[Tancred]

The Istari; maiar, definitely - the same kind of 'stock' as Sauron himself. The Istari are weakened by two limitations on their powers... the first, that they are 'clothed' in mortal bodies, and that they are prohibited from using their powers to fight Sauron directly.

It was generally held among the Wise that Saruman was without a doubt in possession of the sharpest mind and the most power among the Istari, but that Gandalf was the wiser of the two. Galadriel's original plea that Gandalf be head of the Order was in th end decided against by the other mebers of the White Council.

Th two Wizards who go unnamed in the tales are Alatar the Blue and Pellandro the Light Blue, who travel to the East in an attempt to break Sauron's hold over the eastern human realms. No-one knows what became of them.