Galadriel
| House / Order | The Galadhrim; the House of Finarfin (the Noldor) |
|---|---|
| Race / Culture | Elf (Noldor, of the Eldar) |
| Status | Departed |
| Origin | Lothlórien (Lórien); born in Valinor |
| Born | Years of the Trees, in Valinor (before the First Age) |
| Died | Sailed over Sea, 29 September T.A. 3021 |
| Weapon | Nenya, the Ring of Water (Adamant) |
| Fate | Kept Lothlórien by the power of Nenya; passed her test of the Ring; sailed into the West |
| Portrayed by | Cate Blanchett |
Galadriel was the Lady of Lothlórien, one of the greatest and most ancient of the Elves remaining in Middle-earth, and the bearer of Nenya, the Ring of Water. Of the royal house of the Noldor, she had dwelt in Valinor in the Light of the Two Trees, and was among the last of those who had seen the Blessed Realm with living eyes still to walk the mortal lands.
Wise, far-seeing, and of formidable power, she ruled the golden wood of Lothlórien with her husband Celeborn, shielding it from the Shadow by the power of her ring. To the Fellowship of the Ring she gave refuge, counsel, and gifts that proved vital to the Quest — and in her own great trial, offered the One Ring by Frodo, she refused it and so passed the test that her long exile had set for her.
Origins
Galadriel was born in Valinor in the Years of the Trees, daughter of Finarfin of the Noldor and granddaughter of Finwë, the High King. Tall, golden-haired, and strong of will, she was named Nerwen ("man-maiden") and Artanis; her later name Galadriel, "lady crowned with radiant garland," was given by Celeborn. She came to Middle-earth among the Noldor in the great rebellion at the start of the First Age, drawn by her own desire to rule a realm of her own far from the Valar — a pride for which she was long denied return into the West.
Biography
The Ages of exile
Through the First and Second Ages Galadriel dwelt in various realms of the Elves, wedding Celeborn of Doriath. In the Second Age she had dealings with Celebrimbor and the making of the Rings of Power, and came at last to the forest of Lothlórien east of the Misty Mountains. There she received and kept Nenya, the white Ring of Adamant, one of the Three Rings of the Elves — untouched by Sauron's hand. With it she made Lórien a land where time seemed to stand still and decay was held at bay, a memory of the elder world preserved.
Lady of Lothlórien
For long ages Galadriel and Celeborn ruled the Galadhrim beneath the golden mallorn-trees of Caras Galadhon. She sat upon the White Council and, alone among the Wise, had wished Gandalf to lead it rather than Saruman. Her power of mind let her perceive much of the thought and purpose of others, and she possessed the Mirror of Galadriel, a basin of water in which things that were, that are, and that yet might be could be glimpsed.
The Fellowship and the Test
- Main article: Mirror of Galadriel
When the Fellowship of the Ring came to Lórien grieving for the fallen Gandalf, Galadriel sheltered and counselled them. She showed Frodo and Sam her Mirror, and to Frodo she revealed her own keeping of Nenya. When Frodo freely offered her the One Ring, Galadriel faced the greatest temptation of her life — for with it she could have become a queen "beautiful and terrible as the dawn," dreadful and adored, and all would love her and despair. She refused it. "I pass the test," she said; "I will diminish, and go into the West, and remain Galadriel." By that refusal her ancient ban was lifted and she was permitted at last to return over Sea.
To the departing Fellowship she gave gifts: a bow to Legolas, the Phial of Galadriel to Frodo, a box of earth and a mallorn-seed to Sam, an Elven-rope and other tokens, and to Gimli — who asked only for a single hair of her head — three of her golden hairs, winning his lifelong devotion.
Departure
When the One Ring was destroyed, the power of Nenya failed and Lothlórien began to fade. Galadriel's long exile was ended and her work done. On 29 September T.A. 3021 she passed over Sea from the Grey Havens with Elrond, Gandalf, Bilbo, and Frodo, returning at last to the Undying Lands she had left in pride an Age of the world before.
Character
Galadriel unites the strength and ambition of the rebel Noldor with a wisdom and humility hard-won across the Ages. Once proud and eager for dominion, she is tempered by long exile and loss into one of the surest of the Wise. Her refusal of the Ring is the moral summit of her arc: where Boromir, Saruman, and others fell to its lure, Galadriel — who could have wielded it to terrible effect — chooses to diminish and remain herself. She is at once mighty and gentle, "terrible and beautiful," and the embodiment of the fading grandeur of the Elder Days.
Relationships
- Celeborn — her husband and co-ruler of Lothlórien.
- Arwen — her granddaughter, through her daughter Celebrían.
- Elrond — her son-in-law and fellow keeper of a Ring.
- Gandalf — her ally on the White Council, whom she favoured to lead it.
- Gimli — the Dwarf whose heart she won, granting him three hairs of her head.
- Frodo Baggins — to whom she gave the Phial and from whom she refused the Ring.
Appearances
- The Fellowship of the Ring
- The Return of the King (departure)
- The Silmarillion ("Of the Rings of Power")
- Unfinished Tales ("The History of Galadriel and Celeborn")
In Peter Jackson's film trilogy (2001–2003), Galadriel was portrayed by Cate Blanchett. The films render her temptation by the Ring as a dramatic transformation; the books frame the moment as an inner victory of self-mastery rather than a special effect.
Quotes
In place of a Dark Lord you would have a Queen not dark but beautiful and terrible as the Morning and the Night! ... All shall love me and despair!
Maybe the paths that you each shall tread are already laid before your feet, though you do not see them.