Rings of Power: The Origin of the Name 'Gandalf' Finally Revealed

Gandalf in Fellowship of the Ring
Credit: New Line Cinema; fair use for news and promotional purposes

Gandalf in Fellowship of the Ring
Credit: New Line Cinema; fair use for news and promotional purposes

A lot of fans saw it coming from a mile away, but the finale of The Rings of Power Season 2 had finally confirmed that the Stranger, who was introduced way back in Season 1, was wandering wizard Gandalf the Grey.

While some fans may still be nitpicky about how he got the name (the stoors referred to him as ‘Grand-elf’), the origin in the show is actually pretty close to how author J.R.R. Tolkien came up with the name when he was just starting out building Middle-earth.

“Gandalf the Gray… That is What They Used to Call Me”

In an extensive thread on Twitter by user @timboltonuk, they break down the etymology of how Gandalf got his name and its history outside of the Middle-earth lore. Here’s the start of the thread:

According to the Tolkien Legendarium, the name “Gandalf” actually means “Wand-elf”, short for “Elf-of-the-wand”. It’s also fitting that he finds he gets his name while on the search for his staff because ‘wand’ in this context can also be translated to ‘cane’.

Gandalf, like Sauron, actually has several names in the lore; the elves often refer to him as Mithrandir, and at some point, Theoden also calls him Gandalf Greyhame.

It’s also pointed out that outside of the lore, ‘Gandalf’ comes from an Old Norse poem which has a section called “Dvergatal” which was a collection of Dwarven names including Thorin, Thror, and Thrain. To further the Old Norse origin, ‘gandr’ means magic staff, and ‘alfr’ means elf, so putting them together means ‘a protective spirit who wields a magic wand.’

Gandalf in LOTR: The Rings of Power
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Credit: Amazon Prime Video; fair use for news and promotional purposes

Gandalf’s Future in the Show

Though Gandalf did see himself separated from Nori and Poppy, it does look like he’s going to be wandering about now, like he was when he was first introduced in The Hobbit. It’s possible that he’s going to run into the harfoots and stoors again, but maybe this time, they would be residing in a permanent home that eventually becomes known as The Shire.

Of course, Gandalf also has very close ties with the elves when he’s fully established in Lord of the Rings, so it’s possible that he would be running into Elrond or Galadriel in future seasons. It’s also worth noting that Gandalf also wields his own Ring of Power in the form of Narya—the ring that was worn by Cirdan, the Elven shipwright. The only people who knew Gandalf had the ring were Galadriel, Elrond, and Cirdan.

Radaghast the Brown in The Hobbit Trilogy
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Credit: New Line Cinema; fair use for news and promotional purposes

Other Wizards

Admittedly, the Dark Wizard was pretty underwhelming this season, but the inclusion of Tom Bombadil was definitely a treat for longtime Tolkien fans. Perhaps more Istari will be showing up in the future, and fans are hoping some lore is finally given to the mysterious Blue Wizards who were said to have wandered East and inspired magic traditions there.

It’s going to be a long two-year wait for the next season.

Watch the complete Season 2 of Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

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