In Peter Jackson’s trilogy of The Lord of the Rings, only two named Wizards are seen. They are Saruman the White, and Gandalf the Grey. But were there other Wizards in Middle Earth? And what is a Wizard anyway?

There were five Wizards sent to Middle Earth around the year 1000 of the Third Age. In some of Tolkien’s other work, he mentioned the total number might have been larger, but there were five known members of the Order of Wizards. The Wizards were first called the Istari, and they were Maiar spirits—which are powerful, angelic beings that can shapeshift and choose whichever form they like. The Wizards took on the form of elderly Men.

RELATED: Is The Eye Of Sauron Really Sauron's Actual Eye?

Though their bodies were those of old Men, the Wizards aged very slowly, and they still possessed great strength of both the mind and body. They each carried a staff, and in the films, the audience can see how each staff (for Saruman the White, Gandalf the Grey, and Gandalf the White) was treated differently to reflect the power and strength or “rank” of the Wizard who carried it. Staves were used as power conduits, meaning the Wizard (or Maiar spirit) would channel their own power through the staff to direct the energy. Staves were sometimes used as weapons, as well.

lotr-wizards-rings-lord

In addition to having staves that reflected their power and rank, each Wizard also bore the title of a color to show their position within the Order. The five members of the Order included Saruman the White (who was the leader), Gandalf the Grey (who became the new leader after defeating the Balrog and being reborn as Gandalf the White), Radagast the Brown (a nature lover), and The Blue Wizards whose names were revealed in Tolkien’s Unfinished Tales as Alatar and Pallando. Saruman changed his name to Saruman the Many Colored after falling victim to the seduction of power and Sauron.

Not much is known about The Blue Wizards which naturally makes them the most intriguing. The two Maiar spirits were given the title of Blue because of the sea-blue robes they each wore. Other names given to the two Wizards were Morinehtar and Rómestámo meaning "Darkness-slayer" and "East-helper." Tolkien said The Blue Wizards were sent east and south, but they were most likely unsuccessful in their mission, for it’s true that Gandalf was the only one of the five Wizards sent to Middle Earth to be successful in his mission either because of fear or treachery from the others. Tolkien said The Blue Wizards likely started “secret cults and magic traditions that outlasted the fall of Sauron."

The Wizards were sent to Middle Earth by Manwë—King of the Valar—who had learned of Sauron’s return to power. They were only sent to aid the Free Peoples of Middle Earth against the Dark Lord Sauron and his threat. When Sauron was defeated at the end of the Third Age, the remaining Wizards’ work was complete and so they were no longer needed. Gandalf sailed to the Undying Lands on the Last Ship to leave Middle Earth along with Frodo and the other Keepers of the Rings—which were the three Elven Rings crafted independently of Sauron by Celebrimbor, able to be used for good without the One Ring in Sauron’s possession, held by Gandalf, Galadriel, and Elrond.

intro-1580825841 Cropped

Radagast the Brown stayed in Middle Earth and looked after the land and wildlife. Radagast played little part in aiding in the destruction of the Ring and concerned himself mainly with the upkeeping of plant and animal life. Where the Blue Wizards went after the fall of Sauron, it is unknown. But of course, Saruman (as shown in the extended version of The Return of the King) was banished from the Order of Wizards by Gandalf, and then was killed by Gríma Wormtongue. Because Maiar are immortal and only Saruman’s body died, Saruman’s spirit was denied ever returning to the Undying Lands due to his betrayal of Manwë and the Order’s mission.

In The Lord of the Rings trilogy, viewers already have enough characters and plot points to keep up with without worrying about three other Wizards (Radagast and The Blue Wizards) that had little to nothing to do with the story of the trilogy. Although Saruman briefly references the other members of the Order by saying "the rods of the five wizards" in the extended version of The Return of the King, they are never shown or mentioned again, although the character of Radagast the Brown is explored in Peter Jackson’s less successful trilogy of The Hobbit.

Though Gandalf aided in the war against Sauron, and the Free Peoples of Middle Earth were saved, some could argue that the Order of Wizards had actually failed since one of its members ended up growing the threat that faced Middle Earth, one chose not to participate, and two were never heard from or seen again with speculations they too may have succumbed to evil. Luckily, Gandalf’s spirit was there to help.

MORE: LOTR: Did Arwen Lose Her Immortality?