| Radagast the Brown | |
|---|---|
| Tolkien character | |
| In-universe information | |
| Aliases | Aiwendil |
| Race | Maiar (wizards) |
| Book(s) | The Hobbit (1937) The Fellowship of the Ring (1954) The Silmarillion (1977) Unfinished Tales (1980) |
Radagast the Brown is a fictional character inJ. R. R. Tolkien'slegendarium. Awizard and associate ofGandalf, he appears briefly inThe Hobbit,The Lord of the Rings,The Silmarillion, andUnfinished Tales.
His role in Tolkien's writings is so slight that it has been described as aplot device,[1] though scholars have noted his contribution to the evidentpaganism in Middle-earth. He played a more significant role inPeter Jackson'sThe Hobbit film series, where he was portrayed bySylvester McCoy. Some aspects of his characterisation were invented for the films, but the core elements of his character—namely communing with animals, skill with herbs, andshamanistic ability to change his shape and colours—are all described in Tolkien's works. He is also a character inrole-playing video games based on Tolkien's writings.
Unfinished Tales explains that Radagast, like the other Wizards, came fromValinor around the year 1000 of theThird Age of Middle-earth and was one of the angelicMaiar. His original name is said to have beenAiwendil, meaningbird-friend in Tolkien'sinvented language ofQuenya.Yavanna, one of the god-likeValar, forces Radagast's fellow wizardSaruman to accept him as a companion, which, Tolkien says, may have been one of the reasons Saruman was contemptuous of him, to the point of scornfully calling him "simple" and "a fool".[T 1] However, he is an ally and confidant ofGandalf, who describes him inThe Hobbit as his "cousin". He is a friend of theskin-changerBeorn, something that Gandalf relies upon to get his party ofDwarves and aHobbit accepted by a sceptical Beorn.[T 2][2]
Radagast lives at Rhosgobel on the western eaves ofMirkwood, its name deriving fromSindarinrhosc gobel meaning "brown village".[T 1] Radagast has a strong affinity for—and relationship with—wild animals. It is said he speaks the many tongues of birds, and is a "master of shapes and changes of hue". Radagast is described by Gandalf as "never a traveller, unless driven by great need", "a worthy Wizard", and "honest".[T 3]
InThe Fellowship of the Ring, during theCouncil of Elrond, Gandalf tells of a previous encounter with Radagast. Radagast was unwittingly used by Saruman to lure Gandalf to his tower ofOrthanc, where Gandalf was captured. Fortuitously, Radagast also helped rescue him by sendingGwaihir the eagle to Orthanc with news of the movements ofSauron's forces. When Gwaihir saw that Gandalf was imprisoned on the top of the tower he carried him off to safety.[T 3] The only other reference to Radagast inThe Lord of the Rings is after the Council of Elrond when scouts are sent out. It is reported that Radagast is not at his home at Rhosgobel.[T 4]
The Silmarillion briefly summarizes the same events inOf the Rings of Power and the Third Age, stating that Radagast is "the friend of all birds and beasts",[T 5] and noting that he innocently helps Saruman to assemble "a great host of spies"[T 5] including many birds.[T 5]
The in-fiction etymology, according to the essay "TheIstari" inUnfinished Tales, is that the nameRadagast means "tender of beasts" inAdûnaic, one of Tolkien's fictional languages. However,Christopher Tolkien says that his father intended to change this derivation and bring Radagast in line with the other wizard-names, Gandalf and Saruman, by associating it withthe old language of the Men of the Vales of Anduin. No alternative meaning is provided with this new association; indeed, Tolkien stated that the name was "not now clearly interpretable". His titlethe Brown is simply a reference to his earth-brown robes; each of the wizards has a cloak of a different colour.[T 1]
The name Radagast is found inEdward Gibbon's 1776–1789Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, in the form "Radagaisus", the name of aGothic king.[3]Slavic mythology contains agod named Radegast; this has been interpreted as "welcome guest", making him the god of hospitality.[4] Tolkien's wizard may represent an echo of this Slavic tradition,[5] a rare source among all the diverseinfluences on Tolkien's writings.[2]
Tolkien wrote thatJosef Madlener's "Der Berggeist", which shows a man in a hat seated in a forest, communing with a wild deer, inspired his Gandalf[6] and set him thinking about the wizards Gandalf,Saruman, and Radagast.[7]
Radagast appears so briefly that he has been described as a plot device for Saruman's treachery, rather than a genuine character. From the clues given, that he is a "master of shapes and a changer of hues", his friendship and communication with animals, and his skill in herbs, he resembles ashaman.[1][2] He has been described as "one of the most interesting enigmas in Tolkien's writings"; given the treason of Saruman, he and Gandalf are the only two wizards available to counterSauron, but Radagast fails to answerElrond's call.[8]
In a letter, Tolkien wrote that Radagast gave up his mission as a Wizard by becoming too obsessed with animals and plants, but stated that he did not believe that Radagast's failure was as great as Saruman's.[T 6] Christopher Tolkien commented that Radagast might not have failed completely, as he was specifically chosen by the ValaYavanna for a mission to protect the plants and animals.[T 1]
The Tolkien scholarPatrick Curry writes that the Slavic Radagast is the pagan patron of the CzechBeskyd mountains, depicted with a bird atop hishorned helmet. In his view, this suggests that Tolkien's Radagast is one of many examples ofpaganism in Middle-earth.[9]
InPeter Jackson'sThe Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Radagast is played bySylvester McCoy,[11] and is expanded far beyond his brief role in the book.[10] McCoy stated that he saw Radagast as "very otherworldly with, as Tolkien depicts him, an empathy and kinship with nature, a Middle-earth version ofSt Francis of Assisi". McCoy added that while Radagast was rather absent-minded, he comes out as "a bumbling hero". As for his house, McCoy said that the idea was that the tree decided to grow right through it, and Radagast agreed that he and the tree could live together.[10] In the film, Radagast is the first wizard to visitDol Guldur after he realizes that an evil power has infected the wood in which he lives. He discovers that aNecromancer (who turns out to beSauron) has taken residence in the ruined fortress. In Dol Guldur he encounters the spirit of theWitch-king of Angmar, as well as the shadow of the Necromancer himself, and escapes with the Morgul blade taken from the Witch-king.[10] Radagast's means of transportation is a sled pulled by enormous rabbits, a concept entirely original to the movie.[10] Radagast meets Gandalf,Bilbo Baggins, and the Dwarves en route toErebor, and tells them of his discovery in Dol Guldur. WhenThorin's Company are attacked byOrcs ridingWargs, Radagast mounts his sled and provides a distraction. Later, Saruman makes contemptuous remarks about Radagast during a meeting with Gandalf,Elrond, andGaladriel.[12] The writerBrian Sibley comments that the fact that Tolkien said little about Radagast gave Jackson's screenwriters freedom to make of the character what they liked.[10]The Economist wrote that Radagast the Brown had been created from Tolkien's "sparse and bare" hints as to his character.[13] The sled chase was filmed in theStrath Taieri glacial valley of New Zealand'sSouth Island, strewn with real boulders.[14]
InThe Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, Radagast appears with Gandalf in a few scenes. The two wizards investigate an empty tomb, determining that theNazgûl are once again awake and have been summoned. Gandalf bids Radagast to go and tellGaladriel of all they find, and that theWhite Council must make a pre-emptive move on Dol Guldur. Inside the ruins, Gandalf confronts the Necromancer and finds that he is indeed Sauron, just as Radagast had thought.[15]
InThe Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, Radagast arrives in Dol Guldur as the White Council battle Sauron and the Nazgûl, and carries the wounded Gandalf on his sled.[16] In the final battle, Radagast leads a charge of theGreat Eagles at the end of the battle to assist the Dwarves,Men, andElves against the Orcs.
Radagast features in computer and video games such as those fromGames Workshop.[17] He plays an expanded role in themassively multiplayer online role-playing gameThe Lord of the Rings Online, which makes him a leader in a part of Middle-earth, allowing players to interact with him.[18][19]
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