What is the name of the wizard Gandalf in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Valinorean tradition?

The story behind the answer

In J.R.R. Tolkien’s mythology, Gandalf’s name in Valinor is Olórin.

Olórin is a Maia, a spiritual being who lives among the Valar in Aman. In The Silmarillion, Tolkien describes him as wise and compassionate, and says that he often visited the gardens of Irmo, also known as Lórien. His later identity as Gandalf connects the apparently humble wizard of Middle-earth with the divine order of Tolkien’s creation.

Gandalf was sent to Middle-earth as one of the Istari, the five Wizards dispatched to resist Sauron. In the west he was known as Mithrandir by the Elves, while Men commonly called him Gandalf. These names refer to the same character, not separate wizards.

Readers sometimes confuse Olórin with the other Istari’s original identities. Saruman was Curunír, Radagast was Aiwendil, and Gandalf alone bore the name Olórin before his mission.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Oct. 2026

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