Shadowfax

In the spirit of March Madness, here on the blog this month we will be holding the first official Familiar Madness Tournament. 16 of the all-time great familiars from literature, film, and television will face off in a single elimination tourney to decide who is the greatest of them all.

2. Shadowfax - the horse of Gandalf, aka "the lord of all horses"



A descendent of the greatest horses of Middle-earth, Shadowfax was capable of comprehending human speech and was said to run faster than the wind. Shadowfax also possessed extraordinary courage. "Gandalf described Shadowfax as a horse that might have been from the earliest time of the world. No man had ever ridden him before. By day his coat was like silver, by night like unseen shade. His footsteps were light, and not even the horses of the Nine were his match for speed or stamina." (Valarguild)



That's a pretty hardcore familiar if you ask me. Powerful, brave, and beautiful. Shadowfax aided Gandalf, one of the wizard titans of literature, in battles small and great, helping seek the One Ring and save Middle-earth.

Can any familiar challenge Shadowfax in this tournament? Who gets bigger familiar points: the animal companion to a wizard or witch at Hogwarts, or one in Middle-earth? Tell us what you think.

Tomorrow: We meet another magical owl, one not named Hedwig.