In a world full of fantastical mysteries, there are few things more mysterious in Middle-earth than the Istari: the powerful sorcerers who helped, in ways big and small, shape the very fate of the world. But for all we know of Gandalf and Saruman, the wider world of Lord of the Rings’ wizards is worth learning about now that Rings of Power is here.
Fans of all things wizard-y in Tolkien’s texts have been aflutter with the show’s introduction of a major player in Harfoot Nori Brandyfoot’s storyline in the first three episodes: the Stranger, played by Daniel Weyman, who literally crashed onto the scene as an almost-mute humanoid that fell from the stars themselves. There’s a lot of signs that the Stranger could be one of the Istari already, but just who were these powerful beings, and what could their presence mean for The Rings of Power? Allow us to explain.
