Gandalf the Grey.
FANS of the Lord of the Rings will be familiar with the sight of a tall, bearded, old man known as Gandalf.
With his long cloak and sometimes a pointy hat, he wields a staff into battles and regularly provides counsel to leaders of men, elves and dwarves.
Gandalf's presence and wisdom inspires hope among the free people of Middle-earth to resist tyranny and oppose those who seek to rule by force.
The wizard demonstrated extraordinary abilities, most notably his fight with the Balrog, during which he made the famous proclamation: "You shall not pass!".
Given his feats, many viewers have come to think of Gandalf as a human who is simply gifted with magical powers? Is this true?
VERDICT:
False
Contrary to popular belief, Gandalf is not, as he himself once said to Bilbo Baggins, a mere "conjurer of cheap tricks".
Gandalf, like the villain Sauron, is a Maiar, a spirit who has taken on physical form to reside in Middle-earth.
Like all Maiar, Gandalf came into being before the creation of the universe.
He originated from the Timeless Hall, which exists outside of the physical realm and time, which the original writer JRR Tolkien named as Arda.
All Maiar served greater spirits known as Valar, who descended into Arda (Earth) and were tasked with preparing it for the awakening of elves and humans.
These spirits dwelled in the western part of Arda known as the Undying Land – which is unreachable by mortals – and looked after the world's affairs.
Some of these spirits, however, like Sauron, chose to dwell in Middle Earth, which is in the eastern part of Arda.
By the Third Age, the Valar were becoming concerned by the growing influence of Sauron in Middle-earth.
They sent a team of emissaries comprising five Maiar to guide the peoples in their resistance against the dark lord.
Collectively known as the Istari, the emissaries were to act only as counsel and were prohibited from confronting Sauron directly.
They were also prevented from revealing their true power and were given the form of old men.
This made them susceptible to the usual limitations of humans such as exhaustion and hunger, further limiting their power.
Saruman was chosen to lead the Istari, which also included Gandalf, Radagast and two other wizards.
Except for a select few such as the elves Galadriel and Elrond, very few knew of the true nature and identity of the Istari wizards.
After Saruman's betrayal and Gandalf's fall at the Balrog's hand, Gandalf was sent back to Middle-earth to complete his task.
This time, however, Gandalf's power was enhanced, and he was no longer bound by any of the limitations previously placed on him.
He organised the resistance by the Kingdoms of Rohan and Gondor, which eventually led to the destruction of the ring and Sauron's downfall.
After the war, Gandalf deemed his task as fulfilled, and took Frodo and Bilbo, who both bore the ring for a time, to the Undying Land.
