Whenever one treats Gandalf as a “Christ-figure” in The Lord of the Rings, they often point out his sacrificial death on the bridge of Khazad-Dûm and his resurrection as Gandalf the White. There are, however, many other parallels between Gandalf and Jesus. There are also parallels between Gandalf’s mission and the ministry of priests.
Incarnation
In the book, Unfinished Tales (hereafter UT), edited by Christopher Tolkien, there is a fragmented essay by J.R.R. Tolkien regarding the Istari. In it, we discover that the Istari or “Order of Wizards” are of the Maiar order, (angelic beings similar but not as powerful as the Ainur) sent by the Valar to oppose the power of Sauron in Middle-Earth.
In the essay on the Istari, we are told that five Maia are sent with the consent of Eru, “…clad in bodies as of Men, real and not feigned, but subject to the fears and pains and weariness of earth, able to hunger and thirst and be slain…” (UT, 406) According to the teachings of the Catholic Church, Jesus Christ was a human being, not a human person. He is a divine person with both a divine and human nature because of the Incarnation. He became like us in all things but sin. Even though Jesus was God, He felt the constraints of humanity. He hungered, thirsted, and could feel pain. The Gospel tells us this very fact: “And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.” (ESVCE, Matthew 4:2) The Maia are thus a representation of the Incarnation in Middle-Earth.
Later in the essay, we discover that Círdan, the Lord of the Grey Havens met them when they first arrived in Middle-Earth and gave Gandalf the Third Ring, Narya the Red. Círdan “…divined in him the greatest spirit and the wisest…”(UT, 406) and he told Gandalf, “great labors and perils lie before you…” (UT, 406) When reading this section, one is reminded of the prophecy of Simeon in the Temple. He foretells that the Child (Jesus) is “appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel…” (Luke 2:34) If the Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many, surely there will be some strife and peril in His life. So too, does Gandalf encounter many hardships and trials during his mission.
Exorcist
On the bridge of Khazad-Dûm, Gandalf turns to confront the Balrog and acts as an exorcist and tells the Balrog that he cannot pass:
‘You cannot pass,’ he said. The orcs stood still, and a dead silence fell. ‘I am the servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor. You cannot pass. The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udûn. Go back to the shadow! You cannot pass!’ (The Lord of the Rings, 322)
Gandalf commands the Balrog to depart from them, not with his own authority, but with the authority of the “Secret Fire.” (As a side note, God often appears in forms of fire throughout the Bible: Moses and the burning bush in Exodus 3:2; the pillar of fire that leads Israel through the wilderness in Exodus 13:21; the description of Jesus having eyes of fire in Revelation 1:14.) In an exorcism, a priest expels a demon by the authority of the Church given by Jesus Christ. The Catechism says this about exorcisms:
The solemn exorcism, called “a major exorcism,” can be performed only by a priest and with the permission of the bishop…Exorcism is directed at the expulsion of demons or to the liberation from demonic possession through the spiritual authority which Jesus entrusted to his Church. (CCC, 1673)
It is interesting to note that the Catechism emphasizes that only a priest can perform an exorcism. Earlier in the chapter “The Bridge of Khazad-Dûm,” Gandalf tells the Fellowship “’Fly! This is a foe beyond any of you. I must hold the narrow way.’”
Another instance is when he confronts the Witch King at the gate of Gondor, he acts once again as an exorcist and expells the demonic Nazgul from the city:
‘You cannot enter here,’ said Gandalf, and the huge shadow halted. ‘Go back to the abyss prepared for you! Go back! Fall into the nothingness that awaits you and your Master. Go!’ (LOTR, 811)
The Black Rider mocks Gandalf in return and is about to enter Gondor when the Rohan arrives at last and the Witch King turns away. Although Tolkien never gives us a battle sequence between the two, it is clear that Gandalf would have won since he was a higher being, one of the Istari.
Throughout the Gospels, there are numerous accounts of Jesus performing exorcisms. One of the most famous exorcisms is when Jesus is in the land of the Gerasenes: “And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit.” (Mark 5:2) And Jesus rebuked the spirit saying, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” (Mark 5:8) Again in the Gospel of Matthew, we read: “That evening they brought him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick.” (Matt. 8:16)
Spiritual Director
The mission of the Istari was to “…advise and persuade Men and Elves to good, and to seek to unite in love and understanding all those whom Sauron, should he come again, would endeavor to dominate and corrupt.” (UT, 406) So too, the priests of the Catholic Church are called to give spiritual advice to those who need it and to resist the power of the devil in the world and bring people to Christ.
Gandalf clearly takes his ministry to heart. He counsels Bilbo in The Hobbit, and then Frodo, and the entire Fellowship later in The Lord of the Rings. He acts as their guide not only on their earthly journey but on their spiritual one as well. When Frodo laments that it was such a pity that Bilbo had not killed Gollum, Gandalf responds
Pity? It was pity that stayed his hand. Pity, and mercy: not to strike without need. And he has been well rewarded, Frodo. Be sure that he took so little hurt from the evil, and escaped in the end, because he began his ownership of the Ring so. With Pity. (LOTR, 58)
Here Gandalf offers spiritual advice, reminding Frodo to only strike in self-defense and not out of hatred. Priests often offer spiritual advice in the confessional, during a homily, or during times of spiritual direction. In conclusion, Gandalf can almost be seen as a priest of Middle-Earth since he exercises similar ministries as do priests in the Catholic Church.
Joseph Tuttle
Joseph Tuttle is a Catholic writer and author. His essays, articles, book reviews, and poetry have been published with or are forthcoming with Word on Fire Blog, Aleteia, Catholic World Report, Adoremus Bulletin, The University Bookman, The St. Austin Review, Homiletic and Pastoral Review, New Oxford Review, Voyage Comics Blog, and Missio Dei. He is the author, editor, or contributing author of numerous books including An Hour With Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen (Liguori, 2021), Tolkien and Faith: Essays on Christian truth in Middle-Earth (Voyage Comics, 2021), and The Christbearer (Voyage Comics, 2023) He graduated cum laude from Benedictine College with a Bachelor of Arts in Theology. He is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Catholic Philosophical Studies at Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology.