Skip to main content

the lord of the rings - Was Gandalf the greatest of the Istari?


I know he is described as the wisest of all Istari/Maiar (the exact word used in that instance escapes me) and I believe, I am however not sure, that he was offered the position of head of the white council but refused it. Does he in fact rank higher than Saruman, even before his death as Gandalf the Grey against the Balrog? Or is he simply wiser?




Answer



The answer depends on 'when' and 'where'.


The Istari were sent to Middle Earth to counter-balance Sauron but they were forbidden to utilize all of their powers. Like Sauron, they were Maiar that took human form, but they didn't fully remember their past and somehow knew internally their restrictions on use of force. Sauron had no such restrictions.


Saruman was the acknowledged Head of the Order of Istari, as stated by Gandalf. Therefore, within Middle Earth, Saruman was the established 'most powerful' Istari... at least in the beginning.


Once Gandalf the Gray's body was lost in the fight against the Balrog, Gandalf went back to Valinor and he was instructed (presumably by Manwe) to go back to Middle Earth and take the form of 'Gandalf The White' to finish his work and replace Saruman who had lost his bearings. At this point in time, Gandalf was the most powerful Istari within Middle Earth.


Back in Valinor, Maiar are generally paired up with their more powerful Valar mentor. Olorin served Manwe whereas Curumo served under Aulë. Olorin was the most powerful Maiar within Valinor. It was stated that Olorin was the wisest Maiar and since he also had the most powerful Valar on his side, I'd state that that would make him the most powerful Maiar. (Even more so than Sauron.)


So Gandalf was the most powerful in Valinor, and also within Middle Earth after turning into Gandalf the White. Saruman was most powerful within Middle Earth until being replaced by Gandalf the White.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

harry potter - Did Dolores Umbridge Have Any Association with Voldemort (or Death Eaters) before His Return?

I noticed that Dolores Umbridge was born during the first Wizarding War, so it's very likely she wasn't a Death Eater then (but she is pretty evil -- who knows?). After that Voldemort was not around in a way that could affect many people, and most wouldn't know he was planning to rise again. During that time, and up through Voldemort's return (in Goblet of Fire ), did Umbridge have any connection with the Death Eaters or with Voldemort? Was she doing what she did on her own, or was it because of an association with Voldemort or his allies? Answer Dolores Umbridge was definitely not a good person. However, as Sirius points out, "the world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters". Remember that he also says that he doesn't believe Umbridge to be a Death Eater, but that she's evil enough (or something like that). I think there are two strong reasons to believe that: Umbridge was proud to do everything according to the law, except when she trie...
Post a Comment
Read more

futurama - How much time is lost in 'Time Keeps on Slippin''

In time Keeps on Slippin' , Farnsworth creates a basketball team which he matures by abusing Chronitons. This leads to time skipping forward by random, but ever increasing amounts. How much time was skipped in this way? Answer Unfortunately, I don't think a good estimate can be made for this, for two reasons: Many of the time skips move forward by an indeterminate amount of time. At one point, the Professor mentions localized regions of space skipping forward much more than others. We then see two young boys on the street below complaining about having to pay social security, only to suddenly become senior citizens and start complaining about wanting their money. Thus, each individual could have experienced a different amount of time skippage.
Post a Comment
Read more

aliens - Interstellar Zoo story

I vaguely remember this story from my childhood: it was about an interstellar zoo that came to Earth with lots of bizarre and unusual species, and humans would file through and gape at all the crazy looking creatures from other planets. The twist came at the end when the perspective shifted to the other side of the bars and we discovered that the "creatures" were traveling through space on a kind of safari. They thought they were the visitors and we were the animals. Neither side knew that the other side thought they were the zoo creatures. Answer Got it. Zoo, by Edward D. Hoch. Published in 1958. Link to Publication History Link to PDF
Post a Comment
Read more

tolkiens legendarium - Did Gandalf wear his Ring of Power throughout the trilogy?

After Gandalf discovered that Sauron was back and sent Frodo on his quest to Rivendell, did he continue to wear Narya (one of the Three Rings)? It seems like a huge risk to continue to wear it after the Nazgûl (Ringwraiths) started to try and reclaim the One Ring; if they managed to get the ring to Sauron, couldn't he be corrupted by his power? Whatever powers Narya bestows upon him couldn't possibly be worth the huge risk, could it? Answer When Sauron forged the one ring and put it on his finger, the other ring bearers were immediately aware of him and his intentions and removed their own rings. There is no reason why they couldn't merely do so again. As soon as Sauron set the One Ring upon his finger they were aware of him; and they knew him, and preceived that he would be master of them, and of all they wrought. Then in anger and fear they took off their rings. "Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age," Silmarillion
Post a Comment
Read more