When readers first meet him in The Hobbit he is called Gandalf the Grey. Subsequently, he is cast from the order by Gandalf, after he reveals his association with the evil wizard Sauron. Though mention is made of Gandalf using magic to light a fire, create light, or block a door with a spell, Gandalf tends to rely more on wits, wisdom, and physicality to fight most battles.
Also, Gandalf is clad with a sword, which he uses quite deftly in encounters with Goblins and with the Balrog, a fiery demon. The principle task of Gandalf is to defeat evil, and especially to ready himself and the world for the onslaught of Sauron and his armies.
Though he resorts to violence when necessary, he primarily acts as counsel to the rulers of the kingdoms of men and of elves. In fact his counsel is rated very high by most rulers, though they may not always like what they hear. When Gandalf fights the Balrog, he falls, and his company assumes him dead. To denote this change, Gandalf's staff, clothes, and hair all became white, but there was more to the change than fans may realize. As Gandalf the White, the sole emissary of the Valar, he was given greater powers and wisdom.
This Gandalf didn't have the time to smoke with Bilbo Baggins or entertain hobbits with fireworks. His white wardrobe and staff also represented his new position among the wizards sent by the Valar. Previously, Saruman the White was the head of the order, but he betrayed the forces of good and joined Sauron. By taking his title, Gandalf became the leader of the wizards and was given authority to punish Saruman.
Another difference is that Gandalf the White could be harsher and applied his powers more readily. Other abilities included communicating with his horse, Shadowfax, using his mind, and withstanding fire. Gwaihir , chief of the Eagles, soon arrived and helped Gandalf escape. This lord of horses and Gandalf forged a special bond, and Gandalf made quick use of Shadowfax's incredible strength and endurance. Gandalf sped to the Shire. Fortunately, Frodo had already left the Shire without waiting for Gandalf, and was seeking the refuge of Rivendell.
Dismayed, he set out for Bree; Barliman apologised to Gandalf for forgetting to send the letter, worried that the hobbits had left with Strider, the suspicious Ranger. But for Gandalf this was a hope which far exceeded his expectations.
After congratulating a puzzled Barliman, and blessing his beer, Gandalf then made for Weathertop , a high point in the region, to observe the surrounding area. These phenomena were seen by Aragorn and the hobbits from afar, without knowing it was Gandalf. Before leaving, he marked some stones with the certh G for them to find. Elrond called a council after Frodo was healed to consider the momentous decision regarding the ring. There Gandalf explained to the others how Saruman had imprisoned him and how the White Wizard was creating his own army of orcs to rival Sauron's.
Elrond and Gandalf advised that the Ring should be destroyed in the fires of Mount Doom , where it was made. Others dissented or objected, but eventually submitted to Gandalf's plan. The relatively small number reflected the realisation by Elrond and the other council members that the Quest of Mount Doom would not rely upon strength of arms, but on stealth and good fortune.
Several obstacles stood in the company's way. The vast Misty Mountains had to be crossed, for Gandalf was determined not to lead the company near Isengard.
Gandalf decided to take a southern route to the Redhorn Pass and there to cross the Misty Mountains near Caradhras, thereby traversing the mountain range and avoiding Isengard. Others in the company were loathe enter the maze, as it was now the lair of Orcs and something known only as " Durin's Bane ".
At the Doors of Durin on the west side of the mountains, Gandalf, after some delay, spoke the password and led the company into the dark.
Having been in Moria on an earlier perilous errand, he was somewhat familiar with the underground passages. Eventually the party came to the Chamber of Mazarbul , where Gandalf read the Book of Records , which revealed the fate of Balin , the leader of an ill-fated attempt to re-colonise Moria. Soon after, the party was attacked by Orcs, and forced to flee the chamber.
By then Gandalf was well aware of their location, and he led the party quickly towards the eastern exit. You cannot pass," he said. The orcs stood still, and a dead silence fell. You cannot pass. Go back to the Shadow! Gandalf and Legolas immediately realised what it was: a Balrog of Morgoth , a servant of the first Dark Lord.
In a spectacular display of bravery Gandalf faced the demon and broke the bridge both stood upon, leaving the beast to fall into a seemingly bottomless chasm. But the Balrog's whip lashed out, and grasped Gandalf by the knees, causing him to fall into the pit. While falling, Gandalf shouted "Fly, you fools" and vanished into the abyss. Yet Gandalf did not die; he and the Balrog fell for a long time, and the wizard was burned by the Balrog's fire. Then they plunged into a deep lake in the depths of the mountain, which Gandalf later said was cold as the tide of death and almost froze his heart.
They fought in the water until finally the Balrog fled into dark tunnels, where the world was gnawed by nameless things, older even than Sauron. Gandalf pursued the creature until it led him to the spiralling Endless Stair , and they climbed it until they reached Durin's Tower in the living rock of Zirakzigil , the pinnacle of the Silvertine above the clouds. There they fought , until at last Gandalf threw down his enemy, and the Balrog broke the mountain-side as it fell.
Then darkness took Gandalf, and he passed away. His body lay on the peak. Then darkness took me, and I strayed out of thought and time, and I wandered far on roads that I will not tell Naked I was sent back — for a brief time, until my task is done.
And naked I lay upon the mountain-top. But Gandalf's spirit did not depart Middle-earth forever at this time. Yet, as he was now the sole emissary of the Valar to Middle-earth, he was granted the power to "reveal" more of his inner Maiar strength. This naked power that lay within him was seldom used during the remainder of his time in Middle-earth, as his mission was essentially the same: to support and succor those who opposed Sauron.
Nevertheless, when Gandalf's wrath was kindled his "unveiled" strength was such that few of Sauron's servants could withstand him. Three days later he was found by the windlord Gwaihir, Lord of the Eagles , who had been sent by Galadriel to find him.
He soon learned that Frodo and Sam had left the Fellowship and were attempting the quest of Mount Doom alone. As Frodo was beyond his assistance now, Gandalf promptly went south to Fangorn Forest , where he met the Three Hunters, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli, and gave them messages from Galadriel.
Then he called forth Shadowfax, and rode with them to Edoras. Gandalf by now was keenly aware that the great war to end the age was beginning; if Saruman conquered Rohan then Gondor would be alone with enemies on all sides.
Keep well the Lord of the Mark, till I return. Await me at Helm's Gate. Meanwhile, the Ents along with the Hobbits Merry and Pippin moved against Saruman and sent Huorns against the Orcs, resulting in the utter ruin of the outer walls of Isengard and the complete annihilation of Saruman's Orcs. There Saruman rejected Gandalf's offer of forgiveness with contempt. The wizard's mind had already turned to Gondor and the coming climactic battle in the east.
Soon after arriving, Gandalf confronted Denethor II , the Ruling Steward , and learned that he was near despair over the death of his eldest son, Boromir. Pippin entered the Steward's service in payment of the debt that he and Merry owed, the death of Boromir. Ostensibly they were allies, but the Steward treated Gandalf with disrespect and suspicion. Minas Tirith was soon besieged by a vast force from Mordor, led by the Witch-king of Angmar.
Faramir having received a wound from a poisoned dart in the retreat from Osgiliath, lay near death inside the Tower. Still, Gandalf encouraged the men of Minas Tirith to have hope, and dispelled the fear of the Ringwraiths by his very presence. But Sauron's catapults hurled flaming bolts upon the city; soon the first circle of the city burned unchecked.
Denethor now lost all heart as the city burned and his only remaining son hovered near death; he abandoned his leadership of the city.
Gandalf then took it upon himself to direct the defense in cooperation with Prince Imrahil of Dol Amroth. When the gigantic ram Grond destroyed the Great Gate of Minas Tirith , Gandalf placed himself alone at the ruined gateway. The Witch-king then appeared in the midst of the blasted gate upon a black horse and threatened Gandalf with death; but Gandalf did not move — seated upon Shadowfax he defied the mightiest of Sauron's minions.
However, the stand-off ended inconclusively, as the morning arrived along with the host of the Rohirrim. Hearing the horns of the Riders of Rohan, the Witch-king departed. But Gandalf did not pursue his foe, for Pippin brought him news that Denethor was about to commit suicide in the high tower, burning himself and his son Faramir on a pyre like the heathen Kings of old.
Gandalf rushed to stop this madness and was able to save Faramir, but not Denethor, whose despair and grief had overcome his mind. Clearly Denethor had been using the stone's special properties for some time — extending his vision far beyond those of men's eyes, but also wrestling in thought with Sauron. And even though Sauron could not completely overwhelm Denethor's mind, his courage was daunted by knowledge of the vast might of Mordor.
Thus the shadow entered into the capital of Gondor. Nevertheless, and against all hope, the siege was broken. Soon after, Aragorn arrived with a large valour of men from the southern fiefs upon a captured pirate fleet from Umbar. The forces of the men of the west then utterly defeated Sauron's attack against Minas Tirith, relieving the city and killing virtually all of the invaders.
Gandalf's carefully laid plans and words of wisdom, along with acts of heroism not seen since the elder days, had defeated Sauron's first move. This would be the culmination of Gandalf's efforts in Middle-earth. Fully aware that the west would stand or fall on the outcome of Frodo 's mission, he advised the lords to launch an attack against the Morannon , thereby drawing Sauron's eye away from Frodo's likely location.
This plan surely would result in a catastrophic loss for the outnumbered army, but it gave Frodo a chance to achieve the quest of Mount Doom. Led by Gandalf and Aragorn, the army of the West crossed the Anduin and marched north, pausing occasionally to announce their coming and to dispatch small numbers of men to lesser tasks.
Upon arriving at the Black Gate, the forces halted and prepared for battle. As they ordered their companies, the foul Mouth of Sauron rode forth to parley with them; he revealed Frodo's mithril coat and Sam 's Barrow-blade and implied that their owner was captured and tortured. The emissary of Sauron then proposed that the forces of the west surrender; Gandalf however was undaunted, and, seizing his friend's belongings, rejected Sauron's offer. In shock, the Mouth of Sauron turned back towards the Black Gate, which slowly opened to reveal a vast army of Orcs and Trolls advancing on the lords of the west.
Sauron's trap was sprung. Yet Sauron himself became the victim of Gandalf's trap. But the power and lure of the Ring finally overcame his will and he placed the Ring upon his finger, claiming it as his own. But Gandalf's foresight proved accurate again as the creature Gollum, who had been doggedly following the Ring-bearer, seized the ring from Frodo, and, while celebrating his reunion with "his precious," unwittingly fell into the fires of Orodruin.
The ring was unmade as the fiery mountain erupted. With Sauron gone, his forces scattered like frightened insects; the Men of the West now set upon them with fury. Gandalf announced the success of the Ring-bearer and the end of Sauron; the quest had been fulfilled. Seeing that victory was achieved, Gandalf then mounted on Gwaihir the Eagle for a third time, and set out to see if Frodo and Samwise had survived the tumults of Mount Doom.
To his great relief, the two were found on the slopes of Orodruin, clinging to life amid the volcanic eruptions. The great quest was over. In Minas Tirith, Gandalf and the remaining members of the Fellowship reunited.
Thus Gandalf ushered in the new age of men. Not long after Gandalf led Aragorn to the High Hallow on the upper slopes of Mindolluin and there they found a sapling of the White Tree of Gondor , a sign of the renewal that was to come. After the coronation and wedding of Aragorn to Arwen , Gandalf left with the rest of the remaining Fellowship on the journey home. For Gandalf, it was his last long journey in Middle-earth. His errand to Arda had been fulfilled; Sauron had been defeated.
He said farewell to his friends one by one until at last only the four Hobbits remained at his side. At the borders of the Shire he, too, turned away. He left the Hobbits to settle with the Shire, for the shattered pieces of evil still remaining in the world were no longer his concern, and went to talk to "moss gatherer" Tom Bombadil. What Gandalf did during the next two years is unknown; it is possible that his "long talk" with Bombadil was just that.
He wore Narya openly on his finger, and Shadowfax was beside him perhaps even to take ship with him. His mission was over, and his homecoming after more than years was nigh. He bade farewell to Samwise, Merry, and Pippin the latter two of whom he had forewarned of the passage , then boarded the ship beside Frodo, Bilbo, Elrond, and was never seen again in Middle-earth.
There, presumably, he dwells still in the gardens of Irmo. In a large way, it was his victory. The name Gandalf means "Elf of the wand" or "Wand-elf", from old northern Mannish. Most denizens of Middle-earth incorrectly assumed Gandalf was a Man human , although he was really a Maia spirit equivalent to an angel. Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment. For even the very wise cannot see all ends.
Tolkien took the name along with the dwarves ' names when he wrote The Hobbit in the s. He came to regret the creation of this "rabble of eddaic-named dwarves, [ He solved the dilemma in 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 Gandalf's equivalence to Merlin the Magician , of English Mythology, is discussed in episode two of the documentary Looking for the Hobbit , featuring French Arthurian expert Nicholas Mezzalira and Medieval specialist Leo Carruthers.
Tolkien had a postcard labelled Der Berggeist "the mountain spirit" , and on the paper cover in which he kept it, he wrote "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 a white fawn is nuzzling his upturned hands. Humphrey Carpenter in his Biography said that Tolkien had bought the postcard during his holiday in Switzerland.
However, Manfred Zimmerman discovered that the painting was by German artist Josef Madlener and dates to the late s.
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