Wizards

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Wizards, or the Istari, were sent to Middle-earth in the Third Age by the Valar to aid the Children of  Ilúvatar in their fight against Sauron, should he come to power.  Mightiest among the Wizards were Curunír (Saruman), Mithrandir (Gandalf), and Radagast.  Other Istari went into the far east, but are not mentioned in any tales and were never heard of again.

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Wizards appear in the likeness of old men, although they age very slowly.  They were old but vigorous, even though they were burdened with great cares.  Wizards possess great wisdom and many powers of the mind and hand.  However, they were not permitted to use many of thier powers in Middle-earth, and infact many of thier powers were taken from them.  This was done so that the Istari could teach the people of Middle-earth to defend themselves against evil, and so that the Istari would not rid the world of evil by themselves.      Saruman was the eldest of the Istari and most powerful.  He became known as White Wizard and the head of the White Council.  He was present most among men, therefore one of the kings of Gondor gave to him the fortress of Isenguard.  Saruman was the wisest in the lore of Sauron's dark works, and for that reason was chosen to be the leader of the Istari.  He also began to study the Ring of Power, and so he developed a lust for the One Ring.       Gandalf was the most vigilant and wise of the Istari and first doubted the darkness that fell in Middle-earth.  Upon his arrival to Middle-earth, he was given Narya, the Red Ring, by Círdan.  He urged the White Council into swift action against Sauron, yet Saruman persuaded the council to wait.  For this reason, Sauron was allowed to rise again to power.  Gandalf was then the most involved in the War of the Ring, and it is counted among his greatest labors.  After defeating the Balrog in Moria, Gandalf passed on to Valinor.  There he replaced Saruman as the White Wizard and was once again sent to Middle-earth to assist in the war.       Radagast was a lesser Istari then Gandalf and Saruman.  He loved the birds and beasts of Middle-earth and learned many of their tongues.  He was deceived by Saruman into bringing Gandalf to Orthanc, where Gandalf was later imprisoned.

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