TheLord of the Ringsfranchise allows fans to dig as deeply into its lore as they want. Tons of people have a great time enjoying the simple tale of a group of heroes carrying an accursed ring to a volcano, but there are plenty of interesting details beneath the surface. For example, a pair of Blue Wizards went on their own quest to stop Sauron and went largely ignored.
Perhaps more than any other big media franchise,Lord of the Ringsgets a lot of pushback for its extraneous material. Tons of people makejokes aboutThe Silmarillionand its presumed boredom, but Tolkien knew how to write interesting stories, even if they aren’t too tied to the central narrative.
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How Many Wizards are there in Middle-earth?
Wizards are a bit more important inLord of the Ringsthan they are in other fantasy universes.InD&D, any randowith the right book can become a wizard, but Middle-earth demands some more special circumstances. There are five wizards in Middle-earth. Each is the physical incarnation of a primordial spirit that came into existence to help the Valar create the world. Fans know Gandalf the Grey, and Saruman the White, and some are familiar with Radagast the Brown, but that still leaves two slots. The remaining wizards share their sea-blue robes. Unlike their pals, the Blue Wizards seem to have very little impact on the larger war against Sauron.
Who are the Two Blue Wizards?
The Blue Wizards are called Alatar and Pallando. A throwaway line in the originalLord of the Ringsmentions the fact that there are five wizards but doesn’t go into detail about their identities. Alatar and Pallando were first mentioned by name in the fifth and finalbook ofThe Silmarillion. They first actually appear in “The Istari,” a chapter ofUnfinished Tales. That tome collected a long list of Tolkien’s incomplete works and left them as imagined, ensuring that the tale of Alatar and Pallando would remain forever questionable. Their quest was vague, and the outcome was debatable.
Alatar and Pallando came toMiddle-earth alongside their wizardacquaintances. The Blue Wizards were sent to the eastern and southern parts of the continent to deal with the encroaching hordes of Sauron, while the other three wizards traveled to the west. How were they expected to deal with the Dark Lord? The answer to that is also unclear. Were they successful? Probably not. Tolkien states inUnfinished Talesthat “indeed of all the Istari, one only remained faithful.” That one would be Gandalf, leaving Alatar and Pallando out in the cold. He goes on to imply that Alatar and Pallando did have some impact on the world, specifically influencing cultic traditions and small magical sects throughout Middle-earth. The only other major piece of information about Alatar and Pallando comesfromShadow of Mordor, in which an unattributed azurite statue mentions two wizards who seem to share a brain.
Why Don’t The Blue Wizards Appear inLOTR?
The short answer to that question is that the Blue Wizards almost certainly failed. Eastern Middle-earth fell toSauron and became Mordor, which strongly implies Alatar and Pallando were unable to help the locals. Wizards have a somewhat vague amount of power, and though the group was ultimately successful, they evidently had a lot of trouble with Sauron. The Blue Wizards must not have had much impact on the overall struggle.The Lord of the Ringshas enough going on without occasional cutting away to two wacky wizards who outright fail at their all-important task.
Interestingly, there’s a more direct reason why the film franchise never included Alatar and Pallando.Peter Jackson and New Line Cinemahad very specific rules regarding what they were and were not allowed to reference. They were forbidden from using anything that didn’t specifically appear within theLord of the Ringstrilogy of books, leaving all extraneous source material on the table for future adaptations. Since Alatar and Pallando aren’t mentioned by name in the proper books, the films couldn’t use their proper monikers. This led to a scene in the firstHobbitfilm in which Bilbo asks Gandalf the names of the Blue Wizards, and he states that he’s forgotten them. Even the most knowledgeable characters in the story have forgotten Alatar and Pallando.
The Blue Wizards are barely background details. Someone could create a fairly grim story of a pair of powerful wizards, a duo who work so closely together that they may as well be one person, as they attempt to fight a losing battle. Maybe it’ll come up in one adaptation of the story or another, but as of now, Alatar and Pallando are the unloved middle childrenof the wizard family. With only five to choose from, it’s hard to believe that two were simply tossed out. Alatar and Pallando tried their best, but they apparently didn’t make a large enough impact to earn proper names.
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