Warning! This article contains spoilers for The rings of power Season 2, Episode 4!
A little moment in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Can confirm that the stranger is Gandalf and he explains how the wizard got his name. While last season laid the groundwork for a big Stranger-Gandalf reveal, the first four episodes of the next installment have continued to beat around the bush. Still, the hints are pretty deep, and it seems only a matter of time before the alien is officially revealed to be “The Lord of the Rings” Most iconic wizard. In the meantime, Nori must first find a suitable name, and it looks like she may have at least found her inspiration.
While the Gray Wizard is commonly called Gandalf in The Lord of the RingsThis is far from his only name. Back when he was a shapeshifting Maia living in Valinor, he was known as Olorin, so this could technically be considered his Real Name. Still, he was known by dozens of others in Middle-earth. Mithrandir, Incánus, Old Greybeard and Stormcrow are just a few beings from Middle-earth placed on the Istar. The name Gandalf originally came from humans and literally translates to “Stick eleven.” however, Rings of power May have found a different (and quite suitable) source.
The alien is called “Grand-Eleven” by the stars in Rings of Power Season 2
The storied leader gave the stranger an interesting nickname
in the rings of power, Season 2, Episode 4 Nori and Poppy find a community of halflings in Rhûn called the Storrs. It was finally discovered that the Harfoots were originally also stores, but that one of their number was split in search of a new haven for their people. As Nori learned this, the leader, Gundabel, started with Harfoot’s giant companions. She called him A “Great great Grand-Eleven“– a title that sounds a lot like “Gandalf.”
How “Grand-Elf” could very easily become “Gandalf”
Gandalf the “Wanded Elf” may come from the Stores’ nickname
Before the stranger and Nori were separated, Harfoot tried to think of a name for her companion. She made a number of suggestions, but none of them felt right to Easter, who said he would know his proper title when he heard it. Although Norrie didn’t react much when Gundbel said “Grand-Eleven“, this could easily be a phrase that sticks in her mind. Until she is reunited with the stranger, She may have come to the conclusion that the slightly alteredGandalf“Has a nice ring to it.
The original meaning of Gandalf’s name may come into play here as well. Part of the stranger’s journey in The rings of power Season 2 is to find a wizard’s staff Since then it has been a prevalent feature in his dreams and visions. It can be assumed that when he leaves Tom Bombadil’s house (where he is meant to receive magic lessons), he will finally have his designated staff – essentially a magic wand. He would indeed be the “level eleven” To the people and stores in Rhûn. Combined with the double meaning of grand-elf, this is a perfectly fitting origin story for the wizard’s common name.
The Stores giving Gandalf his name would make a lot of sense
This only strengthens the bond between Gandalf and Hobbits
None of this is how Tolkien wrote things, of course; The fact that the stranger is likely to be Gandalf is already controversial since the wizard did not come to Middle-earth until the Third Age in the Lord of the Rings Canon. What’s more, Gandalf notably met the Hobbits once they had settled near the Shire during the long winter. Still, the nature of Rings of powerThe change works quite well with Gandalf’s continued story. If the stranger is truly Gandalf, it makes sense that the first beings to show him kindness and compassion – and to give him his name – would be ancestors of the hobbits.
Gandalf, whose divine task it was to gently lead the world against Sauron, noticed the potential of hobbits and hand-picked them to take part in Middle-earth’s destiny.
Gandalf was the only being in Middle-earth to pay hobbits any real attention. Sauron completely overlooked their existence, and heroes of elves and men led no previous fights against evil. However, Gandalf, whose divine task it was to gently lead the world against Sauron, noticed the potential of hobbits and hand-picked them to take part in Middle-earth’s destiny. He saw the strength in the small, and Rings of power Give an explanation for why this might have been. It may not be canon, however The idea that Storrs gave Gandalf his name is too poetic to ignore.