As we walk the paths of Tolkien’s heroes, a deep longing for adventure like Bilbo’s or Frodo’s surely awakens in many of us. Or the need to return and restore our destroyed home like Thorin’s. We could also imagine ourselves as one of their companions, ready to follow them on their journey, or find ourselves among those who help them in important, pivotal moments in a different way…
However, with certain Tolkien characters, we find it extremely difficult to identify, because in our everyday world, we don’t have such examples or the characters are so complex that we cannot grasp them as a whole. One such exceptional character is Gandalf. On the surface, he is the prototype of a wizard we encounter in many stories and legends, but Tolkien’s Gandalf is so much more than that…
When and how did Gandalf appear in Tolkien’s world? In the great unfinished epic, The Silmarillion, which was conceived earliest as an idea, Gandalf is mentioned only in a short, but very powerful passage, as Olórin, which means lofty in
In the Elvish language, the word means “Living Dream” or “Living Vision.” He is described as the wisest of the Maiar, who were assistants to the Valar, the highest deities of Tolkien’s universe. Together they created and shaped the world, instilling harmony in it according to the main musical theme of the supreme god, Iluvatar. Olórin often stayed with Nienna, the goddess of compassion and patience, from whom he learned about empathy and perseverance in hope… because she brings strength to the soul and transforms sorrow into wisdom. In the days when the world was young, he loved the Elves, but he walked among them invisibly, or in the form of one of them, and they did not know the source of the visions or wise inspirations he implanted in their hearts.
In later works by Tolkien, he appears as one of the five Istari, wizards who sailed from the Undying Lands to Middle-earth to protect it from destruction. They were sent by the Valar themselves to resist the dark Sauron, a Maia who became a servant of terrible evil and corruption due to his obsession with power. However, the Istari were forbidden to use their full power to directly confront Sauron. but to retaliate with force and reveal himself in all his power and glory. They were not allowed to control the will of elves and men with force or fear. They came to Middle-earth to inspire all beings of good will to unite and fight for its salvation.
Gandalf came last and appeared the oldest and weakest of the five. However, the elf Círdan, the Shipwright, who welcomed him in the Grey Havens, immediately realized that he surpassed all others with his wisdom and kindness. Therefore, he gave him one of the Three Rings that belonged to the highest elves of Middle-earth, the Ring of Fire, with the words: Much work and danger lies ahead of you, and so that your task does not seem too great and exhausting, take this Ring to help and comfort you… I believe that in the days to come it will find itself in nobler hands than mine, who will use it to instill courage in all hearts.
Gandalf spent a long time traveling among the peoples of Middle-earth, learning about their way of life, carefully watching for all signs of Sauron’s treacherous actions. He became their friend, sympathizing with their suffering, and those who listened to him awakened from despair and rejected the illusions of darkness. The Elves called him Mithrandir or Grey Wanderer because he, unlike the other Istars, did not choose a permanent dwelling. The name Gandalf, the Elf with a staff, was given to him by the people because he traveled on foot and relied on a staff, and they thought he was an Elf. Sometimes, while staying among them, he created wondrous, fire-lit shapes. Tolkien specifically emphasizes that he was the only one of the Wise who began to develop an unusual love for the Small Folk – the hobbits, sensing that they possessed far greater power than they showed with their likable appearance and simple habits… When Elrond, the ruler of Rivendell, once predicted war in his conversation with Gandalf and said that everything could disappear in darkness unless they were saved by some unusual chance, Gandalf replied to him: “There are many unusual chances in the world, and it is not for us to discourage them.” help will often come from the hands of the weak when the Wise stumble.
In Tolkien’s Middle-earth, only a few knew his true role. Besides Círdan, there were two other elevated guardians of the Elven Rings: the elf Galadriel, the Lady of Light, and the half-elf Elrond, whose name means Star Dome.
Tolkien only hints at this role and as we progress through the pages of his works The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, the outlines of an exceptional mission gradually emerge. From a wizard famous for his fireworks and a kind-hearted friend, he becomes a wise advisor and the catalyst for a series of events. In doing so, he himself faces terrible trials, of which we will highlight two: entering Dol Guldur and passing through Moria.
The confrontation with the abandoned and eerie fortress of Dol Guldur arose because of Gandalf’s suspicion that Sauron, the Dark Lord, had returned there to gather his servants and restore his power, sowing fear and death throughout the world. Gandalf faces this trial alone, without engaging in battle, although he knows the Sauron is an equal opponent to Sauron because they are both Maiar. After confirming the validity of his suspicions, he goes to warn the Council of the Wise and together they drive him away…
The Mines of Moria are the most complex maze in Tolkien’s world, created on many intricate levels in forgotten ages. Gandalf chooses to pass through Moria only when he realizes that all other paths are closed, and then he proves himself to be a true leader of the Fellowship of the Ring. He manages to guide them through many traps and bring them to the exit on the other side of the mountain. However, just before the exit, he clashes with Balrog, an ancient demon and embodiment of the treacherous old forces of the world, and Gandalf falls into the abyss. Here, we have indications of a true initiatory journey as Gandalf goes through the elements of Fire, Air, Water, and Earth in the battle, and it is actually the enemy himself who fearlessly leads him towards the exit. The final conflict takes place at the top of an endless spiral staircase, and after overcoming the Balrog, Gandalf himself… He died, thus confirming his complete dedication to saving Middle-earth. That’s why he was brought back to the world of the living as Gandalf the White to complete his mission…
Gandalf’s Battle with the Balrog in Moria
Gandalf: I fell for a long time, and he fell with me. His fire was all around me. I was burned. Then we plunged into deep water and everything was dark. It was as cold as the stream of death: my heart almost froze.
Gimli: The abyss that is bridged by Durin’s Bridge is deep, and no one has measured it.
Gandalf: Yet it has a bottom, beyond light and knowledge. There I finally arrived, to the very foundations of the rock. He was still with me. His fire was extinguished, but now he was a creature of slime, stronger than a constrictor snake.
We fought deep beneath the living earth, where time is not measured. He constantly grabbed me, and I constantly cut him, until he finally escaped into dark tunnels… Deep, deep below the deepest dwellings of the Dwarves, this world is gnawed by nameless creatures. creatures. Even Sauron doesn’t know them. They’re older than him. I went that way, but I won’t give any report so as not to dampen the daylight. In that despair, my enemy was my only hope, and I followed in his footsteps. He finally led me back to the secret paths of Khazad-dum: he knew them all too well. We constantly climbed higher until we reached the Endless Staircase.
Gimli: It was lost for a long time. Many said it was never made, except in legend, but others say it was destroyed.
Gandalf: It was made, and it was not destroyed. From the lowest dungeon to the highest peak, it ascended in an uninterrupted spiral of many thousands of steps, until it emerged at the end in Durin’s Tower, carved into living rock… a dizzying eagle’s nest above the mists of this world. The sun was shining fiercely, but below everything was wrapped in clouds. He burst out and… burst into new flame… Those who watched from a distance thought the mountain Crowned by the calamity… I brought down my enemy, and he fell from that high place and shattered the side of the mountain where he struck in his fall. Then darkness engulfed me, and I wandered beyond thought and time, and I roamed far on paths I shall not speak of.
Naked, I was sent back – for a brief time, until my task is done… I was alone, forgotten, with no way out on that hard edge of the world. There I lay, looking up, while the stars circled above, and each day felt as long as a lifetime of the world… And so, in the end, Gwaihir, Lord of the Wind, found me again, and lifted me and carried me…
…
Gwaihir: A burden you were, but not anymore. Light as a swan’s feather you are in my talon. The sun shines through you…