'All those who wander are not lost'

[Minyatur]

Gandalf is what I would label a wanderer. He is from a group of beings called the maia, and theres even a group of beings above them. Sauron actually was a general to another being at first as well, who was actually a maia as well Morgana.

The Middle Earth series is really just the very tippy top of the entire iceberg of that story. His story is quite interesting. Worth checking out.

Morgana was a Maïa under Manwë like Sauron before he switched camp to Morgoth/Melkor?
Name tells me nothing.

Gandalf true name is Olòrin. Most of middle-earth knew him as Mithrandir afterwards.

Honestly it's been awhile since I read the middle earth chronicles. I believe Gandalf is a maia, and there is a level of beings beyond the maia. I know that saurons original master was the first born, and stands among the beings above the maia.
There was a great war between the beings above the maia and the first born.

Whilst the creator sung the world into being, the first born was corrupt yet the creator allowed it in his creation as he saw it as an acceptable alteration. He saw it as an improvement.

Also Gandalf was originally be the leader of the wizards, and he refused and initially did not want to come stating that he felt to weak to defeat sauron. The beings above the maia insisted thats why he must come. Gandalf is the wisest and strongest of all the maia.

Also I am not doing the story any justice, I recommend reading The Middle Earth Chronicles. Obviously Tolkien was onto something.

Read some, the beings above are called Valars and the one that made them was Eru Iluvatar. Eru Iluvatar is also the assblood that opened the sea to drown Numeror, which Elros Tar-Minyatur had founded, at the end of the second age because his descendants were revolting against the Valars, a few more noble ones were transported to Middle-Earth and created the first human kingdoms.

Elros Tar-Minyatur is Elrond's brother, both are half-elves, but he chose to be mortal rather than immortal unlike his brother we still see in LOTR. Aragorn is his descendant. Discovering about wanderers, I kinda appreciated this character even more, one who chose mortality rather than immortality.