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När Istari (inklusive Gandalf) först kom till Middle-Earth, var de fördjupade av gamla män:
Even as the first shadows were felt in Mirkwood there appeared in the
west of Middle-earth the Istari, whom Men called the Wizards. None
knew at that time whence they were, save Círdan of the Havens, and
only to Elrond and to Galadriel did he reveal that they came over the
Sea. But afterwards it was said among the Elves that they were
messengers sent by the Lords of the West to contest the power of
Sauron, if he should arise again, and to move Elves and Men and all
living things of good will to valiant deeds.
In the likeness of Men they appeared, old but vigorous, and
they changed little with the years, and aged but slowly, though great
cares lay on them; great wisdom they had, and
many powers of mind and hand. Long they journeyed far and wide among
Elves and Men, and held converse also with
beasts and with birds....
—The Silmarillion
Med tanke på sammanhanget tycks detta tyder på att de visade sig gamla från sin första ankomst. Detta skulle vara meningslöst, eftersom de odödliga tävlingarna associerade uppenbar ålder med visdom, och skulle vara mer benägna att beakta en åldrig man än en nyfödd ungdom.