Who Is The Best Wizard Of All Time?

[[deleted user]]

Ben wrote: "GANDALF!!!!!!!!!"

YES!!!!

[Steve]

Gabriel wrote: "I'm going to have to go with Mrs. Weasley."

hah !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Steve]

I dont even know a lot of these newer ones, dravendor of the elder clan series book 8 in the dark areas of the palm spinoff!<?>

[Vanessa]

Harry Potter! thet wizard ever!...

[Alec]

Radagast

[Mitch]

DUMBLEDORE all the way. so kind and actually used his magic to help and as a weapon if needed. gandalf although a beast used a sword in the hobbit more thn his magic. wished he had used it more cuz it was pretty awesome. we'll see what he duz in the upcoming books :)

[Gaile]

wizard of earth sea

[Shawn]

The best wizard ever? There have been some themes in this thread, and great suggestions, with some obvious noteworthies. Perhaps it would help to offer up some criteria for choosing. What conditions would a 'best' wizard have to meet?
- Well, as someone mentioned, powerful magick would be a part of it. No magick, no wizard, eh?
- Style. There is something to be said for the 'flair' of a wizard, the flavor of the magick or persona.
- Then, and I feel this is the area that truly separates the goods from the greats, there is the word itself... wizard. Wisdom... wise-ard... wizard. Depth of wisdom is what made the greats.

Where does that leave us? For me, Raistlin Majere was one of the first wizards I came across and had a lasting impression on me. He was powerful, crypic, rebellious, he had style. But, alas, he lacked wisdom. He chased after power for the sake of power and realized in the end that what he sought was not worth seeking. Wizards that fall into this category, of two out of three, I feel, include Harry Dresden, Ged, Rand Al'thor, Harry Potter, Khelbun 'Blackstaff' Arunsun, The Symbul, many of the D&D type wizards. (Wizards who were Gods is a bit of cheating, so I leave types like Fizban from Dragonlance out of the running.)

So who ranks amongst the 'greats'? Many of the notables have already been mentioned, the 3 out of 3's.

Gandalf
Merlin
Elminster, the Sage of Shadowdale
Albus Dumbledore

They all had powerful magick, style, and surpassing wisdom.
If one goes off the impressive descriptiveness, flair, and raw power of the magick thrown about by the wizard, it's hard to beat Elminster. But, Elminster seems to be lacking in that wisest of the wise category.
Merlin was powerful and wise, but he made a lot of mistakes in his choices, such as putting faith in Lancelot and changing Uther to have an extra-marital affair. Mistakes that, say, Gandalf did not make.

I'd boil it down to Gandalf and Albus Dumbledore. Those two exude the very essence of true wizardry, the wizards wizard, so to speak. When the word 'wizard' is uttered, it's hard not to think of one of the two. The choice between them may be a generational issue, more than anything else. I myself am sore pressed to choose between them... so... I won't. I call it a draw!

[Hannah]

gandalf! Can not get a better wizard than him! And he is in a very good book:)

[Will]

Shawn, how does Al'thor not qualify among all three?

[Peter]

I'd hardly count Rand Al'Thor as chasing power for power's sake.

He reluctantly learned how to use it because he was fated to fight the Dark One.

Gandalf is a Maia, a demi-god at least, so I believe that disqualifies him.

[Shawn]

I agree, Peter, Al'Thor wasn't chasing power for power's sake, but how do we feel about his being amongst the wisest of the wise? What I meant was that he was powerful, had style, but I am not so sure I'd put him on the third pedestal with the others. With Gandalf a Demi-God, I guess that leaves us with Albus Dumbledore. We appear to have a winner! Not sure how I myself feel about that, though. Heh.

[Luke]

Micaela wrote: "I would have to go with Radagast the Brown from Lord of the Rings."

yeah, because radagast played such a pivotal role in the books......

[Shawn]

Luke wrote: "Micaela wrote: "I would have to go with Radagast the Brown from Lord of the Rings."

yeah, because radagast played such a pivotal role in the books......"

Heh... right?!

[Will]

Shawn, I would say that relative to his age, Al'Thor is extremely intelligent, and he also shows great intelligence on the battlefield as a general. So, while he might not be the wisest, I think he shows the potential to end up very wise as he gets older, and that the other 2 categories, since he excels in those, boost Al'Thor to at least near the top.

[Bill]

Luke wrote: "Micaela wrote: "I would have to go with Radagast the Brown from Lord of the Rings."

yeah, because radagast played such a pivotal role in the books......"

Radagast: Hipsters' Choice Award™ winner for Best Wizard in LOTR.

[[deleted user]]

Lauren wrote: "Gandalf the Grey is THE wizard to end all wizards. He fought a Balrog, died, came back to life as Gandalf the White, resisted the temptation to take the ring as his own, fought valiantly for thousa..."

I totally agree! How could it be any other than Gandalf!

[Shawn]

I see where you are going there, Will. I just keep seeing a stereotype of 'wizard' when the word is uttered. It features an elder man with beard, the traits mentioned earlier. If it were best magician, or mage, or warlock, Al'Thor is definitely way up there, even with wizard. But, my gut with 'wizard' is with the grey beards. Okay, so, perhaps in Rand's elder years, wizard through and through. If we have to take them as they are in the books, though, as written, well...

[Will]

Good points, Sahawn. And I think it's a good move to introduce some criteria in which we judge who might be the "best," and I think I agree with your 3 criteria, I just thought Al'Thor didn't necessarily violate any of them, even though he doesn't have a grey beard :)

[Luke]

Bill wrote: "Luke wrote: "Micaela wrote: "I would have to go with Radagast the Brown from Lord of the Rings."

yeah, because radagast played such a pivotal role in the books......"

Radagast: Hipsters' Choice A..."

hahaha.....well said

[Tisha]

I'm torn between Pug and Belgarath.

[Caz]

Gandalf. He is never late. Dumbledore on the other hand was almost TOO late in the first book/movie.

[Nurlely]

Gandalf probably will lose the demi-god competition, but he is the best Wizard ever!