Comparisons of Odin and Gandalf in "The Hobbit"

J.R.R Tolkien based his book The Hobbit heavily upon Nordic mythology, including things such as the Nordic Runes, Elves, Dwarves, and even going so far as to name the world that his stories are based in Middle Earth, a translation from the Norse world of Midgard, the middle world of the 9 world model of the Viking Universe. There is one specific character, however, featured in The Hobbit that is very pivotal to the story, and who may also be based on a very pivotal character from Norse mythology. Could the character Gandalf, the wise, elderly grey wizard from The Hobbit, be at least partially based upon the God Odin, of the Nordic religion?

Central to this argument is Tolkien's use of the Runes in his book. In Nordic belief the God Odin is the leader of the Aesir (gods) and Lord of Valhalla, where fallen warriors reside until the end of the universe. One day he left his home with the other gods and rode his eight-legged horse Sleipnir down the world tree (Yggdrasil) to one of its three roots. There he drank from Mimir's well, and after plucking out one of his eyes for Mimir in exchange and hanging upside down in the well for 9 days he discovered the runes and pulled them out. He then learned the runes and all of their wisdom and the mightiest spells (Mountfort 12) from this Odin is known as a god of wisdom and knowledge, as well as mighty magic and Runes. Tolkien's character Gandalf is himself a mighty wizard, able to use all sorts of magic as well as a very wise and knowledgeable figure. He is also able to thoroughly understand the Dwarvish runes in the story (based upon Norse runes) when according to the story very few except the Dwarves use them (Tolkien 1). These are deep running similarities central to the characteristics of both the God Odin and the wizard Gandalf. Further evidence for this argument can be gained from the Runes. In the Elder Futhark runic alphabet, of which there are 24 characters, the 4th rune is called Ansuz, and stands for Odin. The first line of the Norwegian rune poem for Ansuz goes:
Rivermouth opens most journeys
(Mountfort 85)

Rivermouth is sometimes used to refer to Odin, as he represents words as they "flow" from the body. This line of the Ansuz rune poem can therefore be interpreted as Odin opening, or starting, most journeys. Gandalf certainly did that to Bilbo in The Hobbit. He arrives at Bilbo's house in the first few pages of the book, and after making a symbol on Bilbo's front door (possibly a rune?) some dwarves show up and Gandalf starts the poor little hobbit off on an unexpected journey full of adventure.

There are similar physical descriptions of both Odin and Gandalf as well. When Gandalf first appears in The Hobbit he is described as "an old man with a staff. He had a tall pointed blue hat, a long grey cloak, a silver scarf over which his long white beard hung down below his waist, and immense black boots." (Tolkien 6). He also travels throughout various parts of Middle Earth during the story, both in the company of Bilbo Baggins and on his own. Odin, in one of his many guises as Grimnir or the wanderer, appears as "an old man with a staff, one-eyed, grey bearded, and wearing a wide brimmed hat, with a blue traveling cloak" (Wikipedia). It is in this guise that he was often seen traveling around the various areas of Midgard (Earth) for many reasons and it was also while in this guise that he discovered the runes in Mimir's well. Odin and Gandalf both appear as old men with staffs, colourless beards, cloaks and wizard-like hats (of both the pointy and wide brimmed variety). There is definitely an uncanny resemblance between the two.

There are several minor similarities between the two which may not mean much but can also prove interesting. Once such similarity would be the horse that Gandalf is given to ride from Beorn and then go about his business on (Tolkien 125). He then leaves the dwarves and Bilbo on this horse to travel south and, as we find out later, do battle with the evil Necromancer. Odin too is given a horse. His horse Sleipnir is given to him from the trickster god Loki and Odin is often seen in its company and usually rides it into battle as well (Wikipedia). This may be due to pure coincidence, however it is none-the-less something to be taken into consideration.

Taken into account that The Hobbit already has a heavy Nordic influence on both its world, its creatures and its storyline, as well as the use of the runes and the physical similarities between the God Odin and the wizard Gandalf it is entirely possible that Odin provided at least a partial basis for the character of the wizard, despite some minor flaws. There are some aspects that may have nothing to do with Odin, such as his seeming trickery (in convincing the dwarves to take Bilbo on their journey) and the council or wizards he belongs to, but overall Gandalf and Odin seem to share a lot of distinct qualities and characteristics, as well as an image, and this makes a solid basis for the argument that Gandalf is largely based upon Odin.

Bibliography
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norse_mythology accessed December 3rd, 2006
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odin accessed December 3rd, 2006
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Hobbit. London: HarperCollins publishing, this edition 1999
Mountfort, Paul R. Nordic Runes. Rochester, Vermont: Destiny Books, 2003