The Lord of the Rings and the Role of the Wizard

Identifying the Mentor role of Merlin within Gandalf
Merlin’s traits as a mentor are on display in later works by authors, such as Malory, who has Merlin serve as King Arthur’s mentor. Geoffrey of Monmouth does not make explicit use of Merlin as a mentor in the early Merlin works, but subsequent authors do, and Merlin is widely perceived in the mythology today as being a mentor of the King. This sense of mentorship can also be seen in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings in the character of Gandalf, who serves as mentor for numerous characters—first, for Bilbo, then for Frodo, but also very much for Aragorn, who will be crowned king in the final book of the series.
As Goodrich notes, Merlin is always a good and wise mentor to King Arthur, and in Tolkien’s Rings novels, Gandalf plays essentially the same role for Frodo and the others. While Frodo is not destined to be a future king in The Lord of the Rings, Aragorn is, and Gandalf is a close advisor of the man who is first introduced to the Hobbits as Strider. Aragorn’s real identity is only gradually revealed to them and to the reader, and the closeness with which Aragorn follows Gandalf’s advice is more and more apparent as time goes on. They are on the same page because they both know and understand the battle that is waging outside the shire and are determined to play defining roles in that fight to help save their world.
Gandalf’s mentorship is also closely seen with Frodo from the beginning. Frodo inherits the ring from his cousin Bilbo and it is Gandalf who advises him to leave the Shire immediately because of the danger the ring poses once the wizard comes to fully understand the meaning of the ring. Frodo tries to pass the ring off to Gandalf since the wizard knows so much about it, but Gandalf is too wise for that and knows the power that the ring has so he refuses to accept it. As Frodo sets off on the journey, however, Gandalf aims to return but is thwarted and arrested by Saruman, and he escapes in great vexation because he has learned more about the ring while he has been away and now he knows that Sauron is looking for it as well. The Riders are out and Frodo is no longer safe. Gandalf is ultimately the one who urges great haste and sets the action going.
Gandalf is thus not only responsible for mentoring Frodo on his journey but also for spurring on the action of the plot. He guides the travelers along the way into the Mines of Moria, where he sacrifices himself by going man-to-dragon with Balrog. At that point, Frodo and the others are on their own, but even though it appears that Gandalf has died, he has not and comes back even more powerful than ever.
As Goodrich points out, “Merlin, a master teacher, is also lord and master over dangers. The mentor of King Arthur and his father is likewise the lord of Castle Perilous and in the Valley of No Return.” Gandalf, too, plays a similar role in The Lord of the Rings. Just as Merlin provides guidance for the fellowship of the Round Table, Gandalf provides guidance for the fellowship of the Ring. He is the one who tells the Hobbits to meet up with Strider early on in the journey at Bree, and this union is fortunate because Strider/Aragorn is a good man who understands a bit of the perilous nature of the journey that is before them. Charles Nelson points out that Gandalf is a “teacher and mentor, offering advice and wise counsel” to the fellowship just as Merlin did for Arthur and the knights (50). At Rivendell, Gandalf becomes the mentor of the Fellowship for the first time and most fully represents Merlin this manner.
Merlin and Gandalf have much in common in this way. Goodrich points out that “Merlin is not only the master of the wilderness and of the dreadful forces which tempt the elect one to prove himself; he is also the founder and mentor of the knightly Round Table, and the teacher of its lord, King Arthur. He assembles the host of the elect in the world of light until their number is complete; he then entices them into the darkness of their trials, sending them on the path of their transformation.” This is essentially exactly what Gandalf does with the Fellowship of the Ring. Gandalf battles the Nazgul in an attempt to save the others, and he battles the Balrog in the Mines. He breaks Wormtongue’s evil hold over Theoden and convinces the latter to join the good fight against Sauron. Gandalf plays a major role at Minas Tirith and gives an inspiring speech to motivate the men to cast themselves in the role of bait to distract Sauron so that the Frodo with the ring might sneak in under the radar to Mt. Doom and destroy it without Sauron knowing it. Gandalf is constantly using his knowledge and wizardry to save the Fellowship in so far as he can.
In some ways, Gandalf is not meant to appear what he is: in his essay on the Istari, Tolkien describes Gandalf as one who “seemed the least, less tall than the others, and in looks more aged, grey-haired and grey-clad, and leaning on a staff” (Tolkien 390). Yet he is recognized by the elves as vastly superior and wise—and that wisdom stems from his commitment to the good and his acceptance of the reality of the world: creatures are prone to evil, and the good must be willing to fight for what is right.
Really it is Gandalf and Aragorn who take charge of the Fellowship, which is fitting because Aragorn is the future king, and Gandalf is the wily, old wizard who knows much more than Aragorn does—but both trust each other implicitly for they both know that the other is faithful to the good. Gandalf is the one who crowns Aragorn king at the end of the series, and then Gandalf accompanies the hobbits back to the Shire before going off to join up with Tom Bombadil, the pure spirit who had no interest in the ring and over whom the ring held no power at all.
Gandalf is thus a wise wizard who counsels those around him. It is not just Frodo, Bilbo and Aragorn who receive his counsel, but virtually everyone he meets benefits in some way from his advice and wisdom. Whether it is Theoden or Faramir or Pippin or Sam, Gandalf is taking time to give them a lesson and a helping hand no matter how great or how small. Sometimes he dishes out extremely tough love and he often lashes out in anger, but this is not necessarily impatience or evidence of a vice but rather it is a just anger that is righteous in essence.
Ultimately Gandalf and Merlin do have much in common because they are both wise counselors who provide guidance and mentorship for kings. Merlin and Gandalf are both wizards and they are both more than what they seem. Gandalf plays a major role in the various battles of Lord of the Rings and is, in the end, more like a general or king himself, than a wizard. Based on Tolkien’s Catholic sensibilities, one could argue that Gandalf is like a pope saint warrior, who has a direct link with the divine and is able to marshal grace as much as he is the forces of men and angels to combat the forces of darkness. He is like St. Michael the archangel, on the front lines against Satan, and he is like General Patton on the front lines against the Germans in WWII. He is like Merlin in that he is a counselor for future kings and for kings, and in that he takes a special interest in all those who are working towards the good or who might play a part in his understanding of what is going on in the world around him. He is a seeker of goodness and of truth and that ultimately helps him to be powerful—but he, like Merlin, is also a receiver of gifts that no one else is, which makes them both special.
Works Cited
Goodrich, Peter H., ed. Merlin: a casebook. Routledge, 2004.
Nelson, Charles W. \"From Gollum to Gandalf: The Guide Figures in JRR Tolkien's\"
Lord of the Rings\".\" Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts 13.1 (49 (2002): 47-61.
Tolkien, J.R.R., Christopher Tolkien, ed. Unfinished Tales. Houghton Mifflin, 1980.