Order of the Istari

"There are five of us."

— Gandalf, to Bilbo Baggins, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

The Order of Istari, also known as the Five Wizards or simply Istari (tr. from Elvish "Wizards"), was a group of five Maiar sent as emissaries of the Valar to oppose Sauron.

The task of the Five Wizards was to help the Free Peoples against the Dark Lord, should he return, and rally those he would try to enslave. As lesser peers of Sauron himself, the Istari were forbidden from abusing their power and seeking dominion over Middle-earth. Clad in the bodies of old Men, each of the Five Wizards had his own staff and color (signifying rank). The Chief of the Order of the Istari was known as the White Wizard.

History[]

In the Third Age, the Powers came to fear that the threat the Dark Lord posed to the Free Peoples was not yet over. Thus, five Maiar - namely Saruman the White, Gandalf the Grey, Radagast the Brown and the two Blue Wizards - were chosen to form the Order of the Istari, and these would be sent to Middle-earth as emissaries of the Valar to oppose Sauron.

Arriving in Middle-earth, they were greeted at the Grey Havens. Though Saruman was the Chief of the Order of the Istari at this time, Círdan recognized Gandalf as the one destined to challenge Sauron's reign of terror and granted him Narya, an Elven Ring of Power. Indeed, Gandalf would soon rise as the chief of the resistance against Sauron, being humbly dedicated to aiding Men, Elves, Dwarves and Hobbits in need. Radagast chose to focus on the animals in Greenwood, where he made his dwelling, though he remained a faithful friend and ally of Gandalf. Of the Blue Wizards not much is known, save that they ventured eastwards. Saruman, however, became gnawed by envy of Gandalf and, overcome by a lust for power, sought instead to mold himself in Sauron's image and rule over Middle-earth.

By the Watchful Peace, Gandalf and Saruman were welcomed into the Council of the Wise, a group that strove to challenge Sauron's dominion over Middle-earth. Though Saruman became head of the White Council, Gandalf continued to effectively hold the duty of enemy of Sauron, somewhat in concert with Radagast. The Grey Pilgrim became concerned by the recent events and guessed the veiled Shadow to be the Dark Lord returned. Believing the Dragon Smaug could be entreatied by Sauron into an alliance, Gandalf set in motion the Quest of Erebor to prevent a union that could devastate Middle-earth. The Grey Pilgrim's efforts, shily supported by the Brown Wizard, deprived the Dark Lord of the fire-drake's fealty and weakened his northern army in the ensuing Battle of Five Armies.

Not long after the end of the Watchful Peace, Saruman chose to fully abandon his duty to the Free Peoples and became the vassal, or puppet, of Sauron. The corrupted Wizard believed he could jointly rule Middle-earth with his new lord, or supplant him to rule all himself. During the War of the Ring, Saruman built an army at Isengard to conquer Rohan for Sauron, while also making his own separate elite fighting force to try claim the One Ring first. Gandalf, on the other hand, stayed true to his task and formed a plan to withstand Sauron: a Fellowship would be formed to take the Ring to the place of its forging in Mordor and destroy it. At the end of the perilous journey through Moria, Gandalf sacrificed himself to cast down a Balrog of Morgoth and allow the company to move on. For ten days, Gandalf battled Durin's Bane until at last both of them fell mortally-wounded. But it was not the Grey Pilgrim's end: the One himself revived him as the new White Wizard and sent him back to complete his task in Middle-earth.

Rejoining his companions, the White Wizard moved to frustrate the Dark Lord's campaign. He guessed that, irked by rumors of the return of Isildur's heir, Sauron would use his puppet, Saruman, to cripple Rohan before besieging Gondor. By Gandalf's craft, the king of the Rohirrim, Théoden, was freed from Saruman's spell. Gandalf's invaluable help at Helm's Deep also turned the tide of battle in Rohan's favor and allowed the defeat of Isengard in spite of the overbearing numbers of the Uruk-hai. Gandalf later confronted Saruman, offering him the chance to redeem himself by revealing Sauron's plans. The corrupted Wizard refused, taunting him on his lord's imminent victory. For his defection to Sauron's service, Saruman had his staff broken by Gandalf - the turncoat had thus been cast out of the Order of the Istari. Saruman was shortly after backstabbed by his own mistreated footman, Gríma Wormtongue.

Meanwhile, Gandalf's old friend and ally, Radagast, had been taken captive on Sauron's command by the Great Spider Saenathra; Radagast's absence would have thus allowed Sauron's lieutenant, Agandaûr, to continue his campaign against Rivendell and the northern realms unhindered. However, the Brown Wizard was freed from the Spider-Queen's clutches by a trio of heroes. As gratitude, Radagast relayed to Eradan, Andriel and Farin the news from one of his bird messengers: Agandaûr was trying to bargain for an alliance with the Dragon Úrgost, promising Nordinbad as a reward.

Learning that Sauron would use his captain, the Witch-king of Angmar, to strike at Minas Tirith, Gandalf moved to mount Gondor's defense against Mordor's assault in the absence of the madness-driven Steward, Denethor. Under the White Wizard's command, the defenders held their ground for a time against the Witch-king, even while the walls were beleaguered by siege towers and the gates hit by battering rams. Even when the Great Gates fell to Grond, Gandalf bid the Gondorians stand fast against the wave of Olog-hai, Morannon Orcs and Easterlings before retreating to Minas Tirith's upper levels when they were overrun. Nonetheless, Gandalf's trust in Théoden and Aragorn yielded results: the joint efforts of the Rohirrim and the Dead Men of Dunharrow brought by Isildur's heir ensured victory. Hoping to get the Ring-bearer an opening to finish his quest, the White Wizard joined the Captains of the West in drawing the Dark Lord's gaze towards them. In the last hour of the War of the Ring, Gandalf's plan came to fruition: the Ring was destroyed in Orodruin and in that moment, Sauron was overthrown, his spirit sucked into the Void never to return. Having accomplished his task, that of contesting the Dark Lord's tyrannical hold over the world, the White Wizard was ready to return home in the far West. Together with the last Ring-bearers, Gandalf sailed on the last ship from the Grey Havens to Valinor.

Order of the Istari

Contents

History[]

Leaders[]

Members[]

Appearances[]