I’ve always had a fascination for wizards or magic users. Even when selecting characters to campaign with in World of Warcraft or Diablo, I’ll often choose to level a wizard or a warlock and develop these characters to gain mastery over elements, produce powerful arcane spells, or raise an army of the dead to combat foes.
Wizards, sorcerers, magicians. Fictional worlds can be created around them. They’re often the “secret weapon” or the equalizer in various stories. When the brave hero is faced with overwhelming odds, it’s usually a wizard who comes up with the right plan at the right time. This, and the fact that magic doesn’t really need to be explained, makes wizards ideal fictional heroes that can move a story along with an incantation or a magic staff.
When I was asked who the greatest wizard is by the editors of this magazine, I was surprised that there were merely three choices. While Merlin, Dumbledore, and Gandalf are certainly the biggest three names one can, um, conjure up, I can think of many magic users that should be in the conversation.
That said, who really is the greatest wizard and by what means do we measure wizarding prowess? Most of the characters above are quite similar in that they are aged or ancient white men with vast magical knowledge and expertise. Some would say, all three are wise and were usually at their magical peak during their most famous adventures.
Merlin counseled King Arthur, Dumbledore became a guide for Harry Potter, and Gandalf is the consistent voice of wisdom for the Baggins clan of hobbits as well as the multitudes of Middle Earth.
While all three take on a patriarchal and advisory role, they can quickly take up the wand or the sword in battle when evil comes calling. Which one is the greatest, though?
Merlin: The guide
Merlin, the magician is really the genesis for the archetype of a wizard. Based on a druid legend and present as a character in various forms and stories through time, Merlin was Arthur’s friend and he’s said to have been able to command dragons and change his appearance at will.
It’s said that Merlin was a seer, he lived his life backwards and could anticipate the future because it was, in essence, his past. Add opening dimensional portals, teleportation, and alchemy into the mix and you have a pretty powerful wizard.
Merlin’s exploits have been many, but basically, he stepped in when Arthur and his knights were out of their depth. He battled fiercely against sorceress and former student, Morgan Le Fay. Looking at Merlin’s history though, he seemed to be more of a prophet than a hardcore wizard. If you consider that Arthurian legend coincides with the great crusades, it’s evident that anyone who would possess or show off any supernatural power or ability might be mistaken for a witch or devil worshipper and burned at the stake.
That is why Merlin’s legend is more of a subtle guide, a shape-shifting helper and adviser to Arthur, rather than an active spell-casting wizard.
Dumbledore: The inspiration
Albus Dumbledore is the longtime headmaster at Hogwarts, head of Gryffindor, and Harry Potter’s secret protector. He’s a wise and powerful but also mired with many dark and tragic secrets.
Dumbledore’s role in the Harry Potter stories are as a sort of clue master with many of his magical exploits having taken place in the past. He was the most brilliant student at Hogwarts, he dueled former ally Gellert Grindelwald and won, and, for the most part, managed to stay one step ahead of Voldemort.
Dumbledore is really the wizard’s wizard of the Harry Potter universe and there’s really no other senior wizard in the story that approximates the level or respect and knowledge he seems to have earned. Dumbledore is quite obviously the counterpoint to Voldemort, but, as we know, not everything in Harry Potter is really black and white.
Dumbledore’s wisdom, knowledge of both light and dark magic, as well as his mastery over creatures like Fawkes the phoenix, makes him a formidable wizard and one that has definitely earned the respect of several senior wizards.
Begetting the love and respect of fellow wizards and younger wizards is Dumbledore’s greatest power. That even Snape was loyal only to Dumbledore in the very end says a lot about the man.
Dumbledore didn’t just lead Hogwarts through its darkest hour, he established the Order of the Phoenix and later on inspired Dumbledore’s Army during the reign of terror of Dolores Umbridge. Inspiring wizards was arguably Dumbledore’s biggest power.
Gandalf: The divine
Gandalf is simply the complete package when it comes to being a wizard. Not only is he wise and personable, Gandalf is revealed to be the one character that seems to bind all aspects and creatures of Middle Earth.
Gandalf isn’t a man to begin with, he is Istari, a superior race with more sense and better disposition than the class of men from Middle Earth. He is an accomplished sorcerer. He wields a staff and a sword with equal ease, he can will various creatures like magical eagles and horses to his aid, and he possesses the magical ring Narya, which can inspire others during their darkest time.
Gandalf is shown to be an old man but a fierce warrior as well as a tactical expert when dealing with Middle Earth’s monsters and creatures. He has traveled extensively and as a result, knows the geography as well as the various inhabitants of Middle Earth quite intimately.
Gandalf has also been resurrected from death, a feat that no other wizard has been able to accomplish. Tolkien himself describes Gandalf as an “angel incarnate,” which grants him vast supernatural abilities provided they are being used for good.
Who is the best then?
Merlin is steeped in historical significance and Dumbledore is the apex wizard in a world of wizards. But Gandalf seems divinely created to be the most powerful and wisest. It’s easy to think that he’s therefore the greatest wizard.
