Gandalf is a powerful magician, wizard, Istari, one of the central characters in John R. R. Tolkien's fantasy books, in particular The Hobbit, or There and Back Again and The Lord of the Rings. Ian McKellen played him well in the films.

Gandalf is the greatest and wisest wizard, the prototype for Gandalf’s appearance was a Swiss postcard called “Mountain Spirit”. Explanation of the name: gandr - magic staff, alfr - alv (elf or gnome). The image of Gandalf changed the archetype and influenced the images of later characters. Heroes created under the influence of Gandalf include Dumbledore in the Harry Potter series and Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars saga.

Gandalf's real name is Olórin, one of the Maiar, the lesser deities. Among the five Istari sages, he was chosen by the council of the Valar to be sent to Middle-earth to help the Elves and Men and to confront Sauron, the lord of the dark forces. In Middle-earth he was known by many names: Mithrandir among the Elves, Tharkun among the Dwarves; and Olórin, Gandalf the Stormbringer, and Gandalf the Grey.

He was the Guardian of Narya - this is the red Ring of Fire, one of the Three Elven Rings. It kept the wizard from fatigue in everything and with its help he was able to ignite the hearts of people with ancient valor.

In the ring of invisibility found by Bilbo, Gandalf suspected the One Ring. He forced Bilbo to part with the ring and give it to his nephew Frodo. Having discovered characteristic writings in the Black Speech on the ring and checking the descriptions in the archives of Gondor, Gandalf convinced Frodo to take the ring to Rivendell, the abode of the Elves. He himself went to meet Saruman. At a meeting between the Istari, a conflict broke out: Saruman himself wanted to take possession of the Ring and use it to achieve power. He also persuaded Gandalf to make peace with Sauron. When an outraged Gandalf refused to reveal the location of the Ring to Saruman, Saruman imprisoned him at the top of the Tower of Orthanc. From there, Gandalf was rescued by giant eagles.

Arriving at the council in Rivendell, Gandalf spoke of Saruman's betrayal and agreed to lead the Fellowship of the Ring, a detachment that would take the Ring to Mount Doom and destroy it in the fire of the lava from where it came. Gandalf led his companions through the dungeons of Moria, where the party encountered the demon Balrog. In a battle with him, the wizard fell into the abyss, and the companions continued their journey without him, deciding that Gandalf had died.

However, the magician survived and even defeated the Balrog at the cost of severe wounds and burns. On the verge of death, insight and new strength came to him. He was returned to fulfill his duty and resist evil at the decisive hour... Gandalf was given the right to take the place of the fallen Saruman at the head of the order, and from now on he would be called Gandalf the White. He joined the liberation struggle of the people of Rohan against the orcs of Saruman and led reinforcements at a key moment in the Battle of Helm's Deep. After which, meeting with Saruman in Isengard, he deprived him of his magical power and broke his staff. So Saruman the White, the servant and main weapon of Sauron, was defeated...

Having gone to Gondor, the fortress of Minas Tirith, Gandalf helped organize the defense of the city to the governor Denethor. After the fall and suicide of Denethor, Gandalf actually led the defense of the city. The arrival of reinforcements from Rohan and the Army of the Dead (the army of the oathbreakers) brought by Aragorn, thanks to the fact that he was the heir of Isildur (and also the reforged sword of kings, this great blade was given to him by Elrond), as well as the death of the leader of the enemy army, the Witch King of Angmar, made it possible to win the battle at the city walls.

Realizing that the main thing was the destruction of the Ring, Gandalf, together with Aragorn, moved to the walls of Mordor to divert the Dark Lord's attention to himself. After Frodo and Sam, with the unwitting help of Gollum, destroyed the Ring, Sauron was defeated. All this was achieved largely through the advice and vigilance of Mithrandir, and in the last few days he has shown himself to be a leader worthy of the greatest respect!

He participated in the coronation of Aragorn as King of Arnor and Gondor. At the end of the War of the Ring, Gandalf left Middle-earth along with the great elves, Elrond, Galadriel and also Frodo, he went back across the sea, to the west, to Valinor...

Inexplicable, but true:

~ In the world of myths and legends, the Elvish language was not accessible to everyone, but today it is goodtutor will help you learn any language.
~ It’s hard to believe, but to this day there is a magical weight loss that helps obese people lose weight.
~ A magical place called yakhonty will allow you to completely escape from worldly worries, plunging into blissful relaxation.

Mithrandir

Gandalf Gandalf
Name options	Gandalf the Grey, Olorin, Mithrandir, Tharkun, Incanus, White Rider
Title	Istari (mage)
Race	Mayar
Floor	Male
Habitat	Valinor, no permanent habitat
Years of life	Immortal
Weapon	Glamdring sword and magic staff

Gandalf (Gandalf) is a wizard, one of the central characters in John R. R. Tolkien's fantasy books, in particular The Hobbit, or There and Back Again and The Lord of the Rings.

History of creation and possible prototypes

Biography

Gandalf the Gray

Gandalf's real name is Olórin, and he is one of the Maiar, the lesser deities of Arda. Among the five Istari sages, he was chosen by the council of the Valar to be sent to Middle-earth to help the Elves and Men and to confront Sauron, the lord of the dark forces. Olorin initially refused the difficult task, but yielded to the will of his mentor Manwe. In Middle-earth he was known by many names including Gandalf the Grey. Guardian of Narya, one of the Three Elven Rings, entrusted to him by Cirdan the Shipwright upon his arrival in Middle-earth.

Quote from The Silmarillion:

The wisest of the Maiar was Olórin, who was later called Mithrandir and Gandalf. He also lived in Lórien, but his paths often led Olórin to Nienna's house, and from her he learned compassion and patience.
Much is said about Melian in the Quenta Silmarillion, but this story does not speak about Olorin, because although he loved the Elves, he was among them invisibly or took on the same form as theirs. And the Elves did not know where the beautiful visions or wise motives that he put into their hearts came from. In later days he was a friend to all the children of Ilúvatar and sympathized with their sorrows. And those who listened to his words were left with despair and dark thoughts.

Gandalf became best known for wandering around Middle-earth and making acquaintance with different peoples, helping them with advice. In different parts of the world he received many different nicknames that replaced his name.

“I have many names in different countries. Mithrandir among the Elves, Tharkun among the Dwarves; in my youth in the long-forgotten West I was Olorin, in the south I was Incanus, in the north I was Gandalf, and I never go to the east.”

Arriving at the council in Rivendell, Gandalf spoke about Saruman's betrayal and agreed to lead the Fellowship of the Ring, a detachment that must take the Ring to the mouth of the Orodruin volcano and destroy it. Gandalf led his companions through the dungeons of Moria, where the party encountered the demon Balrog. In a battle with him, the wizard fell into the abyss, and the companions continued their journey without him, deciding that Gandalf had died.

However, the magician survived and even defeated the Balrog at the cost of severe wounds and burns. On the verge of death, insight and new strength came to him. He was given the right to take the place of the fallen Saruman at the head of the order, and from now on be called Gandalf the White. He joined the liberation struggle of the people of Rohan against Saruman's Uruk-hai and led reinforcements at a key moment in the Battle of Helm's Deep. After which, meeting with Saruman in Isengard, he deprived him of his magical power and broke his staff.

Traveling to Gondor, the fortress of Minas Tirith, Gandalf helped organize the defense of the city for Lord Denethor. After the fall and suicide of Denethor, Gandalf actually led the defense of the city. The arrival of reinforcements from Rohan and the army of oathbreakers brought by Aragorn, the heir of Isildur, as well as the death of the leader of the enemy army, the Witch King, made it possible to win the battle near the walls of the city. Realizing that the main thing was the destruction of the ring, Gandalf, together with Aragorn, moved to the walls of Mordor to divert attention. After Frodo and Sam destroyed the Ring and Sauron disappeared, he participated in the coronation of Aragorn as king of Arnor and Gondor. Having finished his work in Middle-earth. Gandalf went back over the sea to Valinor. Quote from The Silmarillion:

So peace came again, and a new spring came to earth. <...>
All this was achieved largely through the advice and vigilance of Mithrandir, and in the last few days he had shown himself to be a leader worthy of the greatest respect.
Mithrandir, dressed in white, rode on horseback into battle, but until the time came for him to leave the country, no one knew that he had long kept the red Ring of Fire.
At first this ring was entrusted to Cirdan, but he gave it to Mithrandir, knowing where he came from and where he would return.
“Take this ring,” said Cirdan, “since your labors and worries will be difficult, and it will protect you from fatigue in everything.” Because this is the Ring of Fire, and with its help you may be able to kindle hearts with ancient valor in this world that has become so cold. As for me, my heart is given to the sea, and I will remain to live on the gray shores, guarding the harbors until the time comes for the last ship to sail. Then I will wait for you!

Notes

Links

The Lord of the Rings - novel by J. R. R. Tolkien

In all the most famous fairy tales, there is always a certain kind and wise old man or wizard, to whom you can always turn for advice and help. It is he who, in difficult times, saves the main characters from trouble and punishes evil. In the magical world of Middle-earth, created by the fantasy of the writer R. R. Tolkien, such a character was the wizard Gandalf.

Inhabitants of the fairy world

The fairy-tale world composed by Tolkien, according to the author himself, was once upon a time on our planet.

But over time, magic disappeared from our world. many species of creatures became extinct and the most tenacious and prolific race remained - people.

In the old days, the central continent was called Middle-earth, and the famous habitat of hobbits - the Shire - was located in the region of modern northwestern Europe.

In the eighties, the artist's career began to wane, but in the early nineties he regained popularity. The role of Richard III in the film of the same name is considered the highest achievement during this period. McKellen often starred in box-office films of this decade, albeit in small roles.

In 1997, he received a Golden Globe for his role in the television series Rasputin, and the following year he was nominated for an Oscar for the film Gods and Monsters.

The actor became truly world famous in 2000, when he played the iconic comic book character Magneto in X-Men, and later in all the sequels.

In 2001, the film “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” was released, where Ian became the actor who played Gandalf.

In subsequent years, the artist returned to this role more than once in various sequels. For his role as Gandalf, he was nominated for an Oscar for the second time, but did not receive the award.

Today, the actor continues to play in the theater and sometimes acts in films. In 2015, he played the role of Sherlock Holmes in a film about his old age. In 2016, Ian will again appear before the audience in the role of the villain Magneto, and in 2017, a musical film with his participation, “Beauty and the Beast,” is due to be released.

Who voiced Gandalf

After the successful film adaptation of Tolkien's works, video games dedicated to events in Middle-earth were released. The main playable characters in them were the main heroes of the epic and Gandalf the White (Grey) among them. In all games, the main wizard of Middle-earth was voiced by actor Ian McKellen himself. We now know for sure who played Gandalf in the films.

In the Russian translation of Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, as well as in video games, he was voiced by a wonderful dubbing artist - Rogvold Sukhoverko. However, due to illness in the Hobbit trilogy, the magician was dubbed by another actor - Vasily Bochkarev.

A remarkable fact: in the early 90s in Russia they planned to shoot the cartoon “Treasures Under the Mountain” based on “The Hobbit”. While preparing to voice Gandalf, some materials were even recorded. However, due to lack of funding, the project was closed.

The magical world of Middle-earth has been exciting the imagination of readers, and now viewers, for more than half a century. And all this thanks to a perfectly written plot and, of course, unforgettable, colorful characters. Not the least merit in this is the wizard Gandalf, who is the embodiment of wisdom, care and self-sacrifice in the epic.

British actor Ian McKellen perfectly embodied this character on screen in all his films. I would like to hope that if another of Tolkien’s works, The Silmarillion, is filmed, audiences will once again meet their favorite character performed by McKellen.

A wise wizard, a traditional figure in JRR Tolkien's familiar Norse and British mythology. The name "Gandalf", or rather "Gandalf", is borrowed from an ancient Norse poem Dvergatal, where it belongs to one of the "lower svartalfs" (dwarves). In Tolkien's early drafts for The Hobbit, Gandalf was the name of the leader of the band of dwarves, and he was described as a short "old man with a staff." In the final version of the story, the king of Naugrim received the name Thorin Oakenshield, and the author called the wizard Gandalf, since the name Bladortin, previously chosen for this character, seemed to him too frivolous. The decoding of the name also played a role: gandr translated as "magic staff" alfr- as “alf” (elf from the Old Icelandic dialect).

The prototype for Gandalf's appearance was a Swiss postcard called "The Mountain Spirit", which depicts an old bearded man in a wide-brimmed hat feeding a deer from his hand.

According to literary critic Harold Bloom, the image of Gandalf reflects certain features of the supreme Scandinavian god Odin. This is confirmed in one of Tolkien's letters, where he writes that he imagined Gandalf as a "wanderer in the spirit of Odin." Other researchers also compare Gandalf to Odin in his "Traveler" guise - an old man with a long white beard, wearing a wide-brimmed hat and carrying a staff. Christoph Hoebel, analyzing the relationship between the characters of The Lord of the Rings and Shakespeare's The Tempest, argues that some of Gandalf's attributes make him similar to the wizard Prospero; both of these characters embody a sort of European archetype of the wise magician. The opinion about the similarity of the images of Gandalf and Prospero is shared by Janet Brennan Croft, who also points to a clear relationship between Gandalf and Merlin.

According to P. J. Miller and Richard Fossey, authors of Mapping the Catholic Cultural Landscape, Gandalf embodies the image of a giver of hope, and his character clearly reflects Tolkien's Christian views.

In turn, the image of Gandalf changed the archetype and influenced the images of later characters. After the resounding success of The Lord of the Rings in the late 1960s, this character virtually acquired cult status.

The appearance of Gandalf in Middle-earth

Gandalf's real name is Olórin. Sometimes he appeared among the elves, invisibly or taking the form of one of them, and shared with them wisdom or beautiful visions. For Olórin, the representative of the Maiar spirits, spent much of his time in Lorien, the gardens of the Shafts of Irmo, after which the forests of Lothlorien in Middle-earth were named.

Olorin also often visited the halls of Nienna, which were located far to the west at the borders of the world. From her, Olorin learned patience and compassion. But more often Olórin is associated with Manwë and Varda, because it was they who sent him to Middle-earth around 1000 of the Third Age. Among other Istari sages, he was chosen by the council of the Valar to be sent to Middle-earth to help the elves and people and to confront Sauron, the newly-minted Dark Lord. Olorin at first refused the difficult task, but soon yielded to the will of Manwe. In Middle-earth he was known by many names, including Gandalf the Grey. Guardian of Narya, one of the Three Elven Rings, entrusted to him by the elf Cirdan the Shipwright upon his arrival in Middle-earth.

Gandalf became best known for wandering around Middle-earth and making acquaintance with different peoples, helping them with advice. In different parts of the world he received many different nicknames that replaced his name:

“I have many names in different countries. Mithrandir among the Elves, Tharkun among the Dwarves; in my youth in the long-forgotten West I was Olorin, in the south I was Incanus, in the north I was Gandalf, and I never go to the east.”

Gandalf and the Hobbits

It is unknown when exactly Gandalf first became interested in the hobbit people. He loved them and, moreover, had a presentiment that they would play an extremely important role in the future. True, among hobbits Gandalf was known primarily as a “magician” and “sorcerer” in the most common sense of the word. So, in the book “The Hobbit”, through the mouth of Bilbo, it is reported that he gave Old Took magic diamond cufflinks, which fastened themselves, but were unfastened only by order. He was especially famous for the wonderful fireworks that he organized on Midsummer's Eve at Old Took's party. At the same time, however, it should be mentioned that it was Gandalf in 2758-59. T.E. (1168-70 according to the Shire chronology) came to the aid of the hobbits of the Shire during the Long Winter and the terrible famine that followed it.

Fictional biography

Reconnaissance in Dol Guldur, the trek to the Lonely Mountain and the beginning of the War of the Ring

Around 1100 of the Third Age, the Istari magicians and Elven leaders learned that some evil force coming from the East had built the fortress of Dol Guldur in the south of Mirkwood. Then they thought that this was one of the nine Nazgul. But the huge magical shadow that fell over the forest grew, and by 2060 the Wise began to fear that it could be Sauron himself, who was defeated at the end of the Second Age, and whose spirit disappeared in the East. In 2063, Gandalf the Gray went to Dol Guldur to find out, but Sauron fled and disappeared again into the East.

The Watchful Peace lasted until 2460, when Sauron returned to Dol Guldur with increased powers. Three years later, the White Council was convened. The head of the Council was Saruman the White, who was also the head of the Order of Magi. Queen Galadriel of Lórien wanted Gandalf to become head of the Council, but he refused, as he did not want to do anything other than his true mission in Middle-earth. Gandalf secretly returned to Dol Guldur in 2850 and in one of the dungeons he found the exiled king of Erebor, Thrain the Second, father of Thorin Oakenshield, dying in captivity from torture. Before his death, a descendant of Durin the Immortal gave Gandalf a map of the Lonely Mountain drawn by Thorin's grandfather Thror and the key to the secret door. The magician Gandalf became convinced that the owner of Dol Guldur, the Necromancer, was Sauron, and tried to convince the White Council to take some action, but Saruman convinced the magicians and elves to wait and watch.

Despite the words of the head of the Order, Gandalf was alarmed by the presence of Sauron in Dol Guldur. He feared that the Dark Lord would use the dragon Smaug, who had captured the Lonely Mountain and expelled the dwarf king Thror from there, for his own purposes, which would allow Sauron himself to attack Rivendell, Shire and Lothlorien.

In March 2941, Gandalf accidentally met the son of Thrain the Second, Thorin Oakenshield, in an inn in the human settlement of Bree. Thorin wanted to reclaim the Lonely Mountain, and Gandalf saw this as an opportunity to rid the north of Middle-earth of the dragon threat. Together they developed a plan. Thorin assembled a band of 12 Dwarves, mostly his relatives, and Gandalf chose a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins to become the fourteenth member of the band. However, in this regard, the magician had to face difficulties. When the wizard arrived at Bag End in late April 2941, he saw with his own eyes that Bilbo had settled into a comfortable hole and showed no interest in adventure.

Very reluctantly, Bilbo agreed to become a burglar for Thorin. Gandalf then escorted Thorin's Company to Rivendell. While traveling in the cave of the Stone Trolls, Gandalf found the sword of King Turgon of Gondolin, known as Glamdring, which he wore all his life. Gandalf helped Thorin's Company cross the Misty Mountains, saving them several times from orcs and other disasters. It was there that Bilbo received the “magic ring”. At first, Bilbo claimed that he "won" it from a creature called Gollum while the party was in the underground caves of the Misty Mountains. When Bilbo put on the Ring, it made him invisible. The hobbit continued to keep the ring secret from Gandalf for some time. Before the end of the campaign on the outskirts of Mirkwood, Gandalf left the detachment, although Thorin's campaign itself was then successfully completed: Smaug fell from the arrow of Bard the Archer, and the orcs and wargs from the Misty Mountains were defeated in the Battle of the Five Armies by an alliance consisting of the dwarves of the Iron Hills, the people of Esgaroth and elves of Mirkwood. At the end of the summer of 2941, just during Thorin’s campaign, the White Council met again and decided to attack Dol Guldur. Secretly from Gandalf and the rest of the White Council, Sauron was preparing for the upcoming departure from his temporary shelter and, during the attack of the elves and magicians on Dol Guldur, he retreated to Mordor, where the Nine Nazgul were waiting for him.

In the magic ring found by Bilbo, Gandalf suspected the One Ring. In 3001, he forced Bilbo to part with the Ring and give it to his nephew Frodo for safekeeping. And in 3018, having discovered characteristic writings in the Black Speech on the Ring and checking the descriptions in the archives of Gondor, Gandalf convinced Frodo to take the ring to Rivendell, the abode of the Elves. He himself went to meet with Saruman, the head of the Istari order in Isengard. At a meeting between the magicians, a conflict broke out: Saruman himself wanted to take possession of the Ring and use it to achieve power. He also persuaded Gandalf to make peace with Sauron. When the outraged Gandalf refused to reveal the location of the Ring to Saruman, Saruman imprisoned him at the top of the tower of Orthanc. From there, Gandalf was saved by Gwaihir, the leader of the giant eagles of Manwë, sent by his friend, the third Istari, Radagast the Brown.

Arriving at the council in Rivendell, Gandalf spoke about Saruman's betrayal and agreed to lead the Fellowship of the Ring, a detachment that must take the Ring to the mouth of the Orodruin volcano and destroy it. Gandalf attempted to lead his companions through the dungeons of Moria, where the party encountered one of Melkor's surviving demons, a balrog. In a battle with him, the wizard fell from the Mori bridge into the abyss, and the companions continued on their way without him, deciding that Gandalf had died. But since Gandalf is Maya, he could not finally die, his fae (soul) was carried away to the Halls of Timelessness. However, Eru Iluvatar decided to return him back, since the magician did not have time to complete his task.

The Deposition of Saruman and the end of the War of the Ring

Gandalf was given the right to take the place of the fallen Saruman at the head of the order and from now on he became known as Gandalf the White. He joined the liberation struggle of the people of Rohan against the orcs of Saruman and led reinforcements at a key moment in the Battle of Helm's Deep. After which, meeting with Saruman the White in Isengard, he expelled him from the Istari Order and broke his staff.

Going to Gondor, Gandalf helped the governor Denethor II organize the defense of Minas Tirith. After the suicide of Denethor II, he actually led the defense of the capital of Gondor. The arrival of reinforcements from Rohan and the Dunedain army brought by Aragorn, the heir of Isildur, as well as the death of the leader of the enemy army, the Witch King, made it possible to win the battle near the walls of the city. However, realizing that the main thing was the destruction of the Ring, Gandalf, together with Aragorn, at the head of a small army of the West, moved to the Black Gate of Mordor in order to divert the Dark Lord's attention to himself. After Frodo and Sam, with the unwitting help of Gollum, destroyed the Ring, and Sauron disappeared, Aragorn was crowned king of Arnor and Gondor.

Thus, the mission with which the Istari Order was sent to Middle-earth was completed to the end precisely through the efforts of Gandalf. On September 29, 3021 T.E., he, along with Bilbo, Frodo, Galadriel and Elrond, boarded the ship of Cirdan the Shipwright in Gray Harbor and returned to Valinor.

• In New Zealand, where the Tolkien trilogy was filmed, a set of coins featuring Lord of the Rings characters was released, including a fifty-cent coin featuring Gandalf.
• Name Gandalf, according to the author's etymology, in the fictional language Westron means “elf with a staff.” Presumably, the name Gandalf is made up of two roots: Gand-(gand) + -alfr(alfr). Gand in Old Icelandic meant "something dubious", "an enchanted thing or object used by a sorcerer." Gandalfr (gandalfr) - “wizard”, “enchanted demon” (alfr). On the other hand, gandr means "magic staff". Thus, like many other names and titles in The Hobbit, Gandalf is not so much a name as a description of the bearer of the name
• McKellen's character was ranked 30th (04/03/2016) on Empire magazine's list of the 100 Greatest Movie Characters.
• Sean Connery and Tom Baker were initially approached to play Gandalf, but both declined.

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Notes

Literature

• Carpenter, H. John Ronald Reuel Tolkien. Letters = The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien / Ed. S. Taskaeva; Per. from English S. Likhacheva. - M.: EKSMO-Press, 2004. - 576 p. - 3,000 copies. - ISBN 5-699-05080-9.
• Korolev K. Tolkien and his world: Encyclopedia. - M.: Locked Press, 2005. - P. 122-127. - 494 p. - 7100 copies. - ISBN 5-98601-018-3.

Links

Characters "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" Characters "The Silmarillion" Geography Battles Artifacts Races and peoples

Characters Immortals Geography Artifacts Races

Excerpt characterizing Gandalf

“Now he’s changed a lot,” said Anna Mikhailovna. “So I wanted to say,” she continued, “through his wife, Prince Vasily is the direct heir to the entire estate, but his father loved Pierre very much, was involved in his upbringing and wrote to the sovereign... so no one knows if he dies (he is so bad that they are waiting for it) every minute, and Lorrain came from St. Petersburg), who will get this huge fortune, Pierre or Prince Vasily. Forty thousand souls and millions. I know this very well, because Prince Vasily himself told me this. And Kirill Vladimirovich is my second cousin on my mother’s side. “He baptized Borya,” she added, as if not attributing any significance to this circumstance.
– Prince Vasily arrived in Moscow yesterday. He’s going for an inspection, they told me,” the guest said.
“Yes, but, entre nous, [between us],” said the princess, “this is an excuse, he actually came to Count Kirill Vladimirovich, having learned that he was so bad.”
“However, ma chere, this is a nice thing,” said the count and, noticing that the eldest guest was not listening to him, he turned to the young ladies. – The policeman had a good figure, I imagine.
And he, imagining how the policeman waved his arms, laughed again with a sonorous and bassy laugh that shook his entire plump body, as people laugh who have always eaten well and especially drunk. “So, please, come and have dinner with us,” he said.

There was silence. The Countess looked at the guest, smiling pleasantly, however, without hiding the fact that she would not be at all upset now if the guest got up and left. The guest's daughter was already straightening her dress, looking questioningly at her mother, when suddenly from the next room several men's and women's feet were heard running towards the door, the crash of a chair being snagged and knocked over, and a thirteen-year-old girl ran into the room, wrapping something in her short muslin skirt, and stopped in the middle rooms. It was obvious that she accidentally, with an uncalculated run, ran so far. At the same moment a student with a crimson collar, a guards officer, a fifteen-year-old girl and a fat, ruddy boy in a children's jacket appeared at the door.
The count jumped up and, swaying, spread his arms wide around the running girl.
- Oh, here she is! – he shouted laughing. - Birthday girl! Ma chere, birthday girl!
“Ma chere, il y a un temps pour tout, [Darling, there is time for everything,” said the countess, pretending to be stern. “You keep spoiling her, Elie,” she added to her husband.
“Bonjour, ma chere, je vous felicite, [Hello, my dear, I congratulate you,” said the guest. – Quelle delicuse enfant! “What a lovely child!” she added, turning to her mother.
A dark-eyed, big-mouthed, ugly, but lively girl, with her childish open shoulders, which, shrinking, moved in her bodice from fast running, with her black curls bunched back, thin bare arms and small legs in lace pantaloons and open shoes, I was at that sweet age when a girl is no longer a child, and a child is not yet a girl. Turning away from her father, she ran up to her mother and, not paying any attention to her stern remark, hid her flushed face in the lace of her mother’s mantilla and laughed. She was laughing at something, talking abruptly about a doll that she had taken out from under her skirt.
– See?... Doll... Mimi... See.
And Natasha could no longer speak (everything seemed funny to her). She fell on top of her mother and laughed so loudly and loudly that everyone, even the prim guest, laughed against their will.
- Well, go, go with your freak! - said the mother, feigning angrily pushing her daughter away. “This is my youngest,” she turned to the guest.
Natasha, taking her face away from her mother’s lace scarf for a minute, looked at her from below through tears of laughter and hid her face again.
The guest, forced to admire the family scene, considered it necessary to take some part in it.
“Tell me, my dear,” she said, turning to Natasha, “how do you feel about this Mimi?” Daughter, right?
Natasha did not like the tone of condescension to childish conversation with which the guest addressed her. She did not answer and looked at her guest seriously.
Meanwhile, all this young generation: Boris - an officer, the son of Princess Anna Mikhailovna, Nikolai - a student, the eldest son of the count, Sonya - the count's fifteen-year-old niece, and little Petrusha - the youngest son, all settled in the living room and, apparently, tried to keep within the boundaries of decency the animation and gaiety that still breathed from every feature of them. It was clear that there, in the back rooms, from where they all ran so quickly, they were having more fun conversations than here about city gossip, the weather and Comtesse Apraksine. [about Countess Apraksina.] Occasionally they glanced at each other and could hardly restrain themselves from laughing.
Two young men, a student and an officer, friends since childhood, were the same age and both were handsome, but did not look alike. Boris was a tall, fair-haired young man with regular, delicate features of a calm and handsome face; Nikolai was a short, curly-haired young man with an open expression on his face. Black hairs were already showing on his upper lip, and his whole face expressed impetuosity and enthusiasm.
Nikolai blushed as soon as he entered the living room. It was clear that he was searching and could not find anything to say; Boris, on the contrary, immediately found himself and told him calmly, jokingly, how he had known this Mimi doll as a young girl with an undamaged nose, how she had grown old in his memory at the age of five and how her head was cracked all over her skull. Having said this, he looked at Natasha. Natasha turned away from him, looked at her younger brother, who, with his eyes closed, was shaking with silent laughter, and, unable to hold on any longer, jumped and ran out of the room as quickly as her fast legs could carry her. Boris didn't laugh.
- You seemed to want to go too, maman? Do you need a carriage? – he said, turning to his mother with a smile.
“Yes, go, go, tell me to cook,” she said, pouring out.
Boris quietly walked out the door and followed Natasha, the fat boy angrily ran after them, as if annoyed at the frustration that had occurred in his studies.

Of the young people, not counting the countess's eldest daughter (who was four years older than her sister and already behaved like a grown-up) and the young lady's guest, Nikolai and Sonya's niece remained in the living room. Sonya was a thin, petite brunette with a soft gaze, shaded by long eyelashes, a thick black braid that wrapped around her head twice, and a yellowish tint to the skin on her face and especially on her bare, thin, but graceful, muscular arms and neck. With the smoothness of her movements, the softness and flexibility of her small limbs, and her somewhat cunning and reserved manner, she resembled a beautiful, but not yet fully formed kitten, which would become a lovely little cat. She apparently considered it decent to show participation in the general conversation with a smile; but against her will, from under her long thick eyelashes, she looked at her cousin [cousin] who was leaving for the army with such girlish passionate adoration that her smile could not deceive anyone for a moment, and it was clear that the cat sat down only to jump more energetically and play with your sauce as soon as they, like Boris and Natasha, get out of this living room.
“Yes, ma chere,” said the old count, turning to his guest and pointing to his Nicholas. - His friend Boris was promoted to officer, and out of friendship he does not want to lag behind him; he leaves both the university and me as an old man: he goes into military service, ma chere. And his place in the archive was ready, and that was it. Is that friendship? - said the count questioningly.
“But they say war has been declared,” said the guest.
“They’ve been saying this for a long time,” said the count. “They’ll talk and talk again and leave it at that.” Ma chere, that’s friendship! - he repeated. - He is going to the hussars.
The guest, not knowing what to say, shook her head.
“Not out of friendship at all,” answered Nikolai, flushing and making excuses as if from a shameful slander against him. – Not friendship at all, but I just feel a calling to military service.
He looked back at his cousin and the guest young lady: both looked at him with a smile of approval.
“Today, Schubert, colonel of the Pavlograd Hussar Regiment, is dining with us. He was on vacation here and takes it with him. What to do? - said the count, shrugging his shoulders and speaking jokingly about the matter, which apparently cost him a lot of grief.
“I already told you, daddy,” said the son, “that if you don’t want to let me go, I’ll stay.” But I know that I am not fit for anything except military service; “I’m not a diplomat, not an official, I don’t know how to hide what I feel,” he said, still looking with the coquetry of beautiful youth at Sonya and the guest young lady.
The cat, glaring at him with her eyes, seemed every second ready to play and show all her cat nature.
- Well, well, okay! - said the old count, - everything is getting hot. Bonaparte turned everyone’s heads; everyone thinks how he got from lieutenant to emperor. Well, God willing,” he added, not noticing the guest’s mocking smile.
The big ones started talking about Bonaparte. Julie, Karagina’s daughter, turned to young Rostov:
– What a pity that you weren’t at the Arkharovs’ on Thursday. “I was bored without you,” she said, smiling tenderly at him.
The flattered young man with a flirtatious smile of youth moved closer to her and entered into a separate conversation with the smiling Julie, not noticing at all that this involuntary smile of his was cutting the heart of the blushing and feignedly smiling Sonya with a knife of jealousy. “In the middle of the conversation, he looked back at her. Sonya looked at him passionately and embitteredly and, barely holding back the tears in her eyes and a feigned smile on her lips, she stood up and left the room. All Nikolai's animation disappeared. He waited for the first break in the conversation and, with an upset face, left the room to look for Sonya.
– How the secrets of all these young people are sewn with white thread! - said Anna Mikhailovna, pointing to Nikolai coming out. “Cousinage dangereux voisinage,” she added.
“Yes,” said the countess, after the ray of sunshine that had penetrated into the living room with this young generation had disappeared, and as if answering a question that no one had asked her, but which constantly occupied her. - How much suffering, how much anxiety has been endured in order to now rejoice in them! And now, really, there is more fear than joy. You're still afraid, you're still afraid! This is precisely the age at which there are so many dangers for both girls and boys.
“Everything depends on upbringing,” said the guest.
“Yes, your truth,” continued the Countess. “Until now, thank God, I have been a friend of my children and enjoy their complete trust,” said the countess, repeating the misconception of many parents who believe that their children have no secrets from them. “I know that I will always be the first confidente [confidant] of my daughters, and that Nikolenka, due to her ardent character, if she plays naughty (a boy cannot live without this), then everything is not like these St. Petersburg gentlemen.
“Yes, nice, nice guys,” confirmed the count, who always resolved issues that confused him by finding everything nice. - Come on, I want to become a hussar! Yes, that's what you want, ma chere!
“What a sweet creature your little one is,” said the guest. - Gunpowder!
“Yes, gunpowder,” said the count. - It hit me! And what a voice: even though it’s my daughter, I’ll tell the truth, she will be a singer, Salomoni is different. We hired an Italian to teach her.
- Is not it too early? They say it is harmful for your voice to study at this time.
- Oh, no, it’s so early! - said the count. - How did our mothers get married at twelve thirteen?
- She’s already in love with Boris! What? - said the countess, smiling quietly, looking at Boris’s mother, and, apparently answering the thought that had always occupied her, she continued. - Well, you see, if I had kept her strictly, I would have forbidden her... God knows what they would have done on the sly (the countess meant: they would have kissed), and now I know every word she says. She will come running in the evening and tell me everything. Maybe I'm spoiling her; but, really, this seems to be better. I kept the eldest strictly.
“Yes, I was brought up completely differently,” said the eldest, beautiful Countess Vera, smiling.
But a smile did not grace Vera’s face, as usually happens; on the contrary, her face became unnatural and therefore unpleasant.
The eldest, Vera, was good, she was not stupid, she studied well, she was well brought up, her voice was pleasant, what she said was fair and appropriate; but, strangely, everyone, both the guest and the countess, looked back at her, as if they were surprised why she said this, and felt awkward.
“They always play tricks with older children, they want to do something extraordinary,” said the guest.
- To be honest, ma chere! The Countess was playing tricks with Vera,” said the Count. - Well, oh well! Still, she turned out nice,” he added, winking approvingly at Vera.
The guests got up and left, promising to come for dinner.
- What a manner! They were already sitting, sitting! - said the countess, ushering the guests out.

When Natasha left the living room and ran, she only reached the flower shop. She stopped in this room, listening to the conversation in the living room and waiting for Boris to come out. She was already beginning to get impatient and, stamping her foot, was about to cry because he was not walking now, when she heard the quiet, not fast, decent steps of a young man.
Natasha quickly rushed between the flower pots and hid.
Boris stopped in the middle of the room, looked around, brushed specks from his uniform sleeve with his hand and walked up to the mirror, examining his handsome face. Natasha, having become quiet, looked out from her ambush, waiting for what he would do. He stood in front of the mirror for a while, smiled and went to the exit door. Natasha wanted to call out to him, but then changed her mind. “Let him search,” she told herself. Boris had just left when a flushed Sonya emerged from another door, whispering something angrily through her tears. Natasha restrained herself from her first move to run out to her and remained in her ambush, as if under an invisible cap, looking out for what was happening in the world. She experienced a special new pleasure. Sonya whispered something and looked back at the living room door. Nikolai came out of the door.
- Sonya! What happened to you? Is this possible? - Nikolai said, running up to her.
- Nothing, nothing, leave me! – Sonya began to sob.
- No, I know what.
- Well, you know, that’s great, and go to her.
- Sooo! One word! Is it possible to torture me and yourself like this because of a fantasy? - Nikolai said, taking her hand.
Sonya did not pull his hands away and stopped crying.
Natasha, without moving or breathing, looked out from her ambush with shining heads. "What will happen now"? she thought.
- Sonya! I don't need the whole world! “You alone are everything to me,” Nikolai said. - I'll prove it to you.
“I don’t like it when you talk like that.”
- Well, I won’t, I’m sorry, Sonya! “He pulled her towards him and kissed her.
“Oh, how good!” thought Natasha, and when Sonya and Nikolai left the room, she followed them and called Boris to her.
“Boris, come here,” she said with a significant and cunning look. – I need to tell you one thing. Here, here,” she said and led him into the flower shop to the place between the tubs where she was hidden. Boris, smiling, followed her.
– What is this one thing? - he asked.
She was embarrassed, looked around her and, seeing her doll abandoned on the tub, took it in her hands.
“Kiss the doll,” she said.
Boris looked into her lively face with an attentive, affectionate gaze and did not answer.

Despite the fact that in both trilogies " Lord of the Rings" And " Hobbit“Gandalf was the most positive character, sometimes his actions spoke for themselves. He might wear a pointy hat and suddenly pull off some life-saving trick, but Gandalf is actually more human than you might think, because he makes mistakes. Often, even very serious.

Not those that are visible to the naked eye, but much more serious. Have you ever noticed how many different mistakes he makes during two very important tasks (helping the dwarves and saving Middle-earth). Have you ever found yourself on your knees in front of the TV screen screaming, " NO GANDALF, WHY ARE YOU SAYING THIS? YOU WILL REGRET THIS DECISION, GANDALF!».

In the second part " The Hobbit" ("The Desolation of Smaug") Gandalf, Bilbo Baggins and 13 dwarves flee from what appears to be a werewolf, but who later turns out to be a bear. Gandalf says that there is a house nearby in which they can take refuge and that it belongs to neither friend nor foe: “ He will help us...or kill us».

What confidence!

The dwarves agree anyway, since the terrible beast is already on their heels. After everyone has caught their breath, Gandalf reveals that the house belongs to none other than the monster who was chasing them to kill them. Yes, Gandalf has just led them to a place where they may not get out alive. Luckily, the werewolf (Beorn) comes home, treats them to dinner, insults them, and sends them on their way unharmed.

In the first part of The Lord of the Rings " The Fellowship of the Ring"Gandalf finds himself imprisoned at the top of Saruman's high tower, where conditions are so bad that with the first strike of lightning not a trace will remain of its captive. After several days of rain and despair, Gandalf catches a moth flying by (what kind of moth flies so high in the pouring rain?) and through the moth, with the help of special communication skills, he manages to contact the eagle, who flies to his aid. ( It's amazing that Saruman can defeat Gandalf in battle, but cannot bring down an eagle that lands on his roof.).

And if Gandalf is able to communicate with moths and birds, then why on earth cannot he warn Frodo in the same way that he will not meet him at the Prancing Pony. Work harder, wizard, and stop using your powers selectively.

When Gandalf first sees the ring in Bilbo's house and his fingers almost touch the ring, for a moment the all-consuming flame of the eye of Sauron appears before him. However, he leaves the ring with poor, clueless Frodo and goes to God knows where to study the long and dark history of the ring itself.

Plus, we see him with a large bottle of an unknown liquid (no doubt one of the illegal varieties of Mediterranean moonshine) and of course it affects his condition when he later goes to visit Saruman. Meanwhile, Frodo and Sam go on a hilarious journey into hell. Bravo, Gandalf! For not seeing obvious things.

« Let the ring bearer decide“- the gray wizard said menacingly, as the Fellowship of the Ring froze their brains on the way through the snowy mountain top. Frodo chooses the path through the mines; Gandalf frowns, and Gimli silently rejoices - and now they are already on the way to Moria. Gandalf: " You must know about the mad demon!" YOU SHOULD KNOW. You're an all-knowing and respected wizard, for God's sake.

Frodo is like your grandson, you had to make his interests yours. However, as we see this is not the case, you are the one who sent him on this dangerous journey (just like in The Hobbit, but more on that later). It's obvious that you can't be trusted.

It is impossible that Gandalf did not know about the terrible fate that befell Moria. Technically, it would seem that Gimli should have been aware as well, but we'll forgive his ignorance because he's a bumbling fool who's 90% Director's Cut. It is quite clear on the tombs that the underground battle took place a long time ago - did you notice the dust on the corpses of the dwarves?

It’s not for nothing that Gandalf is afraid of Moria, and in the film Saruman’s words confirm this: “ Moria...you're afraid to go down into those mines. The dwarves dug too greedily and deeply. You know who they awakened in the darkness of Khazad-dum. Darkness and fire." "This would seem to indicate that Gandalf not only knows of Balin's defeat, but also that they did not fall to orcs or goblins».

Now Gandalf suddenly became less talkative, so be it, but at least he should have chosen the path through the mountains. He, of course, had to go through the mines, the journey through which took 4 days. There was no point in tempting fate.

In the third part " The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King"Gandalf decides that the last third of the final part of the film is a good time to surprise everyone with what amazing power he has, what a blinding light his magic staff can emit and scare away a huge bunch of Nazgul. Obviously, these new magnificent powers will help immensely in battle, but only in extremely desperate cases.

But when exactly did he acquire these miraculous powers? And why haven’t we seen them before, for example, in the third part? Hobbit"The Battle of the Five Kingdoms", when could this light help stop the dragon Smaug? This begs another question, why didn't he use them in the final battle? He could just blind the orcs with his powers and win the battle for everyone, right?

As you know, Gandalf is on the council, right? The council apparently consists of Gandalf the Grey, Elrond the half-elf, half-man, Galadriel, a telepathic beauty, and a crazy gray-haired dude who will later turn to the dark side. IN " The Hobbit"We see Gandalf and Galadriel communicating telepathically, like two naughty kids at school sending messages with their minds.

Thank goodness Galadriel likes Gandalf. He gives them all a distraction while the dwarves leave Rivendell to continue on their way and reclaim their home, even though Erlond, the master of Rivendell, points out that anyone would say that this is a terrible idea. And then Erlond makes it clear that he orders not to do anything like that. Naughty Gandalf. It would probably be a good move if the dwarves and Gandalf listened and the trilogy " Hobbit"would be limited to 1.5 hours.

When the fellowship gets to Ballin's tomb (In Moria, remember, where Gimli gets "slightly" emotional) Gandalf takes his time reading the Dwarven record book, which is just lying among a pile of corpses. The book references the beating of drums and this is a fairly clear precursor to Barlog's appearance. This not only indicates that the Dwarves died in the war with the Orcs, but also foretells what will happen next.

The drumming begins, the orcs go to the call, the Balrog appears near Gandalf. Attention! Death scene. Gandalf, you need to delve less into books and cross the mines faster. If you had left the book alone a few minutes earlier, you would have gotten out of there just in time.

So, it's all too obvious a path selection error that gets mentioned all the time, but it was a rookie mistake. Gandalf and the Brotherhood escape from the fire demon Balrog. They cross the stone bridge and the brotherhood ends up on the other side. Gandalf stops halfway, turns around and starts shouting to distract the demon towards himself.

And then he destroys the bridge on which he himself stands. Of course, it looks like everything will be fine, the demon falls off the bridge, the wizard turns and looks at everyone, movie theater audiences all over the world breathe a sigh of relief at this moment, but then the demon grabs his ankle with a whip. And only in the second part " Two fortresses"You will see him again.

At the end of the first part " The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey“Thorin, Bilbo, Gandalf and the rest of the dwarves were forced to jump off a cliff, so that they would later be picked up by eagles and saved. They drop them off on a fairly high cliff so they can catch their breath after a dangerous encounter with Ozog the Defiler.

The camera pans around expecting the landscape in front of them, but only with the top of the Lonely Mountain barely visible in the midst of this picturesque view. It's so far away that every member of the group must be heartbroken. " Why is it so far? Why is there no direct bus there?»

Meanwhile, viewers from all over the world rise from their seats and throw popcorn at the big screen, shouting: " Why couldn’t the eagles carry them to the end?” “Why are these eagles so lazy?”. If only Gandalf had tamed his eagles properly, it would have made life easier for everyone.

How many people can actually say why Bilbo was chosen as the thief to go to the Lonely Mountain? Just because he's small? And doesn't it smell like a gnome? Or because it's in his blood?

Don't believe what Gandalf tells Thorin. The real reason he chose Bilbo is because he is like a child. He says: " I remember a young hobbit who always ran into the forest to see the elves. You would do it again, despite the dirt and rods" Just like any other child, right Gandalf? Bilbo was simply lucky (or unlucky, depending on how you view the subsequent journey) that his family knew a wizard.

Tell " Friend“And come in,” said the inscription above Durin’s door. Oh, well, that's too easy. " If you are a friend and say the password, the door will open", Gandalf chuckled.

No, this is absolutely not the password written there, oh, wise wizard. You raise your hands and the staff in a dramatic pose as if the door would open that way (and like a petulant child you yell at a nosy Pippin who just wanted to know Plan B).

Finally Frodo managed to solve the riddle that " mellon", a friend in Elvish is the password and thank God, otherwise they would have waited all night on the street until Gandalf figured it out.