Hrum, hoom. You ask me of Gandalf? That is a hasty question, little one. But then, *he* was a hasty sort of person. Always walking, always worrying, always kindling fires in cold places. Hoom. Sit down on that root—careful of the moss—and I will tell you what I remember. It is not a long story, not as Ents reckon time, but it is a good story.
The Arrival of the Wizards
It does not seem so long ago to me that they arrived. The Wizards. Istari, the Elves called them. They appeared in the world when the woods were already old, though not as old as they are now. Hrum. I remember the first time I saw them. They looked like Men, old Men, bent with years yet strong as ancient oaks. But they were not Men. No, indeed. They came out of the West, over the Sea, and that is a place from which no Men come.
There were five of them, or so it is said. I did not know them all. But I knew Saruman—hoom, a bad business, that—and I knew Gandalf. To me, they were young. "Young Master Gandalf," I would call him. He did not mind. He understood that to Fangorn, even the stones of Orthanc are but pebbles in a stream.
The Grey Wanderer
Gandalf... he was the Grey One. Mithrandir, the Elves named him. He did not settle. That was the difference, you see. Saruman, he settled in Isengard. He grew roots of stone and iron. But Gandalf? Hoom, no. He was like the wind in the branches. Here today, gone tomorrow.
He would come to my forest sometimes. He did not speak much to me in the early days. He would walk under the eaves of Fangorn, his staff clicking on the roots, his grey cloak blending with the twilight. He did not seek to command the trees, nor to cut them. He only watched, and listened. I think he listened to the world more than any other wizard. Radagast... hrum... Radagast understood birds and beasts, yes. But Gandalf understood the *hearts* of things. He understood sorrow, and he understood hope.
He was the only wizard who really cared for trees, I think. Not just as shelter, or fuel, but as *trees*. He knew that we have voices, if one takes the time to listen.
The Shadow and the Fire
Dark days came. The shadow grew in the East. The trees felt it; the water felt it. Saruman... his mind turned to metal and wheels. He cut down my friends. He burned them in his furnaces. But Gandalf fought the shadow in his own way. Not with axes, but with words and courage.
I heard—hoom—stories from the little ones, the Hobbits, Merry and Pippin. Nice names. They told me Gandalf fell in Moria. Fell into shadow and fire. A great sadness that was. To lose a friend is like losing a limb; the forest is never quite the same shape afterwards.
But he returned. Hoom! That was a surprise. I met him in the woods after the fall of Isengard. He was no longer grey. He shone. He was white as the snow on Methedras in winter. He had passed through fire and deep water and come back to finish his task. He was more dangerous then, and more quick. I could feel the power in him, like the rising sap in spring, but burning hot.
The Departure
He broke Saruman's staff. Hrum. A sad necessity. A tree that rots from within must be pruned, or it poisons the grove. Gandalf did what had to be done.
And then, the Great War ended. The Shadow was lifted. The King returned. And Gandalf? His work was finished. That is the way of wizards, it seems. They do not stay to enjoy the shade they helped to save.
He went West, they say. Back over the Sea. To the land where the trees do not die and the leaves do not fall. Hrum. I shall not see him again. But sometimes, when the wind comes from the West and shakes the leaves of the beech trees, I think of him. The Grey Wanderer. The hasty friend.
Now... hoom... the sun is setting. That is enough talking for one day. Let us be silent, and listen to the forest grow.
Backgrounder Notes
As an expert researcher and library scientist, I have analyzed this narrative—which reflects the perspective of the character Treebeard from J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings—to identify key historical, geographical, and ontological concepts.
Here are the backgrounders for the essential terms identified in the text:
1. Istari (The Wizards)
The Istari were a group of five angelic spirits (Maiar) sent from the Undying Lands to Middle-earth in the forms of elderly Men to guide the inhabitants in their struggle against the Dark Lord Sauron. While they possessed great power, they were forbidden from using it to rule or to match Sauron’s might with their own, functioning instead as messengers and advisors.
2. The West (The Undying Lands)
Referred to as Aman or Valinor, the West is a realm across the Great Sea that serves as the home of the Valar (god-like powers) and the Maiar. In the mythology of Middle-earth, this land is physically separated from the mortal world and can only be reached by Elven ships or those granted special divine permission.
3. Fangorn Forest
Fangorn is one of the oldest remaining primary forests in Middle-earth, located at the southern end of the Misty Mountains. It is the primary residence of the Ents, the ancient "Tree-herders" who were created to protect the trees from the axes of Dwarves, Orcs, and Men.
4. Orthanc
Orthanc is an indestructible tower of black stone, 500 feet high, located at the center of the Ring of Isengard. Originally built by the Men of Gondor to house one of the palantíri (seeing stones), it later became the fortified home of the wizard Saruman.
5. Mithrandir
"Mithrandir" is the Sindarin (Elvish) name for Gandalf, which translates to "Grey Pilgrim" or "Grey Wanderer." This title reflects his nomadic nature, as he possessed no permanent home and spent his centuries in Middle-earth traveling to offer counsel to various races.
6. Radagast
Known as Radagast the Brown, he was one of the five Istari who possessed a profound affinity for the natural world. Unlike Gandalf (who focused on people) or Saruman (who focused on power), Radagast spent his time among birds and beasts, eventually becoming a master of shapes and animal lore.
7. Moria (Khazad-dûm)
Moria was the ancient and vast underground kingdom of the Dwarves located beneath the Misty Mountains, famous for its wealth of the rare metal mithril. By the time of Gandalf’s journey, it had become a derelict ruin inhabited by a Balrog, a demonic being of fire and shadow.
8. Methedras
Methedras is the southernmost peak of the Misty Mountains, standing directly above the forest of Fangorn. Its name means "Last Peak" in Sindarin, and it serves as a geographic landmark marking the northern border of the Ents’ domain.
9. The Great War (War of the Ring)
The Great War refers to the climactic conflict of the Third Age, in which the Free Peoples of Middle-earth united to prevent Sauron from reclaiming the One Ring. The war concluded with the destruction of the Ring and the transition of the world’s stewardship from the magical races to the race of Men.
