Gandalf's Backstory Explained

J.R.R. Tolkien's epic The Lord of the Rings juggles a lot of different characters. Hobbits, Dwarves, Elves, and Men all figure prominently on the printed page, the silver screen, and soon even our personal television sets. But there's one character in the story that stands out (especially when you take his tall, pointed hat into consideration). We're talking, of course, about Gandalf. The wizard is unique, not only because of the instrumental part he plays throughout the story but also because, well, he's a wizard.

Wizards in Tolkien's world aren't trained at Hogwarts. Nor do they consist of various people from different races simply "practicing magic." The concept of a wizard from Middle-earth is about as unique in the fantasy world as Gandalf himself is in The Lord of the Rings. 

So what, exactly, are Tolkien's wizards, then? And what does that make Gandalf? What is the background of this strange wanderer, dressed all in grey? Where did he come from and why is he meddling in everyone's affairs in the first place? Let's dive into the Grey Pilgrim's backstory and see what it is that sets Gandalf up for the critical role that he ends up playing throughout The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

The supernatural Ainur are the highest order of beings within Middle-earth, and they are broken into two different groups. The Valar, made up of 14 Ainur including Nienna, are the kings and queens that rule over creation in the name of Ilúvatar. 

Every other Ainur is part of the group called the Maiar. In the book Unfinished Tales — which compiled many of Tolkien's unpublished and unfinished works — the author refers to these creatures as an "angelic" order of beings. It's not known how many Maiar there were, but several of them show up throughout Middle-earth history and are very powerful. Sauron, for instance, is probably the most well-known Maiar. The Balrog that lives in Moria is another, less powerful, of the creatures. 

However, while those two are forces for evil, there were many, many other Maiar that fought for good — including Gandalf. While he isn't as impressive on the surface, the Grey Wanderer's great claim to fame is the fact that in The Silmarillion he's referred to as "the wisest of the Maiar." It's an impressive attribute, considering the fact that every single one of them are eternal, deeply spiritual beings.

On the inside, so to speak, the Istari are technically angelic, supernatural beings from the glorious west. However, the important distinction that makes a Maiar a wizard is the fact that they've voluntarily been wrapped in the frail mortality of a worldly body. And this isn't just putting on an appearance so that they can blend in with Men and Elves, either. Their bodies are the real deal.

It's made clear in Unknown Tales that the physical forms that the wizards take restrict their abilities and even have the effect of "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 nature of their existence in the first place. The wizards were created and sent to Middle-earth specifically to help resist Sauron. Because of this, it says in The Silmarillion that they were forbidden to simply overpower the Dark Lord with their own latent power, nor were they allowed to dominate Men or Elves in order to do so. In other words, wizards are Maiar wrapped in physical, restricting bodies that were sent to Middle-earth in order to help (not dominate) the peoples resist the growing power of Sauron.

Of the Five Wizards, Gandalf is clearly the most well known. Two others appear at times throughout The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings stories and the last two have no active part in the narrative and are barely discussed. Each of these five representatives of the Valar have different strengths and, while they knew each other, they clearly weren't supposed to work together as a team at all times. 

Up front, the most impressive of the Five Wizards is Saruman. Also called Curunír or "the Man of Skill," he was the first to arrive in Middle-earth. He proudly came dressed in white, which contrasted boldly with his hair, which was raven black at the time. Next up, we have Radagast. Clad in earthen brown, Radagast was very interested in beasts and birds. One version of the story in Unfinished Tales also explains that Radagast was paired up with Saruman as a favor to the Valar, Yavanna, much to Saruman's dismay and disdain. 

Last, and certainly least as far as the story goes, were the Blue Wizards. This pair of Maiar,  dressed in sea-blue clothing, were named Alatar and Pallando and it's said that they traveled to Middle-earth as friends.

One final note about Gandalf's first appearance in Middle-earth has to do with a gift he's given when he arrives. When he first meets the shipwright Círdan at the Grey Havens (that's the port where Frodo leaves at the end of The Return of the King) 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 heavy-hitting piece of enchanted jewelry nonetheless. Círdan's gift is Narya the Red, one of the three Elven rings. The potent ring is meant to help support Gandalf through his labors and aid him in sparking courage in the hearts of those that he helps. While Gandalf accepts the gift, he attempts to keep it very 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 first thing that starts to erode the friendship between the two wizards.

With so many centuries of wandering under his belt, it's natural that Gandalf would acquire a lengthy collection of names. Tolkien, yet again, obliges us through multiple sources, especially Unfinished Tales, by providing several of them, often along with their origins and meanings. 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, though, the Wandering Wizard also reveals in The Two Towers that "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 Gondor, which was relatively "south" compared to his general stomping grounds. Whichever way you slice it, though, there's no doubt that the wizard develops a pretty impressive collection of names over the course of his nomadic career.

While Gandalf appears to lay low for most of his time in Middle-earth, that doesn't mean he does nothing at all. A thousand years after his arrival, he visits the fortress of Dol Guldur in southern Mirkwood where Sauron has been rebuilding his power in the form of the Necromancer. The wizard drives the Dark Lord out (although he doesn't realize who he is yet), leading to the centuries-long period of the Watchful Peace.

He also serves as a member of the Council of the Wise, also known as the White Council, which is composed of Saruman, Galadriel, Elrond, and Círdan, among others. Gandalf is actually considered to lead the prestigious body at one point, but he doesn't want to be restrained from wandering and the position is awarded to his fellow wizard Saruman instead. 

At one point, a bit later on, Gandalf also sets out in search of the missing Dwarven king Thráin II. In his search, he journeys through Moria and then revisits Dol Guldur. Here, he finds the Dwarf — who gives him a map and a key for the Lonely Mountain — in prison and finally discovers that the Necromancer has returned and is, indeed, Sauron. He tells the White Council and urges them to attack while their enemy is unprepared. The Council eventually attacks and defeats Sauron, at which point he withdraws to Mordor.