Gandalf has a different name in almost every language of Middle-earth: Mithrandir to the Elves, Tharkûn to the Dwarves, Olórin in the West. This LOTR wizard name generator builds names the way the Elves named the Istari, from a colour and a Sindarin word, and tells you what they mean.
The Istari and their names
- Gandalf the Grey is Mithrandir, "Grey Pilgrim", to the Elves; Tharkûn to the Dwarves; and Olórin in Valinor, a name linked to dreams. "Gandalf" itself is from Old Norse, roughly "wand-elf".
- Saruman the White is Curunír to the Elves, "man of skill". His name in the tongue of Rohan means much the same.
- Radagast the Brown cared for birds and beasts more than for people.
- The two Blue Wizards, Alatar and Pallando, went into the far East and were never heard of again in the story.
Five wizards came to Middle-earth. Choose a colour none of them took, and yours could be a sixth.
How the Elvish names work
Each name joins a Sindarin colour word to a word for a person:
- Colours: mith grey, glan and nim white, baran brown, luin blue, calen green, ruin red, morn black, celeb silver.
- People: randir wanderer (from Mithrandir), dír man, hîr lord, ion son, ben one.
So Calenrandir is "Green Wanderer" and Mornhîr "Black Lord": a name to be careful with. In real Sindarin, sounds can change where words join; these keep the parts whole so the meaning is clear.
Using a wizard of your own
- Give them a name for each people. Gandalf's many names show how far he travelled. Your wizard might be a colour to Men, an Elvish name to the Elves, and something rude to the orcs.
- Give them a cause. Each of the Istari had a purpose, and a weakness: Saruman's pride, Radagast's love of beasts.
- For wizards outside Tolkien, try the Wizard Name Generator.