RADAGAST (MIDDLE-EARTH)

'Radagast the Brown' is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He appears in''The Lord of the Rings'' and ''Unfinished Tales'', and is mentioned in ''The Hobbit''.

Contents

Appearances

Literature

Adaptations

Concept and creation

See also

Appearances

Literature

He was an ally and confidant of Gandalf, who describes him in ''The Hobbit'' as his cousin, although this may have been a description of convenience for Bilbo Baggins' sake. Radagast had a strong affinity for — and relationship with — wild animals. He lived for much of his time in Middle-earth at Rhosgobel, on the western eaves of Mirkwood, near the Gladden Fields on the Great River.
Radagast, like the other Wizards, came from Valinor around the year 1000 of the Third Age of Middle-earth and was one of the Maiar. His original name was '''Aiwendil''', meaning ''bird-friend'' in Tolkien's invented language of Quenya. The Vala Yavanna forced Saruman to accept Radagast as a companion, which may have been one of the reasons Saruman was contemptuous of him.
Radagast lived in Rhosgobel in the Vales of Anduin. He played a part in the White Council, which was formed to stand against Sauron. It seemed his greatest concern was with the ''kelvar'' and ''olvar'' (flora and fauna) of Middle-earth. He was wiser than any Man in all things concerning herbs and beasts. It is said he spoke the many tongues of birds. He was friends with the skin-changer Beorn.

In ''The Fellowship of the Ring'', Radagast was unwittingly used by Saruman to lure Gandalf to Orthanc, where Gandalf was captured. However, Radagast also unwittingly helped rescue him by alerting the Eagles of his journey there.
Tolkien writes that he gave up his mission as one of the Wizards by becoming too obsessed with animals and plants. Tolkien also wrote that he did not believe that Radagast's failure was as great as Saruman's and that he may eventually have been allowed (or chose) to return to the Undying Lands.

Adaptations

In Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, Radagast was entirely cut, and partially replaced by a moon moth, which signaled that the Eagles were coming.
He appears in The Lord of the Rings Trading Card Game chiefly based on the Jackson films.

Concept and creation

According to the essay "The Istari" from the ''Unfinished Tales'', the name ''Radagast'' means "tender of beasts" in Adûnaic, another of Tolkien's fictional languages. However, in a later note Tolkien said that the name is in the language of the Men of the Vales of the Anduin, and that its meaning is not interpretable.

See also

★ Wizard (Middle-earth)