk band from Oakland called Stormcrow.
In the popular TV show Family Guy, an episode titled "Petergeist" features Herbert, the elderly neighborhood pedophile reenacting Gandalf's battle with the Balrog, which is replaced with a giant tree.
In a South Park spoof of the movie The Lord of the Rings, the character Eric Cartman plays the role of Gandalf the Grey.Further Information
Get more info on 'Gandalf'.
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