Gandalf guides Bilbo and the dwarves in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit.
Gandalf the Grey organizes the quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from Smaug. He brings Bilbo into Thorin Oakenshield’s company and helps the travelers at several crucial moments, although he leaves the group for part of the journey.
The character is a Maia, a powerful spiritual being who serves the Valar. In Middle-earth he is known first as Gandalf the Grey and later returns as Gandalf the White after confronting the Balrog beneath Khazad-dûm.
Readers sometimes confuse Gandalf with Saruman, another wizard. Saruman begins as the chief of the Istari but becomes an enemy, while Gandalf remains committed to opposing Sauron.