Phial of Galadriel

The Phial of Galadriel is a gift given by the Elf-lady Galadriel to Frodo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings, as the Fellowship of the Ring departs from Lothlórien. The phial is a small crystal vessel that holds the captured light of the star Eärendil, the brightest of the stars of the evening, set within the water of Galadriel's fountain. Galadriel tells Frodo that it will be a light to him in dark places, when all other lights go out.

The phial is among the most cherished of the gifts Galadriel bestows on the company, and it proves a vital aid to the Ring-bearer at the darkest moments of his journey into Mordor.

Description

The Phial shines with a clear silver light that grows brighter in darkness. Within it is held the radiance of Eärendil's star, which itself shines with the light of one of the Silmarils, the holy jewels of the First Age. Because that light descends from the unsullied light of the Two Trees of Valinor, it carries a sacred and ancient power against the works of shadow.

In the narrative

Galadriel gives the Phial to Frodo in The Fellowship of the Ring. Its decisive use comes in The Two Towers, when Frodo and Sam, guided by Gollum, pass through the tunnels of Cirith Ungol and are set upon by the monstrous spider Shelob. Sam raises the Phial and its light blazes out, driving back the creature, whose many eyes cannot bear the star-glow.

The Phial aids the hobbits again in The Return of the King as they cross the dark land of Mordor, a small but unquenchable light in the realm of the Enemy.

Significance

The Phial of Galadriel embodies one of Tolkien's recurring images: a small, pure light that endures against overwhelming darkness, echoing the hope carried by the humble hobbits into the heart of evil. Its descent from the light of the Two Trees of Valinor through the Silmaril and the star of Eärendil links the quest of the Ring-bearer to the most ancient and hallowed history of Middle-earth.