The Istari

[Turgon_of_Gondolin]

Were the Istari only Gandalf, Saruman, Radagast and the Blue wizards, or was that the name of all the Maiar that went to Middle Earth?
thanx in advance smilies/wink.gif smilies/tongue.gif

[Arwen Imladris]

I'm not sure, but I think that the istari only include the 5 wizards.

[Bruce MacCulloch]

Istari only refers to those Maiar that were known as Wizards in the Third Age.
Wizard is a translation of Quenya istar (Sindarin ithron): one of the members of an "order" (as they call it), claiming to possess, and exhibiting, eminent knowledge of the history and nature the World. The translation (through suitable in its relation to "wise" and other ancient words of knowing, similar to that of istar in Quenya) is not perhaps happy, since the Heren Istarion or "Order of Wizards" was quite distinct from "wizards" and "magicians" of later legend; they belonged solely to the Third Age and then departed, and none save maybe Elrond, Círdan and Galadriel discovered of what kind they were or whence they came.Unfinished Tales, "The Istari"

[lathspell]

Their are three istari mentioned in the LotR: Radagast, Saruman and Gandalf. But their is said to be five istari in the lands of ME. The others two are Palando and Alatar and their colours are blue and red although i do not know which color belongs to who.

[VanimaEdhel]

Do they have any stories with the other two wizards in any other Tolkien books?

[Saruman38]

Nope!

[zifnab]

Vanima: The Blue Wizards(no red) Pallando
and Alatar, are never really spoken about, all knowledge is pretty much rumors.

Oromë sent Alatar, and Alatar brought Pallando as a friend to M-E. But Mandos and Neinne may have sent Pallando. It gets confusing.

Of the Blue little was known in the West, and they had no names save Ithryn Luin "the Blue Wizards;" for they passed into the East with Curunír, but they never returned, and whether they remained in the East, pursuing there the purposes for which they were sent; or perished; or as some hold were ensnared by Sauron and became his servants, is not now known.

In a letter written in 1958 my father(J.R.R.Tolkien)said that he knew nothing clearly about "the other two," (meaning the Blue Wizards) since they were not concerned in the history oh the North-west of Middle-earth. "I think," he wrote, "they went as emissaries to distant regions, East and South, far out of Numenorean range: missionaries to enemy-occupied lands, as it were. What success they had I do not know; but I fear that they failed, as Saruman did, though doubtless in different ways; and I suspect they were founders or beginners of secret cults and 'magic' traditions that outlasted the fall of Sauron."

[Joy]

Saruman the Jester, Mae Govannan. Elen sila lumenn' omentielvo. (Well met. A star shines on the hour of our meeting.) Welcome to the Barrow-Downs. Post often.

[Orodhromeus]

Joy, doy you copy & paste this one post?

[insert name here], Mae Govannan. Elen sila lumenn' omentielvo. (Well met. A star shines on the hour of our meeting.) Welcome to the Barrow-Downs. Post often.

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[ April 02, 2002: Message edited by: Orodhromeus ]