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Old 08-26-2013, 05:45 AM   #6
Legate of Amon Lanc
A Voice That Gainsayeth
 
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Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: In that far land beyond the Sea
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Legate of Amon Lanc is spying on the Black Gate.Legate of Amon Lanc is spying on the Black Gate.Legate of Amon Lanc is spying on the Black Gate.Legate of Amon Lanc is spying on the Black Gate.Legate of Amon Lanc is spying on the Black Gate.Legate of Amon Lanc is spying on the Black Gate.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zigūr View Post
Saruman's hair and beard were black when he came to Middle-earth and slowly turned white over the millennia: "His hair and beard were white, but strands of black still showed about his lips and ears." ("The Voice of Saruman")

Frodo also muses upon how much older Gandalf looks when he returns after the nine year gap between his last visit and his final visit to Bag End.

So I think it's fair to say that while the Wizards already looked somewhat old when they arrived, they visibly aged over the course of their time in Middle-earth, albeit incredibly slowly considering how long they were around.
Basically this - I would imagine the Istari originally looking like men, say, in their fifties, and then eventually turning into old men. The descriptions in the Istari essay sort of seem to conjure such an image.
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