# Gundulf of Rochester and LOTR

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gundulf-of-rochester-and-lotr/752646>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [April 19, 2016, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gundulf-of-rochester-and-lotr/752646 "2016-04-19T14:33:23Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\
**Post date:** [April 19, 2016, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gundulf-of-rochester-and-lotr/752646/1 "2016-04-19T14:33:23Z")

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I was watching a show on Netflix about british castles and in the episode on the Tower of London, one of the historians claimed that the original architect, a man named Gundulf of Rochester was at least partly Tolkien’s inspiration for Gandalf. Which took me by surprise because I was under the impression that Gandalf’s name came pretty much directly from the Dvergatal. Is the Gundulf/Gandalf connection taken seriously by Tolkien fans or is it a reach at best?

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**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\
**Post date:** [April 19, 2016, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gundulf-of-rochester-and-lotr/752646/2 "2016-04-19T15:56:42Z")

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“Gandalf” is a name mentioned in the Prose Edda. It means “wand-elf”, which should be easy to see.

Of course “Gandalf” was a name given to Olorin by Men, who realized he wasn’t exactly human. So they thought he was more like an Elf, an Elf with a staff.

The real inspirations for Gandalf are of course both Merlin and Oðin.