InThe Hobbit, Gandalf forgot the names of the Blue Wizards somewhat mysteriously, and there is a canonical explanation for this.Lord of the Rings’Blue Wizardswere the most mysterious of the Istari - or Wizards, as they are known in Quenya. The other Istari are Gandalf, Saruman, and Radagast, who each got a decent role in Warner Bros.‘Lord of the Ringsmovie franchise. Peter Jackson portrayed Gandalf and Saruman with reasonable faithfulness, whereas Radagast’s role inThe Hobbitwas full of original material. So, it may not be clear to casual fans why the Blue Wizards got slighted.
The Istari, as they are known inLord of the Rings’Elvish language of Quenya, were sent by the Valar to Middle-earth to oppose Sauron. These demigods were below no one in Middle-earth in power other than the One god, Eru Ilúvatar. So, the Istari were very high up in Middle-earth’s chain of command. This truly begs the question of why one of them would have forgotten something as important as the name of one of the few others of their order. But there were both behind-the-scenes and narrative reasons explaining this bizarre moment inThe Hobbit.
The Istari’s Arrival In Middle-earth Could Explain Gandalf Forgetting The Blue Wizards
The Istari Were Not Normal Maiar In Lord Of The Rings
The Lord of the Rings’Istarihad hazy memories of their former lives in Aman and the Timeless Halls, explaining whyGandalf may have forgotten the names of both Blue Wizards. The Istari were all Maiar like Sauron, the order of Ainur below the Valar. These supernatural beings were truly immortal and spirit beings innately, communicating by thought naturally and only assuming bodies if they had to. This came with the obvious powers of invisibility, teleportation, and flying, with all Ainur able to shapeshift unless they became somehow bound to their body. The Istari were bound, their native power reduced.
How The Valar & Maiar Are Different In The Lord Of The Rings Explained
In J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, the Valar and the Maiar have a mysterious presence and the difference between the two is often confused.
Unfinished Talesexplains how the Istari had “bodies as of Men, real and not feigned,” indicating the very close approximation these bodies had to human ones. They were not quite human, since they aged incredibly slowly and remained “hale” (spritely) despite their biological old age. However, these compromised Maiar - inhibited so as not to encourage the kind of worshipLord of the Rings’Sauronrequested - could only process whatever their humanized brains were capable of. Plus,“all memory of… former life… passed” through an interval between embodimentsin Middle-earth, “and… must, therefore, be re-clothed.”
The BTS Reason Gandalf Forgot The Blue Wizards’ Names
Gandalf’s Foggy Memory Was Very Convenient For Peter Jackson
Peter Jackson’sHobbitandLord of the Ringsmoviesdid not have the rights to use the name of the Blue Wizards invented by the pioneering British fantasy author that wrote the source material, J.R.R. Tolkien. That may be fair.Tolkien only went into these names in various drafts of an incomplete nature, which were nonetheless published inUnfinished Tales. Although fascinating, it wasn’t totally clear how Tolkien would have chosen to fit these into his story had he lived a few more years and worked through them. So, Peter Jackson had Gandalf forget their names rather than use them.
Unfinished Taleswas published in 1980.
The Blue Wizards were called Alatar and Pallando in one of Tolkien’s drafts about them, and Morinehtar and Rómestámo in another. Tolkien clearly hadn’t decided what to call the Blue Wizards. For the Tolkien Estate to give the rights out to this material would enable filmmakers to make this decision for him. Amazon Prime Video’sThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Powerhas been awarded one-off rights to parts of texts other thanLotRandThe Hobbit, but Warner Bros, to this date, has not. Instead, PeterJackson played on Tolkien’s rich Istari lore to support his movie.
LotR Could Be About To Add To The Blue Wizards' Story
The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power May Explore The Blue Wizards
While the Istari were fated to forget some of their past, resulting in the Blue Wizards going unnamed in theHobbitmovies, the same may not apply toThe Rings of Powerseason 3.Amazon’sLord of the RingsTV show introduced the Dark Wizard in season 2as an original character that was revealed as an Istar. Since the show confirmed that the Stranger was Gandalf, the Dark Wizard is one of the other four. Showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay discussed the identity of the Dark Wizard in aRedditQ&A, hinting that he is likely a Blue Wizard:
We have no plans or intention to have him be Saruman. We are not thinking of him as Saruman. We know there are five wizards talked about inThe Lord of the Rings. One of them is Saruman, one of them is Gandalf, one of them is Radagast, and then there are two others. It is our expectation that he will be one of those two others.
The showrunners were responding to the rumor circulating that the Dark Wizard was Saruman, which would have made no sense, as explained by the showrunners in the Q&A. This means that viewers got a sneak peek into the likeliest scenario facing the show’s third season, which will probably confirm the identity of the Istar. With original character Halbrand revealed as Sauron inThe Rings of Powerseason 1 finaleand the original Stranger character confirmed to be Gandalf in the season 2 finale,it stands to reason for the Dark Wizard’s identity to be unveiled in the season 3 finale.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Powerhas been awarded one-off rights to parts of texts other thanLotRandThe Hobbit.
The Dark Wizard has not been named thus far in the show, demonstrating that it doesn’t need rights to the Blue Wizards' names to tell its story. Nonetheless, it may utilize its good relationship with the Tolkien Estate to get one-off rights to one of the Blue Wizards' names to facilitate the Dark Wizard’s identity reveal. There are other creative solutions to the rights dilemma -the show could easily invent another nickname for the wizardthat riffs off his Blue Wizard status. Either way,Rings of Powerwill likely build on the Blue Wizard story thatThe Hobbitstarted telling.
The Hobbit
The Hobbitfilm series is a fantasy adventure trilogy directed by Peter Jackson, based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s novelThe Hobbit. Set 60 years beforeThe Lord of the Rings, the films follow Bilbo Baggins' quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from the dragon Smaug. The series grossed nearly $3 billion worldwide and is known for its elaborate visuals and epic storytelling.
