There are a few characters that act as pillars of lore in JRR Tolkien’s universe, and Galadriel, the Lady of the Galadhrim, is one example. Not only does she appear in each of the movies in theLord of the Ringstrilogy, but she also has a role inThe Hobbitmovies.
Galadriel is one of the few characters to appear in almost all of Tolkien’s literary works, including the books and poems that were curated by his son, Christopher Tolkien. Other than offering shelter to the heroes inThe Fellowship of the Ring,she’s an important character in books such asThe Silmarillionand The Book of Lost Tales. Though she plays a significant role in the movies, certain details about Galadriel may not be common knowledge to those who haven’t read the books.
6She Rebuffed Both Feanor and Annatar
To refer to Galadriel’s unique power as “mind-reading” oversimplifies the true nature of this ability. The movies offer a decent interpretation of her special talent when she uses it on the Fellowship. She can read not only thoughts, but also intent, the deepest hopes and fears of one’s heart, and pass fair judgment. This is why she had the power, more than any other member of her family, to resist the charismatic whiles of both her uncleFeanor and the loremaster Annatar.
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Feanor asked Galadriel for three hairs from her head to be used in his craft, but was refused. (Gimli received this gift much later instead.) She also did not aid her cousins in their oath to recover their father’s jewels. Centuries later, Galadriel would flee the kingdom of Eregion when Morgoth and his forces attacked. Her successful escape was because she could see through the disguise of Annator, and discovered he was Sauron in disguise.
5A Royal Elf And An Only Daughter
Galadriel’s immediate family and direct bloodline include all the big names in elf royalty. All of them are originally from Valinor, the land that was lit by the Two Trees. King Thingol is her great-uncle, Luthien is one of her cousins, and Gil-galad is her great-nephew.
Finarfin and Eärwen had four children, and Galadriel was the youngest and the only girl. She was one of the few elf woman to stand with the elf princes, her brothers, and cousins, while they were making plans to leave Valinor and pursue Morgoth to Middle Earth.
4She Led The Elves From Valinor
It wasn’t the oath of the Silamrils that drove Galadrielto follow Morgoth’s pathwith the rest of her family, but a determined and curious desire to see Middle Earth and perhaps establish her own kingdom in that wild place. After the perilous crossing of the Helcaraxë, Galadriel didn’t follow her cousins of the House of Feanor but instead went to her brother Finrod Felagund’s kingdom at Nargothrond, her first home in Middle Earth but not the last.
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Eventually, she also visited her uncle’s kingdom, Doriath, a hidden realm protected by a powerful spell called Melian’s Girdle. She was welcomed by King Thingol and his wife, and made some important friendships during her long stay.
3She Was A Friend Of Melian…
Melian was the queen of an elven kingdom, but she was not an elf. Melian was one of the Maiar, a being in the same class as beings like Gandalf and Sauron. She had manifested into a human-like form out of love for her husband. Galadriel was related to Melian through marriage, and during Galadriel’s stay in Doriath, the two of them became close friends.
Both of them remembered the old times in Valinor, before the Two Trees had been destroyed, and shared memories of that happy and innocent times. Melian was troubled by the fact that Galadriel refused to talk about the Oath of Feanor’s sons and the Kinslaying. The only daughter of Finafrin told her friend enough about the Silmarils that Thingol knew to be wary of them, and the will of the sons of Feanor that wanted them back.
2…Who Introduced Her To Celeborn
Galadriel stayed in Doriath for the last few years of the First Age and met many of her extended family and friends in Thingol’s court. This is when she met Celeborn, her future husband. He wasn’t bound by Feanor’s Oath, but was a Sindarin elfand free of the Silmaril’s curse. This didn’t stop the sons of Feanor from attacking all the elven kingdoms eventually, including his.
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During the first part of the Second Age, the couple traveled throughout Middle Earth to several locations before establishing a settlement on the River Anduin. This would eventually become the Golden Wood, Lothlorien.
1She Is More Than 8,000 Years Old
This doesn’t just make Galadriel one of the oldest living elves, but one of the oldest creatures in all of Middle Earth. That includes characters like the Ents, Shelob, and the Maia, which are also ancient, immortal, and in possession of mysterious powers.
Galadriel was born before the sun and the moon existed, when the two trees were still standing in Valinor, which is close to the very beginning of the world. It’s difficult to determine her exact age because we aren’t dealing with conventional time for the first part of her life, but estimates put her life at anywhere between 7,000 and 8,000 years.
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