Galadriel - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Galadriel is a character

Character

- Art and entertainment :* Character , an agent in a work of art, including literature, drama, cinema, opera, etc.* Character , a 1997 Dutch film, based on the novel by Dutch author Ferdinand Bordewijk* Character , by Dark Tranquillity...

created by J.R.R. Tolkien, appearing in his Middle-earth

Middle-earth

Middle-earth is the fictional setting of the majority of author J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy writings. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings take place entirely in Middle-earth, as does much of The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales....

legendarium

Tolkien's legendarium

The phrase Tolkien's legendarium is used in the literary discipline of Tolkien studiesto refer to the part of J. R. R. Tolkien's high fantasy fiction being concerned with his Elven legends; that is, historic events that have become legendary from the perspective of the characters of The Lord of the...

. She appears in The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is a high fantasy epic written by English philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit , but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in...

, The Silmarillion
The Silmarillion
The Silmarillion is a collection of J. R. R. Tolkien's mythopoeic works, edited and published posthumously by his son Christopher Tolkien in 1977, with assistance from Guy Gavriel Kay, who later became a noted fantasy writer. The Silmarillion, along with J. R. R...

, and Unfinished Tales
Unfinished Tales
Unfinished Tales is a collection of stories and essays by J. R. R. Tolkien that were never completed during his lifetime, but were edited by his son Christopher Tolkien and published in 1980.Unlike The Silmarillion, for which the narrative fragments were modified to connect into a consistent and...

.

She was a royal Elf

Elf (Middle-earth)

In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, Elves are one of the races that inhabit a fictional Earth, often called Middle-earth, and set in the remote past. They appear in The Hobbit and in The Lord of the Rings, but their complex history is described more fully in The Silmarillion...

of both the Noldor

Noldor

In the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, the Noldor are Elves of the Second Clan who migrated to Valinor and lived in Eldamar. The Noldor are called Golodhrim or Gódhellim in Sindarin, and Goldoi by Teleri of Tol Eressëa. The singular form of the Quenya noun is Noldo and the adjective is Noldorin...

and the Teleri

Teleri

In the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, the Teleri, Those who come last in Quenya were the third of the Elf clans who came to Aman...

, being a grandchild of both King Finwë

Finwë

Finwë, sometimes surnamed Noldóran, is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. He was the first High King of the Elven Noldor to lead his people on the journey from Middle-earth to Valinor in the blessed realm of Aman. He was a great friend of Elu Thingol, the King of Doriath...

and King Olwë, and was also close kin of King Ingwë

Ingwe

Ingwe may be:* Ingwë - a character in the fictional universe of J.R.R. Tolkien* Ingwe - a South African anti-tank guided missile* Ingwe Coal - a division of the BHP Billiton mining company* Ingwe - the Zulu word for leopard...

of the Vanyar

Vanyar

In the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, the Vanyar are the fairest and most noble of the High Elves. They are the smallest of the three clans of the Eldar, and were the first to arrive in Aman. According to legend, the clan was founded by Imin, the first Elf to awake at Cuiviénen, his wife Iminyë, and...

through her grandmother Indis. Towards the end of her stay in Middle-earth she was co-ruler of Lothlórien along with her husband, Lord Celeborn

Celeborn

Celeborn is a fictional character in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He appears in The Lord of the Rings as the Elven husband of Galadriel, Lord of the Galadhrim; and co-ruler along with Galadriel of Lothlórien. He was the father of Celebrían — the wife of Elrond — and thus the...

, and was referred to variously as The Lady of Lórien, The Lady of the Galadhrim, Lady of Light or The Lady of the Golden Wood. She had a daughter Celebrían

Celebrían

Celebrían is a fictional character created by J. R. R. Tolkien. She is an Elven noblewoman, the daughter of Celeborn and Galadriel, wife of Elrond, and mother of Elrohir, Elladan and Arwen. She was called the Lady of Rivendell. Her name means "silver queen" in Sindarin.- Biography :The place and...

, making her Elrond

Elrond

Elrond Half-elven is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He is introduced in The Hobbit, and plays a supporting role in The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion.-Character overview:...

's mother-in-law and Arwen

Arwen

Arwen Undómiel is a fictional character in J.R.R. Tolkien's legendarium. She appears in his novel, The Lord of the Rings, usually published in three volumes. Arwen is one of the Half-elven who lived during the Third Age.-Literature:...

's grandmother.

Tolkien refers to her as "the mightiest and fairest of all the Elves that remained in Middle-earth" (after the death of Gil-galad

Gil-galad

Ereinion Gil-galad is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He is mentioned in The Lord of the Rings, and featured in The Silmarillion.- Character overview :...

) and the "greatest of elven women".

Literature

Stories of Galadriel's life prior to The Lord of the Rings appear in both The Silmarillion
The Silmarillion
The Silmarillion is a collection of J. R. R. Tolkien's mythopoeic works, edited and published posthumously by his son Christopher Tolkien in 1977, with assistance from Guy Gavriel Kay, who later became a noted fantasy writer. The Silmarillion, along with J. R. R...

and Unfinished Tales
Unfinished Tales
Unfinished Tales is a collection of stories and essays by J. R. R. Tolkien that were never completed during his lifetime, but were edited by his son Christopher Tolkien and published in 1980.Unlike The Silmarillion, for which the narrative fragments were modified to connect into a consistent and...

. Galadriel was the only daughter and youngest child of Finarfin

Finarfin

Finarfin is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, featured in The Silmarillion.-Personality:Unlike the warlike Fëanor and Fingolfin, Finarfin was something of a pacifist...

, prince of the Noldor

Noldor

, and of Eärwen

Eärwen

Eärwen is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. She is the daughter of Olwë of Alqualondë, and the wife of Finarfin and mother of Galadriel....

, who was cousin to Lúthien

Lúthien

Lúthien Tinúviel is a fictional character in the fantasy-world Middle-earth of the English author J. R. R. Tolkien. She appears in The Silmarillion, the epic poem The Lay of Leithian, The Lord of the Rings and the Grey Annals, as well as in other material.-Character overview:Lúthien is a Telerin ...

. Her elder brothers were Finrod Felagund

Finrod Felagund

Finrod Felagund is a fictional character in the fantasy-world Middle-earth of the English author J. R. R. Tolkien. He appears in The Silmarillion, the epic poem The Lay of Leithian and the Grey Annals, as well as other material....

, Angrod

Angrod

In J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth universe, Angrod was a son of Finarfin and lord of the Noldor.Angrod was the elder brother of Galadriel and Aegnor, and the younger brother of Finrod Felagund. He joined the Exile of the Noldor to Middle-earth, where together with Aegnor he held the highlands of...

, and Aegnor. She was born in Valinor

Valinor

Valinor is a fictional location in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, the realm of the Valar in Aman. It was also known as the Undying Lands, along with Tol Eressëa and the outliers of Aman. This is something of a misnomer; only immortal beings were allowed to reside there, but the land itself,...

during the Years of the Trees.

In The Silmarillion Galadriel is portrayed as having some power of telepathy

Telepathy

Telepathy , is the induction of mental states from one mind to another. The term was coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Fredric W. H. Myers, a founder of the Society for Psychical Research, and has remained more popular than the more-correct expression thought-transference...

, she is described as having been "blessed with the ability to peer into the minds of others and she judged them so fairly. But in Fëanor, she only sees darkness". As one of the members of the royal house of Finwë and having the blood of the Vanyar from her paternal grandmother, Indis, she was often called the fairest of all Elves, be it on the shores of Aman

Aman

-External links:*...

or of Middle-earth.

According to the older account of her story, sketched by Tolkien in The Road Goes Ever On
The Road Goes Ever On
The Road Goes Ever On is a song cycle that has been published as sheet music and as an audio recording. The music was written by Donald Swann, and the words are taken from poems in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth writings, especially The Lord of the Rings.The title of this opus is taken from "The...

and used in The Silmarillion
The Silmarillion
The Silmarillion is a collection of J. R. R. Tolkien's mythopoeic works, edited and published posthumously by his son Christopher Tolkien in 1977, with assistance from Guy Gavriel Kay, who later became a noted fantasy writer. The Silmarillion, along with J. R. R...

, Galadriel was an eager participant and leader in the rebellion of the Noldor and their flight from Valinor: in fact the "only female to stand tall in those days". As a leader of the Exiles

Exiles (Middle-earth)

In J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium The Exiles are the Noldor who left under Fëanor and Fingolfin after the destruction of the Two Trees and robbery of the Silmarils...

, she was forbidden by the Ban of the Valar

Vala (Middle-earth)

The Valar are fictional characters in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. They are first mentioned in The Lord of the Rings, but The Silmarillion develops them into the Powers of Arda or the Powers of the World...

to return to the Undying Lands. She was, however, completely separated from Fëanor

Fëanor

Fëanor is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium who plays an important part in The Silmarillion. He was the eldest son of Finwë, the High King of the Noldor, and his first wife Míriel Serindë...

and his kin, and did not participate in the Kinslaying at Alqualondë. Once in Beleriand

Beleriand

In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional legendarium, Beleriand was a region in northwestern Middle-earth during the First Age. Events in Beleriand are described chiefly in his work The Silmarillion, which tells the story of the early ages of Middle-earth in a style similar to the epic hero tales of Nordic...

, she lived mainly with one of her brothers, Finrod Felagund of Nargothrond

Nargothrond

In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, Nargothrond , called Nulukkhizdīn by the Dwarves, was the stronghold built by Finrod Felagund...

, but spent much time at the court of Thingol

Thingol

Elu Thingol is a fictional character in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He appears in The Silmarillion, The Lays of Beleriand and Children of Húrin as well as in numerous stories in the many volumes of The History of Middle-earth...

and Melian

Melian

Melian the Maia is a fictional character in the fantasy-world Middle-earth of the English author J. R. R. Tolkien. She appears in The Silmarillion, the epic poem The Lay of Leithian, The Children of Húrin, the Annals of Aman and the Grey Annals....

in Menegroth, from whom she learnt many things concerning Middle-earth. In this account she met Celeborn, a kinsman of Thingol, in Doriath

Doriath

In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional Middle-earth, Doriath is the realm of the Sindar, the Grey Elves of King Thingol in Beleriand. Along with the other great forests of Tolkien's legendarium such as Mirkwood, Fangorn and Lothlórien it serves as the central stage in the theatre of its time, the First Age...

.

Unfinished Tales gathers many other accounts of Galadriel and Celeborn. One of these highlights a second version of how Galadriel came to Middle-earth. She lived with her mother's kindred in the Telerin port of Alqualondë and there met Teleporno, later known as Celeborn, who would become her husband and co-ruler. Celeborn, by this account, was Olwë's grandson. Galadriel and Celeborn sailed from the West and came to Beleriand

Beleriand

separately from the two main hosts of the Noldor (one that Fëanor led in the ships of the Teleri, the other that crossed Helcaraxë). Galadriel was thus not directly involved in the revolt of the Noldorin princes in this version, and indeed fought against them at Alqualondë during the kinslaying; but she fell under the Ban of the Valar because she left the Undying Lands without permission. Once in Beleriand she and Celeborn were welcomed by Thingol and lived in Doriath. Once the Noldor arrived in Beleriand, Galadriel re-established contact with her brothers. In this version of the story, she is offered a pardon by the Valar, but refused it out of pride and therefore remained under the Ban. In even later accounts from Unfinished Tales, written not long before Tolkien died, Galadriel was not even subject to the Ban, and remained in Middle-earth of her own volition.

In both versions Celeborn plays no important role in the Battles of Beleriand

Battles of Beleriand

In J. R. R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion, there were many battles between the Elves of Beleriand and the forces of Morgoth.These battles are often referred to as the Battles of Beleriand, but also as the War of the Jewels as the Silmarilli were behind them all.#The First Battle of Beleriand was...

; he and Galadriel left Beleriand before the War of Wrath

War of Wrath

The War of Wrath, or the Great Battle, is a key plot development in J.R.R. Tolkien's legendarium, portraying the final war against Morgoth at the end of the First Age....

. They travelled first to Lindon

Lindon (Middle-earth)

Lindon is the land beyond the Ered Luin, the Blue Mountains, in the northwest of Middle-earth in the fictional universe of J. R. R. Tolkien. It is the westernmost land of the continent. The Gulf of Lune divides it into Forlindon and Harlindon...

, where they ruled over a group of Elves, probably as a fiefdom

Fiefdom

A fee was the central element of feudalism and consisted of heritable lands granted under one of several varieties of feudal tenure by an overlord to a vassal who held it in fealty in return for a form of feudal allegiance and service, usually given by the...

under Gil-galad

Gil-galad

Ereinion Gil-galad is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He is mentioned in The Lord of the Rings, and featured in The Silmarillion.- Character overview :...

. Later they moved eastward and established (or were welcomed into) the realm of Eregion

Eregion

In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, Eregion or Hollin was a kingdom of the Noldorin Elves in Eriador during the Second Age, located near the West Gate of Moria under the shadow of the Hithaeglir . Its capital was Ost-in-Edhil...

or Hollin. At this time they made contact with a Nandorin settlement in the valley of the Anduin

Anduin

In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional Middle-earth, Anduin is the Sindarin name for the Great River of Wilderland, the longest river in the Third Age . The ancestors of the Rohirrim called it Langflood. It flowed from its source in the Grey and Misty Mountains to the Mouths of Anduin in the Great Sea...

, which later became Lothlórien. At some point Celeborn and Galadriel left Eregion (where Celebrimbor

Celebrimbor

Celebrimbor is a fictional character In J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth. His name means "silver fist" or "Hand of silver" in Sindarin ....

either had been or now became the ruler) and settled in Lothlórien. According to some accounts, they became rulers of Lothlórien for a time during the Second Age; but in all accounts they returned to Lórien to take up its rule after Amroth was lost in the Third Age.

Celeborn and Galadriel had a daughter Celebrían

Celebrían

, who later married Elrond

Elrond

Half-elven

In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional universe of Middle-earth, the Half-elven are the children of the union of Elves and Men. The Half-elven are not a distinct race from Elves and Men, and must ultimately choose to which race they belong...

of Rivendell

Rivendell

Rivendell is an Elven outpost in Middle-earth, a fictional realm created by J. R. R. Tolkien. It was established and ruled by Elrond in the Second Age of Middle-earth...

, thus making Galadriel and her husband Celeborn

Celeborn

the grandparents of the twins Elladan and Elrohir and their younger sister Arwen Undómiel, future Queen of the Reunited Kingdom

Reunited Kingdom

The Reunited Kingdom of Arnor and Gondor is a fictional realm from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth.When Aragorn became King of Gondor at the end of the War of the Ring, he was also the descendant of the Kings of Arnor, and by right he was crowned High King of both Arnor and Gondor and Reunited the...

of Gondor

Gondor

Gondor is a fictional kingdom in J. R. R. Tolkien's writings, described as the greatest realm of Men in the west of Middle-earth by the end of the Third Age. The third volume of The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, is concerned with the events in Gondor during the War of the Ring and with...

and Arnor

Arnor

Arnor is a fictional kingdom in J. R. R. Tolkien's writings. Arnor, or the Northern Kingdom, was a kingdom of the Dúnedain in the land of Eriador in Middle-earth. The name probably means "Land of the King", from Sindarin Ara- + dor...

.

During the Second Age

Second Age

The Second Age is a time period from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth fantasy writings. Tolkien intended for the history of Middle-earth to be considered fictionally as a precursor to the history of the real Earth....

, when the Rings of Power

Rings of Power

The Rings of Power in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium are magical rings created by Sauron or by the Elves of Eregion under Sauron's tutelage...

were forged, Galadriel distrusted Annatar, the loremaster who taught the craft of the Rings to Celebrimbor and the other Noldor of Eregion. This distrust was justified, for Annatar was revealed as Sauron

Sauron

Sauron is the primary antagonist and titular character of the epic fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien.In the same work, he is revealed to be the same character as "the Necromancer" from Tolkien's earlier novel The Hobbit...

pretending to be an emissary from the Vala Aulë

Aulë

Aulë is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, who is primarily discussed in The Silmarillion, but appears also in Tolkien's other works. In Tolkien's pantheon of Middle-earth, Aulë is a knowledge deity, sometimes worshipped as a god by men, representing skill and craftsmanship,...

. When Sauron attacked Eregion, Galadriel was entrusted with one of the Three Rings of the Elves. Her Ring was Nenya, the Ring of Water or the Ring of Adamant. Conscious of Sauron's power and wishing to thwart it, she did not use the Ring so long as the One Ring

One Ring

The One Ring is a fictional artifact that appears as the central plot element in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth fantasy novels. It is described in an earlier story, The Hobbit , as a magic ring of invisibility. The sequel The Lord of the Rings describes its powers as being more encompassing than...

was in his hands. However, during the Third Age

Third Age

The Third Age is a time period from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth fantasy writings. The history of Middle-earth is to be taken fictionally as a history of the real Earth....

, when the One Ring was lost, she put hers to use in making Lórien a fair refuge for the Nandor in the years after the departure and loss of Amroth and Nimrodel. Galadriel maintained constant vigilance against Sauron and often strove with him in thought. Sauron was said to have great desire to see into her mind, but could not so long as he did not have the One Ring. By this time, with the death of Gil-galad in the War of the Last Alliance, Galadriel had become the most powerful of the rulers among the elves in Middle-earth, and the foremost of the remaining Exiles. During the latter part of the Third Age, when Lothlórien was closed to outsiders, the Lord and Lady of the Galadhrim maintained communication with Imladris, but less so with the Silvan Elves

Silvan Elves

Silvan Elves are an ethnic group of Elves in J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional universe of Middle-earth, mainly the Elves of Mirkwood and Lothlórien.In the First Age the Elves of Ossiriand, or Laiquendi, were also referred to as wood-elves....

of Mirkwood

Mirkwood

Mirkwood is a name used for two distinct fictional forests in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. In the First Age, the highlands of Dorthonion north of Beleriand were known as Mirkwood after falling under Morgoth's control. During the Third Age, the large forest in Rhovanion, east of the Anduin in ...

.

In The Fellowship of the Ring
The Fellowship of the Ring
The Fellowship of the Ring is the first of three volumes of the epic novel The Lord of the Rings by the English author J. R. R. Tolkien. It takes place in the fictional universe Middle-earth. It was originally published on July 29, 1954 in the United Kingdom...

, Galadriel hosted the Fellowship in Lothlórien after their escape from Moria

Moria (Middle-earth)

In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, Moria was the name given by the Eldar to an enormous underground complex in north-western Middle-earth, comprising a vast network of tunnels, chambers, mines and huge halls or 'mansions', that ran under and ultimately through the Misty Mountains...

. When she met the Fellowship in her tree dwelling at Caras Galadhon

Caras Galadhon

In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, Caras Galadhon is a fictional city in his work The Lord of the Rings. It appears mostly in The Fellowship of the Ring, but it is also mentioned in the Appendices of The Return of the King....

, she gave each member a searching look, testing their resolve — though Boromir

Boromir

Boromir is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. He appears in the first two volumes of The Lord of the Rings , and is mentioned in the last volume, The Return of the King....

interpreted this test as a temptation. She was in turn tested when Frodo Baggins

Frodo Baggins

Frodo Baggins is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium.He is the main protagonist of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. He was a hobbit of the Shire who inherited Sauron's Ring from Bilbo Baggins and undertook the quest to destroy it in the fires of Mount Doom...

offered to place the Ring in her keeping. Knowing that its corrupting influence would make her "great and terrible", and recalling the ambitions that had once brought her to Middle-earth, she refused the Ring. She accepted that her own ring's power would fail and that her people would diminish and fade with the One Ring's destruction, and that her only escape from the fading of the Elves and the dominion of Men

Dominion of Men

The Dominion of Men is a period in J.R.R. Tolkien's legendarium that follows the events of The Lord of the Rings and the Third Age.-The End of the Third Age:...

was to return at last to Valinor. There is the suggestion in the novel, backed up by other writings, that at the critical moment when she held her own ring Nenya aloft and looked towards the West, rejecting the temptation to take the One Ring, her personal ban from Valinor was lifted and she was finally given leave to return over the sea.

When the Fellowship left Lothlórien, she gave each member a gift and an Elven cloak, and outfitted the party with boats and supplies, both as practical support and as a symbol of faith, hope, resignation and goodwill.

On the same day that the Fellowship left Lórien, Gandalf

Gandalf

Gandalf is a character in J. R. R. Tolkien's novels The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. In these stories, Gandalf appears as a wizard, member and later the head of the order known as the Istari, as well as leader of the Fellowship of the Ring and the army of the West...

arrived, carried by the eagle Gwaihir. Galadriel healed his wounds and reclothed him in white, signalling his new status as head of the Istari. During the last battles of the War of the Ring

War of the Ring

In the fictional high fantasy-world of J. R. R. Tolkien, the War of the Ring was fought between Sauron and the free peoples of Middle-earth for control of the One Ring and dominion over the continent. The War of the Ring took place at the end of the Third Age. Together with the Quest of Mount Doom,...

, Lórien was reportedly besieged three times by the armies of Dol Guldur

Dol Guldur

Dol Guldur was Sauron's stronghold in Mirkwood in the fictional world of J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth. It is first mentioned in The Hobbit. The hill itself, rocky and barren, was the highest point in the southwestern part of the forest. Before Sauron's occupation it was called Amon Lanc...

. It was stated that Lórien resisted the attacks due to the bravery of its inhabitants; but also that "the power that dwelt there was too great for any to overcome, unless Sauron had come there himself."

After Sauron perished, Celeborn led the host of Lórien across the Anduin and captured Dol Guldur. Galadriel came forth and "threw down its walls and laid bare its pits", recalling the deeds of Lúthien

Lúthien

Tinúviel, who did the same at Tol Sirion in the First Age

First Age

In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, the First Age, or First Age of the Children of Ilúvatar is the heroic period in which most of Tolkien's early legends are set...

.

Galadriel passed over the Great Sea

Belegaer

In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, Belegaer, the Great Sea or the Sundering Seas, is the sea of Arda that is west of Middle-earth....

with Elrond, Gandalf

Gandalf

, and the Ring-bearers Bilbo

Bilbo Baggins

Bilbo Baggins is the protagonist and titular character of The Hobbit and a supporting character in The Lord of the Rings, two of the most well-known of J. R. R...

and Frodo Baggins, marking the end of the Third Age. Celeborn remained behind, and Tolkien writes that "there is no record of the day when at last he sought the Grey Havens". It is her refusal of the One Ring that lifts the Ban (along with her service in the war against Sauron) and finally allows her to return to Valinor. Of the Noldorin exiles, she is the only one of prominence to return. She was aged well over 7,000 years at that time.

Adaptations

Galadriel was voiced by Annette Crosbie

Annette Crosbie

Annette Crosbie, OBE is a Scottish character actor.-Life and career:Crosbie was born in Gorebridge, Midlothian, Scotland, to Presbyterian parents who disapproved of her becoming an actor. Nevertheless, she joined the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School while still in her teens...

in Ralph Bakshi

Ralph Bakshi

Ralph Bakshi is an Israeli-American director of animated and live-action films. In the 1970s, he established an alternative to mainstream animation through independent and adult-oriented productions. Between 1972 and 1992, he directed nine theatrically released feature films, five of which he wrote...

's 1978

1978 in film

The year 1978 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 1 - Bob Dylan's film Renaldo and Clara, a documentary of the "Rolling Thunder Revue" tour premieres in Los Angeles, California....

animated film of The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings (1978 film)
J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings is a 1978 American fantasy film directed by Ralph Bakshi. It contains both animation and live action footage which is rotoscoped to give it a more consistent look throughout the length of the movie. It is an adaptation of the first half of the high fantasy...

, and by Marian Diamond in BBC Radio

BBC Radio

BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...

's 1981 serialisation

The Lord of the Rings (1981 radio series)

In 1981 the UK radio station BBC Radio 4 broadcast a dramatisation of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings in 26 half-hour stereo instalments...

. While she did not appear in the 1980 animated The Return of the King
The Return of the King (1980 film)
The Return of the King, also known as The Return of the King: A Story of the Hobbits, is a 1980 animated television special created by Rankin/Bass and Topcraft. The film is an adaptation of the third volume in The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R...

, she was mentioned by name when Frodo mentioned the phial in Sam's hand as Galadriel's phial.

In Peter Jackson's movie trilogy

Trilogy

A trilogy is a set of three works of art that are connected, and that can be seen either as a single work or as three individual works. They are commonly found in literature, film, or video games...

, Galadriel is played by Cate Blanchett

Cate Blanchett

Catherine Élise "Cate" Blanchett is an Australian actress. She came to international attention for her role as Elizabeth I of England in the 1998 biopic film Elizabeth, for which she won British Academy of Film and Television Arts and Golden Globe Awards, and earned her first Academy Award...

. In this adaptation, Galadriel narrates the Prologue, explaining the creation of the Rings of Power and the War of the Last Alliance. Earlier plans considered were to have either Frodo or Gandalf narrate the Prologue, but this was dropped: Frodo was not alive until thousands of years after these events happened, and Gandalf was not present in Middle-earth at the time; the Wizards came some one thousand years after the Prologue ends. Thus Galadriel narrates the Prologue, because she has first-hand knowledge of this history and actively participated in its events.

Later in the films, Galadriel frequently seems to be consulting telepathically

Telepathy

with Elrond

Elrond

(possibly because they each possessed one of the Three Rings

Three Rings

In Tolkien's legendarium, the Three Rings are magical artifacts forged by the Elves of Eregion. After the One Ring, they are the most powerful of the twenty Rings of Power....

). There is some indication from the books that the two are able to communicate mentally, but in the book it takes place primarily when they are in each other's presence, and the specific instances in the movies, particularly the discussion with Elrond in The Two Towers, have no direct counterparts in the books. In the movie, she sends messages to Frodo; as the Fellowship enters the woods of Lórien, Frodo hears a voice that says: "Frodo, your coming to us is as the footsteps of doom! You bring great evil here, ring-bearer." Later, while she is audibly speaking with the Fellowship, she telepathically says to Frodo, "Welcome, Frodo of the Shire

Shire (Middle-earth)

The Shire is a region of J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional Middle-earth, described in The Lord of the Rings and other works. The Shire refers to an area settled exclusively by Hobbits and largely removed from the goings-on in the rest of Middle-earth. It is located in the northwest of the continent, in...

... one who has seen the Eye!" Also, Boromir says that he heard her voice in his head telling him about his father

Denethor

Denethor II of the House of Húrin is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's The Return of the King, which is the third and final part of his novel The Lord of the Rings. In the novel, he is the 26th and penultimate ruling Steward of Gondor....

and the fall of Gondor

Gondor

. Telepathically she told him, "Even now there is hope left." Another departure from the book is her absence from the coronation of King Elessar

Aragorn

Aragorn II is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, one of the main protagonists of The Lord of the Rings. He is first introduced by the name Strider, which the hobbits continue to call him...

at the end of Return of the King, and a difference in the gifts she gives to the individual members of the Fellowship. At the end of the trilogy she leaves with Celeborn; unlike the novel in which Celeborn remains behind in Rivendell. Blanchett will reprise the role in the upcoming adaptation of The Hobbit
The Hobbit
The Hobbit, or There and Back Again, better known by its abbreviated title The Hobbit, is a fantasy novel and children's book by J. R. R. Tolkien. It was published on 21 September 1937 to wide critical acclaim, being nominated for the Carnegie Medal and awarded a prize from the New York Herald...

.

On stage, Galadriel was portrayed by Rebecca Jackson Mendoza

Rebecca Jackson Mendoza

Rebecca Jackson Mendoza is an Australian actress, singer and dancer.-Early life:Rebecca Jackson Mendoza was born in Melbourne, Australia to a Filipino father and German Australian mother. She first came to national prominence as half of the pop duo Jackson Mendoza, with her sister Natalie...

in the 3-hour-long Toronto stage musical production of The Lord of the Rings, which opened in 2006. The musical moved to London's Theatre Royal, Drury Lane and, following an extensive rewrite, opened in preview on May 9, 2007 and officially on the 19th of June 2007. Laura Michelle Kelly

Laura Michelle Kelly

Laura Michelle Kelly is an English actress and singer who achieved critical acclaim in the role of Mary Poppins in the musical of the same name.-Musical theatre:...

returned to the stage as Galadriel with Matthew Warchus directing. Abbie Osmon took over the role on 4 February 2008.

In the game The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II
The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II
The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II, abbreviated BFMEII, is a real-time strategy video game developed and published by Electronic Arts. It is based on the fantasy novels The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien and its live-action film trilogy adaptation...

, Galadriel is available as a hero, costing 10,000 resources (the most expensive of Heroes, along with Sauron

Sauron

, and looks like her viewing of herself holding the Ring in the movies), after obtaining the Ring, when the custom option of "Ring heroes" is selected. She is only available to good factions, and acts as a counterpart to Sauron, possessing immense attack power, durability, and the ability to summon a devastating tornado to the battlefield.

Characteristics

It was said (by the Dúnedain

Dúnedain

In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, the Dúnedain were a race of Men descended from the Númenóreans who survived the sinking of their island kingdom and came to Eriador in Middle-earth, led by Elendil and his sons, Isildur and Anárion...

) that her height was two rangar (Quenya

Quenya

Quenya is a fictional language devised by J. R. R. Tolkien, and used in his Secondary world, often called Middle-earth.Quenya is one of the many Elvish languages spoken by the immortal Elves, called Quendi in Quenya. The tongue actually called Quenya was in origin the speech of two clans of Elves...

: 'strides'), or "man-high" – about 6 ft. 4 in., or 193 cm. However, Galadriel's most striking feature is her beautiful long silver-golden hair. The Elves of Tirion

Tirion

In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, Tirion upon Túna was the city of the Noldor in Valinor...

said it captured the radiance of the Two Trees Laurelin and Telperion themselves.
It was greatly admired by Fëanor

Fëanor

and may have inspired him to create the Silmaril

Silmaril

The Silmarils are three brilliant jewels which contained the unmarred light of the Two Trees in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. The Silmarils were made out of the crystalline substance silima by Fëanor, a Noldorin Elf, in Valinor during the Years of the Trees...

li.
Nevertheless, she never repays Fëanor's admiration with the generosity she shows to Gimli

Gimli (Middle-earth)

Gimli is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium, featured in The Lord of the Rings. A Dwarf warrior, he is the son of Glóin ....

the Dwarf in The Fellowship of the Ring
The Fellowship of the Ring
The Fellowship of the Ring is the first of three volumes of the epic novel The Lord of the Rings by the English author J. R. R. Tolkien. It takes place in the fictional universe Middle-earth. It was originally published on July 29, 1954 in the United Kingdom...

. Fëanor had begged her thrice for a tress and thrice she refused to give him even one hair. It is said that these two kinsfolk, being considered the greatest of the Eldar of Valinor, remain unfriends forever.

Her character was similarly a blend of characteristics of the kindreds of the Eldar from whom she was descended. She had the pride and ambition of the Noldor, but in her they were tempered by the gentleness and insight of the Vanyar. She shared the latter virtues of character with her father Finarfin

Finarfin

Finarfin is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, featured in The Silmarillion.-Personality:Unlike the warlike Fëanor and Fingolfin, Finarfin was something of a pacifist...

and her brother Finrod

Finrod Felagund

.
Her sympathy for Gimli the Dwarf in Lothlórien, when she rebuked her husband Celeborn for being tempted to regret his decision to admit the Dwarf

Dwarf (Middle-earth)

In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, the Dwarves are a race inhabiting the world of Arda, a fictional prehistoric Earth which includes the continent Middle-earth....

to that land, won Gimli's heart forever.

She was said to be a match for both the loremasters and athletes of the eldar. She was the mightiest of the women of the Eldar.

Names and titles

Galadriel was originally named Artanis , and Nerwen , referring to her height and strength; Galadriel is the Sindarin

Sindarin

Sindarin is a fictional language devised by J. R. R. Tolkien, and used in his secondary world, often called Middle-earth.Sindarin is one of the many languages spoken by the immortal Elves, called the Eledhrim or Edhellim in Sindarin....

ized version of Telerin

Telerin

Telerin is a constructed language devised by J. R. R. Tolkien. It is one of the many fictional language set in his Secondary world, often called Middle-earth....

Quenya

Alatáriel , a name given her by Celeborn, referring to her silver-golden hair.

The name Galadhriel was used outside Lórien by the people who did not know the ancient days and Galadriel's history, confusing galad with the Sindarin

Sindarin

word galadh and the name of the Galadhrim, the people of Lórien.

As the ruler of Lothlórien, she was referred to by a variety of titles, including "Lady of Lórien", "Lady of the Wood", and (by Gimli) "Queen Galadriel" — although, according to Tolkien's account in Unfinished Tales, neither she nor Celeborn took royal titles themselves, as they considered they were but guardians of Lórien. She was also referred to as "Lady of Light" (the translation of Galadriel) or as the "White Lady", as her fair skin and white cloaks made her seem to shine.

Legacy in music

On their album Once Again, the band Barclay James Harvest

Barclay James Harvest

Barclay James Harvest are an English progressive rock band. They were founded in Saddleworth, Lancashire, in September 1966 by John Lees, Les Holroyd, Stuart "Woolly" Wolstenholme , and Mel Pritchard .-History:...

featured a song called "Galadriel". It gained notability because guitarist John Lees played John Lennon

John Lennon

John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...

's Epiphone Casino

Epiphone Casino

The Epiphone Casino is a thinline hollow body electric guitar manufactured by Epiphone, a branch of Gibson. It is essentially Epiphone's version of the Gibson ES-330...

guitar on this track, an event later recounted in a song on the band's 1990 album Welcome To The Show titled "John Lennon's Guitar".

Songwriter Terry Britten

Terry Britten

Terry Britten is a prolific English singer-songwriter, who has written songs for Tina Turner and Sir Cliff Richard, Olivia Newton-John, Status Quo, Michael Jackson and many others.-Career:...

also wrote a song "Galadriel" which was recorded by Sir Cliff Richard.

Sally Oldfield

Sally Oldfield

Sally Oldfield is a singer-songwriter, and the sister of the composers Mike Oldfield and Terry Oldfield.-Early life:...

's suite Songs of the Quendi on her 1978 album Water Bearer

Water Bearer

Water Bearer is the début studio album by British singer-songwriter Sally Oldfield, released in 1978.The song "Mirrors" was released as a single, and reached #19 in the UK charts.-Track listing:...

describes the return of Galadriel to Blessed Realm after 7,000 years of exile.

Sydney-based progressive rock band Galadriel achieved minor success in the early 1970s, and continue to have a cult following around the world due to a revived interest in 1960s and 1970s Australian rock. Rare copies of their first album are much sought-after, particularly in Germany where they were signed to the local Polydor label in 1971. Singer John 'Spider' Sholten later joined the touring company of singer-songwriter Ross Ryan

Ross Ryan

Ross Ryan is an Australian singer-songwriter and producer who is best known for his signature tune "I Am Pegasus" .-Early years:Ross Ryan was born December 13, 1950 in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, USA. The family moved to Albany, Western Australia in 1959...

as stage manager and general comic relief for Ross during his performances.

In 2003, Fran Walsh

Fran Walsh

Frances "Fran" Walsh, Lady Jackson, MNZM is a screenwriter, film producer and occasional musician. She is the spouse of filmmaker Peter Jackson. They have two children: Billy and Katie....

, Howard Shore

Howard Shore

Howard Leslie Shore is a Canadian composer, notable for his film scores. He has composed the scores for over 80 films, most notably the scores for The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, for which he won three Academy Awards. He is also a consistent collaborator with director David Cronenberg,...

, and Annie Lennox

Annie Lennox

Annie Lennox, OBE , born Ann Lennox, is a Scottish singer-songwriter, political activist and philanthropist. After achieving minor success in the late 1970s with The Tourists, with fellow musician David A...

co-wrote the Oscar-winning song "Into the West"

Into the West (song)

"Into the West" is an Oscar winning song, written by Fran Walsh, Howard Shore, and Annie Lennox, and performed by Lennox. The song plays during the closing credits of the film, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King...

for the closing credits of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is a 2003 epic fantasy-drama film directed by Peter Jackson that is based on the second and third volumes of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings...

. Originally sung by Annie Lennox

Annie Lennox

, the song was conceived as a Galadriel's bittersweet lament for those who have sailed across the Sundering Seas

Belegaer

In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, Belegaer, the Great Sea or the Sundering Seas, is the sea of Arda that is west of Middle-earth....

. The lyrics include phrases from the final chapter of the original novel. The song has since been covered by Yulia Townsend

Yulia Townsend

Yulia is a Russian-born New Zealand classical crossover singer. Her first solo album Into The West went platinum in its first week of sales in New Zealand. She won two NZ Music Awards; 'Best Female Solo Artist' and 42 Below 'Best Selling Album in New Zealand'. She has supported Amici Forever and...

and Will Martin

Will Martin

Will Martin is a New Zealand-born classical crossover singer.Martin's first album, released in his native New Zealand, went platinum in 6 weeks. The album, called A New World, featured songs such as "Into the West", "If" and "Going Home".Will commented on his success with “I am an entertainer; I...

External links

Galadriel at Tolkien gateway
Galadriel at The Thain's Book

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

Literature

Adaptations

Characteristics

Names and titles

Legacy in music

See also

External links