Exactly how old is Gandalf, and what evidence is there for his age throughout Tolkien's original texts and Peter Jackson's cinematic adaptation of The Lord of the Rings? The world of Middle-earth in Tolkien's fantasy masterpiece is home to many ancient and powerful characters, and the wizard is counted among them. Does his age change or fluctuate at all, and is it affected by his transformation from Gandalf the Grey to Gandalf the White following his death at the hands of the Balrog in the Mines of Moria?
Jackson's epic masterfully retells Tolkien's archetypal fantasy story and brings its characters to life with outstanding accuracy. Audiences were able to see the beloved wizard come to life through Sir Ian McKellen's Gandalf performance, complete with kindness, empathy, and wisdom aplenty. As friendly as he is powerful, Gandalf partners with the Hobbits to take down both dragons and Dark Lords. His affinity for the Shire is well-documented, and the wizard boasts a grandparent-like quality that is both charming and effective.
As an Istari, or wizard, Gandalf is one of an immortal race of beings that was initially sent to Middle-earth to combat the rise of Sauron and prevent him from coming to power once again. Alongside Saruman the White, Radagast the Brown, and the Blue Wizards who traveled east before the War of the Ring, Alongside his staff, Gandalf the Grey took the human form of an aged and wise man, complete with colored robes and staff to match. His age is never fully revealed in the movies, and it's hard to figure out, even with a cohesive timeline between the events of the two Lord of the Rings trilogies. However, there's a good indication of exactly how long Gandalf has been living in the world of Men thanks to a single line of dialogue from The Two Towers.
Working Out Gandalf's Age Is Tricky
In The Two Towers, Gandalf is leaving Edoras to seek out the Rohirrim prior to an epic showdown with Saruman's army before the walls of Helm's Deep. As he prepares to ride out, Gandalf utters the following line: "300 lives of men I've walked this earth, and now I have no time." As with almost everything in Middle-earth, interpreting this line is no easy feat.
Númenóreans and Dúnedain Men such as Lord of the Rings' Aragorn were blessed with long lives, and those of royal blood were granted even longer lives. All different races and backgrounds within the world of Men live for different periods of time. However, taking what Gandalf says at face value (given his current location and the fact that he has spent much of his physical life in Middle-earth) suggests that Gandalf is talking about normal Men here, such as Gondorians and the Rohirrim. The average age of Men is approximately eighty years old, which gives an excellent indication of how old Gandalf is in his physical form.
The closest approximation of Gandalf's physical age is 24,000 years old according to Gandalf himself. Yet various dates of key events in other Tolkien texts show that Gandalf has actually only walked in his physical form for just over two thousand years. Given the status of Gandalf as an angel-like Maia, or Spirit, he actually predates the world (Arda) and the universe (Ëa) as a whole in The Lord of the Rings. The question is essentially unanswerable, but one thing is certain: Gandalf has always been, and will always be, a powerful force for good in Middle-earth.
Would Gandalf Have Been Alive During Rings Of Power?
Despite theories that Gandalf is in The Rings of Power as The Stranger, he actually wouldn't have been on Middle-earth yet when the events of the Amazon show were taking place. Gandalf arrived in his physical form in the Third Age, while The Rings of Power is set towards the end of the Second. This means that, at a minimum, the series is set 3,000 years ahead of The Fellowship of the Ring. Gandalf may be well older than that in his true sense, but since he's only walked in the world of men for 2,000 years, he can't appear in The Rings of Power without a serious continuity problem or a major flash-forward. In short, while Gandalf was technically alive during The Rings of Power, this was only in the eternal spiritual sense, and he wasn't alive as audiences know Gandalf until about 1,000 years later in the Lord of the Rings timeline.
