Gandalf the White and Shadowfax Though thought lost by all in his cataclysmic duel with the great Balrog, Gandalf did not indeed pass permanently out of Middle-earth. Returning beyond hope from fire and death to muster the forces of light, the wizard shed his grey mantle and took up the title of Gandalf the White. From the stables of Rohan he took also the great stallion Shadowfax. Wild in spirit and temper, Shadowfax was considered untamable by all save the wizard, who rode bareback, clutching the silvery hair of the mounts mane. No other horse in all Middle-earth could match the stallion's speed and grace.