The second season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is currently running on Amazon Prime Video, which, according to series creators JD Payne and Patrick McKay, will be Finale will reveal the mysterious wizard’s greatest secret: his nameBut maybe we don’t have to wait until the end of the season, because episode 4 may have already provided the answer. However, if you watch the fantasy series in German, you will not have noticed the clearest Gandalf reference so far.
The Istar must be Gandalf: Lord of the Rings Season 2 gives new clues
Who is the mysterious stranger who fell from the sky to Middle Earth as a meteorite? Lord of the Rings fans have been wondering this since the very first episode. The biggest revelation so far came in the finale of the first season, when Nori Brandyfoot’s magical companion (Daniel Weyman) was identified as an Istar, i.e. a wizard. But we never learned his name.
No, Doderich is definitely not his name. His connection to the Hobbit ancestors of the Harfeet, his magical abilities as well as a striking number of visual references and familiar-sounding quotes already gave many clues in season 1 that the stranger could be a young Gandalf. In season 2, there are now two more striking clues.
Gandalf clue number 1: In episode 2, Nori repeatedly states that the wizard has no control over his powers, as his “Gand” is missing. This of course refers to a magician’s staff. The fictional name Gand does not seem to have been chosen at random. The only thing missing here is the syllable “alf” at the end of the word.
A new Gandalf clue is hidden in the German version
Gandalf clue number 2: In episode 4, Nori and Magsame try to describe their absent companion after their arrival at the Starren. Leader Gundabale (Tanya Moodie) concludes that he is a “oversized Great Elbe“.
In the German translation, this name seems inconspicuous. In the original version, however, all alarm bells should immediately ring for Lord of the Rings fans. There, the name is “Grand-Elf“, which sounds suspiciously like G(r)andalf in its pronunciation.
With a little imagination, this designation could later be used to give the stranger an official name, perhaps given to him by the hare feet and stares. However, this would mean that The Rings of Power would change the origin of the name slightly.
In JRR Tolkien’s works, Gandalf is a name given to the Grey Wizard by the people. His original name in the Quenya language is Olórin. The Elves, however, called him Mithrandir (translated: grey wanderer). The name Gandalf is derived from Old Norse and loosely translated means something like “staff elf”The Great Elf derivation would therefore be a new origin story for Gandalf’s name.
Other possibilities: There are a total of 5 wizard candidates
We will find out in the finale of season 2 at the latest whether the stranger is actually given the name Gandalf or whether the showrunners have led us on a completely wrong track. However, in the first season, the not very subtle “Half-Eyed is Sauron” clues also led attentive fans on exactly the right path to the puzzle. If the Istar is not Gandalf, then who is he?
You can hear more about season 2 of the Lord of the Rings series in the podcast:
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In short, the Istari are a group of higher beings from Tolkien lore. They belong to the so-called Maiar species. A total of five of them were sent to Middle Earth by the Valar as wizards. We have already met three of them in the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit films: Gandalf, Saruman and Radagast as Grey, White and Brown Wizards. In the literary original there are also the two blue wizardsAlatar and Pallando.
The nameless Istar is not the only wizard in The Rings of Power Season 2 who keeps us guessing. The Dark Wizard of Rhûn has not yet received an official name either. However, the striking similarities to Saruman could already be a clue as to who the Irish actor Ciarán Hinds is actually portraying.
Especially considering the larger story of the Lord of the Rings series, which is planned to span five seasons, it would make sense for important characters like Gandalf and Saruman to be given a backstory now.