- "Manwë summoned the Valar for a council at which it was resolved to send out three emissaries to Middle-earth and he asked who would go... Only two came forward; Curumo and Alatar... and Alatar took Pallando as a friend."
- —Prior to the arrival of the Istari in the West
Alatar was a Maia and an immortal Istar Wizard. He travelled to Middle-earth in the Second Age with Pallando, and they became the Ithryn Luin, the "Blue Wizards".
They travelled to the east of Arda, to countries in far eastern Middle-earth such as Rhûn and Khand, where they were sent to stir up rebellions against those serving Sauron. They never returned to the West after their journey east with Saruman and their deeds are not known. It is possible that they became the founders of secret and magical cults, but their ultimate fate remains unknown.
Later in his life, Tolkien wrote a note suggesting that the names of the Blue Wizards were Morinehtar and Rómestámo. It is not clear whether these names were intended to replace the names Alatar and Pallando, or whether Morinehtar and Rómestámo were alternate names for the Blue Wizards, possibly those given to them by the peoples of Middle-earth.[1]
Biography
Second Age
- "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 and to cause dissension and disarray among the dark East... They must have had very great influence on the history of the Second Age and Third Age in weakening and disarraying the forces of the East... who both in the Second Age and Third Age otherwise have... outnumbered the West."
- —J.R.R. Tolkien
Alatar was originally a Maia of Oromë the Huntsman. Other servants of Oromë included Pallando, a friend of Alatar, whom he later chose to journey with him. At some point in the Second Age, around the forging of the Rings of Power, Alatar and Pallando were chosen to become the first of the Istari and were sent to the east of Middle-earth to stir up rebellion against Sauron and assist the few tribes of Men who had refused to worship Morgoth in the First Age.[2]
Third Age
- "I think that they went as emissaries to distant regions, east and south... Missionaries to enemy occupied lands as it were. What success they had I do not know; but I fear that they failed, as Saruman did, though doubtless in different ways; and I suspect they were founders or beginners of secret cults and "magic" traditions that outlasted the fall of Sauron."
- —J.R.R. Tolkien
During the Third Age, the Valar selected Alatar to be one of the five Maiar to travel from the Undying Lands to Middle-earth and serve as wizards. Alatar, Curumo (Saruman the White), and Olórin (Gandalf) were assigned the objective of encouraging the peoples of Middle-earth to oppose Sauron. However, two more joined the original three, making them five. Aiwendil (Radagast) was chosen by Yavanna to travel with Curumo, and Alatar took Pallando as a companion. Upon arrival in Middle-earth, Alatar and Pallando were dressed in robes of sea-blue. Due to this, they were called the Blue Wizards (or Ithryn Luin in Sindarin). Along with Saruman, they traveled east in an attempt to help free the Haradrim and Easterlings from Sauron's service. Later, Saruman returned to the west alone. Alatar and Pallando were never seen again, and their fates remain untold.[3][4]
Character
When Alatar came to Middle-earth, he was clothed in flesh and had the appearance of a wizened old man, though he did not look as old as Gandalf. He and Pallando were dressed in robes of sea-blue, which is why they were named "the Blue Wizards".[2] He had a white beard that was not as long as Gandalf's or Saruman's. He carried a staff, as did the other Wizards, which he could use to channel his magic.
Etymology
- Alatar (IPA: [ˈalatar]) is his first known name in Quenya. Its meaning was never explained by the author, however has been suggested that the stem could be alatā ("radiance") and the end -tar ("lord").
- Haimenar that means "Far-farer" in Quenya.
- Morinehtar (IPA: [moriˈneçtar]) that means "Darkness-slayer" in Quenya.
J.R.R. Tolkien specifically stated that neither Alatar nor Pallando had a name in the west of Middle-earth, unlike the other Wizards.
In adaptations
In The Hobbit trilogy
When talking to Bilbo, Gandalf mentions the two Blue Wizards in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. When Bilbo asks how many Wizards there are, Gandalf states that there is him, Saruman, the two Blue Wizards (whose names he cannot remember), and Radagast. Gandalf cannot remember their names because the filmmakers did not have the rights to them.
The Blue Wizards are never mentioned in The Lord of the Rings films, only referenced indirectly by Saruman, who mentions "the rods of the five wizards" in the extended edition of the third film.
Translations
| Foreign Language | Translated name |
| Amharic | ዓላታር |
| Arabic | إلاتار |
| Armenian | Ալատար |
| Belarusian Cyrillic | Алатар |
| Bengali | আলাতার |
| Bulgarian Cyrillic | Алатар |
| Georgian | ალათარი |
| Greek | Άλαταρ |
| Gujarati | આલતર |
| Hebrew | אלאתאר |
| Hindi | आलतर |
| Japanese | アルタール |
| Kannada | ಆಲತರ |
| Kazakh | Алатар (Cyrillic) Alatar (Latin) |
| Kyrgyz Cyrillic | Алатар |
| Macedonian Cyrillic | Алатар |
| Marathi | आलतर |
| Mongolian Cyrillic | Алатар |
| Nepalese | आलतर |
| Pashto | الاتار ? |
| Persian | الاتار |
| Punjabi | ਆਲਤਰ |
| Russian | Алатар |
| Sanskrit | आलतर् |
| Serbian | Алатар (Cyrillic) Alatar (Latin) |
| Sinhalese | ආලතර් |
| Tajik Cyrillic | Алатар |
| Tamil | ஆலதர் |
| Thai | อะละทาร์ |
| Ukrainian Cyrillic | Алатар |
| Uzbek | Алатар (Cyrillic) Alatar (Latin) |
| Yiddish | אַלאַטאַר |
| Ainur of Arda | |
|---|---|
| Valar | |
| Kings | Manwë (Súlimo) • Ulmo (Ulubôz) • Aulë (Návatar) • Oromë (Aldaron) • Námo (Mandos) • Irmo (Lórien) • Tulkas (Astaldo) |
| Queens | Varda (Elentári) • Yavanna (Kementári) • Nienna • Estë • Vairë • Vána • Nessa |
| Enemies | Melkor (Morgoth) |
| Maiar | |
| Valinor | Eönwë • Ilmarë • Ossë • Uinen • Salmar • Melian • Arien • Tilion • Curumo (Saruman) • Olórin (Gandalf) • Aiwendil (Radagast) • Alatar (Morinehtar) • Pallando (Rómestámo) |
| Enemies | Curumo (Saruman) • Durin's Bane • Gothmog • Mairon (Sauron) |
| Enemies (possible Ainur) |
Ungoliant • Shelob |
| Wizards | |
|---|---|
| Saruman the White • Gandalf the Grey • Radagast the Brown • Blue Wizards (Alatar & Pallando) | |
References
- ↑ The History of Middle-earth, Vol. XII: The Peoples of Middle-earth, XIII: "Last Writings"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Unfinished Tales, Part Four, chapter II: "The Istari"
- ↑ The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers, Book Three, Chapter X: "The Voice of Saruman"
- ↑ The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B: The Tale of Years (Chronology of the Westlands), "The Third Age"