Tolkien’s world is full of some truly remarkable beings, which is what makes this epic fantasy one of the most popular series of books and films in modern day. From the elves who can dream whilst they wake and tread so lightly on snow that they don’t leave footprints, to the dwarves led by theirkings under the mountains, the races of Middle Earth are some of the most intriguing and alluring aspects of the books. But by far the most mysterious of these are the wizards.
Throughout Peter Jackson’s film adaptations of bothThe Hobbitand theLord of the Rings, the audience is introduced to 3 of the 5 famous wizards of the realm. The other two, known as the Blue Wizards, do not appear on-screen, but are thought to be down South in the lands of Harad,where the Oliphaunts come from. But of the 3 wizards the audience does meet, much can be learned.
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The lowest of the order is Radagast, is shown as a lover of nature, and a friend to all birds and beasts. His power is a combination ofpotions and tinctures, and of communication with the animals who live in the surrounding forest. He plays a key part in helping the White Council battle against the Necromancer, and has also been working for years to stave off the infestation of thegiant spiders who have over-taken Mirkwood. He is, above all, a gentle and peaceful being, who simply wants the conflict of the world to end so that his creatures can go back to living safely in their forest, and it can be cleared of the sickness that is making the plants die and the trees rot.
Of course, the most famous wizard of any of Tolkien’s works is Gandalf the Grey, who is in bothThe Hobbitand theLord of the Rings. There are a few things known about his powers, predominantly that his magic revolves around light and fire. He wears one of the elven rings of power, Narya, which is the ring of fire, which is both what makes him so good at his legendary fireworks, but also has several more practical elements, including when he throws the alight pine cones down at Azog the Defiler at the end of the firstHobbitfilm, and when he battles the Balrog in the Mine of Moria during theFellowship of the Ring. He also uses this light magic to rid King Theoden of Rohan from the poisonous clutches of Saruman, and toward off the Fell Beastsas the soldiers battle outside ofa crumbling Minas Tirith. Much is known about Gandalf and his wit, his love, and even his mercy, when others may have been more cruel.
The third wizard who the audience meets is Saruman the White, the highest of the order for many years, until the War of the Ring, at which point he is cast down due to his own folly and betrayal. But very little is shown in the films of what his actual powers are, and how they help him in almost achieving dominion for his own selfish purposes. Saruman’s power is that of influence, both in a political sense of his influence as the highest member of the council, but also in the sense of being able to have some control over other people’s will.
His powers, though subtle are targeted at both making himself and his appearance seem less threatening, so that he is underestimated, but at the same time contaminating the minds of others, and brainwashing them into doing his bidding. For example, when Gimli, Legolas and Aragorn first encounter the wizard, they see him at the very outskirts of Fangorn forest, as an old man in a tattered cloak. This is his way of looking vulnerable and like he can’t do much damage, but it is simply a ruse and a trick of the eyes so that he takes his opponents off guard when he does choose to strike. Gandalf informs the others “Saruman could look like me in your eyes, if it suited his purpose with you.”
This is very deadly combined with his other power, which is to be able to lull people in with his voice, and speak in a way in which he could make great armies bow down at his feet. Gandalf warns Pippin in Isengard, “Saruman has powers you do not guess. Beware of his voice!” Perhaps this is Saruman has been able to plot away at his evil plans for so long undetected, betraying and manipulating the lands around him, all whilst maintaining the guise of friendship.
Even in the ruins of Isengard, which was once beautiful but has now been tainted and destroyed in order to make his Uruk-hai army, Saruman is able to addressthe Riders of Rohanin a way that makes them want to follow him instead of Gandalf, despite everything that the good wizard has done for them. “Over their hearts crept a shadow, a fear of great danger: the end of the Mark in a darkness to which Gandalf was driving them, whilst Saruman stood beside a door of escape, holding it half-open so that a ray of light shone through.” In this way, Saruman presents himself as a saviour, and Gandalf as a fiend who will lead them to ruin, and is able to influence the emotions of everyone there. Unfortunately, one person he doesn’t seem able to sway is Wormtongue, who has had enough of all the deceptions and the cruelty and quicklybrings Saruman to a grisly end.
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