Who is older Galadriel or Gandalf? With the latest Middle-earth fantasy series now behind us, fans of the Lord of the Rings and the rest of Tolkien’s work have been left with plenty of questions about the inhabitants of Middle-earth, their histories, and their futures.
Two of the Lord of the Rings characters who appeared in Rings of Power were Galadriel and Gandalf. Galadriel acted as the main character of TV series, which saw her journey across Middle-earth and form a bond with Halbrand from the Southlands (who we would later discover was in fact the deceptive Sauron). The Galadriel we saw in Rings of Power was different to the character in the Lord of the Rings movies, as she was younger, more brash, and fuelled by a desire for vengeance.
Then there was Gandalf. It was all-but confirmed that the Stranger who fell from the sky, and who had been hanging around with the Harfoots, was in fact Gandalf sent to Middle-earth by the Valar. We’ve seen a glimpse of his magic, and the roots of his affinity for Hobbits too. With the appearance of these two huge characters in Middle-earth lore, fans have been wondering: who is older Galadriel or Gandalf?
Who is older Galadriel or Gandalf?
Galadriel is older than Gandalf, as she was born in Valinor, even before the First Age. Meanwhile, we see that Gandalf comes to Middle-earth near the end of the Second Age in Rings of Power (while in Tolkien’s own definitive version of the story, the Wizard appears even later on in the Third Age).
Even following Rings of Power’s chronology, this still means that Galadriel, one of the wisest and most powerful Elves, is thousands of years older than Gandalf. Any confusion about age may stem from the pair’s appearances. Gandalf looks, for all intents and purposes, like an old man, while Galadriel’s Elven nature means that she is preserved as looking like a younger woman, never appearing older than her mid-30s.
However, that’s deceptive, because, as we now know, Galadriel is much, much older than Gandalf. For more Middle-earth deep dives, check out our guides to Morgoth, or his Balrogs.