Gandalf in Lord of The Rings

hey im sorry bout this but ive searched for the thread im looking for and i cant find. im sorry if its easy to find. but on one post someone said about an important scene in return of the king where u find out Gandalf is an elf...but u know that from the first film...when the hobbits go into that pub and ask for gandalf and the bartender says ooo yes that elvish chap.

Go to Sparknotes.com and look up Return of the King. If he turned out to be an elf, it would say so in the book and you could find it in there.


I'm pretty sure he is a wizard though.

He didn't say an elvish chap, he said an elderly chap. And I've read all the books and don't remember anything about Gandalf being an elf

I always assumed that he was human.I didn't think that there was actually a race of wizards but that they just learnt to be wizards.

ghandalf is a wizard and could kick harry potter's ass anyday

Originally posted by KrazyIvan
ghandalf is a wizard and could kick harry potter's ass anyday

I would pay good money to see that.

Maybe the bartender said "that Elvis chap"!

I've read the books several times and Gandalf is not an elf. He is a Wizard. And if I recall correctly, the Istari (Wizards) came to Middle-earth after the first millennium of the Third Age to aid the Free Peoples against the return and rise of Sauron.

Yes, he is a wizard, but that is not a race. Gandalf is an Ainu, he was there before Arda was created and he entered Arda in the company of 4 other Wizards... and they are the order of the Istari. Saruman, Radagast, Alatar and Pallando was also of that order. In the beginning Eru, or Iluvatar as he was called by the Elves created the Ainu out of his thoughts, he presented for them themes of music and out of their songs he created Ea, the world. The most powerful of the Ainu was the Valar.. and most powerful of the Valar was Melkor... who became the first lord of Darkness when he defied Iluvatar and tried to take Arda as his own kingdom. Melkor was later not accounted among the Valar and his name was never uttered on Arda, and Melkor was called Morgoth. Of the Ainu was also the Maiar, the lesser Ainu... they where greater in number, and each one of them served a ainu of higher power, a Vala. Powerful was the Maiar, but not as powerful as the Valar. Manwe was Melkor�s brother in the thoughts of Iluvatar, and though Melkor was more powerful and had more knowledge than all the other Ainu, Iluvatar liked Manwe the most... and therefore he made Manwe king of Arda. Gandalf was a Maia of teh valar Manwe and Varda, and of all the lesser Ainu he was the one with the most Wisdom. Saruman was a Maia of the Valar Aule, and so was Sauron also actually. Aule was truthful to Iluvatar, but Melkor waged war against the other Ainu and he lured some of the lesser Ainu over to his own side... and one of these was Sauron. He gave Sauron many powers and Sauron became his right hand, and after Melkor was cast into the void after the War of Wrath Sauron became the true Lord Of Darkness. The Balrog�s are also Maiar who where lured to "the dark side" by Melkor in the elder days. So, Gandalf is actually of the same race as the gods of the world, and he is a Maiar, just like Sauron and the Balrog he fought in Moria.

Probably a bit hard to understand after such a quick explanation, but if you read the Silmarillion (something you should), you will understand.

So, to sum up: Gandalf is an Ainu, a Maiar of the Valar Manwe and his spouse Varda and is basically a lesser god. Gandalf's real name is Olorin and he came to Middle Earth as a wizard of the Istari order together with four other of his kind, when thousand years of the third age had passed (as parrhesia said).

[Edited on 11-12-2003 by AntiSystem]

he isnt an elf, he just wears the third Elven Ring, whitch is why everyone thinks he is an elf, and you find that out , when frodo and sam go join the elves to travel across the sea at the very end of return of the king.

[Edited on 23-12-2003 by seedy_sid]

He didn't say an elvish chap, he said an elderly chap

Yep...

Looks like Antisystem gets the LOTR geek award, hehe.... No, seriously, thats interesting info....

If you think about it though....Gandolf never really made with very impressive magic...certainly not on the level of Sauramon.... Gandolf can make fireworks, pretty lights, and a good force field, but that's about it.... Hell, in D&D, a first level wizard could do that.... Harry Potter on the other hand, can summon a spiritual stag, as well as shoot energy from his wand, fly on a broomstick (versus calling a giant eagle), etc. Don't get me wrong, I like Gandolf and all, but dude....make with the fireballs, conjure up walls of earth and stone, rain down fire, that kind of thing.... Now THAT would be wizardry...!!!