Aliases: Mithrandir, Greyhame, Gandalf the Grey, Gandalf the White, Stormcrow, Grey Fool, Grey Pilgrim, Grey Wanderer, White Rider, Olorin

Gandalf was one of the mightiest wizards belonging to the order of Istari, which included Maiar of different abilities taught by the Valar and sent to Middle-earth to help the Eruhini stand against the dark power of Sauron. Gandalf was doubtlessly one of these Maiar and, therefore, immortal. Indeed, if identical with Olorin of Valinor, the student and disciple of Nienna, his immense powers were surpassed by few.

Like many of the Istari, he took the shape of an old man, bent with age but hale, with a long beard and bushy eyebrows. As a wizard, Gandalf carried a staff, and as a warrior he wielded a sword, Glamdring.

Among the Istari, not all the wizards were equally concerned with the doings of the lesser races: Saruman, taking up residence at Orthanc, immersed himself with studies of warfare and lore of ancient magic; Radagast, the beastmaster’s, concern was mainly with nature and all living creatures. Gandalf, on the other hand, spent many years living among Men, and particularly among the Hobbits, who grew dear to his heart, studying their habits and helping them both in counsel and in deed.

Soon after his arrival in Middle-earth in approximately year 1000 of the Third Age, Gandalf received Narya, the Ring of Fire, from Cirdan the Shipwright, Lord of the Grey Havens. The Ring lent Gandalf great power (which he mostly preferred to conceal) and insight into things which mortal Men could not perceive with their minds. Aided by the Ring, Gandalf, remaining in Middle-earth until the end of the Third Age, spent many years upsetting Sauron’s evil designs. As a member of the White Council, he forever sought to investigate into things which might be of danger to Men or Elves or Hobbits. He was the first one to come to the conclusion that it was Sauron himself, not one of the Nazgul, who took up his abode in Dol-Guldur. He penetrated into its dark pits, where he finally found proof of his suspicions and also received the Map of the Lonely Mountain from a dying Thrain. As soon as he saw through the importance of the artifact, he incited thirteen dwarves, Thorin Oakenshield, son of Thrain, among them, to return to the Lonely Mountain and claim the ancient dwarf gold. The only secure way of doing so lay in slaying Smaug the Dragon, or in deceiving him, and for that capacity Gandalf recommended Bilbo Baggins, the good-natured and unsuspecting hobbit. The story of this exciting adventure, else known as the Quest of Erebor, is recounted in The Hobbit.

Among the riches that the travelers brought back with them there was only one thing which deeply interested Gandalf and tickled his fancy: it was a Ring which Bilbo had found in Moria. At first he thought it to be a ring of lesser powers; but as the years went by, more and more troubling signs were revealing the Ring for what is truly was – the Ruling Ring forged by Sauron himself in the fiery cracks of Mount Doom. The suspicion grew in Gandalf’s mind, and led him to persuade Bilbo to leave the Ring as an heirloom to Frodo and to depart to Rivendell. Heeding Gandalf’s counsel, Frodo brought the Ring to Rivendell – and from there on through many dangers into the ash-choked and barren expanses of Mordor.

The Council appointed Gandalf to be one of the Fellowship -and he took his companions through many perils – until in Moria he was killed in the clash with the Balrog.

He died – and was resurrected, no more Gandalf the Grey, but Gandalf the White. After unmasking the treachery of Grima the Womtongue and bringing Theoden of Rohan back to life, he took part in the defense of Helm’s Deep, stripped Saruman of his power and returned the Palantir of Orthanc into the possession of the Dunedain.

During the Siege of Gondor his power and magic was also with the Free Peoples, and he played a crucial part both in the Pelennor and Cormallen battles. After the War was over, Gandalf departed over the Sea with Elrond and Galadriel.

Among other things, Gandalf was remarkable for his command of fire – and it was clearly not the limit of his powers. He did not delight in war, however, and in peacetime he preferred to put his powers to festive purposes, like conjuring fireworks for Hobbit-children.

Some people claim, and with good reason, that Gandalf must have been one of JRR Tolkien’s favourite characters. Despite being a mighty wizard, Gandalf had some endearing habits, like pipe-smoking and blowing the smoke-rings into various shapes.
Gandalf was befriended not only by Bilbo and Frodo, but also by many of the Elves and, most notably, Aragorn, or Strider, who was later known as King Elessar.