Position:Home>Books & Authors> What race are the wizards (like Gandalf) in Lord of the Rings.?

Gandolf was a Maiar!. In Tolkien mythology this corresponds roughly to an angel; he was considered the wisest of the angels!. All of the Wizards of Middle Earth were Maiar, which explained their longevity; they were in fact immortal, though they could be killed!.
The Maiar normally lived in Valinor, the home of the Valar (think archangels, or immortal beings not unlike the classical gods)!. They all in turn were ruled over by Iluvatar, the Creator of all!.
Creatures like the Balrogs and Sauron were also originally Maiar, who followed the renegade Melkor when he rebelled against Iluvitar and the Valar!. The Tolkien story of Creation runs parallel to the classic Christian version, including the rebellion by some of the first immortal creatures created by Iluvitar/God!. Check out the Simarillion for Tolkein's history of the first Two ages of the world!. It's not the easiest reading, but it's divided into enough smaller stories that you don't have to read the whole thing to get a lot of understanding about the world of Middle Earth and its history!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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The wizards are a special race unto themselves in Lord of the Rings!. The odd things is (and Tolkien seems unaware of this) there are no females! There are elves as another race, dwarves as another distinct race, hobbits as another distinct race, humans as yet another distinct race, and then the ents -- those tree-herders -- who are still another race!. It's getting very crowded out there, isn't it!? Of course, we haven't even begun to consider all the nasty things, which have all sorts of races, too!. Tolkien doesn't really get into the question of whether there was cross-breeding, but he does mention somewhere (I forget, maybe it was a footnote) that the original orcs were really elves and they were tortured into being orcs, so evidently nasty experiences turn nice critters into nasty ones!. So maybe this race business isn't all that permanent!. There's very little sex in these books, so it's hard to tell how they reproduce, really, but it's fun to speculate!. Dwarf women are said to have beards, just like the men, so maybe all the females are rather mannish!.!.!. and then that icky wickard who turns bad creates a whole new race, stirring them up like pudding in his cauldrons, so apparently raciness can be cooked, too!. I think Tolkien was a little disturbed by the nastiness going in his world when he was writing all this, so maybe we shouldn't think about it too hard!.!.!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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Gandalf was an Istar!. Istari were Maiar spirits, who descended to Arda!. They were sent to aid the Free Peoples of Middle-earth against the return and rise of Sauron!. Istari were hand-picked by the Valar, the fourteen powerful spirits of the Ainur race!. The Istari (Men called them wizards) took the form of Men but can possess much more greater physical and mental power than a normal man!.
For over 2000 years, Gandalf the Grey took the form of Man, or humans and he worked against the rising evil powers of Sauron in Middle-earth!.

:DWww@QuestionHome@Com

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The wizards are also called Istari!. Even though they look like men they are much more powerful creatures!. They are one group of the Maia which includes creatures like the balrogs and Sauron!. They were put on middle-earth by the Valar (the gods)!. Their bodies can die but their spirits live on to maybe return like when Gandalf the Grey died and came back as Gandalf the White!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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Supposedly human (Kind of) I thought!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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most wizards are human, half elf, or elvish!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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I think they were of men!.!.!.I'm not sure though!.!.!.good question!Www@QuestionHome@Com

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