In all the most famous fairy tales, there is a certain kind and wise old man or wizard who you can always turn to for advice and help. It was he who, in a difficult moment, saves the main characters from trouble and punishes evil. In the magical world of Middle-earth, created by the fantasy of the writer R. R. Tolkien, such a character was the wizard Gandalf.
The inhabitants of the fairy tale world
The fairy-tale world composed by Tolkien, according to the author himself, once upon a time was on our planet.
But over time, magic disappeared from our world. many species of creatures became extinct and the most tenacious and prolific race remained - humans.
In ancient times, the central continent was called Middle-earth, and the famous hobbit habitat - the Shire - was located in the area of modern north-western Europe.
At that time, the human race was not the main one, but was one of the many species of creatures that inhabit Middle-earth. The first inhabitants of these lands were higher beings - elves. They were practically immortal. In addition, this race was more powerful, wise and noble than people. Also among the elves were skilled craftsmen creating beautiful things. Unlike humans, elves could use magic, although they were not wizards.
After the elves, goblins and orcs appeared. In fact, they were mutated, as a result of dangerous experiments, elves. Later, Sauron, based on the orcs, created a special people called Uruk-hai. Unlike their ancestors, all these creatures were not wise and kind, they constantly fought for new territories and food. In these beings, only the most base instincts dominated.
Later, the people of the Dwarves were created. They were extremely strong, but of small stature and all with beards, even women. This ethnos was famous for its ability to extract minerals from the depths of the mountains, as well as for making outlandish things of outlandish beauty. Even the dwarves were famous for their incredible greed, which very often played a cruel joke with them.
In contrast to the dwarves, the Ent people were created. These are people-trees of gigantic sizes. Unlike other nations, they are extremely peaceful and kind. Ardent defenders of nature, as they themselves are part of it.
Trolls arose after the Ents. They were created for a change of stone.
People, like their species, the small hobbit people, appeared in Middle-earth the very last. Unlike other creatures, they were weak and not adapted to magic.
There were also many other magical creatures, such as dragons, giant talking eagles, spiders, werewolves, demonic creatures with the ability to wrap themselves in fire and darkness, and others.
At the time of Sauron, the first nine people who owned the Rings of Power were subjugated to their will and turned into the living dead under the name Nazguls.
Apart from all these creatures were mages, or istars. They arrived in this world to protect it from awakening evil forces. These wizards were united in the Order of Mages. In total, five magicians were sent: Saruman Bely, Alatar Blue, Pallando Blue, Radagast Brown and Gandalf Gray.
The origin and names of Gandalf
Gandalf's real name is Olorin. In his people, he was considered one of the wisest and kindest magicians. Being one of the five sent to Middle-earth, this hero at first really did not want to go on a trip, but later changed his mind.
Like his other brothers, upon arrival in the new world, he took on the appearance of a wandering old man with a staff. He was also given one of the three elven Rings of Power - Narya.
Unlike the head of the Order of Saruman, Gandalf the Gray never had a residence. He constantly traveled the expanses of Middle-earth. Helping people as far as possible, in different tribes he earned various names: Gray Wanderer, Mitrandir, Incanus and Tarkun.
Before the beginning of the War of the Ring, this wizard was called "Gray", and the title "White" was the head of the Order. However, after the betrayal of Saruman, Gandalf himself expelled him from the order and broke the main attribute of the wizard - the staff. For courage and self-sacrifice, Olorin was elected head of the Order, and became known as the "White".
If you look at the illustration from the movie, which depicts Gandalf Gray and White, the difference is even very outwardly noticeable.
Character Creation History
The name Gandalf means "elf with a magic staff." At first, the leader of the gnome detachment was supposed to wear it, but Tolkien decided that such a solid name required a better candidate and named him the wizard from The Hobbit. The appearance of the wandering magician was borrowed from a postcard called the Mountain Spirit. In many ways, the appearance of Gandalf was inspired by Tolkien by the Scandinavian supreme deity Odin. When he was about to travel in the human world, he took the form of a modest old man with a long shaggy beard, in a wide-brimmed hat and with a strange staff.
Some researchers of the writer's work are called the prototype of Gandalf Merlin.
Gandalf's first appearance in The Hobbit
For the first time this character appears in the novel R.R. Tolkien "The Hobbit, or There and Back." In the story, a detachment of thirteen dwarfs, led by their king Thorin Oakenshield, is about to get to the Lonely Mountain. Once it belonged to their ancestors, now they intend to return it, as well as defeat the dragon Smaug, who took possession of it, and collect the treasures.
However, to implement this difficult plan, they need a cracker. Gandalf, as one of the organizers and inspirers of the venture, advised a hobbit-homebody named Bilbo Baggins for this position . He agreed and, having survived a lot of adventures and losses, the dwarves were able to destroy the enemy and achieve their goal. Bilbo, in this story, became the owner of a magical artifact - the Ring of Omnipotence, but hid it from everyone, even from Gandalf, with whom he made friends.
Despite the fact that Gandalf seems to be just an ordinary participant in this adventure, in fact it was he who brewed all the mess. The fact is that at the time of the beginning of the Hobbit novel, Sauron secretly returned to the wizarding world and began to gain strength, in addition, his Nazguls began to desperately hunt for the Ring of Power. However, the Order, led by Saruman Bely, was inactive at his insistence.
Because of the dragon, the northern lands of the continent were extremely weak. If Sauron had come together with Smaug and attacked, they would have become easy prey.
Finding the dying father of the Dwarf king Thorin, Gandalf received a card and a key from him. This prompted the wizard to think how to use the gnomes to lime the dragon and free the northern lands from the orcs. And along the way, and return to the Dwarves their original possessions. Despite many troubles, the plan of the magician was a success.
The Lord of the Rings: Gandalf in The Fellowship of the Ring
At the beginning of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Sauron had already settled in Mordor and made himself known. He began to accumulate strength and gradually seize new territories. The only thing he lacked was the Rings of Omnipotence.
The Order of Mages, who gathered to discuss the current situation, was assured by its head Saruman Bely that the desired artifact was forever lost, and the Dark Lord would never find him.
However, Gandalf did not share the views of his fellow wizard. Moreover, he had long been afraid that his friend Bilbo had the ill-fated Ring.
Saruman envied and feared Gandalf, so he assigned spies to him and soon found out that he was often in the Shire, and became interested in the reason.
Meanwhile, Gandalf helped Bilbo to retire, and before leaving, he persuaded Frodo to bequeath the Ring, because he saw that the hobbits were pretty good at resisting the artifact's power.
While Gandalf was collecting information on how to recognize the Ring of Omnipotence, the former owner of the Gollum Ring fell into the hands of the servants of Sauron and gave them the name of the new owner, as well as the location of the artifact.
To save the Ring of Omnipotence, Gandalf the Gray persuades Frodo to take him to the elves. And he goes to Sauron, as to the head of the Order. However, he revealed his true face and tried to persuade the magician to make peace with Sauron. In addition, Saruman Bely himself dreamed of capturing the Ring. Rejecting the offer of the head of the Order, Gandalf was imprisoned, but he was saved by a giant eagle sent by Radagast Burym.
Having come to the council in the elven Rivedell, Gandalf told the truth about the betrayal of Saruman and persuaded everyone to destroy the Ring, and with it Sauron.
Leading the Fellowship of the Ring, the wizard was forced to lead his friends through the catacombs of Moria, where he encountered the demonic creation of Balgor. During the battle with him, Gandalf fell into the abyss and his comrades considered him dead, continuing on his own.
Gandalf in Two Fortresses
However, Gandalf did not die. Firstly, he could not die completely, since he was the supreme being. And secondly, since he did not manage to complete the mission for which he was sent to Middle-earth, he was returned back. In addition, it is from this moment that he receives the name Gandalf White.
In this part of the epic, Gandalf manifests himself more as a warrior than as a wizard. Together with Aragorn and his comrades, he goes to Rohan and saves their king. He then helps the people of this kingdom fight the orcs of Saruman.
Having learned about the deed of the former head of the Order, the Ents help capture the people and the wizard Isengard. Captured, Saruman is expelled from the Order, and Gandalf the White becomes the head of the wizards in Middle-earth.
Gandalf in The Return of the King
After the victory of the people of Rohan over the forces of evil and deposition of Saruman, Gandalf realized that Sauron would try to recoup on Minas Tirith. Therefore, he is trying by all possible means to save the city from hordes of orcs, trolls and other similar creatures.
After the death of the leader of the army and the Nazguls of the sorcerer king Angmar Gandalf Bely, together with Aragorn, they decide to divert Sauron's attention to themselves, to give the hobbits a chance to destroy the Magic Ring. To do this, the heroes with the remaining army go to the Black Gate of Mordor and summon the hordes of Sauron to battle.
After the victory and destruction of the artifact, Gandalf the White crowns Aragorn.
A little later, making sure that his mission in this world was completed, he, together with the hobbits Frodo and Bilbo, as well as the elves Elrond and Galadriel, sailed from Middle-earth.
Sir Ian McKellen as Gandalf
After the release of The Hobbit and other Tolkien novels in the USA, they instantly became cult. Many film studios began to think about the film adaptation. However, for a long time it was believed that it was impossible to make a good film that reflects all aspects of the novels. That is why only “The Hobbit” was filmed mainly, and these were most often cartoons.
The efforts of Peter Jackson proved the opposite. One of the main roles - the wizard Gandalf, the director instructed the famous Shakespeare actor - Sir Ian McKellen.
The future actor was born, who played Gandalf, in 1939 in the UK. His family members were convinced Christians, but without fanaticism. Ian grew up in an atmosphere of care and attention.
For education, McKellen was sent to a closed school for boys - Bolton. Here he became interested in theater and decided to connect the future with him.
Having won a scholarship, Ian continued his studies at St. Catherine's College.
During his career, he played in almost all Shakespeare’s plays in the theater, as well as in several films based on the works of this playwright (Hamlet, King Lear, Richard III).
He began acting in films in the second half of the sixties, and he was given the main roles, both in the cinema and in television series. For his services in 1979 he became commander of the Order of the British Empire.
In the eighties, the artist’s career began to decline, but in the early nineties, he again gained popularity. The highest achievement for this period is the role of Richard III in the movie of the same name. McKellen often starred in box office films of this decade, though in small roles.
In 1997, he received the Golden Globe for his role in the television series Rasputin, and the next year he was nominated for an Oscar for the film Gods and Monsters.
The actor became truly world-famous in 2000, when he played the cult character of the comic book Magneto in X-Men, and later in all sequels.
In 2001, the movie “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” was released, where Ian became the actor who played Gandalf.
In subsequent years, the artist more than once returned to this role in various sequels. For the role of Gandalf, he was nominated for an Oscar for the second time, but did not receive an award.
Today, the actor continues to play in the theater, sometimes acting in films. In 2015, he played the role of Sherlock Holmes in a film about his old age. In 2016, Ian will again appear before the audience as the villain Magneto, and in 2017 a musical film with his participation “Beauty and the Beast” is due to be released.
Who voiced Gandalf
After the successful adaptation of Tolkien's works, video games dedicated to events in Middle-earth were released. The main game characters in them were the main characters of the epic and Gandalf White (Gray) among them. In all games, the main wizard of Middle-earth was voiced by Ian McKellen himself, the actor. Who played Gandalf in the movies - we now know for sure.
Gandalf’s Russian translation of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, as well as video games, was voiced by a wonderful dubbing artist, Rogvold Sukhoverko. However, due to illness in the Hobbit trilogy, the magician was already duplicated by another actor - Vasily Bochkarev.
A noteworthy fact: in the beginning of the 90s in Russia it was planned to make the cartoon “Treasures under the Mountain” based on the “The Hobbit”. Gandalf was preparing to voice Nikolai Karachentsov, some materials were even recorded. However, due to lack of funding, the project was closed.
The magical world of Middle-earth for more than half a century excites the imagination of readers, and now the audience. And all this thanks to the beautifully prescribed plot and, of course, unforgettable, bright characters. Not the last merit in this and the wizard Gandalf, who is the embodiment of wisdom, care and self-sacrifice in an epic.
The British actor Iain McKellen magnificently embodied this character on the screen in all films. I would like to hope that if another Tolkien's work, The Silmarillion, is screened, the audience will meet again with their favorite character performed by McKellen.