Gandalf is one of the most important characters in The Lord of the Rings franchise, yet there are still several things about him—and wizards in general—that make very little sense. Gandalf, along with all the members of the fellowship and various others, was introduced on screen in the original Lord of the Rings trilogy. However, unlike many other characters in those movies, Gandalf went on to play a key role in several other movies and shows within the franchise.
The character’s first return came in all three movies based on The Hobbit, and he is currently confirmed to be in the upcoming movie The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum as well. It has also been revealed that in Prime Video’s ongoing series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, the Stranger is actually Gandalf. Despite all of those on-screen appearances, however, these 5 things about Gandalf still don’t make much sense.
5) Gandalf Couldn’t Figure Out The Riddle To Enter The Mines Of Moria
Although a relatively minor detail, one of the first things that didn’t make sense about Gandalf in the original trilogy was his inability to solve the riddle in order to enter the Mines of Moria in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. The riddle was, “Speak friend and enter.” When Frodo asked what that meant, Gandalf explained that it was simple; if you wanted a friend, you needed to speak the password, and the doors would open. However, Frodo figured out that it was actually asking for the Elvish word for friend, “Mellon.”
At that point in the story, Gandalf had already been established as a wise and worldly character, who theoretically should have had no trouble solving this (relatively straightforward, to be honest) riddle. In fairness, Gandalf had already made it clear that he didn’t want to enter the mines, so some in the fanbase believe he was intentionally pretending not to know. In the film, that doesn’t seem to be the case, though; the wizard appeared genuinely stumped, which was rather out of character.
4) Gandalf Didn’t Use Much Magic In Return Of The King
Image via New Line Cinema
After Gandalf’s apparent death in The Fellowship of the Ring, he returns in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers no longer as Gandalf the Grey but as the even more powerful Gandalf the White. That transitioned marked a significant upgrade in Gandalf’s abilities; in fact, White Wizard was the highest rank of wizards in The Lord of the Rings. Despite that power, when it came time for the epic showdown in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Gandalf actually used surprisingly few magic powers.
It’s true that his staff was destroyed by the Witch-King of Angmar during the Battle of Gondor, and that certainly limited him to a degree. However, Gandalf didn’t need his staff to do magic; he could still have tapped into his powers without it during that battle and during the one that followed at the Black Gate of Mordor. Surely these battles were the time that such power would have been most important, as everything throughout the three movies boiled down to them.
3) Gandalf Wasn’t As Concerned As He Should Have Been About Bilbo’s Ring
Bilbo Baggins acquires the One Ring during the events of The Hobbit, and by the beginning of The Fellowship of the Ring 60 years later, he still has it. While Gandalf didn’t know that Bilbo had found the One Ring, he did know that he had found a magic ring. However, it isn’t until The Fellowship of the Ring that Gandalf becomes truly worried and begins digging into the history of the One Ring and its power.
While he can’t be faulted for not suspecting this was the One Ring, as that would have seemed impossible, it’s odd that he wasn’t more concerned. After all, again, Gandalf was known for being an exceptionally intelligent and perceptive wizard. Presumably, knowing that Bilbo had found a magic ring under suspicious circumstances should have meant at least a few alarm bells for the wizard. It will be interesting to see how The Hunt for Gollum addresses this, if at all, given that is the cause for the titular ‘hunt.’
2) Gandalf Used A Moth To Call The Eagles
Image Courtesy of New Line Cinema
Although much has been said of the eagles in The Return of the King, specifically regarding why Gandalf didn’t just use them to bring the One Ring to Mordor in the first place, that so-called plot hole actually make sense. For many reasons, not the least of which was the fact that Sauron almost certainly would have seen them coming with his massive eyeball, it wouldn’t have worked to simply have the eagles fly someone with the One Ring into Mordor. Even so, there is a very odd moment with the eagles in The Fellowship of the Ring.
Namely, when Gandalf has been captured by Saruman, he speaks to a moth to get the eagles to rescue him. Granted, Gandalf has magic, so it can arguably be chalked up to that, although that’s a bit of a blanket rationale that still doesn’t really explain how that worked. It’s worth noting, too, that the moth is an invention of the movies; in the books, it’s another wizard who has the eagles rescue Gandalf—and he doesn’t use a moth.
1) Wizards Were Meant To Be Guides Only, But Gandalf Was Much More
Finally, the most significant thing that doesn’t make sense about Gandalf is his level of involvement. In the Lord of the Rings books, it’s established that wizards were sent to Middle-earth to be guides only. Yet, Gandalf went far, far beyond that directive, especially when it came to Frodo. In The Fellowship of the Ring alone, Frodo is incredibly hesitant to leave the Shire, and Gandalf essentially tells him it’s the only way.
Yes, it makes sense for Gandalf to feel the need to become more involved, considering that all of Middle-earth was in danger from Sauron’s return. Even with that in mind, though, wizards were meant to have a very specific role, and it’s clear that Gandalf went well beyond that throughout the original trilogy.
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