‘Gandalf itself means ‘wand elf’ in the common tongue, and due to his unusual magical powers, and his wisdom that stems from eons of Middle Earth, he was thought to be an elf, one of the immortal race. However, he is in fact a Maia, a spirit that came across from the Blessed Lands.

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The most common name he is given, and the one that the audience first learns of him is ‘Gandalf the Grey’ which is a symbol of his status as the second-highest in the Order of Wizards. It is from his knowledge as a wizard that his joy in making fireworks, and his glowing staff come from. When Gandalf falls at the hands of the Balrog after the fight in the Mines of Moria, the elves sing a lament to him in Lothlorien, and in the song is the words ‘O Pilgrim Grey’ which comes from him having been a wanderer, who could be spotted from miles away by his pointed grey hat. He is also subsequently called Greyhame, as ‘hame’ means ‘cloak’, and refers to the color he garbs himself in.

When he has come back to Middle Earth after death, he is reunited with the other members of the fellowship in Fangorn Forest. Here he introduces himself as ‘Gandalf the White’ after momentarily forgetting his identity. There is a lot of symbolism within this change in color, starting with the fact that Saruman is now the enemy, so Gandalf has taken his place as the highest of the wizards, proving that there must always be a balance between the powers of good and evil. It is also significant to mention that Tolkien was a very religious man, and so he chose white as the color of purity for the color that Gandalf would return in after death. This could be interpreted with religious connotations as being similar to the rebirth of Christ, who died to save the sins of others, just as Gandalf died to save the other members of the fellowship.

He is known as Tharkun by the dwarves, which has a similar meaning to Gandalf. It is directly translated to ‘Staff-man’ in Khuzdul, the ancient language of the dwarves. Although little is known about the language, as it is one of the lesser developed of Tolkien’s creations, the audience has heard some fleeting examples of its use, including in the dwarf Bifur, who is shown in The Hobbit films to only speak in the old tongue, and not in the common tongue. It is also uttered by Gimli when he insults the elves of Lothlorien when they try to blindfold him upon entering their lands. The elves also have their own name for the wizard, which is Mithrandir, meaning ‘My friend.’ Gandalf has long had many alliances with many different races and is known to most of Middle Earth as a wise and kindly soul who is a fierce ally against the evil powers of the world.

However, he is named Storm-crow by his enemies, which is interesting because he is referred to under this name by Theoden the king of Rohan, when he goes to the great hall of Edoras to bring news of the war in surrounding lands. It is clear that the king is not well, he is shriveled and old before his time, and he has the poisonous Grima Wormtongue whispering evil things into his ear. Wormtongue, who is doing the bidding of Saruman in exchange for being given ownership and domination of Eowyn, the king’s niece, has clearly infested the king’s mind, and planted the idea that Gandalf is an enemy, hence why he is referred to as ‘Stormcrow.’

The most literal translation of this is that whenever Gandalf comes to visit, he brings a ‘storm of crows’ with him as the saying goes, meaning that he is always stirring up trouble, and that he only comes calling when he has bad news to tell. This is also implied when he visits Denethor the Steward of Gondor, who is also displeased to see the old wizard and hear his tidings. However, it seems an odd name to many Lord of the Rings fans, because Saruman uses a literal cloud of crow-like creatures, his flying spies the Crebain of Dunland, to keep an eye on his targets, so this feels as though it would be a far more fitting name for him than the gentle Gandalf.

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