Gandalf The Grey
An Unexpected Party
Gandalf the Grey is one of the 'Istari' or wizards of Middle-earth. These wizards are as old as the world around them and can be identified by their staffs and long robes (of varying colours). The colour of these robes shows their rank, the highest of the Istari Saruman wears white robes, while Gandalf, who is not as powerful, wears Grey.
Gandalf is known to the hobbits of the Shire for his fireworks and tendancy to rope perfectly ordinary, reliable hobbits (such as a certain Bilbo Baggins) into going off on absurd adventures. These little folk don't know that the wizard is also responsible for protecting Hobbiton and the surrounding area from the evil shadow spreading forth from Mordor.
Gandalf's true self is different to the façade he maintains around the hobbits. He looks like an old man but his true age is unknown, he's probably older than the mountain that Bilbo Baggins visited with him on his first adventure.
Through the years Gandalf has learnt much about the history of Middle-earth, yet it stil took him some time to realise that the small trinket that Bilbo found on his travels was actually the One Ring, forged in the fires of Mount Doom by the Dark Lord Sauron, and that it was searching for it's Maker's hand.
Now he is helping young Frodo carry the burden of the Ring and while he wishes that he could carry it for him he knows that he is not strong enough to fight the power that it would wield over him. It is for this reason that at the Council of Elrond he promises to aide Frodo in his journey to Mordor to destroy the One Ring.
Go speak to the woman