Most Votes
- By the end of 2026, how useful do you think agentic/multi-agent AI systems will actually be in your daily work or personal projects? Posted on March 11th, 2026 | 17938 votes
Most Comments
- By the end of 2026, how useful do you think agentic/multi-agent AI systems will actually be in your daily work or personal projects? Posted on March 11th, 2026 | 40 comments
Missing Option (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Missing Option (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Missing Option (Score:4, Funny)
True power! $$$$
Re:Missing Option (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Missing Option (Score:4, Funny)
Although I was always partial to Fizban or is it Zifnab???????
Re:Missing Option (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Missing Option (Score:5, Interesting)
Check out Tracy Hickman's FAQ [trhickman.com] for a very clear answer to the whole Fizban/Zifnab/Zanfib question.
The obvious choice (Score:5, Funny)
Re:The obvious choice (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Missing Option (Score:5, Informative)
Also, although not technically a "wizard", I thought that perhaps Obi-Wan Kenobi could have been one of the options. He represents the archetypal mystic mentor to Luke that Merlin represents for Arthur, Par-Salian represents for Raistlin, and that Ogion represents for Ged, just to name a few that have been mentioned in the poll and in the comments. D.
Re:Missing Option (Score:4, Informative)
blakespot
Re:Missing Option (Score:4, Funny)
That was a joke, wasn't it?
Re:nah (Score:3, Insightful)
No matter how subtle the wizard, .... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Missing Options (Score:3, Interesting)
1) Timothy Hunter from Neil Gaiman & Co's "Books of Magic"- the real boy wizard that Potter kid will never be
2) Cheech Wizard- Vaughn Bode. It's all about the hat!
3) John Constantine/Hellblazer- Oh wouldn't I just like to see what he'd do to the Keanu version!
4) Aristobulus from Joel Rosenberg's "Guardians Of The Flame", at least until he gave it up to help bring Ahira back to life. What was he, about G class?
5) Doctor Strange? Probably not... but he's more powerful tha
Re:Missing Options (Score:3, Informative)
Of course if he didn't have the Orb, Belgarath would kick his ass...
Re:Missing Option (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Missing Option (Score:3, Insightful)
If you're going to count Wizards Who Became Gods, then you would want to include Midnight from the Forgotten Realms, who became the new Mystra after the Time of the Avatars.
Re:Missing Option (Score:3, Informative)
It is easy to think of the Valar as gods since Illuvatar seems content to let them run the world, but they're all just playing their parts in the grander scheme of things, really.
Re:Missing Option (Score:5, Funny)
- Can light a fire (Close range only, may require kindling).
- Can forget the simplest of Elven/Dwarven scribings.
- Knows a really good dry cleaner that delivers rush jobs.
- Can make his stick glow at the end.
- Knows all the best illegal fireworks importing stores.
- Basic Ventriloquism.
ummmmm.
Really, just how this guy makes any poll other than "Saddest Big Talking Resume Inflating Phoneys" is beyond me.
Horses on the River? (Score:5, Funny)
Everyone knows that..
Re:Missing Option (Score:3, Funny)
Forget that spoiled brat; Bupu taught him everything he needed to know. Dead Rat Magic rules and you know it.
Re:Missing Option (Score:5, Funny)
Who? (Score:5, Funny)
Who?
Re:Who? (Score:5, Funny)
Who's on First? (Score:5, Funny)
True conversation (a long time ago) -
Who are you going to see in Concert?
Yes.
You're going to see Yes? The guys that did Roundabout?
No.
Then Who?
Yes.
You just said you weren't going to see Yes. Are you going to see Yes or not?
No.
Then who?
Yes.
It continued that way for a while.
Re:Who's on First? (Score:5, Funny)
In Woodstock
Slappy: Who are those?
Skippy: Who
Slappy: Who?
Skippy: Yes
Slappy: No! the band!
Skippy: No, aunt Slappy, The Band will play later, these are The Who.
Slappy: Who?
Skippy: Yes!
Slappy: No, but who's the band?
Skippy: No, they're not the same, these are the Who and the Band will play later!
Slappy: Who will play later?
They are untimely interrupted by Pete Townshend crashing his guitar on the stage
Re:Gandalf Overratted? Hah! (Score:5, Informative)
Gandalf has a bunch of other names, including "Olorin" in the West. He is actually a kind of demi-god or angel (in Tolkein's mythology), and as such, ranks above the lesser wizards listed.
--LWM
Re:Gandalf Overratted? Hah! (Score:5, Insightful)
agreed. gandalf was a Maiar-- servants of the Valar. Sauron, blarogs, et al are all maiar. Gandalf is extremely powerful, by coming to middle earth he agrees to take on a human form and part of his power is masked. Read the last paragraph of the section on the Maiar in the Silmarillion.
Besides, of all the Maiar on middle earth who survivied?
Re:Gandalf Overratted? Hah! (Score:5, Informative)
Introducing... Tolkien Grammar Nazi
> gandalf was a Maiar
Gandalf was a Maia, or one of many Maiar.
Same goes for Valar - One Vala, many Valar.
That said, Gandalf was one of the Istari - Maiar of lesser power who had human form. On the other hand, Sauron was a full-fledged Maia. The reason the Istari were sent in that form was just so that they could act as guides to the people of middle earth, rather than confront evil directly.
Of the Istari, Gandalf, Radagast, Saruman, Pallando the Blue Wizards, etc. survived. Of the others, I do not remember anyone other than Sauron surviving.
Re:Gandalf Overratted? Hah! (Score:5, Informative)
These powers could be granted or removed by the Valar, but they only did so in extreme circumstances and only as little as possible. For example, after the fall of Numenor, Sauron could no longer shape-change into a being that appeared fair to the eyes. The Valar would have been quite capable of pursuing him and chaining him up, as they did with Melkor. They could also remove his powers, as Gandalf did to Sauruman. For whatever reason, they decided that what they'd done was enough.
Indeed, you see this throughout the Silmarilian and the Lord of the Rings. There are many monsters and monstrosities in Middle Earth, products of Melkor for the most part, that the Valar and the Valar-aligned Maia did nothing about. The creatures below Moria, for example, are all creations of Melkor. The malevolent mountain Caradhras is likely also something Melkor devised. Maybe it is the remnants of one of the pillars he built.
Of the Istari, we know nothing of the Blue Wizards. Tolkein speculated that they were the cause of mysticism, but because he always wrote as a "translator", any opinions he gave are from the perspective of a fan, rather than an author. There is no direct evidence of them surviving.
Gandalf survived, but his original "body" did not. It is therefore unclear as to exactly what his status was, after he became Gandalf the White.
Saruman was killed by Wormtounge. No great surprise - if you abuse someone/something enough, something is likely to snap and the abuse victim is likely to become unpredictable and dangerous. Saruman's spirit was dissolved, suggesting that he, along with Sauron, has died indeed.
Survival is an interesting thing in Tolkein's universe, because of the way death is handled. For the most part, anything that dies goes to the Halls of Mandos. There, Mandos decides how long they need to stay there.
There are two known exceptions, in species. Humans do not go to the Halls of Mandos - their fate is unknown and even Manwe knows it not. Dwarves are said to revert to the stone from which they are made, but they themselves hold that they have a special place in the Halls. Tolkein, as far as I know, offered no insights on this.
Tom Bombadil is sometimes thought of as a Maia, because he has undisputed powers far beyond those of anything produced by the Valar. His turns of phrase have led others to speculate he may be one of the Valar, or even Ea himself. There is simply no evidence to allow a clear identification.
The only living beings (other than humans and dwarves, and the two Maiar mentioned above) to have definitely, conclusively died are Tinuviel, any half-elf who elected to be treated as human, and any elf who elected to stay on Middle Earth after the end of the Third Age. Anything and everything else ends up in the Halls of Mandos.
This is where things get interesting. Orcs are elves that Melkor tortured and twisted for his own purposes. Once the orc spirits are in the Halls of Mandos, they would not necessarily be distinct from elven spirits. Once they have served whatever time Mandos decrees, I can see nothing to prevent those spirits appealing to Mandos and Manwe to return as Elves rather than Orcs.
This is important, because the books talk of a "final battle" at some point in the future. The more Orcs, Trolls and other beasts that Melkor twisted that rebel against Melkor and what he did to them and side with Manwe, the harder it becomes for Melkor and his hard-core supporters.
The "vision" at the start of the Silmarilion declares that Melkor's rebellion will not only fail, but will actually work towards Ea's goals. To me, this suggests that many of Melkor's creatures will indeed defect, once in the safety of Mandos' Halls, and that they have something to offer that Manwe's followers do not.
This, however, gets us totally off-topic and into a deep debate that even Slashdot may not have the capacity to handle.
Re:Gandalf Overratted? Hah! (Score:5, Insightful)
Tolkien was clear about the fate of the blue wizards even though he may not have been precise. He stated that they fell along the lines of Curumo (Saruman) and decided to seek their own glory rather than fulfill the cause for which they were sent.
UT offers tons of information on the Istari, and Christopher labors hard to reveal as much as he can from the Professor's notes. From UT, and other sources, I give the following:
There were five Istari sent (names in parenthesis are their Middle Earth names given later by those who dwelt there: elves, men, dwarves, etc.): Curumo (Saruman), Eiwendil (Radagast), Olorin (Gandalf), Alatar (unknown) and Pallando (unknown).
Each of the original names held a meaning and linked them, as well, to the Valar for which they served (I personally never remember the Maiar being called "servants" but, rather, "the people of the Valar"). Also, it defines what their purposes were to be in middle earth in helping to bring down Sauron:
Curumo: Craft, one who builds, designs and engineers. He was to offer his knowledge in building and engineering to assist the peoples of middle earth toward raising armies to fight Sauran. As we know, he instead built an army for the enemy.
Eiwendil: it can be translated either "bird lover" (as Saruman calls him in spite) or "lover of the holy maiden" (his Valar). It is most likely the former. He was never intended to be in the group which was to only consist of 3 -- Curumo, Olorin and Alatar (Pallando was added later to help guide Alatar -- see below), but his patron Valar (Yavana?) insisted on his going to check up on the little creatures of ME. He, too, failed in the mission spending his time on animals.
Alatar and Pallando: the least is known of these two. It is thought that they were to venture far into the east and south -- into the places where the Valar knew the least of -- and inspire those peoples to join with the north in fighting against Sauron. Alatar is thought to mean "one who enlightens" and Pallando as "far wanderer." I.e., Pallando was best geared to adventure into places unknown and once there, Alatar could enlighten those peoples as to their plight. Again, they failed along the lines of Saruman and sought glory for themselves.
Olorin: of the five the least in stature, the humblest, was Gandalf. His receiving of Narya was almost a thing of sadness -- he will face a long and weary road, many troubles, hardships and it will strengthen. He is given the most names in ME
Gandalf: "wand elf" -- he was mistaken for an elf at times. Christopher Lee teaches us in the extra DVD footage that the Professor pronounced this as "Gahndalf" as in "father" and not "Gandalf" as the "a" in the American pronunciation of "can."
Mithrandir: "The Grey Wanderer/pilgrim."
Incanus: "Greymantle"
Stormcrow: Given to him in Rohan
For purposes here, the significant name, of course, is Olorin. It is literally translated as "dreams," but from an elvish POV means more along the lines of "Seer" or "Oracle." He was said to be the wisest of the order, and was the one Saruman was most concerned with. There is an incredible exchange between them in UT wherein Saruman more or less chides Gandalf and his affection for Hobbits masking something they both know: that Saruman wants the ring and suspects Gandalf knows it is amongst the Hobbits (an event preceding FoTR). Gandalf's response is to blow a series of smoke rings and then wave his hand through them as if trying to grasp -- a gesture meant to show Saruman: "you'll never have what you want."
In brief: The leader of the 5 was Curumo (Gandalf explains him as the greatest of "my order"). Alatar and Pallando were to gather the people of the south and east -- the least touched/influenced by the Valar, elves or the west -- and bring them into alignment with north and west
Re:Gandalf Overratted? Hah! (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Gandalf Overratted (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Gandalf Overratted (Score:5, Interesting)
That's seriously underestimating the power of the Ring. The powers contained in the Ring are not necessarily enumerated very clearly in the books. Invisibility is its most physical aspect, but it also conveys a sense of "doom" or "awe" to creatures observing the wearer (invisible or no -- see below), allows a metaphysical or astral projection to the wearer's thoughts allowing sight across land and sea to great distances (and sometimes even through solid objects although mountains blocked it), allows the wearer to see others who are cloaked in invisibility stemming from Sauron's powers (i.e. Nazgul), allows a psionic-like attack power for "contesting of wills" between the wearer and other powerful (and not-powerful) beings, the ability to extend the wearer's lifespan long beyond normal lifespans (not trivial!), and probably has other powers as well, still unknown now. Tolkein left the in-depth breakdown of the powers of the Ring alone, because they couldn't have been entirely known to anyone but Sauron, as no one assisted him in the Ring's manufacture, and since Sauron had but a minimal voice in any of his writings we never get Sauron's viewpoint on the Ring itself.
It definitely had some sort of intelligence or will of its own as well, the ability to expand and shrink at will, the power to withstand intense fire/pressure/time, perhaps others (shapeshifting? invisibility for itself?...)
The "doom" or "awe" aspect was pretty important in several scenes. The bearer did not have to actually be wearing the Ring for it to occur -- Bill scares off a bunch of orcs just having it around his neck at one point. Isildur is wearing the Ring when he slinks off from the ambush, but because he's still wearing that elvish gem heirloom around his head, he can be seen and the totally terrified orcs manage to loose a couple of arrows in his direction and run away, which happen to hit him and wound him. (At least, that's one version of the story.)
The Ring is full of mystery, malice and power -- I think comparing it to a D&D +1 ring of invisibility, comic as that is, is in error. That thing had a lot of powers, married to a shitload of corruption. I've always used it as a metaphor for drug addiction in my life and the unhappy (albeit sometimes quite gleefully powerful and euphoric) feelings they've caused over the years.
Also, gotta' put in a word for Gandalf. 3rd level? 5th level? Come on, he faced down a Balrog with a sword! The guy is at least multiclassed, because he wields Anduril pretty darn well. He also, at one point, knew almost every spell known to men, Elves and Dwarves, which would mean every spell in D&D. What the heck level would *that* take? By the time of the Third Age, he's forgotten a lot of that, but still... Perhaps it could be recalled if need be? I always though Gandalf's power was kept in check and on a par with the obstacles facing Middle Earth. With Morgoth, Gandalf probably had a shitload of power, but because the Elves seemed to be managing that one by themselves, and had also pissed off the Valar pretty well, he was kept back from the fray. When he first enters Middle-Earth, things are looking pretty bad for Men and Elves, so he's got a whole lot of power. By the Age of Men, there simply isn't as much of a need for incredibly powerful wizards wandering around. He faces down Saruman for the mind of Theoden, so he clearly has some advanced psionic ability or exorcism or whatever. Like the Ring, the full power of Gandalf is shrouded and only known to him and perhaps the other Wizards and Maia. But you have to figure, with some of the shit the Maia were capable of (hiding entire pieces of Middle Earth, building structures using only thought alone, constructing magic rings and other devices, casting their thoughts abroad, etc.) Gandalf had to be pulling a lot of punches. Which is a great plot device because if he didn't, well, then we have an entire continent of Men and Elves and Dwarves who do nothing all day long but scream out for Gandalf whenver threatened. Gandalf is less about "saving Middle Earth" and more about "helping the creatures of Middle Earth -- ALL of them -- to grow up, fend for themselves and find the power goodness within".
Re:Gandalf Overratted (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Gandalf Overratted (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Gandalf Overratted (Score:5, Interesting)
Minimal is not nonexistant. The One Ring is the only thing we DO get his viewpoint on, and in his own words:
It is likely that it granted the bearer explicit powers against the other rings ("One Ring to rule them all"). An obvious inclusion is the ability to sense the possession and/or use of another ring ("One Ring to find them"), as Frodo did with Nenya in Lothlorien. More dangerous, it may have been possible for the wearer to summon wearers of lesser rings and enslave them to the ringbearer's will, as Sauron did with the Nazgul ("One Ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them"). The Elves avoided this fate in the first War against Sauron, since the moment they sensed him putting on the one ring, they immediately removed theirs. If you think things were bad for the Fellowship, imagine how hairy things would have been if Gil-Galad, Galadriel, and Cirdan had been Ringwraiths, and neither Rivendell nor Lothlorien were there!Mr. Wizard (Score:3, Informative)
No really I vote for Gandalf, seeing as he is the incarnation of a lesser god and not a wizard at all.
Re:Mr. Wizard (Score:5, Insightful)
Merlin on the other hand did a bit more spell flinging. And for the the lesser god bit, some tales have Merlin as being half demon.
Re:Mr. Wizard (Score:5, Insightful)
There's magic more powerful than fireballs, you know. Much more powerful.
Re:Mr. Wizard (Score:4, Insightful)
Ie, no magic just a lot of talk. Check.
Re:Mr. Wizard (Score:5, Funny)
Yeah. Meteor Swarm.
Re:Mr. Wizard (Score:5, Insightful)
Pratchett is one of the few living authors who get this right; Tolkien one of the few dead. I therefore voted Rincewind, but Pratchett has another comment on the matter that's directly relevant to your complaint:
(from Equal Rites)
To put it in Tolkien's perspective, who is the more powerful wizard - the one who rules a kingdom of darkness, raises mighty armies of monsters, gathers all but a handful of the kingdoms of the earth to his cause, and still loses, or the one who laughs at such a waste of energy and leads his side to victory while barely lifting a finger himself?
Re:Mr. Wizard (Score:5, Interesting)
I still voted for Gandalf, though, 'cause he rocks.
Meaningless pedantism over, carry on.
Simon the sorcerer! (Score:3, Funny)
Or maybe the wizards at the tavern are more powerful..
Wizard: How do you know that we're wizards?"
Simon: When I move my mouse pointer over you, it says "wizards".
Missing option (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Missing option (Score:4, Informative)
what about The Great and Powerful ... (Score:5, Funny)
"Well, let's see, you have 4 Meg available."g gggghhhhhH!"
"Wow! Eight Meg in total, thanks!" he says, pleased with his bargaining power.
"No" I interrupt, savoring this like a fine red at room temperature, with steak, extra rare, to follow; "4 Meg in total.."
"Huh? I'd used 4 Meg already, How could I have 4 Meg Available?"
I say nothing. It'll come to him.
"aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaag
Re:Yes, because (Score:3, Interesting)
Oz? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Oz? (Score:3, Interesting)
-Colin [colingregorypalmer.net]
Re:Oz? (Score:5, Interesting)
I'm beg to differ, sir! Geeks are the wizards of our world. Our arts are arcane. We write in code that actually makes things happen when read by computers. When two geeks talk to one another within earshot of non-geeks, the lay folk stare at each other and ask "Are they speaking English?" We tinker. We blow things up. We build the things whose operation to lay folk is a mystery.
Our world DOES possess magic. Science permits us to pull back the veil and see how it works, and technology is nothing more than applied magic.
Re:Oz? (Score:5, Funny)
You're not a very good wizard, are you?
Indeedy (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Oz? (Score:5, Interesting)
Elminster vs Rincewind (Score:4, Insightful)
Gandalf is strong, but he mostly relies on being immortal and is more cleric than wizard.
Elminster happens to be one of the Goddess of Magic's chosen, fighter/rouge/cleric/wizards.
And Rincewind is one of the few Wizzards to have held and used world creating/expanding spells in his head.
Re:Elminster vs Rincewind (Score:3, Informative)
- Saved the world 3 times
(The Colour of Magic, The Light Fantastic, Sourcery, The Last Hero)
- Traveled & escaped the demon dimension
(Eric)
- Aided & abetted the taking over of an empire
(Interesting Times)
- Saved a continent from certain destruction
(The Last Continent)
- Managed to become a casual aquiantence with Death.
(various)
Shit, even Gandalf only saved the world once! Admittably, Rincewind o
Re:Ged = Legend of Earthsea (Score:4, Informative)
In the series, they make Ged out to be rather arrogant and bumbling throughout the whole series. In the books, he changes drastically after he unleashes the gebbeth.
I would say that maybe 5% is in common between the series and the books. I would venture to guess that the script writer never even read the books.
The books are short and are excellent.
If they had closely followed the books, it would be much easier to follow and could have had a lot more eyecandy to boot. They could have kept the series the same length and still kept most of the books in. As it is, they took bits and pieces from the books, twisted them around, and added a bunch of useless plot twists of their own.
Although I think a few changes would be useful if they did the Tombs of Autuan, since in the books light was not permitted in the tombs. That wouldn't lend itself well to a movie.
In the book, Ged is a lot more powerful than in the miniseries.
-Aaron
Re:Elminster vs Rincewind (Score:3)
But remember, he is so bad with magic that the average magic competence of the entire Disc will go up when Death tires of his crazy antics. He is the eternal coward, the balance to the eternal hero.
As the chief task of Wizards on the Discworld is to NOT do magic (it's far too dangerous), Rincewind surely excels at this as no other wizard could...
There are some who call him... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:There are some who call him... (Score:5, Insightful)
Prodigal Sorcerer (Score:5, Funny)
Pivot Tables are a lifesaver (Score:5, Insightful)
Missing Options (Score:5, Funny)
Raistlin - also from DragonLance, almost became a god
Oz - that yellow road dude
Internet Connection - to get n00bs online when they bring the Dell home
Sharp - "tip calculator"
Potter (Score:5, Funny)
<JonJonB> Purely in the interests of science, I have replaced the word "wand" with "wang" in the first Harry Potter Book
<JonJonB> Let's see the results...
<JonJonB> "Why aren't you supposed to do magic?" asked Harry.
<JonJonB> "Oh, well -- I was at Hogwarts meself but I -- er -- got expelled, ter tell yeh the truth. In me third year. They snapped me wang in half an' everything
<JonJonB> A magic wang... this was what Harry had been really looking forward to.
<JonJonB> "Yes, yes. I thought I'd be seeing you soon. Harry Potter." It wasn't a question. "You have your mother's eyes. It seems only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wang. Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wang for charm work."
<JonJonB> "Your father, on the other hand, favored a mahogany wang. Eleven inches. "
<JonJonB> Harry took the wang. He felt a sudden warmth in his fingers. He raised the wang above his head, brought it swishing down through the dusty air and a stream of red and gold sparks shot from the end like a firework, throwing dancing spots of light on to the walls
<JonJonB> "Oh, move over," Hermione snarled. She grabbed Harry's wang, tapped the lock, and whispered, 'Alohomora!"
<JonJonB> The troll couldn't feel Harry hanging there, but even a troll will notice if you stick a long bit of wood up its nose, and Harry's wang had still been in his hand when he'd jumped - it had gone straight up one of the troll's nostrils.
<JonJonB> He bent down and pulled his wang out of the troll's nose. It was covered in what looked like lumpy gray glue.
<JonJonB> He ran onto the field as you fell, waved his wang, and you sort of slowed down before you hit the ground. Then he whirled his wang at the dementors. Shot silver stuff at them.
<JonJonB> Ok
<JonJonB> I have found, definitive proof
<JonJonB> that J.K Rowling is a dirty DIRTY woman, making a fool of us all
<JonJonB> "Yes," Harry said, gripping his wang very tightly, and moving into the middle of the deserted classroom. He tried to keep his mind on flying, but something else kept intruding.... Any second now, he might hear his mother again... but he shouldn't think that, or he would hear her again, and he didn't want to... or did he?
<melusine > O_______O
<JonJonB> Something silver-white, something enormous, erupted from the end of his wang
<JonJonJonB> Then, with a sigh, he raised his wang and prodded the silvery substance with its tip.
<JonJonJonB> 'Get - off - me!' Harry gasped. For a few seconds they struggled, Harry pulling at his uncles sausage-like fingers with his left hand, his right maintaining a firm grip on his raised wang.
Obviously Missing (Score:4, Informative)
not to mention Raistlin Majere [wikipedia.org] and Miracle Max. [wikipedia.org]
A video game star, a D&D icon, and a great fantasy film star, all missed! What has /. become!?
Pug from Raymond E. Fiest's Riftwar Saga (Score:5, Informative)
Even in that weird galactic hall thingie, in which each door leads to a different world and most of the inhabitants are powerful magicians, Pug's name is spreading. I say Pug could take on Merlin and Gandalf at the same time.
Re:Pug from Raymond Feist's Riftwar Saga (Score:4, Insightful)
You gotta love a guy who becomes the world's greatest wizard, then tries to explain to everyone how there's no such thing as magic.
duh... (Score:5, Insightful)
meanings of wizard? (Score:4, Insightful)
Basically, it's hard to compare Gandalf to any other "wizard", simply because tolkien intended him to be much more than some old guy with a beard and a hat that chucks spells when convienent -- he's a guiding force to the fellowship, a resource of immense knowledge and wisdom, and an entity that's profoundly and powerfully unhuman, but one that seems to delight in his association with mortals nonetheless, and demonstrates a deep compassion for them.
Re:meanings of wizard? (Score:3, Interesting)
And don't forget the wonderful fireworks!
Actually, the fire related tricks (including irritating wargs with flaming pine cones in the Hobbit) may not have been precisely his power. On Gandalf's arrival in Middle Earth, Cirdan the Shipright gave him one of the Three: Narya, the Ring of Fire, that he might "kindle hearts in a world that grows chill."
I haven't picked up the DVD of RotK yet-- anyone notice if there's a red-stoned ring on his hand in th
Missing Option... (Score:5, Funny)
Whatever your take on the Wheel of Time series, you have to love an immensely powerful wizard who goes just a little bit more insane each time he uses magic.
Skeeve! (Score:4, Insightful)
Merlin (Score:3, Informative)
It has to be Merlin. All the rest where fictional characters and never really existed. Since Merlin is the only one to ever exist he wins by default.
Re:Merlin (Score:5, Funny)
from the missing options (Score:3)
Missing Poll Option... (Score:3, Insightful)
Honestly folks a most powerful wizard poll without the option of "Tim the Sorceror" is like a cheese shop without cheese!!
What about Mr. Wizard? (Score:4, Informative)
no Clippy? (Score:5, Funny)
MacGyver of course! (Score:5, Funny)
Cheers,
Adolfo
Rincewind! (Score:3, Insightful)
Ob' Simpsons quote.... (Score:4, Funny)
Comedy 'Aleister Crowley' Option! (Score:3, Funny)
thats not so hard (Score:5, Funny)
Oblig. Darko Quote (Score:4, Insightful)
Wait a minute...I thought Gargamel was the guy who was always trying to kill the Smurfs.
First of all, Papa Smurf didn't create Smurfette. Gargamel did. She was sent in as Gargamel's evil spy with the intention of destroying the Smurf village, but the overwhelming goodness of the Smurf way of life transformed her. And as for the whole gang-bang scenario, it just couldn't happen. Smurfs are asexual. They don't even have reproductive organs under those little white pants. That's what's so illogical, you know, about being a Smurf. What's the point of living if you don't have a dick?
Re:Another missing option... (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Death Gate Cycle (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Gandalf? (Score:3, Interesting)
Time to earn my geek card.
Gandalf, Saruman, & Radagast Of the five that came across(the other two Blue wizards went way past mordor and aren't spoken of) Were of the same vein as Sauron himself.
Gandalf was one of the Valinor. Sauron, and Even the Balrog were both of the Valinor as well. All of them were their in the begining when Iluvatar used their ideas in song to create the world and grant it life. Now there was rankings and Sauron was higher than Gandolf and sar
Re:Gandalf? (Score:5, Insightful)
Iluvitar - God
Vala - minor gods of the sky, stone, plants, sea, etc
Maia - angelic beings subordinate to the Vala. Wizards (Istari), eagles, balrogs, possibly some "spirits" like the sun, wind, moon.
How's that for earning a geek card?
speaking of which, for Godsake, it's Gandalf, not Gandolf
Re:Tom Bombadil (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:polytheism vs monotheism (Score:5, Insightful)
I didn't know Norse stuff went that way. Odin was the boss but didn't create the other gods.
In JRRT mythology, you had God (the big guy) creating the Valar from his thought (like Harrah) and they ended up looking like a Norse pantheon. I saw it as a mix between Judeo-Christian, Greek and Norse theology.
yeah, "monotheism" often breaks down to polytheism under a different name even if you're as militantly monotheist as the Muslims (angels, jinns, saints). If you're Christian though, Jesus is God. Part of a trinity if you're willing to accept a pseudo-polytheistic "mystery". It's not exactly the same as "aspects" of god al-la Vishnu. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are distinct beings while still being one God. Don't ask me, it's a "mystery".
Monotheistic religions have the feature that God created all the other preternatural critters and have control or at least dominion over them.
Typing while drunk. please forgive if not coherent.
Re:Gandalf? (Score:3, Interesting)
As for Gandalf not being able to defeat Saruman during their first confrontation, Saruman was designated the most powerful of the Isitari and thus was inherently more powerful. Only when Gandalf returned as "The White" (a reward for valour in his defeat of the Balrog and his long service thwarting
Re:Gandalf? (Score:5, Informative)
For example, Radagast knew how to talk to birds and other animals. Not a power, so much as a thing he learned.
Mithrandir was given the Ring of Fire once he popped into Middle-Earth on the boat. This gave him the power to encourage people to do great things, to be brave and strong (very useful in the various battles he was involved in; like the Battle of Five Armies). He was not the head of the Istari because he had not wanted to be, he was a very humble being because he had studied long with Nienna the Wheeper (which is where much of his tolerance and kindness to the weak came).
A Balrog on the other hand is a straight up Maiar, they are Fire based (all Maiar are based in some way on an element) and served Melkor during the first uprising he started. But because of their malevolence they lost the ability to change forms with time (a similar thing happened to Sauron, who could no longer take on a form of beauty after the forging of the Rings of Power).
Sauron was also a regular Maiar, but he was a strong one that had served Melkor from the beginning as his second in command. Obviously he was a stronger Maiar than the others or he would not have gained this post so quickly. He was able to create the Rings of Power because of his vaste knowledge of smithwork he learned while he had served his first master Aule and while serving his second Melkor.
The Mithrandir loosing the first time he and Curunir were in conflict was because he didn't see it coming.
The thing I think which has led you astray is that you assume that all Maiar and Valar are one another's equals. Not at all true, though Melkor was the strongest of the original Valar Manwe his brother was wiser and thus chosen to lead the Valar. Tulkas was the only Valar that could rival Melkor's strength physically. Infact, the distinction between the Ainur was only really a line in the sand of who was the strongest.
Mod parent up! (Score:3, Funny)
Way to know your Middle Earth!
Re:Mod parent up! (Score:3, Informative)
n.
Slang. A stupid, inept, or foolish person: "the stupid antics of America's favorite teen-age cartoon dorks" (Joshua Mooney).
Vulgar Slang. The penis.
Nice to see someone being open and honest on Slashdot.
Re:Gandalf? (Score:3, Insightful)
It's the same sort of theme as in the original Sandman storyline: he created the ring as a tool. It helped him focus his power, but of course when he lost it he also lost most of his power.
Besides, it's important to remember that Sauron was defeated three times before he was finally destroyed (or at least rendered inconsequential) at the end of the War of the Ring. Once when he was one of Morgoth's cronies, once by the Númenóreans (
Re:pivot table? (Score:3, Informative)
Here you are [duke.edu]. It is a PDF file.
He is a wizzard! (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Why Gandalf? (Score:4, Insightful)
Not true. Gandalf was rather modest about showing off his abilities (putting on a fireworks show at Bilbo's party was the flashiest thing he ever did, and it really was a parlor trick), but in the mythology that is LOTR, some of his deeds were acts of extraordinary power.
Although no one was there to watch, and although he died in the process, Gandalf the Grey defeated the Balrog at Zirak-Zigil, a former servant of Morgoth who had been the most dangerous creature on Middle-Earth short of Morgoth and Sauron themselves. And then he was resurrected as Gandalf the White, even more powerful.
Gandalf the White broke the staff of Saruman, formerly his superior and the leader of his order, stripping him of all of his powers. Later on, he stood up to the Lord of the Nazgul long enough for Faramir and his surviving companions to make it back into Minas Tirith. Neither of these things may have looked especially flashy, but they would have been beyond the abilites of any other creature of Tolkien's world, except probably for Sauron.