The Blue Wizards
The Blue Wizards (or the Ithryn Luin) were two mysterious characters of Middle-earth; so-named because they both wore sea-blue robes.
These Istari were only hinted at in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, where Gandalf and Saruman, respectively, mention that there are five Wizards. However, other writings of Tolkien have more to say: In Tolkien's Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age it is revealed that aside from Curunír (Saruman), Mithrandir (Gandalf), and Radagast, there were "others of the Istari who went into the east of Middle-earth, and do not come into these tales."[1] Tolkien also writes in Unfinished Tales that the two Wizards were sent to the East. Their names in Valinor were Alatar and Pallando. Alatar was a Maia of the Vala Oromë who chose him to go to Middle-Earth. Alatar asked his friend Pallando to join him on his mission.[2]
History
The Blue Wizards journeying to the East of Middle-earth
The time that they arrived in Middle-Earth is uncertain. In the Unfinished Tales, Tolkien wrote that the five Istari came to Middle-Earth together in T.A. 1000. However, in The Peoples of Middle-Earth, they are said to have arrived in the Second Age, around the year SA 1600, the time of the Forging of the One Ring. Glorfindel was likely also, Tolkien mentioned later, a shipmate of the Wizards, for he reappears in history about that time.[3] Their mission was directed at weakening Sauron's forces in the eastern and southern parts of Middle-earth whereas the other Istari were focused on the western reigons.
It is also uncertain whether or not they failed in their mission, but it seems most likely they failed. In Unfinished Tales Tolkien writes that " indeed of all the Istari, one only remained faithful" when referring to Gandalf. Also in letter 211 ,he said ,"what success they had I do not know; but I fear that they failed, as Saruman did, though doubtless in different ways; I suspect that they were founders or beginners of secret cults and 'magic' traditions that outlasted the fall of Sauron". [4] However, all of this changes in a text in The Peoples of Middle-Earth written in the last year or two of Tolkien's life.[5] An alternate set of names are given - Morinehtar and Rómestámo (or Rome(n)star), Darkness-slayer and East-helper. It is not clear whether these names were intended to be replacements for Alatar and Pallando or whether they had a second set of names (for instance, their names used in Middle-earth). And here it is said that the Wizards far from failed; rather, they had a pivotal role in the victories of the West at the end of both the Second and the Third Ages. The excerpt accounts the following, "they must have had a very great influence on the history of the Second Age and Third Age in weakening and disarraying the forces of the East... who would both in the second age and third age otherwise have... outnumbered the West.
Etymology
The name Romestamo means East-helper, from the Quenya word romen, meaning uprising, sunrise, east.
Portrayal in adaptations
Blue Wizards azurite figurine
Video games
In the game Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, a Weathered Azurite Figurine can be found in the north-western part of the Sea of Núrnen. In the game their names are not said, but the description of the artifact implies the two wizards are Alatar and Pallando. In the memory of this artifact is said:
"See, there were two of them, and they both came in from the road with a hard look in their eyes, as if they'd traveled too far and seen too much. They were Wizards, true, both of 'em caked in dust, and when one's talk he'd stop to think and there'd be the other to finish right up, like they had one brain and two mouths. It was creepy for sure, but neither seemed to notice.
I heard them say they were hunting the darkness. Darned if I know if they found it. But I guess those fellows can find trouble when they're looking for it."
Translations
| Foreign language | Translated name |
| Afrikaans | Blou Towenaars |
| Albanian | Magjistarët e Kaltër |
| Amharic | ሰማያዊ አጋዦች |
| Arabic | أزرق السحرة |
| Armenian | կապույտ Վիզարդզ |
| Azerbaijani | Mavi Sehrbazlar |
| Basque | Azti Urdinak |
| Belarusian Cyrillic | сінія чараўнікі |
| Bengali | নীল জাদুকররা |
| Bosnian | Plavi Čarobnjaci |
| Bulgarian Cyrillic | Сините Магьосници |
| Cambodian | អ្នកជំនួយការខៀវ |
| Catalan | Mags Blaus |
| Chinese (Hong Kong) | 藍色巫師 |
| Cornish | Pystrioryon Blou |
| Croatian | Plavi Čarobnjaci |
| Czech | Modří Čarodějové |
| Danish | Blå Troldmænd |
| Dutch | Blauwe Tovenaars |
| Esperanto | Bluaj Magiistoj |
| Estonian | Sinised Võlurid |
| Faroese | Bláur gandakallur ? |
| Fijian | Daucakamana ena Karakarawa |
| Filipino | Bughaw na Manggagaway |
| Finnish | Siniset Velhot |
| French | Mages Bleus |
| Frisian | Blau Tsjoender |
| Galician | Magos Azuis |
| Georgian | ლურჯი ჯადოსნები |
| German | Blaue Zauberer |
| Greek | Μπλε Μάγοι |
| Gujarati | બ્લુ વિઝાર્ડઝ |
| Haitian Creole | Sòsye Ble |
| Hawaiian | Uliuli Kupua |
| Hebrew | קוסמים הכחולים (Blue Wizards)
איתרין לואין (Ithryn Luin) |
| Hindi | ब्लू विजार्ड्स |
| Hungarian | Kék Varázsló |
| Icelandic | Blár Galdramenn |
| Indonesian | Penyihir Biru |
| Irish Gaelic | Draoi Gorm |
| Italian | Stregoni Blu |
| Japanese | 青のウィザード |
| Kannada | ನೀಲಿ ಮಾಂತ್ರಿಕರು |
| Kazakh | Көк сиқыршылар (Cyrillic) Kök sïqırşılar (Latin) |
| Korean | 청색의 마법사 |
| Kurdish | Sêrbazên Şîn (Kurmanji Kurdish) |
| Latin | Caeruleus Veneficus |
| Latvian | Zils Vedņi |
| Lithuanian | Mėlynos Burtininkai |
| Luxembourgish | Blo Zauberer |
| Macedonian Cyrillic | сина Визардс |
| Malagasy | Manga Mitsiatsiaka |
| Malaysian | Pendeta Biru |
| Maltese | Ikħal-sħaħar |
| Marathi | निळा विझार्ड्स |
| Mongolian Cyrillic | Цэнхэр ид шидтэнгүүд |
| Nederlands | Blauwe Tovenare |
| Nepalese | निलो जादूगर |
| Norwegian | Blå Veivisere |
| Occitan | Mascs Blau |
| Pashto | زنگالي جادوگران |
| Persian | جادوگران آبی (Blue Wizards)
ایترین لوین (Ithryn Luin) |
| Polish | Błękitni Czarodzieje |
| Portuguese | Magos Azuis |
| Punjabi | ਨੀਲੇ ਜਾਦੂਗਰ |
| Romanian | Vrăjitorii Albaștri |
| Russian | Синие маги |
| Sanskrit | नीलःमायाकार |
| Serbian | Плави Чаробњаци (Cyrillic) / Plavi Čarobnjaci (Latin) |
| Sindhi | نيرو جادوگر |
| Sinhalese | නිල් සූනියම්කරුවන් |
| Slovak | Modrý Čarodej |
| Slovenian | Modra Čarovnika |
| Somalian | Saaxiriinta Buluug |
| Spanish | Magos Azules |
| Swahili | Wachawi Bluu |
| Swedish | Blå Trollkarlar |
| Tajik Cyrillic | Кабуд ҷодугарон |
| Tamil | நீலம் சூனியக்காரர்கள் |
| Telugu | నీలము ఇంద్రజాలికులు |
| Thai | บลูวิซาร์ด |
| Turkish | Mavi Büyücüler |
| Ukrainian Cyrillic | Сині чарівники |
| Urdu | نیلا جادوگر |
| Uzbek | Кўк Сеҳргарлар (Cyrillic) Ko'k Sehrgarlar (Latin) |
| Vietnamese | Phù thủy Màu xanh |
| Welsh | Dewiniaid Glas |
| Yiddish | בלוי וויזאַרדס |
| Yucatec Maya | Magos Azules |
References
- ↑ The Silmarillion, Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age
- ↑ Unfinished Tales, Part Four, chapter II: "The Istari"
- ↑ Unfinished Tales, Part Four, chapter II: "The Istari"
- ↑ The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien
- ↑ The History of Middle-earth, Vol. XII: The Peoples of Middle-earth