Warning! This article contains spoilers for The Rings of Power season 2.
The Rings of Poweris making Gandalf a more powerful wizard thanks to Middle-earth’s Hobbits, an apt storytelling technique. InThe Rings of Powerseason 2’s ending, one of the show’s biggest theories was finally confirmed. After two seasons of hints and references,The Stranger’s identity was confirmed as Gandalfwith Daniel Weyman’s mysterious wizard finally revealed as the iconicLord of the Ringscharacter.
For two seasons now, Gandalf has been searching for his purpose and identity in Middle-earth, primarily accompanied byThe Rings of Power’s castmembers of a Hobbit persuasion. Be it Nori Brandyfoot, Poppy Proudfellow, orThe Rings of Powerseason 2’s Stoors, the show has been outlining Gandalf’s earliest history with Hobbits, explaining his fondness for them in the Third Age. To make this storyline even more heartwarming, Gandalf has been made actively more powerful by the Hobbits as he truly finds his potential and destiny in Middle-earth.
Gandalf’s Staff In The Rings Of Power Comes From The Stoors' Tree
The Grey Wizard Found His Staff Among The Stoor Village
The way in which Gandalf was made more powerful by the Hobibits was through his staff.Gandalf’s staff inThe Rings of Powerseason 2has been a big focus, with the wizard’s earliest visions hinting that he needs to find it in the lands of Rhûn. After all, a staff is a defining trait of one ofThe Lord of the Rings’Istari, andThe Rings of Powerseason 2 ended with Gandalf finding his.
All 5 Wizards/Istari In Lord Of The Rings Explained
In Lord of the Rings, and all of Tolkien lore, there were five Wizards that came from Valinor to help the peoples of Middle-Earth defeat Sauron.
Gandalf’s staff was found shortly after his confrontation with the Dark Wizard, who captured Nori and Poppy to lure the good wizard out of hiding. After destroying the village of the Stoors, the Dark Wizard departed, leaving Gandalf to sort through the wreckage alongside the Halflings. Eventually,he comes across his staff: a broken branch from the tree in the Stoors' village. With finding the staff being the next step in unlocking Gandalf’s wizard potential, the Hobbits have made the wandering Istari more powerful, albeit indirectly.
The Rings Of Power’s Hobbits Making Gandalf More Powerful Is Apt, Knowing LOTR’s Story
Gandalf & The Hobbits Have A Strong Connection
Thanks to the knowledge ofThe Lord of the Rings’timeline,The Rings of Power’s trick of having the Hobbits make Gandalf more powerful is incredibly fitting. As is outlined in bothThe HobbitandThe Lord of the Rings, Gandalf has a particular affinity for Hobbits. More so than most others in Middle-earth who deem that power comes from strength, military might, and knowledge,Gandalf believes that true power comes from the small, good deeds of everyday people, which the Hobbits of The Shire typify above all.
The origin of Gandalf’s staff inThe Rings of Powerbrings his future protection and fondness for the Hobbits of Middle-earth full circle…
As such, it is fitting that Gandalf’s Middle-earth journey begins with the early versions of Hobbits fromThe Rings of Power’s Second Ageunwittingly providing him with a conduit for his own power. This power is later used by Gandalf to often protect Hobbits, be it during the story of Bilbo Baggins, Thorin Oakenshield, and Smaug the Dragon or his experiences with Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pipping during The War of the Ring. Appropriately, the origin of Gandalf’s staff inThe Rings of Powerbrings his future protection and fondness for the Hobbits of Middle-earth full circle.
Why Gandalf Needs A Staff If He Can Already Use Magic Without One
Istari Staffs In The Lord Of The Rings Explained
Naturally, the importance of Gandalf’s staff inThe Rings of Powerseason 2 raises the question of why he needs one, despite being able to wield magic regardless. The reason for this stems entirely from control. InThe Lord of the Rings, wizards can use magic without their staffs, as has been highlighted many times, but often in smaller, more subtle ways. Gandalf has highlighted this not only inThe HobbitandThe Lord of the Ringsbut inThe Rings of Poweras well.
Gandalf has conjured small flames to light his pipe in The Lord of the Rings movies and used water/ice to heal without a staff in The Rings of Power.
Therefore, a staff is essential for wizards to commit feats of great magical power.Staffs serve as the conduit for the wizards' power inThe Lord of the Ringsuniverse, meaning that, without them, that power cannot be channeledas effectively. This is proven multiple times by Gandalf inThe Rings of Powerseason 1, from his creation of fire using fireflies to his destruction of trees in the Harfoot camp and accidentally injuring Nori using ice healing. Although magic is possible without a staff, these instances prove one is necessary for full control.
This point has been driven home in several iterations of Tolkien’s world. For one,The Rings of Powerhas highlighted two times in which a wizard has used greater magical power by wielding a staff; Gandalf did so to dispatch the Dark Wizard’s followers in season 1’s finale by wielding their staff before the Dark Wizard did so himself by destroying the Stoors' village in season 2’s ending. AsThe Rings of Powerproves, staffs are not essential to magical power, but it is important to channel it and increase a wizard’s overall effectiveness.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
Cast
Set in the Second Age of Middle-earth, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power explores the forging of the iconic rings, the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron, and the epic events leading up to the stories in J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic novels. The series chronicles the creation of legendary characters and the historic alliances and rivalries that shape the fate of Middle-earth.
