As a devoted fan of Middle-earth and all things Tolkien, I must say that the latest revelation about the Stranger’s identity in “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” has sent my heart racing! The hints dropped by the Stoor dialect, coupled with the connection between the Old Norse word for wand and Gandalf’s name, seems to be pointing towards our beloved Grey Wizard.
If you’ve watched the recent episode of “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” a particular term might have caught your attention. In one scene, Nori (Markella Kavenagh) and Poppy (Megan Richards), from the Harfoots, refer to their missing companion, the Stranger (Daniel Weyman), as colossal or gigantic. However, when Gundabale Earthauler (Tanya Moodie), the Stoor leader, hears this, she uses an unusual term, calling him a “Grand-Elf.” Since the Stoor language has a peculiar twist, it seems like Gundabale is almost saying “Gandalf,” which suggests that the beloved Istar hero, Gandalf, may be the mysterious stranger in the story.
It’s been debated since Season 1 who exactly the Stranger is, with some believing he could be Sauron (Charlie Vickers), while others favor the idea that he might be a younger version of Gandalf the Grey. In last week’s episode, “The Eagle and the Sceptre,” Nori hinted at this theory when she mentioned the Stranger’s potential staff as a “Gand.” This term derives from Old Norse, where “gandr” means “wand,” and is linked to Gandalf’s name, which translates to “wand elf.
In Season 2, the storyline revolves around the Stranger’s journey to master his mystical powers, aiming to channel them through a staff. We can expect some clear revelations on this matter soon. It’s becoming increasingly apparent that the character known as the Stranger is likely Gandalf, who has materialized in Middle-earth with the mission to counteract Sauron’s schemes – he may not be aware of it himself yet.
Who could the Stranger be other than Gandalf?
It’s entirely plausible that the Stranger isn’t just Gandalf, but could instead be one of the other Istari Wizards mentioned in J.R.R. Tolkien’s mythology. In addition to Gandalf, there were four other Istari: Saruman, Radagast, and two unnamed Blue Wizards, often referred to as Alatar and Pallando. Since Tolkien wrote less about the Blue Wizards, it has been suggested that the Stranger or even Ciarán Hinds’s Dark Wizard character could potentially be one of them. This idea is further supported by their similar journeys to the East and South, as hinted in the lore.
Another possibility is that this is a younger, more noble Saruman (a character Christopher Lee embodied in the famed “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy) before his eventual downfall. Saruman’s backstory shows that like Gandalf, he has a complex relationship with Hobbits, with the end of “The Return of the King” novel seeing him take over the Shire. But prior to his turn to evil, Saruman was eager to come to Middle-earth and aid creation against the forces of darkness. While Gandalf seems like the most likely Wizard to be chosen for this Lord of the Rings prequel, there is an argument to be made that, like Maxim Baldry’s Isildur, “The Rings of Power” could effectively work to redeem the fallen White Wizard — or at least embellish his backstory.
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2024-09-07 03:59