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Revision as of 04:08, 3 January 2004 by Radagast (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Radagast the Brown is one of the Wizards in J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy epic The Lord of the Rings and is mentioned in The Hobbit. He was a good friend of Gandalf, and had a strong affinity for animals. He lived at Rhosgobel.
Radagast, like the other Wizards, came from Valinor around the year 1000 of the Third Age of Middle-earth and was originally one of the Maiar. His name as a Maia was Aiwendil, meaning "bird-friend" in Quenya. The Vala Yavanna forced Saruman to accept Radagast as a companion, making Saruman contemptuous of him.
Radagast's name means "tender of beasts" in a language of Númenor.
Radagast was unwittingly used by Saruman to lure Gandalf to Orthanc, where Gandalf was captured; however Radagast also unwittingly helped rescue the grey wizard by alerting the Eagles of Gandalf's journey there.
It is not known when or if he left Middle-earth. Tolkien writes that he forsook his mission as one of the Wizards by becoming too obsessed with animals, so presumably he was not allowed to return.