When Gandalf the White came to the Grey Havens, the Third Age came to an end. When he set sail with the rest of the ring-bearers, a new Age of peace and prosperity began. And when he revealed the Ring of Fire upon his finger, the epic tales that began with Sauron and Celebrimbor 4963 years earlier, came to an end. For over 2000 years, Gandalf had wandered the wilds and counselled the wise. Over seventeen years he had discovered the truth of the One Ring, and identified it in Hobbiton. And over the span of two months he had died, come back from the dead, and then orchestrated (perhaps) the greatest victory that Arda had ever known. The Downfall of Sauron and the return of the King was the ultimate win for the Free Peoples of Middle-earth, not to mention the Ainur who adhered to Ilúvatar’s vision. And Gandalf was the architect of the whole thing!

So to fully comprehend the magnitude of Gandalf’s contribution, let’s go back to the very beginning of his time in Middle-earth. In fact we’ll go back even further. Because the entire reason that Gandalf (and the other four Istari) were sent to Middle-earth in the first place, is because of how bleak things were looking at the end of the First Millennium of the Third Age. So pretty much every bad thing that happened in the First Age, happened because an Ainu (Melkor) went rogue and tried to dominate the world. By the Second Age that was done with, but another Ainu (Sauron – a Maia this time) also went rogue, and he also tried to dominate the world. So when he was defeated and the Third Age began, the last thing anyone needed was more interference from the Ainur. For a brief moment, it looked like things might work out on their own. But this did not happen.

Within two years of Sauron’s defeat, Isildur was dead and the One Ring was lost. Less than a millennia after that, Isildur’s Kingdom of Arnor had fallen due to infighting, and it was divided into three rival nations. Things weren’t looking good. So the Valar of the West decided that they’d help out Middle-earth one final time. But luckily they’d learnt from their mistakes. When they helped out against Melkor, they flooded an entire continent. When they refrained from helping out against Sauron, Eru Ilúvatar broke the world and changed it to a round planet. Again this flooded an entire island. So this time they were hoping to avoid an apocalyptic flood entirely. And that’s why the Istari were not sent as warriors to lead armies, but simply sent as mentors and counsellors. They had one job; to guide the Free Peoples in their battle against Sauron.

Now this may not sound too challenging, but apparently, it was. The two Blue Wizards disappeared into the East, and to be fair, we don’t know enough about their actions to condemn them for anything. But Tolkien tells us that they did “most likely” fail. Saruman on the other hand we can most certainly condemn. He turned into another rogue Ainu (an Istar) and (shock) he also tried to dominate the world. So Saruman failed spectacularly. And Radagast, bless him, he just seemed to lose interest in his task. He never fell into darkness, but it turns out that befriending birds and beasts isn’t quite enough of a contribution to be considered a success. He “turned aside from his appointed mission” and Tolkien tells us that Radagast was “not proud and domineering, but neglectful and easygoing,” and thus he too failed. So with a failure rate that’s now reached four out of five, there was an awful lot of pressure on Gandalf to pull victory out of the bag. And he did.

But he didn’t do so with power or with pride. Gandalf’s secret weapon throughout his two thousand years in Middle-earth was wisdom, and a profound appreciation for humility. We’ll see this humility a few more times before the end.

So after meeting Glorfindel and Círdan at the Grey Havens, and after being given Narya – the Ring of Fire, Gandalf travelled throughout the West, refusing to settle down unlike Radagast and Saruman. And in this time, Gandalf acquainted himself with all the Free Peoples. And we know this by the many names he soon came to wear. When he went to the Elves, Gandalf became Mithrandir. When he went to the Dwarves he became Tharkûn. And when he went to the Men of the South he became Incánus. And for many many years Gandalf travelled the wilds; watching and waiting.

But while Gandalf waited, Middle-earth seemed to get worse. The Nazgûl returned to torment the world, a new shadow lengthened in Dol Guldur, plagues and dragons ravaged the Free Peoples, and beneath the Misty Mountains, a balrog awoke.

Now Gandalf did take an active role in slowing the spread of this shadow, and the White Council was formed to uncover the secrets of the Necromancer. But this is where we see Gandalf’s humility come to the forefront of his character. You see Galadriel suggested to the White Council that Gandalf should be their leader. But he refused. And this echoes a similar moment thousands of years before, where Manwë (the King of the Valar) also appointed Gandalf (who was known back then as Olórin) to be one of the Istari. And again Olórin (initially) refused. In fact it was this very humility which convinced Manwë that Olórin was indeed the perfect choice to join the Istari.

And Gandalf’s humility, along with his appreciation for those who live humble lives, may explain the origin of his portentous friendship with the secretive race of Hobbits. It seems that Gandalf knew, either consciously or otherwise, that the modest race of Halflings would one day “move the wheels of the world.” And while “the eyes of the great were elsewhere,” Gandalf spent a great deal of time watching over the Shire.

Which brings us to Gandalf’s nature as a guide as opposed to a leader. It’s a subtle distinction, but throughout all the quests that Gandalf takes part in, he seems to have an innate knowledge of when he ought to guide, and when he ought to bow out, and let others lead the quest onwards. After all it isn’t Gandalf who slays Smaug. It isn’t Gandalf who reclaims Erebor. And it isn’t Gandalf who rebuilds Dale. And yet if it weren’t for his ‘chance’ meeting with Thorin, none of those things would have happened. Which would would mean that during the Northern sphere of the War of the Ring, Dale and Erebor would not have been there to repel the armies of Sauron. But they were. Thanks to Gandalf. Even though he was busy in the South at the time. And of course, none of those things are the most significant outcome of Gandalf’s involvement in the Quest of Erebor. If not for his foresight in regards to Bilbo, the One Ring would not have been found beneath the Misty Mountains, and it would not have made its way into the hands of the Free Peoples.

So for the first 2017 years of his time in Middle-earth, Gandalf was the ‘man behind the curtain’, the wise watcher, and the one who put plans into motion, which moved the gears of resistance. For many years, he’d fostered a friendship with Aragorn, and quietly worked towards restoring him to the throne of the Dúnedain. And a few years later he’d taken Faramir son of Denethor as his pupil, and instructed him the ways of wisdom. In the coming years, both of these friendships would end up saving the world. But in his 2018th year, Gandalf was suddenly thrust into the spotlight. Because by the year 3018, the time of waiting and watching was over.

Now we all know about Gandalf’s contribution throughout the Lord of the Rings, and I’m not going to tell that story here, but on the 25th of January in the year 3019, everything came crashing down. Gandalf died. He didn’t fail in his task, but his body did fail against the balrog. And Gandalf passed away. Well at least for 20 days. Because of course, Eru Ilúvatar himself would not allow Gandalf to leave Middle-earth just yet.

Now after being reborn, Gandalf faced an epic race to the finish line. There were only 25 days between being reunited with the three hunters, and the final destruction of Sauron. But in those 25 days Gandalf turned the tide of war from disaster to absolute victory. The very next day after meeting Aragorn in Fangorn, Gandalf arrived in Edoras, where he roused King Théoden from his hopelessness. The day after that was the Battle of the Hornburg, and the following morning, Gandalf arrived with Erkenbrand and 1000 Rohirric reinforcements. And the next day would see Gandalf riding with Pippin to Minas Tirith, where he would oversee the defence of the last bastion of resistance against Sauron.

So on the 15th of March, everything came to a head. On the fields of Pelennor, the forces of Mordor were driven back, but far to the East, in both Mirkwood and Lothlorien, the Elves came under an attack of their own. And up in the north, the Kingdoms of Erebor and Dale were besieged. There were now only ten days left on the War of the Ring.

So this was the reality that Gandalf and the other Free Peoples faced on the day of the Last Debate. And during this debate, Gandalf was unanimously chosen by the three Lords of the West, Aragorn, Éomer, and Imrahil, to be their leader in the final battle. Now this is possibly the first time in his entire existence, that Gandalf graduated from being a guide to being a genuine leader. And in the last week of the War of the Ring, everything Gandalf had ever done would culminate, in one final battle.

Now I don’t want to imply that Gandalf alone saved Middle-earth, we know that there were a huge number of other heroes who took the reins. But all of them have Gandalf somewhere in their genesis; guiding them towards their fated end. After all it was Gandalf’s idea to march on the Black Gate and draw Sauron’s armies away from Frodo. It was Gandalf who set Frodo off on his quest in the first place. It was Gandalf who insisted that Sam go with him. It was Gandalf who persuaded Bilbo to go on the adventure in which the ring was found. And it was Gandalf who taught both Bilbo and Frodo to treat Gollum with pity. All of these events had to play out in exactly the way they did for the ring to be destroyed, and yet they’re all ripples in time, that were set in motion by Gandalf.

Even Aragorn, the titular King who so famously returned, owes much of his fate to Gandalf. And he may not even know the full extent of it. The reason that Aragorn takes the title King Elessar, is because the Elessar was an elf stone that was given to him by his love Arwen. But Arwen was given the Elessar by her grandmother Galadriel. And who gave the stone to Galadriel? Who else but Gandalf? 2000 years before Aragorn was even born, Gandalf prophesied to Galadriel that she would one day pass the stone to a Man, and because of it, he would take up the name Elessar.

So let’s now skip forward again to the Grey Havens, and to Gandalf’s departure from Middle-earth. Alongside the rest of the ring-bearers (and Shadowfax) Gandalf passed into the West, leaving the East in its most peaceful and prosperous state ever. Now this is where the story ends, and so Gandalf’s fate beyond this moment is a mystery. Yet I find it truly heartwarming to imagine Gandalf’s reception when he arrived back in the West. 2022 years ago, he’d been sent across the sea to dwell in a land of war and darkness. All four of his fellow Istari failed. Over the centuries the power of Mordor only grew. The Kingdoms of Men were gripped by despair. But Gandalf succeeded in his mission. He did what he sent to do. And 2022 years later, the darkness was vanquished, and a new King had returned.

I feel like the victory of the Free Peoples over Sauron was like a complex machine. Thousands of cogs and wheels and turn at the exact right time and in the exact right way for victory to be achieved. And yet the spark that set the machine in motion was Gandalf. Imagine how great he must have felt to return to Valinor. To throw off the body of Gandalf and to return to his angelic form as Olórin. There is perhaps no one in the entire history of Arda, who did a better job than him. The victory of the West was his victory. Gandalf pulled off the ultimate win!