Gandalf
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- For other uses, see Gandalf (disambiguation).
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In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, Gandalf was a pre-eminent, ancient mage whose wisdom and power were rivalled only by other Maiar. In Middle-earth, Gandalf was a warm friend to several Hobbits and Dwarves, and was also respected and welcomed by Elves. However, he was often held in suspicion by Men, and was an enemy to Orcs and other servants of Sauron.
Along with Merlin, he is often considered an archetypal wizard in Western fiction.
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Biography
Of all the Maiar, Gandalf was the best-known to the people of Valinor. As a pupil of Nienna, he was known as Olórin and dwelt in the gardens of Irmo. In ancient times, he remained invisible — "unclad" — and spoke wisdom to the Eldar, who did not know where these beautiful thoughts originated. When the Valar decided to send the order of the Wizards to Middle-earth, Olórin was proposed by Manwë, in order to counsel and assist all those in Middle-earth who opposed Sauron. The Maiar who went were constrained to cloak their incredible power in frail bodies, and were commanded to persuade the inhabitants of Middle Earth, rather than coerce them through their might. Initially, Gandalf did not wish to go, fearing he was not strong enough for the task, yet in the end he was persuaded. He was always the wisest and most far-sighted of the Maiar, which aroused the jealousy of Saruman, who realized his grey counterpart had the greater, yet hidden, power. Upon Gandalf's arrival in Middle-earth at the Grey Havens, the Shipwright Círdan, an ancient elf gifted with incredible foresight, realized the extent and difficulty of Gandalf's future journeys. Hence he entrusted Gandalf with the Narya, the Ring of Fire — one of the three Great Rings of the Elves.
Since 2941 T.A., Gandalf appeared to the Hobbits of the Shire, where he spent a great deal of time, as little more than a vain, fussy old conjurer who entertained children with fireworks during festivals and parties. In appearence, he was an old man with a white beard, a grey cloak and a large, pointed blue hat. Gandalf partially revealed his true nature and power to Bilbo Baggins when he arranged and part-way accompanied a band of thirteen Dwarves to regain the Dwarvish treasure of the Lonely Mountain that was stolen many years before by the dragon, Smaug. It was on this quest that Gandalf found his sword, Glamdring, and that Bilbo found the One Ring (though at the time it is mistaken for a lesser ring).
Unknown to the Dwarves or Bilbo, Gandalf had joined the quest in order to investigate what he suspected to be the resurgence of Sauron (or the "Necromancer", as he was referred to in The Hobbit) in Mirkwood. During the Dwarves' quest, Gandalf vanished twice: once to scout their path, the second time to "attend to other pressing business", the nature of which he refused to discuss. Some years before, he had encountered Thráin II, father of the quest's leader, Thorin Oakenshield, dying in Dol Guldur, and the Dwarf king entrusted him with a map to Erebor. As Dol Guldur had once been one of Sauron's strongholds, Gandalf feared that Sauron's agents were at large again. He met Thorin years later and agreed to go on the quest as a way to investigate further. He insisted, however, on bringing Bilbo along as a "burglar", someone who could sneak into places Dwarves couldn't access and gather information.
When Bilbo discovered the One Ring, Gandalf was immediately suspicious of the Hobbit's story of how he acquired it. He privately confronted Bilbo and forced the truth out of him, and became deeply troubled by his story of the Ring's powers, for they seemed eerily familiar. Perhaps what was even more troubling to him was that Bilbo, a proper, honorable hobbit, would uncharacteristically lie about his story.
He disappeared when the company reached Mirkwood until the Battle of Five Armies broke out. After the battle, he accompanied Bilbo back to the Shire.
Gandalf spent from 2941 to 3001 travelling Middle-earth in search of information on Sauron's resurgence and Bilbo's mysterious Ring. He spent as much time as he was able to in the Shire, however, strengthening his friendship with Bilbo and befriending Bilbo's heir, Frodo. It was also about this time that he first began to be suspicious of Saruman.
In 3001, he attended Bilbo's "Eleventy-First" (111th) birthday party, bringing many fireworks. At the end of the party, Bilbo put on the ring and disappeared at the end of his speech, as a prank on his neighbors. Troubled by this, Gandalf confronted his old friend and tried to persuade him to leave the Ring to Frodo. Bilbo became hostile and accused Gandalf of trying to steal the Ring — which he calls "my precious," much as Gollum, the creature Bilbo had taken the ring from, had. Horrified, Gandalf stood to his full height and almost ordered Bilbo to leave it behind. Bilbo returned to his senses, and admitted that the Ring had been troubling him lately. He then left, the first bearer of the One Ring to have relinquished it voluntarily.
Over the next seventeen years, Gandalf travelled extensively, searching for answers. Having long sought for Gollum near Mordor, he met with Aragorn, who had captured the creature, in Mirkwood. Gandalf interrogated the wretched creature and learned that Sauron had forced Gollum to tell what he knew about the Ring under torture, adding to Gandalf's suspicions that Bilbo carried the One Ring.
Image:Cover lotr green gandalf.jpg Upon returning to the Shire, he confirmed his suspicions by throwing the Ring into Frodo's hearth fire and reading the writing. He told Frodo the full history of the Ring, urging him to leave with it and make for Rivendell, the home of the Elves, knowing that Frodo would be in grave danger if he stayed at home.
Riding near the Shire, Gandalf encountered Radagast the Brown, who asked him to seek out Saruman, for the Nazgûl had come forth and crossed the River Anduin. Gandalf left a note for Frodo with Butterbur, an inn-keeper in Bree, and headed towards Isengard. There, he was betrayed and held captive by Saruman, who had already come under the influence of Sauron due to his use of the palantír. Eventually rescued by Gwaihir the Eagle, Gandalf only reached the Shire after Frodo had set out and did not meet up with him until Frodo reached Rivendell on October 20.
Taking leadership of the Fellowship (nine representatives of the free peoples of Middle-earth "set against the Nine Riders"), he and Aragorn led the hobbits and their companions on an unsuccessful effort to cross Mount Caradhras in winter. Then they took the "dark and secret way" through the Mines of Moria, where they met an ancient demon, a Balrog, more commonly known as Durin's Bane, one of the Maiar corrupted by Melkor in the First Age.
As they faced each other, Gandalf broke the Bridge in front of him, but as the Balrog fell it wrapped its whip around Gandalf's ankle, dragging him into the abyss. As the Company looked in horror, Gandalf cried, "Fly, you fools!" and was gone. Neither he or the Balrog was killed by the fall, and Gandalf pursued the creature for eight days until they climbed to the peak of Zirakzigil. After fighting for two days and nights, the Balrog was cast down and broke the mountain-side as it fell. Gandalf himself died following this ordeal and his body lay on the peak while his spirit travelled outside of Time.
Gandalf was "sent back", resurrected by Eru, returning as a more imposing and stronger figure, Gandalf the White. After being found by Gwaihir, he was healed of his injuries and reclothed in white robes by Galadriel in Lorien and became to replace Saruman.
In Fangorn forest, he encountered the Three Walkers (Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas) who were tracking Fellowship members (and Frodo's cousins) Merry and Pippin. Arriving in Rohan, Gandalf finds that its king, Théoden, who had been weakened by Saruman's agent, Gríma Wormtongue. He broke Wormtongue's hold over Théoden, and convinced the king to join them in fighting Sauron. They then went on to prosecute the war against Orthanc and Barad-dûr.
After the overthrow of Saruman, Gandalf broke his staff and banished him from the Order of Wizards. He then took Pippin with him to Gondor to aide in the defense of the city. Gandalf bought the city precious time by facing off against the Witch-king of Angmar, the Lord of the Nazgûl, giving the Rohirrim enough time to reach the city during the Battle of Pelennor Fields.
Gandalf led the final battle against Sauron's forces at the Black Gate, waging an all-out battle to distract the Dark Lord's attention away from Frodo and Sam, who were at the very same moment scaling Mount Doom to destroy the Ring.
Three years later, Gandalf, after having spent over 2,000 years in Middle-Earth, departed with Frodo, Galadriel, Bilbo, and Elrond across the sea to the Undying Lands.
Portrayal in adaptations
Image:Mckellen gandalf ttt poster.jpg
John Huston provided the voice of Gandalf in two animated television features by Rankin/Bass (The Hobbit and The Return of the King).
In the 1978 animated film of The Lord of the Rings by Ralph Bakshi, Gandalf was voiced by William Squire. (It's not known whether Squire played him in the live-action recordings used for rotoscoping.)
In the BBC radio dramatisations, Heron Carvic played him in The Hobbit (1968) and Sir Michael Hordern played him in The Lord of the Rings (1981).
Sir Ian McKellen was Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy directed by Peter Jackson. 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, and he had other commitments for three months. Patrick McGoohan was also offered the role but turned it down due to health reasons. However, the production team became so adament in acquiring McKellen for the role, that for the first three months of filming they simply shot scenes that did not involve Gandalf, and waited for McKellen to become available. McKellen's interpretation of the role was widely praised. He was nominated for an Academy Award, a Bafta, and won a Saturn 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. He was also nominated for a Bafta and a Saturn for Return of the King. In interviews, McKellen has said that, if The Hobbit is ever filmed, he would be delighted to return as Gandalf. McKellen noted that personally he preferred portraying Gandalf the Grey to Gandalf the White, as Gandalf the Grey required a more nuanced performance.
In 2005, Brent Carver played Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings musical.
Names
- Olórin, his name in Valinor and in very ancient times. "Olórin was my name in my youth in the West that is forgotten". It is Quenya, and its meaning is associated with dreams (perhaps "dreamer" or "of dreams"), from the root ÓLOS-.
- Mithrandir, his Sindarin name, used in Gondor, and meaning Grey Pilgrim.
- 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.
- Incánus (in the south), of unclear language and meaning. Tolkien several times changed his mind about it, varying between the Latin word Incanus meaning Grey, a possible Westron invention meaning Greymantle, an Elvish word Ind-cano meaning Mind Ruler, or even a form of Southron meaning "Spy of the North".
- Lathspell by Gríma Wormtongue who said "Lathspell I name you, Ill-news; and ill news is an ill guest they say." in "The Two Towers", "The King of the Golden Hall", p. 117.
- Tharkûn (to the Dwarves), meaning probably Staff-man.
- Gandalf Greyhame
- Gandalf the Grey, and later Gandalf the White after he was reborn as the successor to Saruman.
Within the Tolkien legendarium, "Gandalf" translates an unknown 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 (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 immortal and use as much magic as he did, he must have been an Elf. Although it soon became apparent to all that he couldn't be an Elf, as he appeared elderly 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.
Trivia
- The Old Norse name "Gandalfr" appears in the list of dwarves in the Völuspá of the Elder Edda. Tolkien explained 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 (Letters no. 107). Gandalf is also similar to Väinämöinen, a magician in Finnish mythology.
- Tolkien had a postcard labelled Der Berggeist ("the mountain spirit"), and on the paper cover in which he kept it, he wrote "the 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 white fawn is nuzzling his upturned hands.
See also
References
- Manfred Zimmerman (1983). "The Origin of Gandalf and Josef Madlener". Mythlore (34).
- The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, 1st Hough edition, 2000. J. R. R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (Editor), ISBN 0618056998
- IMDB - Awards for Sir Ian McKellen
External links
- Gandalf on the Lord of the Rings Wiki
- Gandalf at The Thain's Book
- Gandalf at the Encyclopedia of Arda
- Gandalf at TheOneRing.net
| Ainur of Middle-earth | |
|---|---|
| Ainulindalë (Music of the Ainur) | |
| Lords of the Valar: | Manwë | Ulmo | Aulë | Oromë | Námo (Mandos) | Irmo (Lórien) | Tulkas |
| Queens of the Valar (The Valier): | Varda | Yavanna | Nienna | Estë | Vairë | Vána | Nessa |
| The Enemy: | Morgoth (a.k.a. Melkor) |
| Maiar: | Eönwë | Ilmarë | Ossë | Uinen | Salmar | Sauron | Melian | Arien | Tilion | Gothmog Curumo (Saruman) | Olórin (Gandalf) | Aiwendil (Radagast) | Alatar and Pallando | Durin's Bane |
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