Why is Galadriel So Powerful | Middle Earth | The Lord of the Rings 

In the books Galadriel is literally older than the Sun.

it should also be noted that she spent a long time in Doriath that was protected by the Girdle of Melian. I'm sure she learned how to do this herself as Lorien was protected by her power in much the same way. She also learned from the Valar themselves while in Valinor. Don't overlook the training she gained.

Cate Blanchett did such a stellar job, that I cannot imagine anyone else in the role. However, knowing that Peter Jackson originally wanted Lucy Lawless as Galadriel, I try to imagine that more 'warrior' aspect as described in the books.

Anytime I watch on of these vids, the authors always forget Galadriel was a student of Melian the Maiar in Menegroth. This training also gave her great wisdom and power. This is scene in how she protects Lorien as did Melian with her Girdle.

Tolkien has a good system that could be used for role playing games. Powerful people are not like regular people because they have the presence in the 'spirit dimension'. The Witch King is pretty much scared of Glorfindel. In the spirit world, Glorfindel glows like Captain Atom. Elves who lived in the illumination of the Two Trees absorbed a lot of spirit radiance, and having a Simaril baths you in that radiance. The light vial that Samwise carried had the spirit radiance. For normal humans, they cannot see the spirit world to appreciate that half the battle is taking place there.

she was also of the vanyar through her grandmother (Indis) and teleri through her mum (Earwen). Not just her noldorin heritage which gives her a special place in Tolkien's elven hierarchy. She's got all three royal bloodlines..

She destroys Dol Guldur when the one ring is already destroyed. So her ring has no longer power and even without it, she destroys the fortress

You’ll love the full scene with Frodo+Sam &Galadriel the great Peter Jackson & team didn’t seem to include.. which all this little stuff lead to that scene in the movies which gave it more meaning; & the”one who has seen the eye” thing was a mistake by the team. It gave the wrong message and was not needed as it lead some reactors to be like “so creepy lol” which diminishes how much farther that well done scene could have gone especially in the extended to do it properly as in the books that latex it out perfectly.: •[Frodo] stepped back shaking all over & looked at the Lady. “I know what it was that you last saw”, she said; 'for that is also in my mind. Do not be afraid! But do not think that only by singing amid the trees, nor even by the slender arrows of elven-bows, is this land of Lothlórien maintained and defended against its Enemy. I say to you, Frodo, that even as I speak to you, I perceive the Dark Lord and know his mind, or all of his mind that concerns the Elves. And he gropes ever to see me and my thought. But still the door is closed!' She lifted up her white arms, and spread out her hands towards the East in a gesture of rejection and denial. Eärendil, the Evening Star, most beloved of the Elves, shone clear above. So bright was it that the figure of the Elven-lady cast a dim shadow on the ground. Its rays glanced upon a ring about her finger; it glittered like polished gold overlaid with silver light, and a white stone in it twinkled as if the Evenstar had come down to rest upon her hand. Frodo gazed at the ring with awe; for suddenly it seemed to him that he understood. 'Yes,' she said, divining his thought, 'it is not permitted to speak of it, and Elrond could not do so. But it cannot be hidden from the Ring-bearer, and one who has seen the Eye. Verily it is in the land of Lórien upon the finger of Galadriel that one of the Three remains. This is Nenya, the Ring of Adamant, and I am its keeper. 'He suspects, but he does not know - not yet. Do you not see now wherefore your coming is to us as the footstep of Doom? For if you fail, then we are laid bare to the Enemy. Yet if you succeed, then our power is diminished, and Lothlórien will fade, and the tides of Time will sweep it away. We must depart into the West, or dwindle to a rustic folk of dell and cave, slowly to forget and to be forgotten.' Frodo bent his head. 'And what do you wish?' he said at last. 'That what should be shall be,' she answered. 'The love of the Elves for their land and their works is deeper than the deeps of the Sea, and their regret is undying and cannot ever wholly be assuaged. Yet they will cast all away rather than submit to Sauron: for they know him now. For the fate of Lothlórien you are not answerable but only for the doing of your own task. Yet I could wish, were it of any avail, that the One Ring had never been wrought, or had remained for ever lost.' 'You are wise and fearless and fair, Lady Galadriel,' said Frodo. 'I will give you the One Ring, if you ask for it. It is too great a matter for me.' Galadriel laughed with a sudden clear laugh. 'Wise the Lady Galadriel may be,' she said, 'yet here she has met her match in courtesy. Gently are you revenged for my testing of your heart at our first meeting. You begin to see with a keen eye. I do not deny that my heart has greatly desired to ask what you offer. For many long years I had pondered what I might do, should the Great Ring come into my hands, and behold! it was brought within my grasp. The evil that was devised long ago works on in many ways, whether Sauron himself stands or falls. Would not that have been a noble deed to set to the credit of his Ring, if I had taken it by force or fear from my guest? 'And now at last it comes. You will give me the Ring freely! In place of the Dark Lord you will set up a Queen. And I shall not be dark, but beautiful and terrible as the Morning and the Night! Fair as the Sea and the Sun and the Snow upon the Mountain! Dreadful as the Storm and the Lightning! Stronger than the foundations of the earth. All shall love me and despair!' She lifted up her hand and from the ring that she wore there issued a great light that illuminated her alone and left all else dark. She stood before Frodo seeming now tall beyond measurement, and beautiful beyond enduring, terrible and worshipful. Then she let her hand fall, and the light faded, and suddenly she laughed again, and lo! she was shrunken: a slender elf-woman, clad in simple white, whose gentle voice was soft and sad. 'I pass the test,' she said. 'I will diminish, and go into the West and remain Galadriel.' They stood for a long while in silence. At length the Lady spoke again. 'Let us return!' she said. 'In the morning you must depart for now we have chosen, and the tides of fate are flowing.' 'I would ask one thing before we go,' said Frodo, 'a thing which I often meant to ask Gandalf in Rivendell. I am permitted to wear the One Ring: why cannot I see all the others and know the thoughts of those that wear them?' 'You have not tried,' she said. 'Only thrice have you set the Ring upon your finger since you knew what you possessed. Do not try! It would destroy you. Did not Gandalf tell you that the rings give power according to the measure of each possessor? Before you could use that power you would need to become far stronger, and to train your will to the domination of others. Yet even so, as Ring-bearer and as one that has borne it on finger and seen that which is hidden, your sight has grown keener. You have perceived my thought more clearly than many that are accounted wise. You saw the Eye of him that holds the Seven and the Nine. And did you not see and recognize the ring upon my finger? Did you see my ring?' she asked turning again to Sam. 'No, Lady,' he answered. 'To tell you the truth, I wondered what you were talking about. I saw a star through your finger. But if you'll pardon my speaking out, I think my master was right. I wish you'd take his Ring. You'd put things to rights. You'd stop them digging up the gaffer and turning him adrift. You'd make some folk pay for their dirty work.' 'I would,' she said. 'That is how it would begin. But it would not stop with that, alas! We will not speak more of it. Let us go!' When] at last all that [Galadriel] had desired in her youth came to her hand, the Ring of Power and the peaceful rule of Middle-earth which she had dreamed... her wisdom was full grown and she rejected it.... Meaning definitely by now it’s become trivial to her. Even back in the day he couldn’t find her or pierce her mind and whenever he went looking for her presence he boils t find her ALL AT THE SAME TIME AS HER BEING ABLE TO READ HIS OWN MIND WITHOUT HIM KNOWING! Often times even from a great distance. That’s power. Just one calm look from her is all it takes to send even the Nazgûl run away from her. They even avoid her realm entirely both because of its own power as well as they know exactly who she is and her exact lineage through themselves being very old. 4000+years old. Especially the WitchKing(head Nazgûl). Remember Númenorean men are not like other average men. They were known to be rather superhuman & very tall. Between 6-8 feet.

Galadriel lacking in ambition?!? Feanor appealed to her ambitions to rule wide realms in Middle Earth, something that she never truly put aside until she refused the ring. She remained an exile in Middle Earth in large part because of her pride and ambition. Galadriel gained humility and wisdom over centuries, but it came hard to her. “I will diminish, and go into the west, and remain Galadriel”, the sole surviving leader of the Noldorian rebellion.

Great summary of her power. I would just add, or maybe emphasize a little bit more, her wisdom gained through all the trials and tribulations in Middle Earth. The harrowing crossing of the Helcaraxe, and all that came to pass to her family and people for thousands of years. She was one of the oldest Noldor left in ME by the end of the Third Age and had strategized and "spiritually battled" the forces of Morgoth, if you will, for thousands of years. One of the most experienced and wisest people around.

Not only did Galadriel study at the feet of Melian the Maiar, but also from Yvanna in the gardens of Valinor. By not only learning from them, but putting their lessons to the best use!

Important fourth factor: she's not a common Noldor, her grandmother is a Vanyar princess, the wisest and less numerous among the elves, and her mother a princess of the Teleri (Thingol's niece indeed) the more connected to nature and magical ones, so Galadriel has top blood of the three clans, and golden (vanyar) -silver (teleri) hair, when noldor are dark haired. In Tolkien's standards when you mix families or races, you get more powerfull-special beings, like you see in the lineage of Luthien, Elrond, etc.

Knowledge, Patience, humility and understanding were the gifts from Melian. If only Melian's husband would do the same....

There is evidence that Galadriel was instructed by Melian the Maya. Much as the girdle of Melian protected Doriath, Galadriel could protect Lorien.

During the return trip from Gondor she, Celeborn, Gandalf, and Elrond sit in the woods of Dunland holding "court" speaking mind to mind without words. She was not the only telepath.

Here is more stuff that connects to when Morgoth killed Fëanor’s father Finwë (as I described in the beginning of this in Part 1 of Galadriel’s Mark Of Tragedy): •The First Kinslaying occurred before the Helcaraxë. It took place in the city of Alqualondë on the shores of Aman when the Noldor, lead by Fëanor, stole the ships of the Teleri (which also that clan didn’t like the energy coming from Fëanor but also didn’t want to start another war with Morgoth ontop of Teleri being rather peaceful in general; along with the fact it was all just a bit rash on their perspective so to speak to leave for Middle-earth, resulting in the deaths of many Teleri. This act was a major turning point in the history of the Elves and led to the estrangement of the Noldor and the Valar. This is the battle where I may have mentioned in the Galadriel hair comment. Where she was defending her mothers people from Fëanor and his army which is one of the main reasons he backed the hell off. She’s a very cool character. One of the most beloved still alive in middle ear to after so many ages of the world had passed into the third age that you’re watching this movie in!) •The decision to leave Aman and journey to Middle-earth was a choice made by the Noldor, led by Fëanor, on their own. They were driven by their desire to reclaim the Silmarils, which had been stolen by Morgoth, and to avenge the deaths of their kin who had been killed in the pursuit of the jewels. The journey through the Helcaraxë was a difficult one, and many of the Noldor perished along the way. However, it was not seen as a punishment, but rather as a test of endurance and resilience. Those who survived the journey were strengthened by it and became more powerful as a result. In summary, the First Kinslaying occurred before the Helcaraxë, and the decision to leave Aman and journey to Middle-earth was made by the Ñoldor on their own. The Helcaraxë was a difficult journey, but it was seen as a test of endurance on its own rather than a punishment. This isn’t even 10 percent of the whole story just with her life and the life of her family shaped middle earth as we know it and made sure survival into the ages was even possible. Especially for both men and elves. She even among many elves is a living example of a bygone era for both kindreds.

That was a fair description of Galadriel. When I watched the ROP on Amazon, she was portrayed as a petulant child. How could they do that? Anyway, that's not Tolkien. She could bring forth power and direct it. High elf stuff. I will stick to this concept. So, thanks.

Such a magnificent summary presented with a grace that could move even the most restrained being to tears. Her presence inspires good deeds and serves as a beacon to all that is just and kind, yet firm and unwavering in the face of darkness.

(My fixed version of my past comment) - Galadriel's life was marked by much loss & tragedy part 1. She lost many family members, including her brothers Aegnor & Angrod, who died in the War of Wrath, a great conflict between the forces of the Valar and Morgoth. She also lost her grandfather, Finwë, who was slain by Morgoth by a terrible & unholy lighting strike that left his body broken but one can imagine he was just as mighty as Fëanor by being the FATHER, Morgoth himself being responsible for the deaths of her uncles Fëanor (& Fingolfin quite a bit later on when he faced off one on one with Morgoth/Melkor and left the fallen Valar 7 permanent wounds which left him eternally limp to the point of being mocked by his generals and the like indefinitely which left Morgoth in intense pain forever!) Fëanor was Galadriel's half-uncle, as he was the son of Finwë by his first wife Míriel. Fëanor's sons were therefore Galadriel's first cousins. Most of Fëanor's sons died in the wars that followed the theft of the Silmarils, including the tragic deaths of Celegorm & Curufin, who were slain by their own cousin, Lúthien's son Dior. Galadriel also lost her relative Aredhel, who was her cousin, & Aredhel’s brother; king Turgon of the hidden kingdom of Gondolin. These losses weighed heavily on Galadriel, but she remained strong and resolute in the face of adversity. Fëanor's death was a tragic event that marked the beginning of the First Age of Middle-earth. After Morgoth stole the three Silmarils, Fëanor swore an oath to retrieve them, even if it meant going to war with the Valar themselves. Fëanor led the Ñoldor in their rebellion against the Valar, & he and his sons played a significant role in the events that followed. Fëanor was eventually slain by Balrogs, demonic creatures who served Morgoth, during the flight of the Ñoldor from Middle-earth. His death marked the end of an era, & his legacy continued to be felt in Middle-earth for many ages to come. Fingolfin's death was no less tragic. He challenged Morgoth to single combat & fought valiantly against him, but he was ultimately slain by the Dark Lord. His death inspired many to rise up against Morgoth, & his legacy continued to inspire the people of Middle-earth for many ages to come. Despite the many losses she suffered, Galadriel remained a powerful and influential figure in Middle-earth, & her wisdom & knowledge continued to be sought after by many. Galadriel's history is rich & complex, & she played a significant role in the events of Middle-earth. She was born in the Undying Lands before the creation of the sun and moon, and she was a member of the Noldor, one of the three Elven races. Galadriel's family, the House of Finarfin, was closely connected to the Vanyar, the first of the three Elven races to journey to the Undying Lands. Galadriel's grandmother, Indis, was a Vanya, and her mother, Eärwen, was a Teleri princess who married Finarfin. Galadriel's father & brothers participated in the rebellion of the Noldor against the Valar, which resulted in the exile of the Noldor from the Undying Lands. Galadriel, however, did not participate in the horrifying kinslaying, protecting her mothers people from Fëanor’s onslaught at Alqualondë instead, - returning in the Undying Lands for a while longer before reuniting with her people still travelling the Helcaraxë. As I recall her father was with the others that returned to Valinor at the Doom Of Mandos which in basic terms set a warning prophesy sort of thing where if they left Valinor it’d cause a domino effect throughout time etc. but Fëanor’s fire burned inside and he had a HUGE bone to pick with Morgoth. So that’s what was mainly leading him there but it was several years long of travel on what was called the Helcaraxë (grinding ice wastes) Galadriel did end up there but through other means as her way to middle earth let’s just say lead her to there where she sort of rendezvoused with her family and helped lead her people to middle earth. Many died on this trip of HARSH conditions.). During the Third Age, Galadriel played a key role in the events leading up to the War of the Ring. She helped the Fellowship of the Ring by giving them gifts, advice, and guidance, and she played a significant role in the defeat of Sauron. (She played a bigger role than shown in the movies) Galadriel possessed many magical abilities, including the power to read minds, the ability to communicate telepathically, & the power to cast spells but above all was her ability to project herself across large distances(not teleporting, think more like a sort of mental and spiritual projection similar to astral travel) She was also renowned for her beauty & grace, and her wisdom and knowledge were highly respected by the Free Peoples of Middle-earth. Overall, Galadriel's long life and rich history make her one of the most intriguing and powerful characters in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. Galadriel is one of the oldest and most powerful beings of the Elven race left in middle earth. According to Tolkien's writings, Galadriel was born in Tirion in the Undying Lands(which means untouched By Morgoth’s Ring where he poured his essence and malice into the earth itself. Middle Earth. Not all of Eä(the world), also known as Aman, which existed before the creation of the sun and moon. And this landmass used to be closer to middle earth and existed long before Middle Earth became what it was as a landmass in itself due to the reshaping of the world a few times due to Valar’s battles with Melkor along with natural shifts over the millions of years etc. The creation of the sun and moon occurred after the Two Trees of Valinor, which provided light to the world, were destroyed. This event, known as the Darkening of Valinor, marked the end of the First Age of Middle-earth. Based on Tolkien's timeline, the events of the First Age occurred approximately 5,000 years before the start of the Second Age. The Second Age lasted for approximately 3,441 years, and the Third Age lasted for approximately 3,019 years. Therefore, if Galadriel was born in the Undying Lands before the creation of the sun & moon, it is estimated that she would be at least 25,000 years old by the end of the Third Age, which is when the events of The Lord of the Rings take place. This calculation is based on the assumption that Galadriel was born before the start of the First Age and that she has lived through all three ages, which is supported by Tolkien's writings. Most important thing here is about Galadriel’s eldest brother Finrod: Finrod Felagund, also known as Findaráto, was a noble elf of rarer mixed heritage just like his younger sister & brothers, the Noldor/Vanyar/Teleri renowned for his wisdom and fairness but also his valiance. He was the eldest son of Finarfin, one of the three sons of Finwë who was the High King of the Noldor. Finrod played a crucial role in the events that led to the creation of Númenor. When the Valar summoned the Noldor to return to Valinor, Finrod and his companions chose to stay in Middle-earth and establish their own kingdoms. During their travels, they encountered the Edain, a group of mortal Men who were the mightiest of them all and the elves considered them equals!!! They became friendly and open to the elves. Finrod was particularly impressed by their courage and loyalty, and he became the first elf to befriend them. As time passed, Finrod & the 3 main Houses Of The Edain formed a close bond. Teaching them many things about the world and the lore of the elves. He also helped them in their struggles against the dark forces of Morgoth since even before meeting the elves. The Edain pledged their allegiance to the elves and fought alongside them in many battles. He even learned their language due to his way of reading hearts and minds which essentially aided hugely in his learning how their language worked etcetera. Eventually, the deeds of Finrod and the Edain were recounted in the halls of the Valar, and the Valar took pity on the mortal Men. They decided to give them a gift, and thus Númenor was created, a great island kingdom in the middle of the sea, where Men could live in peace and prosperity. - As for Finrod Felagund, [Galadriel’s Eldest Brother], he did not live to see the rise of Númenor, for he perished in a battle against a werewolf in the dungeons of Tol-in-Gaurhoth, also known as Sauron's Isle. Protecting Beren, saving his life by breaking free from his own chains to kill that same werewolf with his bare hands and teeth. Facing off with Sauron before that. He and Beren were forced to watch the elvish companions who were most loyal to Finrod get ripped apart by said werewolves - He was a true friend to the first of mankind to show up in middle earth, the Edain, and played a key role in the creation of Númenor. He was also close to his sister Galadriel, and together they shared many adventures and battles. (I’ll share the significance of Elrond’s father which is the main character in how his deeds lead to the assistance from Valinor to help insurmountable odds and circumstances regarding Morgoth to take his physical form out of the picture for good in what’s called the War Of Wrath which was 80 years long nonstop. But I’ll go into it more when I share about Elrond in a different comment which I may save for the second movie or if you want I can post it below this video!) In the end, Finrod's legacy lived on through his deeds and his influence on the fate of Middle-earth. His noble example inspired many, including Aragorn, who was born centuries later & gave him the chance to claim the throne of Gondor & Arnor/Anor as a descendant of the line of Elronds Twin brother who was first king Of Númenor and started the line of the Faithful Númenoreans.

“Beautiful & Terrible as the dawn” Galadriel was quite correct to call the morning and night both “beautiful and terrible…”. In truth the physical and metaphysical natures of morning and night were both by turns beautiful and terrible.

((My improved version)) - “I shall NOT be dark, all EVIL will despair” part 2 - All creatures whose flesh are nourished by the matter of Arda have a tendency towards Melkor AKA Morgoth, for greater or lesser. Since Melkor poured his evil power into the very existence and essence of the world(Morgoth’s Ring” book explains a lot including how and when he put a portion of his remaining power into the earth itself. Sure, Galadriel was born in the Undying Lands where there was supposed to be no evil (souls of the Elves are greatly less subject to making faulty decisions), but Galadriel & the rest of her father's kin were directly targeted by the Evil Lord himself. Melkor corrupted a decent portion of the Noldor, basically telling them things along the lines of “My Valarin kin are cooping you all up in Valinor.”, which wasn’t their ancestral homeland to begin with, like Middle Earth was, Some were affected little, most were affected to greater degrees, and Galadriel was the least affected woman by the lies of Melkor, which were “sweet but poisoned honey" as she’d call his words. Her natural pious tendency towards goodness & kindness as shown by her ability to read the hearts of everyone and all living beings around her which aids her to provide what anyone truly needs. Due to the magic bleeding from the world as the ages went on; thanks to Morgoth’s Ring poisoning the earth long ago; lead to a what if scenario in her mind as she’d be the only living creature left with the skills & power to even use the ring. She didn’t need her ring at all to block him out of her realm telepathically as well as read his mind from afar without him knowing. But there is a difference between good people who are a bit morally challenged and the evil people. The evil folk act upon their impulses and unlawful desires, while the good folk overcome such flaws within themselves (and for some not always they can masterfully do this). Galadriel WOULD NEVER listen to Melkor and tread the path of toxic pride and ambition. Galadriel has a Fëa spirit that’s only grown larger as the ages passed on and on. Enough to channel into an effect that threw down fortress walls, without tiring her at all. And with that much Fëa, she is capable of holding her own against Maiar for a good long while, much like her brother Finrod did against Sauron, or her uncle Fëanor did against Balrogs. Fëanor effectively lost all claim to the crown when he rebelled and dragged his entire house to Middle Earth. Where he promptly died a heroic death after slaying several Balrogs at the Dagor-nuin-Giliath; The Elves first encountered Lord Of Balrogs named Gothmog in the Dagor-nuin-Giliath; (meaning “the battle fought under stars”) before the first rising of the Moon. In that battle, Fëanor's fury had caused him to draw forward of the main force of the Noldor, and so he came upon Gothmog with only a small guard left around him that rushed so deep into enemy territory. Fëanor slayed 2 or 3 balrogs at once & Gothmog slayed him after one bound him suddenly with its primordial flame whip when he was supposed to have an uninterrupted “one on one” duel with Gothmog but one wasn’t wanting to play fair. But he was fatally wounded and so his sons and host moved him away to a safe place where his body burned up from the fires of his own spirit. Even with a lesser ring like Nenya, Galadriel had enough of a boost in her Fëa(spirit) , that she could sustain an unassailable magical realm against Maiar and virtually anything on Middle-Earth. Only problem was when Sauron wore the one ring, she had to take off Nenya, and had to lose that Maia level Fëa spirit from the modernly termed “boosted power up” With the one ring, Galadriel would have such a boost in her Fëa spirit, that she’d literally become stronger than the foundations of the Earth. Due to Galadriel’s immense native Fëa, she was prone to a super healthy pride and a small lust for dominion/ but not domination, her goodness kept this pride from going over to the dark side. Galadriel at heart was extremely good so she’s definitely not evil. She never once is called queen or desires to be called such a thing, she and her husband Celeborn became the wiseman and wisewoman of that realm; after the previous elven lord Amroth died and his wife Nimrodel disappeared ontop of the fact Amroth’s Successor later died as well in the “Last Alliance”, (same battle shown in the prologue to Fellowship Of The Ring), All Evil Despairs at her presence let alone hearing her name on the wind. The Nazgûl themselves avoid her realm every chance they get to the point of choosing to go the long way around for over 100 miles just to avoid her. (So she’s definitely scary to foul entities that have turned away from Eru Îlluvatar the one AllFather.) She’s a totally good character. Aragorn even says to the Fellowship as they enter Lothlórien, “There is in her and this land no evil, unless a man bring it hither himself. Then let him beware!” If you’re going by her portrayal in the movies, you might think she has an evil element to her character, but that came from Peter Jackson’s portrayal of the addictive, coercive power of the Ring. When Frodo offered her the Ring, it presented her with visions of herself as the all-powerful Goddess of Middle-Earth. Luckily, she was smart & intuitive enough to realize that the Ring was totally evil, and despite the best of intentions, it would have turned her evil in the end-but she still would have appeared to be beautiful and good. I don’t agree with Jackson’s “drowned Galadriel” portrayal of her being tempted by the Ring-I think she’d have appeared as a supernatural being of divine beauty, and her regular appearance was close to that already, but how do you show that in a movie? Apparently, in her youth in Valinor, she was somewhat of a rebel, but that’s not necessarily evil. She certainly could have fallen into the same trap as her uncle Fëanor did, of thinking that everyone was entitled to her opinion-but she kept her ego in check. (If you’re not sure what I’m referring to there; please read The Silmarillion and “Unfinished Tales”.) No matter how noble her reason was to use the ring as a last resort, especially if said fellowship fell off the “edge of the knife” as she called it. she had a change of heart which happened in the middle of talking to Frodo. Galadriel left Valinor(The Undying Lands) for a reason - and it was different from most of the other elves. She wasn’t with her uncle Fëanor, who wished to make war against Morgoth and retrieve the Silmarils - she was not wishing to go to war, and had no interest in the Silmarils in which Melkor stole from Fëanor which was the surviving light of the two trees of Valinor within them that the only Fëanor; the master of all elven smiths could have accomplished but it could not be done a second time as is any pure creation of one’s heart, especially in regards to the elves and Valar alike. Though she traveled with her other uncle, Fingolfin, her goals were not aligned completely with his either despite her full support of her noble and regal uncle Fingolfin in general. - They both wished to keep an eye on Fëanor and make sure the Noldor were in good hands - Galadriel wasn’t interested in Fëanor and wanted her own realm. After spending some time in Doriath, Galadriel and her husband Celeborn passed to the east out of Beleriand and passed eastward through Eriador and over the Misty Mountains; to where she founded her own realm in what became renamed as Lothlórien. Her motivation and goal was to preserve her realm, possibly at any means necessary. With Sauron’s return in the Third Age, Galadriel was forced to ask herself how far she would go to preserve her realm. If Frodo failed, she must forsake her own ring & her realm. If he succeeds, her ring will lose power and her realm will fade. Would she seize the ring, taking Sauron’s power for her own, to save her realm? She decided she would not. She had decided to “test” the Fellowship, to find some flaw that would allow her to justify seizing the ring, and she did find a flaw - in herself. She stated to Frodo, that by telling her that he would offer her the ring if she asked, that she had come to test his heart, but found that he was testing hers. She had a change of heart, she would pass into the West, and remain Galadriel. Which one is better? Being born completely good and living your whole life without any evil inside, or having a character growth ?

What makes them powerful? All of the above, and more. Aragarn also showed little willingness to take his inherited position. Like Galadriel, neither pushed their opportunity for authority. This humility is a strength in itself; it makes someone less easily corruptible (as human kings except Aragorn became corrupted, and became the Nazgul). Galadriel and Aragorn both resisted the ring.

Thank you for the beautiful video. The artwork was beautiful and you video was well researched. A great tribute.

While I am familiar with all of the subject matter discussed in this video, I'd like to say that it was very well summarized and explained and the artwork was absolutely stunning. Well done Middle Earth Tales!

Great video

1. She is a highborn of the Noldor and as such is born with a lot of might, kind of like feanor but to a lesser degree 2. She has heritage of all three high elven clans (Noldor, Telerie and Vanyar) 3. She was born in the years of the trees and absorbed some of their light and power 4. She learned from the Valar directly during her time in valinor 5. She spent a lot of time in doriath also learning from Melian directly 6. She has the ring of water

nailed it :)

She’s Arwen’s grandmother! Enough said. 😂

((My fuller version)) - “I shall NOT be Dark. (All evil) will despair”, The elves (Galadriel especially is one of the few remaining that existed before the sun & moon. They pre-existed day & night.) How utterly, completely terrifying do you think it would be for your whole world to irrevocably change in a matter of an hour? For the thousands of years of (what you would come to know as twilight to be abruptly ended in a profundity of genuinely painful light and an infinity of colour? Of the joy, wonder and terror of distinguishing the difference between green and blue for the very first time in your whole life?) She is talking about the immediate, majestic sublimity of reality that one experiences in it's totality for the very first time. How on earth could that not be so terrifying as to threaten one's sanity? Galadriel with the ring would be exactly as beautiful and horrifying. I personally would not know whether to weep bitterly and perfectly, or claw my eyes out through the sheer, unutterable terror of her being in such a circumstance. But know this: she was showing Frodo what would happen if someone else got the ring. She wasn’t tempted at all. Gandalf tells. Galadriel shows. See the difference now. Two sides of the same coin. Both were needed. (But yes there was a more fluid beauty full of colour before the rise of the sun. Her uncle, Fingolfin, whilst in middle earth beheld the first rising of the sun and to see this wide field before him in even more definition than before while he was in Middle Earth. This was also the beginning of the dominion of men.) - • “Beautiful & Terrible as the dawn” Galadriel was quite correct to call the morning and night both “beautiful and terrible…”. In truth the physical and metaphysical natures of morning and night were both by turns beautiful and terrible. First the morning. Physically the morning is the result of the golden fruit of Laurëlin, transformed into a vessel by Aulë’s craftsmen, hallowed by Varda and piloted by the fiery Maiarin spirit Arien. The sun was so terrifyingly powerful that its radiance instilled fear even into Melkor’s heart and defied the assault of his minions. She literally gave up her physical form to take her original form and enveloped the sun; becoming its flames we see today. Physically the sun is a beautiful golden orb yet it is simultaneously terrifying in its intensity and cannot be observed directly for more than an instant without pain. Metaphysically the morning is beautiful because it diminishes the evil power of those creatures who haunt the night, gives strength to the righteous and because it illuminates the serene loveliness of Valinor and Middle-earth. Metaphysically the morning is terrible because it obscures the light of the stars and sheds light on the ugly reality of Arda Marred, whose very substance is corrupted by the power of Melkor. Last the night. The night is the Void surrounding the globe of Arda, which existed even before the creation of the Ainur at the beginning of time itself. Physically the beauty of the night lies in the fact . Physically the terror of the night is that it conceals the beauty of Arda and limits the senses of the elves and gives strength to the creatures of evil such as orcs, trolls and the Ringwraiths. Metaphysically the night is beautiful because it is during the hours of darkness that the stars of Varda, the most beloved creations for the elves, shine most brightly. Metaphysically the terror of the night for elves, who are irretrievably bound to the world of Arda, is that the Void represents the interstellar coldness which is the prison of Morgoth. Terrible in its more original archaic form didn’t always mean “bad” (the sun stuff was to move it into a place where Melkor couldn’t go by virtue of how the Valar and Maiar are bound to the world until it’s ending; (which isn’t the true end either. It’s deep stuff. There ends up another song of creation which all kindreds take part in and working with the powers of that long ago past of our world to rebuild everything. Even the Mountains too, healing it after Dagor Dagorath, Also known as the final battle, the worlds ending. Becoming the greater version of the original form before Melkor’s discord into the first music and so forth which dictated eventually what all ended up ensuing when they entered the world the first time which also was interesting because when they entered it after seeing the complete version it hadn’t been done yet so that was millions of years of work which lead to Middle Earth and the other lands being the remnants of it. Including Valinor being the only remnant of an even older world. At that time of building and tending to the world when the world was young.)

This is why both Peter Jackson´s trilogies, even the far-more noticeable fanfiction-trends on The Hobbit, did a much better fitted version of Galadriel than whatever the Rings of Power series has acheived and actually even repelled fans on just one season alone!

"Well MET, I'm sold, and I'm going to throw you a fundraiser." Seriously though, nice vid. You have earned my subscription.

A Lawgiver older than the Sun itself ❤❤❤

Thank you, that is lovely❤ I was just wondering why english culture interpretation of Galadriel is that she refuses to rule because it would be a kingdom of fear.😂The character is inspire by Nordic female characters who are usually in charge of peaceful kingdoms. Still an acutely accurate and beautiful portrait of Galadriel, well done.

One other point is she only thought about the ring thousands of years ago and stated somewhere in other writings that it became trivial to her as per her behaviour in the books she only thought of using it long ago if things hit the fan completely and other options were exhausted but the elf she is now as she never needed it in the first place as she already had power innately that as

I liked what you said and explained, there is one thing I missed, she received “training” or knowledge from Melian the Maya, the very being that maintained the girdle of Melian around that lost Elven kingdom. In the Silmarillion it was described as so powerful that only a force led by a Maya more powerful (Sauron himself) could breach it. That is tutelage if a god-class to an Elf that, as you said, already had considerable power and abilities. Must have impacted and increased her knowledge of the abilities she already had, making her even more “Wise” vs a sorcerer. Ie, good power vs evil power.

Bravo on your thumbnail. That is probably a LOT closer to the Galadriel Tolkien envisioned than either Peter Jacksons Galadriel(Kate Blanchett) or Amazons abomination. If I produced a version of Lord of the Rings today I’d probably cast someone like Margot Robbie as Galadriel. Not that butch chic that Amazon casted.

Melion mentored Galadriel during her stay Doriath.

She is also a mixture of all three Eldar clans due to her lineage.

You forget to mentioned that Galadriel is the daughter of FInarfin, who is the half brother of Fëanor... and she has the blood of the three houses, Vanyar, Noldor and Teleri.

Amazon. Let go of Morgoth’s trickery and take notes here.

“I shall NOT be Dark. (All evil) will despair” The elves (Galadriel especially is one of the few remaining that existed before the sun & moon. They pre-existed day and night.) How utterly, completely terrifying do you think it would be for your whole world to irrevocably change in a matter of an hour? For the thousands of years of (what you would come to know as twilight to be abruptly ended in a profundity of genuinely painful light and an infinity of colour? Of the joy, wonder and terror of distinguishing the difference between green and blue for the very first time in your whole life?) She is talking about the immediate, majestic sublimity of reality that one experiences in it's totality for the very first time. How on earth could that not be so terrifying as to threaten one's sanity? Galadriel with the ring would be exactly as beautiful and horrifying. I personally would not know whether to weep bitterly and perfectly, or claw my eyes out through the sheer, unutterable terror of her being in such a circumstance. But know this: she was showing Frodo what would happen if someone else got the ring. She wasn’t tempted at all. Gandalf tells. Galadriel shows. See the difference now. Two sides of the same coin. Both were needed.

Finally an image that does G. some justice!

Some of the best Galadriel art work I have ever seen. I saw the comments below, but am particularly interested in 0:08, 3:45 and 8:55. Where did those three come from?

Good Evening! So today is story night? There was a sign at your door! And he said there will be a wonderful bard singing about the Lady of Ladies. And paintings made by elf-like hands with magical properties that my heart would gladly want to see 😌. All my young hobbit friends where talking about it and our parents threatened that we would have to drink our next tea without any biscuits at all if we listened to any stories about funny adventures 🤭

7:13 wow

Because she is Old, Wise and Immortal.

Where do you get the artwork that pictures galadriel and feanor from. I would very much like to know! please

may i know what book is this from..i mean i just read the lotr books ..any info pls

Galadriel had ambition too. She wanted to rule and govern as well, hence moving to Middle Earth from the undying lands.

Galadriel was always my favourite character in the books… i always thought Cate Blanchetts portrayal was EPIC, however, i now think Nicole Kidman would have been a better suit for Galadriel.

Do the books say how long Galadriel and Mithrandir knew each other? Is it possible that she knew him since childhood, since she was in the immortal lands as a child?

The rings of power series on Prime doesn’t do Her Justice , The hobbit the battle of the five army’s gave her her do.

I thought that all of the firstborn were of Eru's conception. You seem to be saying that Galadriel was of a different order? How so?

For those who haven't deep enough into the Tolkienian hermeneutics, Galadriel was choosen to embrace one the most significant figures in Christianity with the attributes present in the Holy Scriptures and revealed by the Fathers of the Church: the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus Christ. What's why Galadriel is so powerful!

The beautiful and terrible as the Dawn comment kept getting deleted so I added part two as a reply comment to it so since you hearted it I hoped you could go and look at the rest and give it a reply lol ❤

What about the facts that she is directly related to all 3 pairs of the first awakening in Cuivienen and therefore the royal lineage of all three elven clans.

The ring that Galadriel wears, Nenya, is it imbued with her power and magnifies it, or Sauron's power? Why does the power of Nenya fade, after the One Ring is destroyed? How influence does Nenya have over Galadriel - did it awaken in the presence of the One Ring? If the two rings are combined, ie Galadriel wears both Nenya and the One Ring, would that take her power past 200% ?

I don't understand the robot voice which constantly changes pronunciation. One thing left out was galadriel learning under Melian.

I just have to know the music you used!!!

Galadriel refused to give Feanor a single strand of her golden hair to recreate the Simerals yet she gave Gimli the dwarf three.

💙💙💙💙💙💙

It's wrong to say that Galadriel was not ambitious because it was the pride of the Noldor that she inherited from her father and her own ambitions to create her own kingdom in Middle-earth that swayed her to follow Feanor's rebellion against the Valar. She did, however, took a different path but nonetheless was driven by her pride. This is one of the reasons as to why she refused to go back to Valinor after Morgoth's defeat. The Valar pardoned the exiled Noldor and bid them to return if they pleased. She refused and chose to remain in Middle-earth. Again, it is wrong for people to say ROP's depiction of Galadriel as wrong. Galadriel was not always wise as she was depicted in Peter Jackson's. Wisdom is not something you acquire in a day or a year. The hardships she encountered from the First to the Second Age made her the mightiest and on of the wisest of the Elves that remained in Middle-earth towards the end of the Third Age (War of the Ring).

Amazon waited until Christopher Tolkien died early in the production of Amazon’s DumpsterFire, his "demand" was that Amazon could use the Appendices to make the show, but they couldn't change the lore. As soon as Christopher died, Amazon delayed the show for reshoots, fired Tom Shippey who was the lead Tolkien scholar & friend of Tolkien himself; they wanted Jackson on the team. PeterJackson asked for the scripts then they ghosted him. Then later when asked about it he basically told them good luck.. You can blame this garbage show on Simon Tolkien, its stink doesn't reach Christopher. Firstly: they merge events (from thousands of years of history & build up towards several events but puts them all into one moment as if it’s happening in the same few years without time jumps or anything.) Guyladriel the murderous one dimensional girlboss heroine version of Galadriel never met Miriel(one of Aragorn’s ancestors) because, as an elf, she would have been sacrificed to Morgoth by the King's Men. The hobbits and Gandalf never met in the 2nd Age because Gandalf was in Valinor till the 3rd Age. Miriel wasn’t even born yet. She was born 300 years before or after the rings of power era. Also Elendil would never say “forget the past and toss it aside.” That’s the whole thing about the Faithful Númenoreans!!! Faithfulness to what’s good. To their elf friends. To the Valar, to Eru Îlluvatar. The way Galadriel acts like Fëanor when he isn’t seeing straight such as how she threatened bloodshed in the highest court of Númenor! The way she isn’t tall, the way she fights rookies doesn’t make her look strong. Should have had her spar with Elendil who was greater than Miriel in many ways even as far as lineage goes too! Have her spar with those greater Numenoreans and let the rookies laugh at their masters being vested by an elf woman holding back from actually hurting them! Now that’d be cool. (Remember. Their whole mantra was to write the book Tolkien never wrote”. Also watch them fake super fans. And then watch their social media that had nothing Tolkien on it ever. Like…. It’s painfully obvious what’s going on here. Same formula towards other titles. They’re just trying to bank on the brand of which that’s the only reason they did this. Just watch Peter Jackson’s new movie coming out and the war of the Rohirim. You’ll see that Brian Cox is involved In it along with Philipa Boyens as well as Actor for Èowyn named Miranda Otto. Fran Walsh I also believe is Involved as well! Watch George The Giant Slayer’s first video regarding the war of the rohirrim. It was beautiful. And he has a wonderful soul too. When I say first video. I don’t mean very first uploaded video though lol. ) There was also no Adar. No poppy. No Nori. No fake Gandalf who literally didn’t come the way he was supposed to which introduces Círdan. And since they screwed up the themes and lore so badly they have to dig in their heels. And they are also being sued by multiple people and groups and companies actually. The rings were forged last and not first. They were not in his sights or touch nor did he even know about them. And also guyladriel wasn’t a murderous Fëanorean either. But the note of the elven rings. They were made last and without the knowledge of Sauron. His touch never got to them. Made in secret so that whole story is thrown out the window as well. And making them first and having the obvious Sauron figure who wasn’t an elf to just be there when they’re making them and have his eye show up in the forge which wasn’t even the worst of it. The greatest of elven smiths still around which is Celebrimbor doesn’t even know what alloying is. Not to mention all their environmental scandals on top of bad CGI stuff. Full of copy past crowds and plagerisms up the wazoo. It’s also getting sued by several people and groups. I’ll also remind you that they just ran an old sick horse til it died of cardiac arrest and then only had a ten min coffee break to loosely honour this horse. Not to mention Tolkien loved animals in a deep way. They also have been causing environmental damage one of which being King Charles ancient forest to make a set. It’s scandal after scandal. And the fire in studio that took four hours to put out with firemen for yet another example. PS they don’t have the rights to the Silmarillion nor anything much of the second age let alone the first. Only the trilogy books and their appendices…. Remember that they also plagiarized tonnes of films in nontasteful instead of true a homage way… tempest in me but when threatening Fëanorean bloodshed in the court of Numenor was from Cate Blanchett’s Elizabeth role which was done with grace and poise of a veteran actress(which doesn’t even sound like anything those of the great chill house of Finarfin would even act like. Again it’d be best to put Elrond there due to Elros. But ooook let’s make girlboss do everything. Even if it continues to make zero sense. )😍 ​​⁠ fact they downplayed Elendil, Gil-Galad and Finrod is beyond infuriating and not explaining Elwing, Elronds mother beyond just showing her as a swan lol. Like. What’s worse is Grandpabimbor…. Let’s not forget good ol’ Guyladriel either. The LOTR version of Star Wars’ Rey! Guyladriel the Female Fëanor without any of his charms and subtleties and wit… just the bloody violent rages…

So Rings of Power's Galadriel is actually just one of the forms of Sauron

In LotR movies, why did she have that moment of seeming possessed? And then says “i passed the test”

Because she saw Telperion and Laurelin.

You forgot to mention she was more beautiful than other elven women and her beauty changed the heart of a dwarf to leave Middle Earth to see that beauty before he died. Nothing against Cate Blanchett, but she was nothing like to the beauty of Galadriel of the books. Many of the pictures you've displayed are more like I thought of Galadriel. Someone like Cheryl Ladd or Denise Richards would have made better choices for the part.

Morfydd Clark (RoP Galadriel) stands 5'4" and doesn't really convey the tall stature and majesty of Galadriel. Anna Torv (5'8" star of Fringe series) would have been my casting choice for replacing 5'9" Cate Blanchett (LOTR Galadriel). Charlize Theron (5'10") would have also been my preference. Nothing against the actress herself personally but it felt like a miscast like Tom Cruise being Reacher. But even so, the story of Galadriel was not well written and thus poorly portrayed.

:)

So you aren't perfect. You are fine the way you are.

Her time spent with a particular maiar...

do you use an ai voice?

Is luthien stronger than Galadriel

Am i evil or something else.

This breakdown shows that the show runners of the Rings of Power TV series had zero interest in Tolkien or his works. They were merely using Tolkien as a beard to tell their own story, with only the names stolen from Tolkien. The sheer hubris of these "writers" is beyond belief and the bait and switch they performed should be called out.

You really did get many things wrong in this video that are plainly stated in the books.

She is also 25th generation down from Tata & Tatyë

"Promosm" 💦

Honestly if i could clap anyone from the lore it would hands down be galadriel. Hate me for it idc.

KIn Slayer

So powerful and then given so little to do in the books. LOL. So typical of Tolkien.

Do not watch rings of power. Unbearable. I turned it off on the words “ commander galadriel”. Why ruin great books?

Get a better AI voice or use phonetics in the script please. It's Guh Lah Dree Ell

There is only one Galadriel, and that spandex clad AI generated portrait you used throughout your disquisition is not her.