According to Tolkien, the image of a man wearing a hat sitting in a woodland and conversing with a wild deer, in Der Berggeist by Josef Madlener served, as inspiration for Gandalf and made him consider the wizards Saruman, Radagast, and Gandalf. The name of the Radagast village, Rhosgobel, which means -- brown village -- in Sindarin, came from the location on the western eaves of Mirkwood. Gandalf described a past meeting with Radagast during the Council of Elrond in The Fellowship of the Ring. ... (Read More)