The Wizards

The Wizards, known in the High-elven tongue as the Istari, are an order of five beings sent to Middle-earth in the Third Age. They are Maiar, spirits of the same order as the Valar, though of lesser power, and they came out of the Far West as messengers to contest the growing might of Sauron. Their purpose was to unite all who would resist him, but they were forbidden to match his power with power or to seek to dominate Elves or Men by force and fear. They therefore took the shape of aged Men, never young, aging only slowly, and possessing great powers of mind and hand. They revealed their true names to few, using instead the names given to them by the peoples of Middle-earth.

The Five and Their Roles

The two highest of the order were called by the Eldar Curunír, "the Man of Skill," and Mithrandir, "the Grey Pilgrim"; by Men in the North they were known as Saruman and Gandalf. Saruman journeyed often into the East but dwelt at last in Isengard, where he became the head of the White Council and the most learned in ring-lore. Gandalf was closest in friendship with the Eldar, wandered mostly in the West, and never made for himself any lasting abode. Radagast the Brown, a worthy wizard and a master of shapes and changes of hue, had much lore of herbs and beasts, and birds were especially his friends; he dwelt at Rhosgobel near the borders of Mirkwood. The other two Wizards, known only as the Blue Wizards, traveled into the East and are not named in the histories of the West.

The Mission and Its Constraints

The Istari were sent to Middle-earth after the first shadow fell on Greenwood the Great, when Sauron began to stir again. Their task was to inspire and counsel the free peoples, not to command them. Gandalf himself refused the One Ring when Frodo offered it, crying, "Do not tempt me! For I do not wish to become like the Dark Lord himself." This self-imposed limitation defined the Wizards' role: they could guide, warn, and even fight, but they could not seize power directly. The Council of the Wise, or White Council, was formed under their leadership, and it was Saruman who was chosen to be its head—a choice that later proved disastrous.

The Fall of Saruman and the Rise of Gandalf

Saruman, once the greatest of the order, fell into pride and treachery. He studied the arts of the Enemy too deeply, and when he looked into the palantír of Orthanc, he was ensnared by Sauron. He betrayed the Council, sought the One Ring for himself, and built his own power in Isengard, breeding Uruk-hai and allying with Orcs. Gandalf, who had long suspected the Ring's true nature, was captured by Saruman and imprisoned on the pinnacle of Orthanc. He was rescued by Gwaihir the Windlord, and after his battle with the Balrog in Moria—where he fell into the abyss, pursued the demon to the peak of Celebdil, and cast it down—he died and was sent back by the powers of the West. He returned as Gandalf the White, taking Saruman's place in the order. When he confronted Saruman at Orthanc, he broke the traitor's staff and cast him from the Council, declaring, "I am Gandalf the White, who has returned from death. You have no colour now, and I cast you from the order and from the Council."

The Wizards' Enduring Significance

The Wizards' presence in Middle-earth was a direct intervention by the Valar, but their methods were indirect. They could not solve the problem of the Ring by force; they could only guide others to do so. Gandalf's role as the chief mover of the events that led to the Ring's destruction—from his discovery of its true nature to his leadership in the War of the Ring—fulfilled the mission of the Istari. Saruman's fall, by contrast, demonstrated the peril of the very power the Wizards were meant to resist. After the War of the Ring, Gandalf departed Middle-earth on the White Ship from the Grey Havens, his work finished. The Third Age ended with his passing, and the time of the Wizards was over.