Rings of Power : Why Gandalf Forgets Memories

Rings of Power : Why Gandalf Forgets Memories

Rings of Power : Why Gandalf Forgets Memories - Although The Lord of the Rings series The Rings of Power season 1 has ended, there are a number of questions that are still unanswered. One of them is why when Stranger (Daniel Weyman) appears in Middle-earth he doesn't remember anything at all. In fact, he is an Istari or a powerful magician from Undying Land.

The Stranger's identity is revealed in the final episode of The Rings of Power. Where he seems to have the power to destroy the trio of Sauron's followers with his magic. Interestingly, at the end he also utters a popular sentence that Gandalf once said to Frodo Baggins, namely "if in doubt [with the direction of the destination], always follow your smell." Which means he is most likely Gandalf the Grey, the Istari who helped the Free Peoples fight Sauron until the end of the Third Age.

Based on that, it's pretty clear that Stranger is Istari whose goal is to help Free Peoples in The Rings of Power series. Now the question is if she really is Istari, then why did she forget her identity and also her power? This time we will answer the questions that fans often ask. So, just take a look below! 

First Landing in Middle-earth

As we all know, the Stranger figure has actually appeared since the beginning of The Rings of Power series. At the end of the first episode, Stranger is seen falling from the sky in the form of a fire meteor. The first to find her are two Harfoots named Nori Brandyfoot (Markella Kavenagh) and her best friend Poppy Proudfellow (Megan Richards). On his first appearance he looked like a dazed old man who didn't know anything. Nori patiently continued to accompany and help him, until it was finally revealed that he had mastered many great magic arts.

Until the final episode of The Rings of Power, he even thought that he was the Dark Lord that the trio of Sauron's followers had been looking for. Fortunately Nori managed to wake him up by saying that his identity only he can determine. It was only at this point that it was revealed that she was an Istari tasked with suppressing the growth of darkness in Middle-earth. He did tell Nori that Istari was a Magician, but until the end there was absolutely no explanation as to what had caused the memory loss that had befallen him.

Why did Gandalf lose his memory?

Although Stranger aka Gandalf didn't explain it, if you are observant, actually one of the trio of Sauron's followers has given an important clue. For those who are still curious, the trio of Sauron's followers are named Dweller, Nomad, and Ascetic. Well, before Gandalf defeated them, Ascetic had said that the reason why Istari's figure did not remember her identity and strength was because there was a 'veil' placed on her mind when Valar sent her to Middle-Earth. Ascetic even said that he would only remember after his powers returned.

In the novel The Lords of the Rings itself there is actually a better explanation regarding this. As the creator of the mythology, J.R.R. Tolkien once said that when Istari arrived in Middle-earth, they would not fully remember who he was. This can happen because to be able to set foot in Middle-earth, the Istari who were originally spirits had to create their own physical like humans. The effect of this change is what eventually clouded their old memories. Until finally their strength returns, only then will Istari like Gandalf remember his purpose.

Continuing the Mission to Rhun

After all his powers returned at the end of The Rings of Power, Gandalf finally remembered his identity and purpose. In the first place the reason why he was so eager to join the Hermit's Hat constellation was because it was his first mission in Middle-earth. According to Ascetic, the Hermit's Hat itself can only be seen clearly in their place of origin, Rhun. That was why Gandalf, whose memory might still be a little hazy, decided to continue his mission by going to Rhun with Nori. His hope was that he could find an answer in Sauron's vassal territory.

That's the discussion of the reason why Gandalf can lose his memory throughout the series The Rings of Power season 1. Now with memories starting to return, he realizes that his existence in Middle-earth is to fight evil. He must quickly find out what the meaning behind the constellation Hermit's Hat is in order to continue his mission. It seems that in Rhun later there will be more obstacles that he will face. We look forward to the continuation of the adventures of Gandalf and Nori in The Lord of the Rings The Rings of Power season 2.

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