Wizard staff



A Wizard's staff is the primary weapon of an Istari wizard and the source of much of their power. There are only a few known times where a Wizard’s staff has been broken. Gandalf the Grey's staff was broken during his fight with the Balrog Durin's Bane when he smote the Bridge of Khazad-dûm    though he would later have another one as Gandalf the White. After his defeat at the hands of the Ents of Fangorn forest, Saruman 's staff was broken by Gandalf due to his treachery against Middle Earth.

Gandalf the Grey's Staff of Power


Gandalf the Grey's Staff of Power was his primary weapon and walking stick. The staff of Gandalf the Grey was made of brown wood with a jewel fixed at the top which would light up at his command. He used this staff throughout The Hobbit, The Quest of Erebor, the War of the Ring, and The Fellowship of the Ring. W hen Gandalf led the Fellowship into the Moria they encountered Durin's Bane ; A Balrog of Morgoth so to save the rest of the Fellowship the Grey Wizard fought with the ancient demon using his magic abilities and sword skills. Gandalf realised his time as the Grey Wizard had come to an end, and his powers needed to be enhanced if he and his fellowship stood a chance of defeating Sauron. When he struck the Bridge of Khazad-dûm  his staff broke assunder and disappeared into the darkness. The force of Gandalf's magic caused the bridge to crumble away at his feet, bringing the Balrog down with it. Gandalf also fell, as Durin's Bane wrapped its fiery whip around his ankle, pulling him into the darkness along with Glamdring and his staff, the latter of which was never seen again.

Gandalf the returns as the White Wizard, and head of the order of Wizards, Gandalf's abilities are enhanced and more fierce than ever before, with the Flame of Anor at his command Gandalf is able to assist his fellowship once more. As Gandalf the White he possessed a rough staff of ash, presumably white in colour.

Saruman's Staff


Saruman's staff has been held by The White Wizard ever since he became a member of the Istari. This staff is, of course, magical, and it was used to overcome Gandalf at Orthanc. Although powerful, Saruman was unable to prevent his staff from being broken after the Battle of the Hornburg  by Gandalf the White.

The Lord of the Rings Film Trilogy
In the Peter Jackson films, Gandalf has a variety of different staffs. To date Gandalf is seen with 4 different variations of his staff, three of those as the Grey wizard. Gandalf's staff in  The Hobbit Films  vaguely resembles the staff of Gandalf the White if one looks closely at the white elven hollow embedded in the crown. It has been described by the Weta Production team as an "opening flower". It is possible that Gandalf leaves this staff with Galadriel to "bloom" until he becomes the White Wizard, however this is unconfirmed. Gandalf the Grey weilds two rough wooden staffs in the Lord of the Rings  thrilogy. Gandalf's first staff in The Fellowship of Ring  came to him from Radagast the Brown who loses his staff in an unexplained plot line. The fate of Radagast is set to be revealed later on in The Hobbit Films triology. Fans of the Lord of the Rings movies have mistakenly stated that the staff Gandalf inherits from Radagast is the stave he uses in Moria. If one looks closely at the crown of the staff, the shape of the shaft and the symbol plastered onto the staff it is clear to the viewer that the first staff Gandalf  weilds in the Fellowship of the Ring is the Staff of Radagast the Brown. He is seen with Radagast's staff until he loses it after his duel with Saruman at Orthanc. He acquired a slightly different looking staff in Imladris that held a powerful crystal which he illuminated in the Mines of Moria. The Staff of Gandalf the White is of elvish design and was given to him by Galadriel. Gandalf's white staff was broken when he fought the  Witch-king  atop one of the  Minas Tirith  walls. However, Gandalf is later seen holding the staff again at the  Grey Havens.

Radagast's staff is fashioned from an upturned sapling with spindly branches that have the ability to firmly hold a blue crystal in place. The crystal, embedded in the crown of the staff, seems to possess magical abilities that have the power to heal dark wounds. Radagast somehow loses his staff in The Hobbit Films and it, as stated above, comes to Gandalf the Grey. The staff is seen again in the Fellowship of the Ring, however the branches on the top of the staff have been broken and withered away with time. Other alterations to the staff include a huge nail embedded in the crown, Gandalf's pipe (which slots into the hole where the crystal once resided), and a leather strap that runs directly through the shaft of the staff making it easier for Gandalf to hold and attach to his horse tack.

Saruman's staff is black and metallic in Jackson's films but appears white at times, depending on the angle of the light. The head of the staff, which resembles the Tower of Orthanc, holds some sort of large, white jewel. In The Return of the King Extended Edition, Saruman's staff is broken by Gandalf's power.

Behind the Scenes

 * There are a few times in The Hobbit that Gandalf the Grey is referred to as having a Wand, this is likely referring to his staff.