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FAQ / What are the names of the Blue Wizards
No names are given in the LotR or in The Silmarillion for the two Wizards that went into the East.
In the Essay about the Istari in the Unfinished Tales, they are just called "IthrynLuin", the "BlueWizards":
| Of the Blue little was known in the West, and they had no names save Ithryn Luin 'the Blue Wizards'; for they passed into the East with Curunír, but they never returned, and whether they remained in the East, pursuing there the purposes for which they were sent; or perished; or as some hold were ensnared by Sauron and became his servants, is not now known. | | Unfinished Tales - The Istari |
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| Additional Notes |  |
In the Unfinished Tales Christopher Tolkien mentions that in the remaining writings of his father he found a few more notes, but those were "...no more than very rapid jottings, often illegible...", one of them contained rough tables relating the names of the Istari to the names of the Valar who had chosen them: Olórin to Manwë and Varda, Curumo to Aulë, Aiwendil to Yavanna, Alatar to Oromë, and Pallando also to Oromë. (Olórin=Gandalf, Curumo=Saruman, Aiwendil=Radagast). According to these tables the names of the remaining two Wizards - whom we could presume to be the BlueWizards - would be Alatar and Pallando.
But in HoMeXII Christopher Tolkien states that he had been able to make out two of the notes he had considered "illegible" at first. The first note reads as follows:
| No names are recorded for the two wizards. They were never seen or known in lands west of Mordor. The wizards did not come at the same time. Possibly Saruman, Gandalf, Radagast did, but more likely Saruman the chief (and already over mindful of this) came first and alone. Probably Gandalf and Radagast came together, though this has not yet been said. ... (what is most probable) ... Glorfindel also met Gandalf at the Havens. The other two are only known to (have) exist(ed) [sic] by Saruman, Gandalf and Radagast, and Saruman in his wrath was letting out a piece of private information | | HoMeXII - The Five Wizards |
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The last sentence of the previous quotation is a reference to Saruman mentioning "Five Wizards" in The Two Towers. The other note reads as:
| The 'other two' came much earlier, at the same time probably as Glorfindel, when matters became very dangerous in the Second Age. Glorfindel was sent to aid Elrond and was (though not yet said) pre-eminent in the war of Eriador. But the other two Istari were sent for a different purpose. Morinehtar and Romestamo. Darkness-slayer and East-helper. Their task was to circumvent Sauron: to bring help to the few tribes of Men that had rebelled from Melkor-worship, to stir up rebellion ... and after his first fall to search out his hiding (in which they failed) and to cause [?dissension and disarray] among the dark East ... They must have had a very great influence on the history of the Second Age and Third Age in weakening and disarraying the forces of the east ... who would both in the Second Age and Third Age otherwise have ... outnumbered the West. | | HoMeXII - The Five Wizards |
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In a draft for a letter Tolkien wrote 1956:
| There is hardly any reference in The Lord of the Rings to things that do not actually exist(*) on its own plane (of secondary or sub-creational reality): sc. have been written. | | Letters #180 |
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and in a footnote to this:
| (*)The cats of Queen Beruthiel and the names and adventures of the other 2 wizards (5 minus Saruman, Gandalf, Radagast) are all that I recollect. | | ibid. |
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(Christopher Tolkien, however, mentions in his comment to the Istari-essay, that even the story of Queen Berúthiel does exist, however, if only in a very "primitive" outline, in one part illegible...)
| Conclusion | |
On speculative terms the names of the two "BlueWizards" could be either Alatar and Pallando, or Morinehtar and Rómestámo (or Róme(n)star). However, this cannot be considered a fact!
C.f.: Istari, BlueWizards
ChW
| Comments and Annotations | |
I have my own theory about the IthrynLuin, and their sudden "disappearing" (which - however - cannot be considered Canon, though):
- Well, the brothers got even bluer than blue - hence they finally clad in black - and eventually decided to form a blues-band. So, they must be still somewhere, travelling through the country, playing blues. I mean - after all they are immortal spirits (hence also the term: "spirit of the blues")!
- And - according to this little theory of mine - also the everlasting debate about their names can finally be resolved! Their names are not Alatar and Pallando or Morinehtar and Rómestámo. No! Their names - clearly - are "Jake and Elwood"!
-- Walter
While not specifically stated, the BlueWizards probably arrived together since 'Alatar took Pallando' as a friend'. Curumo may have arrived with Aiwendil since Yavanna requested that he [Saruman] take him [Radagast]. Olorin probably arrived alone since it gave Cirdan an oppotunity to give him the RedRing?. On the other hand, Saruman knew that Gandalf had the ring so maybe Saruman observed this if they arrived together. -- [TolkienWikiMember AlDarion]
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