Gandalf Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
portrays Gandalf in The Two Towers. Because of his openess with fans, he is well-liked by many Tolkien fans.]]''This article is about the fictional character from J.R.R. Tolkien's books. For other meanings of Gandalf see: Gandalf (disambiguation)
Gandalf is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's universe, Middle-earth.
Gandalf is the best-known of the Maiar of the people of Manwë and Varda. He is said to be one of the wisest of that order, rivalling Saruman. He came to Middle-earth in the Third Age as a Wizard in order to counsel and assist all those in Middle-earth who opposed Sauron.
In The Hobbit, he arranges and partially accompanies the adventurous quest of Bilbo Baggins and the thirteen Dwarves to regain the treasure of the Lonely Mountain. It is on this quest that he finds his sword, Glamdring.
In The Lord of the Rings, he urges Bilbo to give his magic ring to Frodo, whom he motivates to take the ring and destroy it in Mount Doom. Gandalf is initially unable to accompany Frodo and his servant Sam, but rejoins them in Rivendell as the second half of The Fellowship of the Ring begins. Taking leadership of the fellowship (nine good people "set against the Nine Riders"), he and Aragorn lead the hobbits and their companions on an unsuccessful effort to cross Mount Caradhras in winter. Then they take the "dark and secret way" through the mines of Moria which leads to Gandalf's apparent demise. Gandalf reappears as if born anew in the Ents' forest, when he encounters the Three Walkers (Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas) who were tracking Merry and Pippin.
Gandalf initially appears as an old man with a grey beard, a grey cloak (probably responsible for the name Gandalf the Grey) and a large, pointed blue hat. Although some of the Wise know his true nature, others mistake him for a simple conjurer. Gandalf dies fighting the Balrog in the Mines of Moria. He is resurrected and reappears as a more imposing figure white-clad: Gandalf the White. The change of colour is significant, for he has come to replace the corrupted Saruman as the chief of the Wizards. In a sense he has become Saruman, or rather what Saruman should have been.
Círdan the Shipwright seemed to have foreseen this, for he entrusted to Gandalf rather than Saruman the care of Narya, the ring of Fire, one of the Three Rings of the Elves.
Other names:
- Olórin, his name in Valinor and in very ancient times. It is Quenya, and means "dreamer" or "of dreams", from the root olor-.
- Mithrandir, his Sindarin name, used in Gondor, and meaning Grey Pilgrim.
- The White Rider (mounted on the great horse Shadowfax)
- Stormcrow
- Incánus (in the south)
- Tharkûn (to the Dwarves)
- Gandalf Greyhame
Tolkien borrowed the name Gandalf from the "Catalogue of Dwarves" section of the poem Voluspa contained within the Elder Edda. The name means "cane-elf". Within the Middle-earth mythos itself, "Gandalf" translates as "Elf-of-the-wand (or 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 (approximately equivalent to an angel). However, a less common misconception that occurred during the beginning of his career in Middle-earth was that for someone to be using as much magic as he was, he must have been an Elf. Although fairly soon after that it became apparent to all that he couldn't be an Elf (he didn't look like an Elf, he was old and Elves don't generally age), the nickname stuck with him. He later gave it as his name to others he met, who didn't know its original meaning.
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