Wizard Ranking (question)

[stephkorrin]

OKAY so here's my question. In LOTR, to get from a blue wizard to a grey wizard, you have to read every tome. but what exactly is it that you have to do to become a white wizard? face your own death? That seems to be the only thing that gandalf did, and he became a white wizard. And saruman is a white wizard...so does that mean he had to face his death at some point as well? I have read the LOTR books, and The Hobbit, and still don't the answer to this.

[Lady_Imrahil]

stephkorrin

OKAY so here's my question. In LOTR, to get from a blue wizard to a grey wizard, you have to read every tome. but what exactly is it that you have to do to become a white wizard? face your own death? That seems to be the only thing that gandalf did, and he became a white wizard. And saruman is a white wizard...so does that mean he had to face his death at some point as well? I have read the LOTR books, and The Hobbit, and still don't the answer to this.

I don't know the answer for sure, though I bet you anything there is something official about this somewhere ...

I think that the colors don't necessarily have anything to do with ranking, per se. Saruman was the leader, and white is a very symbolic color. When he broke away, someone needed to take his place. With Radagast apparently "gone native" and the other two MIA, Gandalf was the one real candidate, especially after proving himself.

Gandalf is also symbolic of Christ Resurrected, and so taking on white goes hand in hand with that too.

I defer to anyone who knows more ... perhaps someone who has read the books published by Tolkien's son?

[jedinightwing]

The color's don't generally have to do with a "rank". Saruman was viewed as the head of their council as he was deemed the "wisest". Councils are pretty much democratic in nature (you select the person best qualified to "lead" wink .

There's really nothing written on the order of the Istari other than that they are of the Maiar (essentially demi-gods) and came from the "forgotten West" aka Valinor to Middle Earth at the beginning of the third age. Sauron is included among their numbers in The Silmarillion.

Only 5 wizards are named and only 3 of them come into the tales
1. Gandalf the Grey
2. Saruman the White
3. Radagast the Brown
4 & 5. Alatar and Pallando the Blue Wizards (mentioned once in either Book of Lost Tales or Unfinished Tales)

The colors are generally only symbolic of the color robes they wore for the most part.

[amazingbrazillianbeauty]

no. the movie had it right and nothing more, was to be exspected of that wizard. gandalf was just pure intensity and good. his virtue spoke for him. that's it.