gandalf as a maia

[The Saucepan Man]

Please let's not let this thread descend into petty squabbling and points scoring again.

Originally Posted by dwarfguard

i believe the general consensus is that nobody in the fellowship and out of middle-earth, possibly only cirdan, elrond and galadriel had any idea.Correct?

Well, that would appear to have been Tolkien's thoughts on the matter. As Maerbenn posted back near the beginning of this thread:

Originally Posted by Maerbenn

It is said in the first paragraph of the essay on the Istari published in Unfinished Tales that “none save maybe Elrond, Círdan and Galadriel discovered of what kind they were or whence they came.”

It's not strictly canon, but it seems pretty decisive to me if one is inclined to accept the factual matters stated in the "unpublished" materials.