Gandalf

He was also extremely powerful in his own right outside his political influence. While he was still “Gandalf the Grey” he spent ten days in battle with the Balrog before he killed it. Yes, he died, but he was resurrected more powerful than before. No mortal weapon could kill him and his magical prowess was increased to beyond even Saruman. Only the Witch King, who was a powerful magician before his turn to evil whose powers were amplified by his ring, was able to defeat Gandalf. Even then, Gandalf was strong enough to continue leading the defenses of Minas Tirith.

His eyes gave the impression to keen observers of wisdom and veiled power.

He also has powerful magical abilities magnified by the power of his Elven Ring of Power, which makes him better able to rally people to fight against evil.   Gandalf's main magical ability appears to be his ability to inspire hope. This was magnified by Narya. Though I do wonder just how much this was magic. When the gates of Minas Tirith were broken down by Grond in the books, the Witch King strode in on a horse. The two dueled with words. The Ring Wraiths possess extreme supernatural ability to inspire terror. Gandalf was literally the only one challenging the Witch King - who also was backed by the entire army of Mordor. Yet Gandalf did not move. In the movies, this was magnified by the fact the two actually fought and Gandalf was clearly defeated and still did not back down. This suggests a level of courage beyond what can be seen as normal. Yet this could easily be just a normal personality trait developed to the extreme.   He also has some more "trivial" powers. His fireworks and magic smoke rings being the most notable. But these went a long way into helping get the cooperation of hobbits. So Sauron fell in part due to magic smoke rings. His fireworks also helped blind and distract the goblins when Thorin's company was trying to escape from them. When the Fellowship was on the move, his ability to start fires even in blizzards or with wet wood proved quite useful. He could also turn the tip of his staff into a sort of flashlight and even shoot beams of light from it.   Useful too did his ability to make himself appear taller and more intimidating. This especially was useful in getting Bilbo to give up the One Ring. He could also set swords on fire. This was used to great effect when the Fellowship mistook him for Saruman. In the same encounter with the Fellowship, he demonstrates telekinesis. Other useful powers include a limited degree of clairvoyance.   Now we don't see any evidence of these being used in the books and movies, but he apparently had the ability to give people visions. He used this on the elves before he was sent to Middle Earth as a wizard. he typically used his ability to make the elves wiser. Even then, the overall tendency was towards driving away despair. So when he obtained his ring, it magnified and complemented his existing powers and disposition.   He was able to see even better than the elves. His eyesight was good enough to see into darkness. But this was likely supernatural. He was able to sense the approach of the Balrog. He could also see the dimensions of wraiths.

Generally Gandalf presented himself as an old man (which to be fair he was around 2,000 years old by the time of the Hobbit). This was done with old robes and his large staff he presented as a walking stick. As the purpose of the wizards was to provide advice and guidance, this appearance was intentional to make the lords and heads of state he wanted to influence more likely to listen. After all, they were less likely to listen if they saw him as a threat or malevolent force. But it also shows that such perceptions might be warranted – he was a manipulator and influencer aiming to get people to rally against Mordor. Given the fact he did interfere in the internal operations of both Rohan and Gondor (even taking over command of Minas Tirith by knocking out Denethor), concerns might be warranted.

Gandalf's staff appears to have some benefits. It allows him to concentrate light for example. Wormtongue also attempted to take his staff to limit Gandalf's power. But it is not a weapon exactly. He uses it to light campfires for example. Plus it is one of the most impressive walking sticks in Middle Earth, completing his old man look. It appears to be similar to the wands in Harry Potter. They are not needed to perform magic. But they make it easier, functioning as a sort of power conduit or focusing tool.

His knowledge and advice result in the plans that get Frodo to Mount Doom, defeat Saruman’s army at Helm’s Deep and Sauron at Minas Tirith, expels Wormtongue from Rohan and distracts Sauron at the Black Gate.   By sending Thorin and company on their way, he eliminated a dragon that could have been extremely valuable to Sauron’s attempts at dominance. This also led to the rebuilding of the Dwarven realm at the Lonely Mountain. This alone was important, diverting troops from other campaigns by Mordor while providing a strong base of operations and economic power. In one of the greatest intelligence successes, he recognized the One Ring and devised the decapitation strike that led to the final destruction of Sauron. His advice to Theoden, influence with the ents and organization of the Rohirrim reinforcements led to the destruction of Isengard. Add in his leadership at Minas Tirith and proposal for the Black Gate attack means that he helped stop Sauron’s attacks on Gondor. While the rest of the Fellowship were essential to his successes, their heroics were all in service to Gandalf’s strategic plan.

Gandalf was known for fluency in many of Middle Earth's languages and writing systems. More importantly, this was combined with understanding of the people and their culture. He considered himself the most knowledgeable scholar on hobbits. His leadership over the Fellowship was in part due to Gandalf's encyclopedia like knowledge. When you combine these, he was able to accurtely predict the thoughts of others.

But in terms of his influence on the plot, it is his role as an intelligence agent that is the strongest. He twice visits Dol Guldur to investigate who is living there. On the second trip he secures one of the most important intelligence victories in the series. This is when he discovers that Sauron is there and is increasing in power, that Thorin’s father was there and gains the map and key that allows for the successful reclaiming of the Lonely Mountain. He discovers that Bilbo’s ring is in fact the One Ring, then gets Aragorn to track down and interrogate Gollum. From there, he learns that Sauron is aware of Bilbo and where he lives. Those actions all are major pieces of the eventual defeat of Sauron.   Then, he acts as a counter espionage agent, another action intelligence agencies conduct. The most obvious example of that is his discovery and elimination of Wormtongue’s influence on behalf of Isengard. Other activities Gandalf engages in similar to real world intelligence agencies include regime change and assassination. He unleashes two different regime change plans. The first is the removal of Denethor during Minas Tirith. His second was the killing of Smaug with the subsequent recreation of the Dwarven kingdom at the Lonely Mountain. Smaug, the Balrog and the Fellowship could all be seen as assassinations of high value targets.

His intellectual powers and the ability to coordinate various actions and create coalitions is one of his best traits. We see him able to come up with solid plans of attack and negotiate the needed alliances to pull them off. For example, when the Council of Elrond met, it was Gandalf that was one of the strongest proponents of the Fellowship plan. It was through his efforts that it occurred. Only through the Fellowship was Sauron ultimately defeated. But, this required overcoming a decent amount of dissent and hesitation.   We also see him good at investigations. The whole reason the Fellowship was relevant was Gandalf figuring out that Bilbo's "magic ring" was the One Ring. It was also his investigations of the Necromancer that led to Sauron being booted from Mirkwood. Gandalf's investigation into Thain II led him to finding information that proved critical for Thorin's Company in The Hobbit.   To a degree this is the result of him being the foil for Saruman. Saruman was much more tied to Isengard while Gandalf preferred to wander. Saruman's wisdom came from his deep understanding of history and science while Gandalf is more a student of people. Saruman prefers his books and what he can glean from the palantír. Gandalf meanwhile gets out and meets people, gaining wisdom through direct observation in the field.   Basically Gandalf can be quite intimidating if he wants. He just chooses not to most of the time. When we look at his use of intimidation and his single use of telekinesis, we see a trend emerge. With Bilbo, he could have used a single smack from his staff to force him to give in. Instead of using telekinesis to blast Gimli back, he just removes his ax from his hand. Which suggests Gandalf uses the absolute minimum force needed to accomplish his goal. This then extends to all other elements of Gandalf's plans. Need to kill a dragon? Send a few dwarves and a hobbit. Sauron was biggest, most evil being in Middle Earth, has a huge army and a near impossible to get into base. Gandalf's Plan A was 9 people and a sneak attack.

It must be noted that Gandalf’s actions do not strictly conform to the mandate the Valar assigned him. He takes control over Minas Tirith personally. He did not even hide behind Aragorn to grant him a veneer of legality. This means he acts to directly gain dominance over men. Then he directly challenges the Witch King and marches on the Black Gate. In these acts he directly and personally challenges Sauron, using his own force and forces to do so. At the Black Gate, he is actually elected the leader. Which means he is no mere adviser at this point either. When the Free People march directly to challenge Sauron on his home ground, Gandalf is their leader.

He was also good at fireworks and storytelling. This was a major contributing factor in Gandalf getting hobbits to go on "mad adventures". Persuasion is a tool he uses elsewhere too. Such as getting Thorin to take Bilbo on the quest for the Lonely Mountain. Or getting Beorn to host that party. Though it is unclear to me if he is as powerful in this arena as Saruman.   His ability to heal was also quite good. Gandalf's vitally important relationship with the Great Eagle came from Gandalf healing the Great Eagle when it had a poisoned wound.

He is often presented as equally quick to anger and laughter. His wisdom is derived from both patience and his pity for the weak.

Apparently he was actually quite fearful at first. He resisted being sent on his mission out of fear of Sauron. He freely admitted he was too nervous and weak. But he was sent anyway in part due to a desire to see Gandalf overcome these traits. So delving more into this in the main narratives could have been a powerful story arc.

Gandalf was known for both being affectionate and blunt. On one hand, he was known for being direct and angry with idiotic behavior. But good intentions meanwhile earned reward.

He has no territory he directly controls, but has influence over the dwarves and hobbits to a lesser degree. He also has friendly relationships with and is respected by the elves and Aragorn.   Now, Gandalf’s master plan appears to involve the cultivation of a group of agents to follow his will, which he then pushes towards the destruction of Sauron. At first, this coalition is rather limited – Galadriel, Elrond, Aragorn, and Saruman. Bilbo and Thorin are more reluctant participants or “dupes”. Then Saruman betrayal cuts off Gandalf’s main potential source of power. Theoden’s alliance is gained only after the elimination of Saruman’s influence in the area. Denethor appears openly hostile, though that is also due to the corruption of the enemy. It takes a coup to switch Gondor into an ally. Because these two realms of men join later and Saruman leaves before the main fighting begins, I’ll focus on the core group here for a second.   Now, all the hobbits that work with Gandalf come from the Took clan. Others came from Buckland or Tookland more generally. Pippin was a Took and actually the Thain of the Shire. Bilbo and Merry both had mothers from the Took Family. Merry was also the Master of Buckland. Through these connections, Frodo and thus Sam were recruited into Gandalf’s network. The influence of these hobbits on the story cannot be overstated.   Now, why are these connections important? Well, first as mentioned before the Tooks and Brandybucks hold the most important political titles in the Shire, limited as those positions admittedly are. Second, the Tooks are the most adventuresome of the hobbits and often the richest. They are also outsiders because of their adventures and connections with Gandalf. The Took Clan is also known as skilled archers, something that would become vitally important in the final defeat of Saruman. Tookland itself is in the Western section of the Shire, giving Gandalf a base closer to the Grey Havens and Blue Mountains.   The next major element of Gandalf’s influence is the Three Elven Rings. There are a lot of personal ties between the elves allied with Gandalf that I did not initially notice prior to my research on the topic. Most notable is the fact that Gandalf, Elrond and Galadriel are the three ring bearers. Then, the elves, especially Galadriel, have special relations with the Valar. Since the wizards are Maia spirits sent to Middle Earth by the Valar to help in the war the elves have been waging for all of time, there would be almost religious connections. They also knew each other for thousands of years. Most importantly, Elrond married Galadriel’s daughter.

Now, one of the greater missed opportunities for Gandalf given the influence he has in this region is Weathertop. This hill is half way between Rivendell and the Shire. Given the fact that two hugely important quests were organized by Gandalf, started in the Shire and headed to Rivendell, this location is an ideal spot. It also rises around 1,000 feet above the mainly flat terrain of the area – giving it a commanding view of the area. At the same time, it would be easy to fortify in easy to mask ways, such as camouflaged earthworks. It must be remembered that it is tall for the area, with steep sides and only one road inside. Moreover, there are already the remains of stone fortifications already on it. Therefore, it would not be hard for the Rangers to build some new defenses and post some sentries. It seems like an incredibly valuable place to use as a base of operations for Gandalf. As a result, provisions could be stored for possible sieges and thus giving the Rangers a refuge to retreat to.