Saruman the White is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He is a key figure in the novel The Lord of the Rings, but only appears in person in a few chapters. He is mentioned in the first volume of the novel, but does not appear in person until halfway through the second.
He is described as the first of his order of Wizards (or Istari), who came to Middle-earth as emissaries of the Valar in the Third Age. He is introduced as the chief of the Istari, and the leader of the White Council. In The Fellowship of the Ring, he casts himself as a rival of Sauron, the main villain of the novel.
His name in Tolkien's fictional language of Sindarin is Curunír, which Tolkien gave as, variously, 'man of skill', 'man of craft' and 'the one of cunning devices'.
