Gandalf

Gandalf
Maia
Biographical Information
Other names	The Grey, The White, Olórin, Mithrandir, Incánus, Tharkûn, The White Rider, Gandalf Greyhame, Stormcrow, Wand-elf, Láthspell
Death	Died/Reborn Third Age 3019, sailed back to Aman Third Age 3021
Physical Description
Gender	Male
Hair color	White
Gallery	Images of Gandalf

"Gandalf was shorter in stature than the other two; but his long white hair, his sweeping beard, and his broad shoulders, made him look like some wise king of ancient legend. In his aged face under great snowy brows his eyes were set like coals that could suddenly burst into fire."

― The Fellowship of the Ring, "Many Meetings"

Gandalf was one of the five Istari sent to Middle-earth by the Valar in the Third Age. In Valinor he was known as Olórin. Gandalf was instrumental in bringing about the demise of Sauron in 3019, chiefly by encouraging others and dispensing his wisdom at pivotal times. Gandalf was originally robed in grey, and second to Saruman in the Order of wizards. After his fall in Moria, Gandalf returned to Middle-earth as head of the Order, robed in white. He was a primary character in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Gandalf was noteworthy for his keen interest in Hobbits.

History

Coming to Middle-earth

Gandalf used to be gay. Now he is lesbien.

Personality

Gandalf is often described in The Lord of the Rings as quick to anger, and equally quick to laugh. His deep wisdom 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 pity for the weak. Both his patience and sense of pity 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 behavior, 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 respites from his errands. It may be that he was amused by their nature, as often my bum ya right k i axept

Appearance

Gandalf by John Howe

My name is bryan paxson and i love to suck my das balls and i like to eat my moms shorts

Powers & Abilities

In The Hobbit, Gandalf demonstrated extensive knowledge of the land and an assortment of magical abilities. He could blow glowing smoke rings that moved around a room at his direction, and Bilbo remembered him for his fantastic fireworks displays. More usefully, he created blinding flashes and other pyrotechnics to distract the goblins of the Misty Mountains, aiding the dwarves in their escape from Goblin-town. On the eastern slopes, he turned pine cones into flaming projectiles that threw hot sparks and started fires that would not easily go out. He was also able come and go from the presence of Thorin and Company without anyone noticing.

In The Lord of the Rings, he again displayed his proficiency with pyrotechnics at Bilbo's Farewell Party. He was also able to start fires under blizzard conditions, create light of varying intensity for the journey through Moria, magically secure doors, and break the Bridge of Khazad-dûm. When angered or aroused for battle, he seemed to grow in height and assume a terrifying aspect. He also fought the Balrog of Moria and killed his opponent, although he did not survive the battle himself.

Sent back to Middle-earth as Gandalf the White, he possessed greater charisma and a limited degree of clairvoyance, although he was unable to peer into the land of Mordor to see the progress of Frodo and Sam. His power and authority had increased so that he could break Saruman's staff with a spoken command, showing his authority to throw the treacherous wizard out of the order.

Special Equipment

Like all wizards, Gandalf carried a staff. Whether it was required to exercise certain powers was never explained. At times it appeared to focus or extend his powers, such as when it emanated light. Exactly how much it aided him in the use of magic is unknown, but Grima Wormtongue tried to forbid Gandalf from bringing it into Edoras, cleary under the impression that without it Gandalf's power would be limited. In this perhaps he had been instructed in some way by Saruman.

When he arrived in Middle-earth, Gandalf received the Elven ring Narya from Cirdan the Shipwright. It is clear that Gandalf wore this ring from that time to the end of the Third Age.

In T.A. 2941, Gandalf acquired the Elven sword Glamdring from the treasure hoard of a band of trolls. He continued to wield this weapon throughout The Lord of the Rings, in particular during his fight with the Balrog in Moria.

Throughout his time in Middle-earth Gandalf often was seen with a pipe, which use clearly brought him immense enjoyment.

Names and Titles

• 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"), from the root ÓLOS-
• Mithrandir, his Sindarin name, used in Gondor and meaning "Grey Pilgrim"
• Incánus, his name 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, or even a Quenya word Ind-cano meaning "Mind Ruler"
• Tharkûn, his name to the Dwarves, meaning "Grey Man"
• The White Rider, his name while riding the great horse Shadowfax
• Gandalf Greyhame, given to him by Gríma Wormtongue
• Stormcrow, a reference to his arrival being associated with times of trouble
• Láthspell, a name given to him by Gríma Wormtongue.

Wand-elf

Within the legendarium, "Gandalf" translates an unknown name of the meaning "Elf-of-the-wand (or cane/staff)", or more literary "Wand-elf", 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 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.

Inspiration

File:Der Berggeist (Origin of Gandalf) by J. Madelener.gif

This painting on a postcard is rumored to be how J.R.R. Tolkien got his inspiration for the character known as "Gandalf"

Gandalfr appears in the list of dwarves in the Völuspá of the Elder Edda, the name means "Cane-elf". Tolkien took the name along with the other 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" (HoME 7:452), since it forced him to come up with an explanation of why Old Norse names should be used in Third Age 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 (Letters no. 107).

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. Humphrey Carpenter in his 1977 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 himself. 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.

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

Portrayals in Adaptations

• Gandalf from Rankin-Bass' The Hobbit.jpg

  Gandalf as portrayed in Rankin/Bass' The Hobbit

• Gandalf from Ralph Bakshi's The Lord of the Rings.jpg

  Gandalf as portrayed in Ralph Bakshi's The Lord of the Rings

• Peter Jackson's Gandalf.jpg

  Ian McKellen as Gandalf in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings

• Gandalf in LOTRO.png

  Gandalf as portrayed in The Lord of the Rings Online

John Huston provided the voice of Gandalf in two animated television features by Rankin/Bass.

In Ralph Bakshi's The Lord of the Rings Gandalf was voiced by William Squire. It is not known whether Squire played him in the live-action filming used for rotoscoping.

In the BBC radio dramatisations, Heron Carvic played him in The Hobbit and Sir Michael Hordern played him in The Lord of the Rings.

At Chicago's Lifeline Theatre, Gandalf was played by Charles Picard in The Two Towers (1999).

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 Toronto stage adaptation of The Lord of the Rings in 2006, Gandalf was played by Brent Carver.

Gandalf is featured prominently in the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online as an in-game character as well as the narrator of the game's cinematic cutscenes.

Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings

In Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings, Sir Ian McKellen was cast as Gandalf. McKellen was nominated for an Academy Award for his portrayal of the character in Peter Jackson's The Fellowship of the Ring.

Early on in the casting process Sean Connery was approached for the role but he turned it down as he did not understand the books. Reportedly at one point Connery was heard to exclaim "what is a bobbit"?

It was the role of Gandalf which Christopher Lee hoped to win but was chosen for the role of Saruman instead.

See Also

• Images of Gandalf

References

• The Fellowship of the Ring
• The Two Towers
• The Return of the King
• The Silmarillion, Valaquenta, "Of the Maiar"
• Unfinished Tales, "The Istari", "The Quest of Erebor"
• The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter 156, Letter 246
• Manfred Zimmerman, The Origin of Gandalf and Josef Madlener, Mythlore 34 (1983).
• John D. Rateliff, The History of The Hobbit Part One: Mr. Baggins

External Links

• The painting from which Tolkien drew inspiration for Gandalf