Who are the most powerful characters in fantasy?

[Asgard Thorin]

And who do you think is the most powerful? And who is the most moving hero?

[Kadere]

First off, I don't recognize all the wizards up there, but I went with other because I believe Merlin is the most powerful.

 

He's the essence of what it is to be a wizard, without Merlin you've got nothing. He was incredibly powerful in Le Morte De Arthur, though he didn't get to do much. To me he'll always be Wizard #1.

 

The most moving hero is incredibly tough, so I'll just give you some of my favorite heroes.

 

King Arthur, Frodo, Samwise, Rand, Simon (from Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn), Paul (from Otherland), Taran (The Prydain Chronicles), Martin (from Redwall), all the kids from The Chronicles of Narnia, Ulysses, Ransom (from The Space Trilogy), and all three boys from the Time Warp Trio. :D

[Asgard Thorin]

Excellent list of heroes. And I thought of Merlin as well, but somehow didn't get him in the list

[old hob]

I'm thinking Raistlin has got to be the most powerful wizard. Also the most moving hero is probably Diarmuid dan Ailell from the fionnavar tapestry by Guy Gavriel Kay.

[Guest Egwene]

I go for Polgara... I just really liked her as a character and she always has more up her sleeve than one thinks. And what more powerful than a wizard that has a god as a godparent?

 

Most moving? Maybe not a hero in the normal sense, but when Ingtar sacrifices himself to save the others, I felt pretty emotional.....

[Talya]

Chose gandalf....well he is a lesser god (a Maiar)he helped create the world...

 

I think he would have kicked Sauron's backside had he been allowed to. Instead he was only allowed to advise and act indirectly.

 

Hero's....Frodo and Sam or course. Fitz (only on book 2 but really feel for this unsung hero).

[Kalak]

I say Tharn from the book series Tyrants and Kings I doubt anyone here has read it but even though he dies in the first book he was still powerful

[Asgard Thorin]

Ah, I had forgotten Raistlin. Another good choice. Still, I would have to put Garion ahead of him-Garion took down Torak, the God of Angarak, while hardly breaking a sweat. True, he had the Orb with him, and he was the Child of Light, the instrument of the Prophecy, but still Raistlin would have destroyed himself overthrowing the gods who were his enemies and Belgarion wasn't even injured. Thanks for reminding me of him, though. I wish I could add him specifically to the list

[Akenzar]

I would disagree on the point of Raistlin destroying himself fighting the Gods. He conquered the Takhisis, and that destroyed the world, he then destroyed the other gods, and through all of this he was fine. The problem came when he had no ability to create life, and so, his power spent, he sat through a tortured existence. I wouldn't call this a failure of power, I would call it a failure of judgement.

[goldeneys]

I put Sauron, but you didn't mention Melkor, He is WAAAAAYYYYY more powerful, Sauron was like on of his leutenants.

[Guest Winespring Brother]

Chose gandalf....well he is a lesser god (a Maiar)he helped create the world...

 

I think he would have kicked Sauron's backside had he been allowed to. Instead he was only allowed to advise and act indirectly.

 

Hero's....Frodo and Sam or course. Fitz (only on book 2 but really feel for this unsung hero).

 

You're onto a winner with Fitz. That guy will take you on an emotional ride the likes of which no other fantasy book comes close to!

 

As for the most powerful, i'd go for the Creator. Making a universe has to beat most the others out there!

[Asgard Thorin]

Yes, Raistlin would not have been directly destroyed overthrowing the pantheon, but that would have led to his destroying himself-though he would have overthrown the entire pantheon and Belgarion only overthrew one in seven of his pantheon, not counting UL. I definitely wish I could add Raistlin now.....

Yes, Melkor Morgoth would also have been good to include, but gods and demigods sort of would blow the list into unquantifibility(sp?) Part of the reason why Torak was removed from the list. And, I presume, few people, less than half at most, have read the Silmarillion. Simply put, I assumed most people would not know who Melkor was. My apologies if I was wrong. For the most part, gods and demigods were outside my thinking when I started this poll. Creator, Illuvatar Eru, UL, somehow, they don't count, in my opinion. That would definitely make the poll unquantifiable(sp?)

[goldeneys]

I only read the prologue to the silmarillion

[DragonSpawn]

Chose gandalf....well he is a lesser god (a Maiar)he helped create the world...

 

I think he would have kicked Sauron's backside had he been allowed to. Instead he was only allowed to advise and act indirectly.

 

Hero's....Frodo and Sam or course. Fitz (only on book 2 but really feel for this unsung hero).

 

Gandalf a mini-God, not quite. A maiar is a strong spirit. Balrogs are also maiar.

 

The god in LOTR, is the one, a single god alone in the entrappings of eternity not locked down to one world.

 

You must mean the Valar which are mini-gods, they were created by the one, and are in comparison to the greek gods. They have the task of ruling the earth or world they reside on.

The two greatest Valar were Manwe and Melkor (later Morgoth).

 

Also the strongest maiar, were Sauron ( in the beginning he had very great powers, before he lost his body in the doom of Westernolde/Numenor and only the spirit resided (hence invisible in the prologue of the first movie) and Ungoliant I think.

[Asgard Thorin]

Tessa Sedai, Dragonspawn is correct. Gandalf (Olorin was his actual name) and the other Istari (the Five Wizards) and the rest of the Maiar were like angels to the Archangels of the Valar, who governed Middle-earth like godlings under the One, Iluvatar (aka Eru)

 

The Five Wizards were forbidden by the Valar to match Sauron power for power. The last time the Might of the Valar was used without restraint (the War of Wrath, the end of the First Age) nearly an entire continent of Middle-earth (Beleriand) was ruined. Destroyed, in fact, when Morgoth was at last overthrown forever. Look at the maps in the Lord of the Rings, and then look at the maps of the Silmarillion. The only feature in common are the Blue Mounains. The Valar feared the same thing would happen again. Which is why the Bridge of Khazad-dum was so significant: when Gandalf broke his staff to break the bridge, it both limited and unleashed his power. It limited it against Sauron, but unleashed it to fight the Balrog. Since Gandalf had been so faithful to his mission (none of the other Istari ever returned to Valinor) he was sent back to complete his task.

[Guest TigerToe]

I will admit its been awhile, but wasnt Raistlin >>Fistaundantilis(sp?! something like that)?

 

I think raist would definately get "style" points though, just too cool a character.

 

and isnt Cadderly a "cleric"/priest

..

 

 

I like elminster, but i hate elminster....his storys are weak...he is definately a "power" character whom greenwood writes about like a child bragging about his DaDDY...hes the most strongest,smartest, toughest.....

[the dude]

i'm gonna propose "other" here. i noticed some eddings characters, but i found it interesting that sparhawk was left out. the poll question is who's the most powerful, not who's the favorite, if i understand correctly. well, sparhawk happens to be good friends with Bhelliom, the force that creates worlds in that universe. well, one of those forces anyway. sparhawk, at the end of the tamuli, literally becomes a god (though he gives that power up ultimately), and has two slain gods under his belt at the end of his saga. and he frigging smokes them too. hard. that's one up on garion.

 

while one of my all-time favorite characters is FitzChivalry, i don't think he can qualify in these "most powerful" categories (unless we're talking in a figurative sense, like "moving"). the best thing about him is that he succeeds despite his limited resources. one of the best. he's just a cool guy.

 

Gerald Tarrant, the Hunter in CS Friedman's Coldfire Trilogy, is also a glaring omission from that list, if i may be so bold as to say so.....

[Asgard Thorin]

Sparhawk didn't fit into my intial thinking when I made the post/poll, because I didn't remember he's sort of a magic user. But even if he were not at all, the fact that he is Anaka does qualify him (when I envisioned my poll I was thinking of magic users, mostly non-deities. Cadderly is a cleric, but then Elminster is a wizard and Belgarion, Polgara and Belgarath are sorcerors(ess). Since their types of magic are different, I felt it would be wrong not to include him-and I couldn't include more than ten options in the poll

[Alarwyn Liande]

Gandalf is a deity too... I think.

[Dias]

I'm surprised I haven't seen Pug/Milamber, Tomas, or Macros from the Riftwar Saga mentioned anywhere in this topic. To me, they were all incredibly powerful, maybe more so than any other characters I've come across in fantasy.

[kbundy]

I think Pug tops Merlin. That immortality thing just gives sorcerers that edge over the ones who die...

[Jimmith]

Pug would take Merlin with one hand and a leg on his back.

[the dude]

well, if we're going with the established list then, i'd have to go with belgarion. i'd pick belgarath, but garion has the added edge of the Sword of Riva. since any of those 3 only have to say a word for somehting to happen, it's kinda hard to compete.

[Asgard Thorin]

Yea, the dude, that was kinda my thinkin'. Still, Raistlin, in retrospect, would be a good rival. I wish I could add more options to the poll.

 

Okay, who's the greatest hero, (and it doesn't have to be a "mage" of any kind)?

[Deathblade]

Uhh. Richard Rahl has godlike power. He's also a great hero.