Gandalf
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49 free Gandalf trivia questions with answers — entertainment quiz, new questions added Sep 2026.
Gandalf is the most famous wizard in fiction, and Tolkien built him from surprising parts: a dwarf's name lifted from the Old Norse Voluspa, a German postcard of a mountain spirit, and the wandering Odin with his hat and staff. In Middle-earth he is Olorin, a Maia who begged not to be sent, then arrived last and least at the Grey Havens and was handed the Ring of Fire by the Elf who met him. These 49 questions follow him through The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings and behind the scenes: the tea party that launched Thorin's quest, the sword from the trolls' hoard, the fireworks at Bilbo's eleventy-first birthday, the eight-day chase through the roots of Moria, the breaking of Saruman's staff and the coronation of Aragorn. Then the adaptations: the BBC radio voices, the 1970s cartoons, the two stars who declined Peter Jackson before Ian McKellen modelled the role on Tolkien himself, and the symphony whose theme spells G-A-D-A-F. Every answer is cited to a page we checked, with a short explanation so you learn something even when you miss.
30 of 49 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01Gandalf belongs to which order of wizards?
The Istari
The Istari: the Valar sent these wizards across the Great Sea to help the free peoples of Middle-earth stand against Sauron.
Q 02Which Elven Ring of Power does Gandalf bear?
Narya
Narya: it could stir courage in others and stave off weariness, and Gandalf wore it to aid him in contesting Sauron's will.
Q 03Which element is Gandalf most associated with?
Fire
Fire: on the bridge in Moria, Gandalf declares himself 'a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor'.
Q 04What was Gandalf's name in Valinor before he came to Middle-earth?
Olorin
Olorin: though counted the wisest of the Maiar, he begged not to be sent to Middle-earth, saying he was too weak and feared Sauron.
Q 05Which Vala proposed sending Gandalf to Middle-earth?
Manwe
Manwe: the King of the Valar watches Middle-earth through his eagles, and it's eagles that rescue Gandalf more than once.
Q 06Which Vala, the patron of mercy, tutored Gandalf in Valinor?
Nienna
Nienna: those who listen to her learn pity, and Gandalf shows it when he calls Gollum's tale a sad story with a part still to play.
Q 07What do the Elves call Gandalf?
Mithrandir
Mithrandir: the Sindarin name means 'Grey Pilgrim', fitting a grey-cloaked wizard who journeyed tirelessly on foot.
Q 08Which name do the Dwarves give Gandalf?
Tharkun
Tharkun: it comes from Khuzdul, the Dwarves' secret tongue, which they kept from outsiders, revealing little beyond a few words such as their battle-cry.
Q 09What was Gandalf called in an early draft of The Hobbit?
Bladorthin
Bladorthin: in that draft the name Gandalf belonged to the dwarf leader, who was later renamed Thorin Oakenshield.
Q 10Tolkien found the name Gandalf in a list of dwarves from which poem?
Voluspa
Voluspa: its list of dwarves, the Dvergatal, also gave Tolkien nearly all the dwarves' names in The Hobbit.
Q 11What does the Old Norse name Gandalfr mean?
Staff-elf
Staff-elf: gandr can mean a wand, staff or magic and alfr means elf, yet in Norse myth Gandalfr was the name of a dwarf.
Q 12Which insulting nickname does Gandalf get in Rohan?
Stormcrow
Stormcrow: King Theoden meant that Gandalf only ever turned up in times of trouble, like his other nickname Lathspell, 'Ill-news'.
Q 13Which Elf gave Gandalf his ring when he landed at the Grey Havens?
Cirdan
Cirdan: he judged Gandalf the greatest spirit and the wisest of the arriving wizards, so he entrusted him with the ring to help contest Sauron.
Q 21How does Bilbo end his speech at his eleventy-first birthday party?
He vanishes
He vanishes: as a prank he slips on the Ring, and afterwards Gandalf persuades him to leave it behind for Frodo.
Q 22In which city's archives does Gandalf find Isildur's scroll about the Ring?
Minas Tirith
Minas Tirith: Isildur had left his description of the Ring in its archives, and nearly an Age later it let Gandalf identify Frodo's ring.
Q 23Which fellow wizard brings Gandalf news of the Nazgul and a summons to Isengard?
Radagast the Brown
Radagast the Brown: Saruman used him to lure Gandalf into a trap, but the eagle Radagast sent with news ended up carrying Gandalf to safety.
Q 14Who had hoped Gandalf would lead the White Council?
Galadriel
Galadriel: Gandalf refused, unwilling to be bound by any but the Valar who had sent him, so Saruman became the Council's head instead.
Q 15Which fortress did Gandalf enter 'at great peril' to confirm the Necromancer was Sauron?
Dol Guldur
Dol Guldur: the White Council later drove Sauron out, but he had only feigned retreat and soon reappeared in Mordor.
Q 16In which inn does Gandalf meet Thorin Oakenshield by chance, per Unfinished Tales?
The Prancing Pony
The Prancing Pony: that chance meeting at Bree set off the quest that ended with the death of Smaug.
Q 17In what role does Gandalf recruit Bilbo for the dwarves' quest?
Burglar
Burglar: Bilbo lives up to the job, stealing a cup from Smaug's hoard while the dragon sleeps.
Q 18What sword does Gandalf take from the trolls' hoard in The Hobbit?
Glamdring
Glamdring: Gandalf later kills the Great Goblin with it and rescues the captured company.
Q 19In which fallen city was Gandalf's sword forged?
Gondolin
Gondolin: made there for the city's king, the blade was so deadly to goblins that they nicknamed it Beater.
Q 20Who shelters Gandalf and the dwarves just before they enter Mirkwood?
Beorn
Beorn: the skin-changer later turns the Battle of Five Armies, killing the goblin leader Bolg in bear form.
Q 24Which eagle rescues Gandalf from the top of Orthanc?
Gwaihir
Gwaihir: the same eagle later finds Gandalf on a mountain peak after his return from death and carries him away.
Q 25With whom does Gandalf leave a letter for Frodo at the inn in Bree?
Barliman Butterbur
Barliman Butterbur: the forgetful innkeeper never sent it, and only handed Frodo the letter in Bree, three months after Gandalf wrote it.
Q 26What is the name of the great horse of Rohan that becomes Gandalf's mount?
Shadowfax
Shadowfax: Tolkien may have borrowed the name from Silverfax, a swift horse in William Morris's The Well at the World's End.
Q 27Where does Gandalf battle the Nazgul all night before Frodo's party arrives there?
Weathertop
Weathertop: Gandalf drew four of the Nine north after him, so only five Riders were left to attack Frodo there days later.
Q 28Which two hobbits does Gandalf persuade Elrond to add to the Company?
Merry and Pippin
Merry and Pippin: Elrond let them go only reluctantly, and drinking Ent-draughts in Fangorn later made them the tallest hobbits in Shire history.
Q 29What does Gandalf shout as he falls from the Bridge of Khazad-dum?
Fly, you fools!
Fly, you fools!: dragged over the brink as the bridge broke, he gave his last order, and the Company escaped Moria without him.
Q 30What is 'Durin's Bane', the creature Gandalf fights in Moria?
A Balrog
A Balrog: Dwarves mining for mithril woke it from its long sleep, and it killed King Durin VI, which is how it earned the name Durin's Bane.