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Message: <blockquote data-quote="ColonelHardisson" data-source="post: 51045" data-attributes="member: 363">Regarding Gandalf and the other wizards as angelic beings, check out Unfinished Tales (a number of which are not unfinished, but are rather detailed notes on various aspects of his books written by Tolkien himself), specifically the section on the Istari.There are brief mentions of the Istari, and Gandalf, in the Silmarillion also, which reveal his background. The appendices to LotR also have some brief mentions that shed a bit of light also. Basically, the Istari are Maiar, which are powerful spirits that were created by and serve Eru, the one, the "God" of Middle Earth. The Maiar (led by the more powerful Valar, of which there were 14 - there were apparently countless Maiar) were responsible for the creation of the world. As you can see, this is basically something like Christian ideas of angels and their hierarchy. The Istari numbered 5, and were Maiar cloaked in the flesh of men and sent to help them rid Middle Earh of Sauron. Gandalf was a one of the five Istari - he was the wisest, but not the most powerful; Saruman was the most powerful. The only other of the Istari (interchangebly called wizards) mentioned by name in LotR is Radagast the Brown (called by Saruman, contemptuously, the Bird-Tamer, the Simple, the Fool).</blockquote>