Summary. Gandalf the Grey became Gandalf the White due to a divine transformation after his battle with the Balrog, becoming a more powerful and wise being. Gandalf the White had greater powers and authority as the sole emissary of the Valar, though he also became more cautious and less humorous.
Midway through The Lord of the Rings, Gandalf becomes the head of the order of Wizards, and is renamed Gandalf the White. This change in status (and clothing) introduces another name for the wizard: the White Rider. However, characters who speak Elvish still refer to him as Mithrandir.
He later revealed himself as one of the Istari, and eventually became known as not only the wisest but also the most powerful of them. A legend tells that Gandalf had been given by Yavanna the Elfstone of Eärendil, to bring to the peoples of Middle-earth as a token that the Valar had not forsook them.
Gandalf's greatest power is his wisdom. He's known throughout Middle-earth and beyond as the wisest being in the land, which is made symbolic in his form of an old man. But Gandalf's strengths also lie in his extensive knowledge of history, culture, and traditions.
As soon as the Mystics realize the Stranger isn't Sauron, they label him an "Istar." With this label, and several other hints throughout the episode and the season, The Rings of Power has all but confirmed that the Stranger is everyone's favorite wizard: Gandalf the Grey.
GANDALF The Grey and Gandalf The White | What Is The Difference? | Middle-Earth Lore
Is Nori's friend Gandalf?
It's that friendship with Nori that develops throughout the season, according to Weyman, that shows the Stranger the path forward to becoming (we assume) Gandalf.
So the Stranger was revealed to be an Istari and it was heavily implied that he is Gandalf. Currently he is traveling to Rhun, and when Saruman arrived in Middle Earth, he traveled east to Rhun where he possibly met the blue wizards at this time.
Gandalf is an incredibly wise character and that is the reason he is put in charge of leading the fellowship in the first place. He watches over all of them without them even knowing it, and when he returns as Gandalf the White, he is even more powerful than before.
Gandalf, by far. He is the wisest of all the maiar, and wiser than some of the Valar as well. Gandalf finds Saruman amusing at best, and is shocked that Saruman was able to trick him; and then he simply laughs at Saruman actually trying to fool him into getting trapped in Orthanc a second time.
Wisdom. Gandalf's wisdom is paramount. He counsels the dwarves to keep them from quick judgment against Bilbo and the elves. He also maintains a level head while dealing with the doubt of the elves, and fights for those who are in his care.
But, we are talking about Gandalf the White. This Gandalf defeated Saruman, so he is also above Saruman. However, he is still les powerful then Sauron.
Saruman was a higher-ranked wizard and the leader of the White Council, while Gandalf was primarily seen as a wise warrior and counselor to Frodo. Gandalf became stronger as the White Wizard and the leader of the wizards, ultimately besting Saruman in combat due to his loyalty and growth in power and authority.
Gandalf the Grey became Gandalf the White due to a divine transformation after his battle with the Balrog, becoming a more powerful and wise being. Gandalf the White had greater powers and authority as the sole emissary of the Valar, though he also became more cautious and less humorous.
Getting back to the puzzle, however, the solution is simply that the name "Gandalf" was tied to a prior life. After he was sent back, Gandalf would have recognized his friends, because they were all part of the job he was sent back to do.
Summary. Gandalf's claim to be Saruman when he returned in The Two Towers was because his resurrection as Gandalf the White meant he had taken on the role and form of the White Wizard. The wizards in Middle-earth were avatars or incarnations of the powerful Maiar beings, with Saruman as the leader.
We know that Saruman became jealous of Gandalf long before his imprisonment atop Orthanc. So, according to Unfinished Tales, Saruman knew beforehand already. A second possibility is that Saruman just wasn't interested in the ring since he saw it as being of no value to him and his designs.
If this wizard is Gandalf, the fact that he was saved by and fought alongside a harfoot when he first arrived in Middle-earth could explain why Gandalf is so fond of hobbits, descendants of the harfoots, and often travels to the Shire to visit them.
Of course, once the Gray Wizard arrived in Isengard to ask Saruman about the One Ring, he discovered that his "old friend" had turned from the ways of good, instead deciding to serve Sauron in an attempt to claim power (and even the One Ring) for himself.
Besides her magical powers, Galadriel was also very wise and intelligent: she was one of the very few who were not fooled by Sauron in the Second Age, and therefore suggested to Celebrimbor to hide the Three Rings.
Merry was often considered the most perceptive and intelligent of the hobbits, for example, knowing of the One Ring and its power even before Frodo Baggins left the Shire. He guarded Bag End after Bilbo's party, protecting Frodo from the various and often unwanted guests.
That's a general misconception. Galadriel is never said to be the wisest of the elves. At least not by Tolkien. First Age Galadriel is dececribed as such: Galadriel was the greatest of the Noldor, except Feanor maybe, though she was wiser than he and her wisdom increased with the long years.
As such, he was immortal and extremely powerful, yet had limits on how far these powers could be used. His two most salient powers were his knowledge and his voice. Saruman was, in a very real way, the junior brother of Sauron both having been Maia of Aulë, Valar of Smithcraft, in the very beginnings of time.
It suddenly occured to me that it seems very strange that Saruman never knew who Aragorn's truly was. This is especially so when you consider that Saruman was the head of the White Council and most (if not all the rest except perhaps Radagast?) of the White Council knew exactly who Aragorn was.
In The Lord of the Rings, Galadriel chose to use her powers for good, even helping to form the Council of Elrond. Galadriel was not evil. But had she been, there would be none who could stand against her forces, especially if she was in possession of the Ring.
