The Wizards are some of the most noteworthy magical practitioners in the Legendarium. The three Wizards described in the Lord of the Rings are each different in the sort of magic they practise; for example Radagast is described as “a master of shapes”, while Saruman’s fascination is with “technology” and “industry”, and Gandalf is the only Wizard we see actually casting spells as well as having expertise with runes. As the historian Ronald Hutton (2016) points out, Tolkien tends to “draw...on other traditions, more favourable to magic than the established Christian one”. This paper delves into those traditions, looking at each of the Wizards and tracing their particular magical talents in the Legendarium back to some of the primary world magical archetypes that occur in folklore and history such as druids, witches and alchemists.
