And, one could speculate that Gandalf is one of whatever order Tolkien would
have to correspond to the Seraphim. The name may be derived from the Hebrew
verb "saraph", meaning "to consume with fire", or alternatively from the Hebrew
noun "seraph", meaning "a fiery and flying serpent". In turn, those words are
closely related to, and derived from the Babylonian "Sharrapu", a name for
Nergal, a fire-god, or with the Egyptian griffins "séréf".
In the larger context of Tolkiens cosmonogy, it might be speculated that Istari
like Gandalf are of the same unnamed "order" as the Balrogs and Dragons of
Middle Earth. The "bad guys" conform closely to the dragon/griffin image, and
Gandalf to description of a Seraph as a bearer, in human form, of the celestial
flame used to purify Isiah's lips.
There are problems with this kind of comparison, however. Lots of them,
actually. Raises more questions than it answers. For instance, are dragons and
balrogs equals or inferiors to Sauron? Aren't the Istari of the same order as
he? If not, what does it mean if they are of an inferior order? I could go on,
but I
won't.
