The Five Wizards

[Cut]

I can't get together all the names...

Gandalf, the Grey (later on Gandalf, The White)
Saruman, The White

Radagast, the ???

and two more missing.

Were they given names?

[rejo]

I don't rightly know if any other names were given to them, but in Unfinished Tales they are given Maiar names: Alatar and Pallando. They were both messengers of Orome.

[Sarge]

Radagast the Brown.

[Jason Durall]

Alatar and Pallando were also both Blue Wizards, though it is unknown if there was a distinction between their colors - like sea-blue and sky-blue, for example.

[Cut]

OK, Thank you guys.

[Scottomir]

Yeah, the "Unfinished Tales" does give us some more insights into the Five Wizards. Saruman (his Valinorean name was Curumo) volunteered first to come to Middle-earth, and he was chosen by Aule the Smith. Orome the Hunter chose Alatar to go to Middle-earth, and Alatar apparently only agreed if he could take along his friend Pallando. Manwe the Elder-king himself then ordered Gandalf (his Valinorean name was Olorin) to go as the "third" Istari, but Varda the Star-lady said, "Not as the third" (presumably she perceived Olorin's worth and knew that he would eventually become first in the order). Yavanna then showed up and whined until Curumo agreed to take along Radagast (his Valinorean name is Aiwendil). In the source essay for The Istari chapter in "Unfinished Tales", the total number of the Istari is said to be unknown; however, their "chiefs" (presumably the ones specifically chosen by certain Valar) are explicitly stated at five. The Istari did not all show up at Middle-earth together or at the same time: Saruman arrived first, and the other Wizards trickled into Middle-earth on their own at later times.

In case you're interested, the two "Blue Wizards" (Ithryn Luin) apparently never acquired Middle-earth names of their own (unlike Gandalf, who collected more names than he could count). At some point the Blue Wizards went off to the Far East like Saruman (although whether they went with Saruman, pursued Saruman, or were pursued by Saruman is unclear), but unlike Saruman they never returned to the West. In one of his letters, I believe, Tolkien made briefly reference to the Blue Wizards and stated that he suspected they failed in their mission and succumbed to corruption like Radagast and Saruman; Tolkien added that he thought cults of magicians among Men could have originated from those taught by Pallando and Alatar in Rhun.

[GandalfOfBorg]

Pallando actually was a Mair of Mandos, not Alatar.

[Cut]

If I understand you correctly, than Radagast fell to the shadow as well? I think to recall that he is mentioned once in the LotR meeting with Gandalf at some point. But I didn't think he was on Sarumans side?! This would mean, that Gandalf was the only of the Istari that faced down Sauron and Saruman and the other either aided the Shadow or kept out of the struggle? Don't have a copy of "unfinished Tales" at hand right now, so I can't look things up myself.

[Grimbeorn]

It wasn't so much that he fell to the shadow just lost interest in what he had been sent to do (help the free peoples of middle earth defend against the shadow), he became more interested in the birds and animals of middle earth rather than the men, elves and dwarves.

[Cut]

I see...So there is no use trying to have a group of players having adventures with Radagast or one of the other Wizards. I had thought about one of them choosing my PCs to help him with some quest...Perhaps one involving mistreated animals would do...

[Ineti]

Originally posted by Cut
I see...So there is no use trying to have a group of players having adventures with Radagast or one of the other Wizards. I had thought about one of them choosing my PCs to help him with some quest...Perhaps one involving mistreated animals would do...

So go for it! Nothing stopping you.

In my Fourth Age game, Radagast works with the heroes from time to time.

I'm using at least one of the two Blue Wizards as the main adversary in the game. Not sure about the second, but one definitely.

Tolkien left their fates pretty vague, so I say do what you like.

[Scottomir]

Originally posted by GandalfOfBorg
Pallando actually was a Mair of Mandos, not Alatar.

Check out "Unfinished Tales" p. 393: "There are here also some rough tables relating the names of the Istari to the names of the Valar: Olorin to Manwe and Varda, Curumo to Aule, Aiwendil to Yavanna, Alatar to Orome, and also Pallando to Orome (but this replaces Pallando to Mandos and Nienna)."

So originally Tolkien conceived of Pallando as chosen by the Sibling Valar, but changed his mind in the end. So I think you could use the Blue Wizards either way in your chronicles--with Pallando either as Alatar's side-kick or as the representative of Prophetic Mandos and Patient Nienna.

[Scottomir]

Originally posted by Cut
I see...So there is no use trying to have a group of players having adventures with Radagast or one of the other Wizards. I had thought about one of them choosing my PCs to help him with some quest...Perhaps one involving mistreated animals would do...

Well, your suggestion certainly would be a good one for Radagast! "The forest is on fire, help me put it out." But Radagast wasn't always a tree-hugging loner. If you set your chronicle early enough, he could very well be active.

Certainly Beorn was familiar with him in 2941 TA, suggesting that Radagast was still living among the Wood-men of Mirkwood and the Men of Carrock (and possibly the Men of the Anduin Vales). Also, Tolkien states a few times in his timeline that the White Council or the Wise met and did such-and-such. Radagast is never specifically excluded. In fact, it would be a small group indeed if Radagast were not involved. Furthermore, in 2941 TA Gandalf left Thorin's expedition for quite a few weeks. He later revealed that he had met up with his Order of White Wizards to drive the Necromancer from Mirkwood. Given that we know Pallando and Alatar were long gone by that point, are we to believe it was only Saruman and Gandalf? It would make sense that Radagast was very much involved in purging that evil from his beloved forest. However, it is very likely that once that was accomplished Radagast considered his work done. He clearly was not interested in helping Gandalf in the war against Sauron, though Gandalf did not ask him. Obviously Gandalf still considered Radagast at somewhat somewhat involved in protecting Middle-earth, for that his why he obeyed Radagast's message to rush to Saruman at Orthanc. Saruman clearly never had any respect for Radagast, but Gandalf obviously did: enough respect to "drop" his name when meeting Beorn, and enough to trust the message Radagast gave to him.

[sooth]

I don't believe Tolkien had made up his mind as to whether Radagast "failed" in his mission. Gandalf is the only one of the 5 to return to Valinor.

But there is some speculation that since Radagast was sent by Yavanna that his mission was more to preserve the creatures and plants of Middle Earth and to where possible persuade them to help in the struggle against Sauron. This he certainly did. Otherwise Gandalf would never have escaped from Orthanc which might have doomed the Fellowship since they would have been forced to face the Balrog without him.

It is possible that Radagast's mission continued into the Fourth Age. Saruman calling Radagast the "birdtamer" may have been a true reflection of his slightly different mission as well as a term of abuse.

Sooth

[Janus]

Just a small titbit of information, it seems that the names Pallando and Alatar were discarded later by Tolkien (he often changed the names of his characters), as far as I know their later names were Morinethar and Rómestámo; “Darkness-slayer” and”East-helper.” As can be seen in HoME, vol.12