Lord Of The Rings: 10 Things You Didn't Know About The Wizards

A wizard is never late, but they can be totally useless.

saruman lord of the rings
New Line Cinema

Wizards are synonymous with fantasy. Whether they serve as the antagonist or the wise old teacher to the protagonist, they pop up in every decent fantasy tale going; from Wheel of Time to Star Wars.

But amongst all the wizards in all the varying fantasy tales, no others have had as much impact on culture as those in The Lord of the Rings. When you think of defining magical roles, perhaps only Dumbledore comes close to the bravery of Gandalf. As for Voldemort, he might give Saruman a run for his money, but really, Sir Christopher Lee and Sir Ian McKellen are unmatched in their portrayals of their respective characters.

Honourable mention goes to Sir Alec Guinness for reluctantly playing the dusty old space wizard, Obi-Wan Kenobi, in a galaxy far, far away, of course.

Although Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings movies only showcased the two most powerful wizards, Saruman and Gandalf, there were in fact a total of five in the greater narrative.

Some of those five only get a brief mention in Jackson's films, but others have far more impact on the story than you might think...

10. Saruman Was One Of The Last Characters Tolkien Created

saruman lord of the rings
Warner Bros.

Tolkien spent years writing The Lord of the Rings. Originally, his publishers wanted a follow-up to The Hobbit, but as Tolkien progressed through his tale, he realised the story was far darker and more grand in scope than he initially envisioned.

According to his son, Tolkien wrote The Lord of the Rings from start to finish three times before he was finally satisfied. The third draft eventually developed into the story we all know. All manor of aspects were changed throughout; Strider had originally been a hobbit named "Trotter", for example.

One of the biggest changes was the addition of the character of Saruman. For several years Tolkien had not come up with a satisfying reason for Gandalf not returning to the Shire and helping Frodo travel to Rivendell. He eventually devised a character named "Saramond the White" or "Saramund the Grey", who would betray and trap Gandalf, preventing him from helping his friend.

Eventually this character become integral to the overriding plot, and Tolkien worked him into the narrative. One of the final additions to the story was the revelations that Saruman had disguised himself as a character named "Sharkey", and taken over the Shire after his defeat in Rohan.

Contributor

Before engrossing myself in the written word, I spent several years in the TV and film industry. During this time I became proficient at picking things up, moving things and putting things down again.