Galadriel: A History

In her youth she was something of an elvish tomboy, being unusually tall, strong and athletic for a woman. She also possessed an intellect keen enough to rival Fëanor, considered the greatest (if not the wisest!) of the Noldor. Long before the hapless Gimli was bewitched by her beauty, Fëanor asked thrice for a tress from her head; unlike the Dwarf his requests were rejected, an irony he would have neither understood nor appreciated. She could have chosen any of her doubtless innumerable admirers in Tirion, Valmar or Beleriand, so why Galadriel decided to marry the uninspiring Teleporno (even if he was tall for a Sinda and thus at least matched her height) is something of a mystery. But a mystery no greater than why a Maia on holiday in Middle-earth should have decided to ensnare his almost equally uninspiring King - Elwë, ruler of the Sindarin Elves. In both cases the lady far outranked her chosen lover in power, wisdom and perception.

Whilst she was still in the Blessed Realm there are glimpses and hints of the young Noldo's enquiring and ambitious spirit, though less of the calmer, more serene Telerin side of her nature. Having learned all she could from her Valarian teachers (who included Aulë the patron of crafts and Yavanna, creator of fauna & flora), this Man-Maiden dreamed of returning to Middle-earth to carve out her own kingdom and put her knowledge into practice. And her Teleri instincts often drew her to the less crowded sea-shores about the home of her kin at Alqualondë. It was later said that she met Celeborn there and that they planned to sail to Beleriand, but this is improbable. There is no evidence he ever went near Eldamar; even if he had, he was not a mariner, the sailors of the Haven of The Swans were not in the habit of ferrying kinfolk back to Beleriand, and no Teleri are recorded as joining the Flight of The Noldor. In any case she was not a 'rebel' planning to leave Aman without the blessing of the Valar who had summoned the Eldar there as protection from the dangers of Middle-earth. But events unforeseen even by Manwë overtook any intentions she had.

With the destruction of the Two Trees - Telperion and Laurelin - by the unholy alliance of Morgoth and Ungoliant, Valinor was suddenly cast back into darkness, thrown into confusion and Alqualondë invaded by her unfriend, Fëanor, demanding ships and railing against the Valar. With or without Celeborn at her side, Galadriel would have joined the hopeless defence of her mother's people's magnificent ships, and been horrified by the Kinslaying; games and shows of athletic prowess she excelled in, but hand-to-hand combat was a new experience for Galadriel and all of the Eldar. It is uncertain at what point she decided to join her brothers under the banner of Fingolfin in the determined march of the Second Host of the Noldor, who fled Aman to escape what some saw as captivity. But it was an opportunity to go where she wanted to go. Possibly she was annoyed by the apparent incompetance of the Valar, in failing to protect both their own finest works - the Two Trees of Light - and The Silmarils, great Jewels in which the luminance of the Trees had been caught (whether she liked or disliked their maker, Fëanor). And she had revenge as a more immediate, driving motive to follow the Fëanoreans, who had sailed ahead in stolen vessels they then burnt. The Galadriel of Ages later would have left them to their fate, discerning that it was inevitable whatever any of the other Eldar might do to hasten or delay it, and stayed to plan a less uncertain future. As it was, she was one of the leaders in the Flight from Aman, and accepted Mandos' dread Prophecy of The North (the warning that all who left Aman with the doomed Fëanoreans would share in the Curse of ruin laid upon them). She was in the van of the struggle to cross Araman, the bitter wasteland to the north of Aman, and brave the terror of the grinding ice-floes between Aman and Middle-earth - the Helcaraxë. On finally arriving in Mithrim they found themselves in circumstances very different from whatever it was they had anticipated, however.

Morgoth had not been idle. His orc-armies had already decimated the unfortunate Laiquendi, who now hid in the forests of Ossiriand. Elwë's threatened realm in Eglador was encircled by the protective Girdle of Melian and afforded little welcome to outsiders. And Fëanor was already dead. This left his outnumbered sons in peril of being slaughtered not by their avowed arch-enemy but by their own wrathful kin. Luckily for the divided Noldor, the wisdom and valour of Fingon in rescuing the captured Maedhros ended the danger of outright civil war, and an uneasy agreement as to who was their mutual enemy and which House should rule ensued. Not that the sons of Fëanor were forgiven, but with many of their followers ashamed of their part in the Kinslaying and abandonment of Fingolfin, and guilt at their misguided part in the events at Alqualondë fresh in the minds of some of Fingolfin's people, there was a basis for co-operation. Quite what those among the Second Host of the Noldor who had left Aman primarily to be free of their 'enslavement' by the Valar thought they would do in Middle-earth was unclear even to them. Faced with the all too obvious threat from Morgoth's northern fortress of Angband, they had little choice but to fortify 'free' Beleriand and adopt a defensive posture, which Ulmo's warnings to Fingolfin, Finrod and Turgon merely emphasised. Nevertheless it was 20 years before Fingolfin, the High-King of the Noldor in Middle-earth, felt it safe to hold the Mered Aderthad, the celebration formalising the re-uniting of the factions of the Eldar and their Grey-Elven kin.

Initially Galadriel remained with her brother, Finrod, the King of Nargothrond. She did not visit Doriath for some years. When she did she met Celeborn and they fell in love; she remained with him thereafter, thus nominally becoming a Sinda. In her case this was indeed purely nominal. If her choice of partner seemed contrary at the time, her choice of abode was fortunate. The furthering of her education by Melian The Maia, Queen of Doriath, and the opportunity to observe a violent world from a protected realm almost in the centre of the arena, were to prove of great value. Had she not found Doriath to her liking her future would have been as bleak as that of Finduilas (daughter of her brother Orodreth and thus her niece) in Nargothrond, captured and slain by orcs. As a woman and the youngest of Finarfin's children she could not claim a territory and following of her own. Some doom had decided she should not fall with Nargothrond, but survive to play a key role much later in the history of Middle-earth.

Galadriel was related to many of the leading Noldor and Teleri of the First Age. But the Eldar kingdoms and the fiefdoms of their allies of the Three Tribes of Men were destroyed, the Doom of the Noldor ensuring it was not merely the Fëanoreans who would be fatally entangled in the War of The Jewels (as the First Age conflict between Morgoth and the Elves became known, for he held the Silmarils they wished to recover). Had Galadriel been Finarfin's fifth son, no doubt she too would have fought bravely and fallen in battle. From her vantage point and advised by Melian she could see what was coming; even Elwë's refuge was bound to fail. Before the falls of Nargothrond and Gondolin and thus before the sack of Menegroth by the Dwarves of Nogrod, the removal of Melian's Girdle and the final ruinous attack by the sons of Fëanor (attempting fulfil the Oath of Fëanor to retrieve the Silmarils), she and Celeborn had left Doriath, though at first they only went as far as Lindon. They were followed by more Grey-Elves after the tragedies in Doriath and the exodus in the wake of the War of Wrath, when the Host of The Valar descended upon Middle-earth and fought Melkor with such violence that Beleriand was torn apart and drowned. Celeborn became well aware of the killing of his kin by the Naugrim of Nogrod, and did not forget it. What he thought of the Fëanoreans (and their Noldor kin) was probably supressed in an act of great diplomacy. Galadriel was joined by Cirdan, Gil-Galad and Elrond - four High-Elves who became The Wise in a world still dominated by the Noldor, and in due course were all bearers of the Elven Rings.

Had Gil-Galad not survived (and indeed after his demise at the end of the Second Age), Galadriel the Noldo outranked the Eldar who remained in Middle-earth and could have made a good case for being recognised as High Queen. But there was no tradition among Elves for a woman taking such a title, so like Melian she ruled within the social parameters. Ages later Galadriel might gently tell Celeborn he is an idiot, but it is clear that he is the Lord of Lórien and takes precedence. Nevertheless it is she, not Celeborn who wears Nenya; it is she, not Celeborn who calls and sits on the White Council; and the suspicious outside world fears the Lady of Dwimordene, not its Lord. She politely informs the Company of The Ring in Caras Galadhon of Celeborn's fame as the wisest of the Elves of Middle-earth, before putting this reputation into context. It had been her powers which protected the Éothéod's desperate ride to save Gondor at the Field of Celebrant, just as her power was shortly to save Lórien from repeated attack and perform the final cleansing of Mirkwood. Frodo is afforded a rare glimpse of Galadriel's strength of mind on offering her The One Ring. Melian had been an excellent tutor, but unlike her mentor Galadriel did not have to be content with advising and seeing her husband ignore that advice. Maybe Galadriel's choice of husband was wise, and Celeborn in turn wiser than Elu Thingol, after all.

So why did Galadriel choose to remain, rather than take ship back to Aman? Arriving ahead of the main body of refugees from the wreck of Beleriand, she may not have known of Manwë's summons to the surviving Eldar to return to Tol Eressëa, that the Teleri then forgave the Kinslaying, and of the pardon of the Noldor by the Valar, though Cirdan would soon have informed her. Maybe Celeborn was loathe to leave Middle-earth, having not felt the call of the sea, and she wished to stay with him out of love. Possibly Galadriel still yearned after a realm of her own, and hoped the downfall of Morgoth would enable her to find one.

It may be that she thought the Pardon of the Noldor did not apply to her; this has been mooted as a reason for her remaining in Middle-earth. Whether the Valar did regard her as a dangerous rebel and exclude her is unclear, though her sad farewell to the Fellowship as they leave Lórien suggests it:

Galadriel was also said to have refused the pardon of the Valar. If indeed they offered her one, they misjudged her. She wanted no pardon, holding that she had done no wrong, and set out to prove her fidelity and worthiness; this gave rise to the perception that Galadriel believed it to be her duty to remain, sensing that Middle-earth had not been cleansed of all evil, and this too was in part true. Throughout her stay in Middle-earth the Man-Maiden played a very different role to that of her male kinfolk. Being both far-sighted and a strategist, she acted as if it were both her doom and duty to lend her considerable intellectual powers to the councils of The Wise, of whom there were ever fewer. The western Hither Lands needed Galadriel, and Galadriel needed the stimulus of Middle-earth, at least until she had proved herself and could do no more.

They did not remain long with Gil-Galad in Lindon, and having gathered a following of Noldor and Sindar exiles moved across the Ered Luin, settling for a time by Lake Nenuial, whence they ruled the wide realm of Eriador, also acknowledged as Lord and Lady of The Eldar by the wandering companies of Nandorin elves there. It was a near-empty land, with scattered settlements of Elves and Men, the latter mostly relatives who had not crossed into Beleriand of the Three Tribes of Men who did and became Elf-friends. It proved to be the setting for their longest period of peace yet, disturbed when the signs of an evil presence to the east caused them to move in SA 700 to the province of Eregion. It was during this period that some legends say they had a son, Amroth; he was not their son, though doubtless he and his father, Amdir, were among their followers. But at about this time they did have a daughter, Celebrían.

Eregion also became the base of Celebrimbor, who took the title Lord of Eregion when he began the building of Ost-in-Edhil, close by the Misty Mountains and the Dwarf-Hall of Hadhodrond, in 750. Clearly Galadriel struck an accord with the estranged son of Curufinwë, whereby they were acknowledged as Lord and Lady of Eriador (including Eregion), but his title and rule in Ost-in-Edhil were undisputed. They must have lived in one of its lesser towns, maybe Tharbad on the Gwathló, on Eregion's borders. For in about 900 Galadriel met Tar-Aldarion (the Númenórean navigator-King and friend of Gil-Galad) there when he sailed up-river, an encounter which would not have been recorded unless she was ruler of Eriador.

Galadriel - if not Celeborn - would have taken an interest in Celebrimbor's colony of single-minded Gwaith-i-Mírdain, the Company of Jewel-Smiths. Passing through Moria, she discovered Lórinand and the Nandorin elves living in the Vale of Anduin. Doubtless she learned too of the Redhorn Gate and other High Passes to the north as alternative routes through the Misty Mountains. At this time she was merely a visitor, but some of the Sindarin exiles who also crossed the mountains settled in this pleasant land among their kin, whose influence extended across the Anduin into Greenwood The Great. Among them were Oropher (who crossed the Anduin), and Amdir (who stayed in Lórinand); both became Sindarin kings of the Silvan-Elves. (See the Amroth Legacy).

But Sauron was on the move again, and having established himself in Mordor and begun the building of Barad-dûr in c 1000 came west, posing as the friendly Annatar, Lord of Gifts. He was rejected outright by Gil-Galad and refused admittance to Lindon. Galadriel likewise saw through him, but was unable to impose a similar ban, almost certainly because she could not interfere in Celebrimbor's territory, upon which he concentrated. By about 1350 Sauron had so beguiled the Noldorin smiths that they turned against Galadriel and Celeborn. Galadriel simply moved to Lórinand with Celebrían. This was the first of her several sojourns in the Golden Wood, and though she assumed ruling power it was temporary. No doubt Amdir, the King, was happy to relinquish responsibility to his former ruler in Eriador for organising the defence of his country against such an awesome power. Lórinand was in need of a tactician. The mound which became Cerin Amroth was pleasant to live on, but no stronghold. It seems probable Galadriel began both the building of Caras Galadhon and the muster and training of elves with little experience of warfare. Celeborn was left in Eregion, allegedly because he would not enter Hadhodrond, but in practical terms to keep the eastern borders of Eriador as secure as he might, regardless of Celebrimbor's typically Noldor disdain for him.

In Hollin in the century and a half after SA 1500 the forging of the Nine and Seven Rings of Power proceeded in secret, initially under Sauron's guidance and with Galadriel too removed to detect what was happening. Celebrimbor discovered that the benign Lord of Gifts was anything but after he himself made the final Three Rings and the existence of the One Ring (to make which Sauron had returned to Mordor) was revealed. At least he had the good sense to seek Galadriel's advice, and the Three were immediately removed from Eregion to Lórinand and Lindon and never wielded openly. Cirdan and Gil-galad, the holders of the Rings of Fire and Air were thus hampered, being unable to use the protective powers of the Elven Rings in the wars that were about to shatter the tranquillity of Middle-earth. And the power of the Ring of Water was not fully used until later. For whatever reason - lack of will on the part of the Noldor due to the powers within the Rings themselves, or maybe simple pride in their craft on the part of Celebrimbor's smiths - the Seven and Nine were not destroyed. The later bitterness of Elrond at Isildur's failure to cast The One Ring back into Orodruin, was perhaps forgetful.

In SA 1695, alerted to the existence of the Three Rings and Celebrimbor's 'betrayal', Sauron invaded Eriador via Calenardhon (a route Galadriel later took steps to ensure was closed). Celeborn was first to join battle and proved himself a capable commander, managing to drive back the vanguard and join up with the force under Elrond sent from Lindon. But they could not hold long and were obliged to retreat, leaving Sauron to devastate Eregion, destroy Ost-in-Edhil, capture and kill Celebrimbor, and seize the Nine Rings and most of the Seven Rings. He then turned on Elrond and Celeborn, who were saved by a joint force of Dwarves and Elves from Lórinand. Although they were forced back into Khazad-dûm and its Gate safely closed, Sauron had made a tactical error in thinking Galadriel was neutralised, as this unusual alliance can only have been her doing and it bought precious time. It also demonstrated her ability to inspire different races and cultures to collaborate for the common good. In the second year of the campaign Elrond led the surviving Elven forces to the valley of Imladris, to which many other Elves of Eriador fled from the invading orcs. Gil-Galad, besieged in Lindon, was saved at the eleventh hour by a fleet of Númenórean warriors, landing in 1700 at Mithlond and Lond Daer; the marauding Orcs were routed at the battles of Sarn Ford and Tharbad, the siege of Imladris was raised and Sauron hounded out of Eriador.

Once the rumours of victory were confirmed, Galadriel left Lórinand and rejoined Celeborn in Imladris, where she took part in a Council of The Wise. This decided that Imladris should be the main eastward Elven stronghold, and Elrond was appointed vice-regent of Eriador, thus relieving Celeborn and Galadriel for other duties. Although the effect of the Ring of Water upon Galadriel had been to arouse a strong longing for the sea, they remained guests of Elrond for some time, possibly until it became evident that the maritime power of Númenor had made safe the shore-lands closer to Mordor. During this visit Elrond fell in love with Celebrían, but did not declare his devotion. It was to be well over 1500 years and a new Age before they did marry !

When Galadriel and Celeborn did leave Imladris, it was to take up residence yet again in an advance post, this time in Belfalas. Galadriel was said to have felt it her duty to stay in Middle-earth while the threat from Sauron persisted, so her choice served two purposes: she was both by the sea, and better placed to monitor activity nearer Mordor. There was already a small Sindarin presence there, at Edellond. It was sparsely populated on their arrival, and although a number of Silvan Elves from Lórinand joined them, their number cannot have been great. Possibly it was this most southerly Elven outpost which attracted another group of settlers in the latter days of Númenor - Elendili fleeing persecution. They lived close by in what was to become Dor-en-Ernil, the Land of The Prince.

Galadriel and Celeborn must have lived quietly, almost anonymously, keeping Nenya well concealed. Doubtless they remained in touch with Imladris, and Lórinand. The port offered swifter communications with Lindon and Gil-Galad than the overland route, certainly before the great highway from Gondor to Arnor was built. It is unlikely Galadriel used it herself, however, lest the temptation to continue sailing West became too great. Thus she passed out of history for a long while, as befitted the bearer of an Elven Ring so much closer to Barad-Dûr. And she watched while Númenor grew mighty and was corrupted, and reported the news brought by The Faithful who came to live nearby, and by the mariners who established the larger port at Pelargir. Her foresight must have saddened her with foreboding when Sauron allowed himself to be captured and taken to Armenelos, and at the arrival of the last ships ever from doomed Atalantë.

After this long vigil, the century taken by the Exiles from Númenor to build the defences of their Kingdoms and for Sauron to muster forces to attack Gondor was swift in comparison. What role Galadriel and Celeborn played in the war of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men we know not, though Celeborn probably led a troop of Elves under the banner of Gil-Galad. Galadriel doubtless sent Celebrían to Imladris for safety, and may have withdrawn there in any case to brief the Alliance commanders on the strengths of the forces of the Southern Kingdom and the opposition. Her whereabouts following the levelling of Barad-Dûr are unclear. However, with Gil-Galad lost, the remaining High-Elves few in number, the Kings of Gondor apparently safe and able to guard the borders of Mordor, there was little clear need for Galadriel's southerly watch - she had fulfilled her duty in that respect. Celebrían's parents would of course have been in Imladris for her wedding to Elrond in 109 of the Third Age.

It seems they returned to Belfalas, for Amroth, King of Lórinand, visited them there from time to time, during the 1900 years before the release of the Balrog in Moria, and they in turn paid two visits to his wooded realm. It was during one of these, maybe, that Galadriel planted the seeds of the great mallorn trees of Caras Galadhon. In 1981, when Amroth attempted to leave Middle-earth via Edellond, he found the Elven settlement abandoned and the last ship about to sail. He did not tell Nimrodel that Galadriel was there (which he would surely have done to reassure her), so they must have moved some time beforehand.

Galadriel soon learned of the loss of Amroth, for she and Celeborn entered Lórien again - quite likely at the invitation of the leaderless Galadhrim - and were welcomed as the new Lord and Lady. The made it clear, however, that they came once more as temporary rulers who would depart when their presence was no longer needed and a new King could take the vacant throne.

By the time of their return hopes raised by the victory of the Last Alliance had been dashed. Angmar, though destroyed, had itself caused the ruin of the Northern Kingdom, and orcs had spread into the Misty Mountains and White Mountains. The Dwarves of Moria had been forced to flee, and Gondor was continually threatened from the south and east. The defence of the west depended upon the defences of the Vale of Anduin and the plain of Calenhardhon. Aided by the power of Nenya Galadriel was able to emulate in some measure the Girdle of Melian and enhance the protection of Lórien, which soon became feared as the Dwimordene by most. Galadriel looked to the protection of her home, as well as the West. Oddly, she never discovered exactly what terror lurked in the Dwarf-Mines. And she rarely met Fangorn, an understanding with whom might have helped secure her southern border. Perhaps she believed the brooding, ancient forest was sufficient defence against enemies who might dare try to pass through, and that Treebeard would not or could not undertake any formal alliance, even with the Galadhrim.

Lothlórien became the base from which activity across the Anduin at Dol Guldur could best be observed, before, during and after the four centuries of the Watchful Peace (2063-2460). At its end Galadriel called the White Council, hoping that with Gandalf as its Head it might become an effective instrument in countering The Shadow. But The Wise heeded her not, and under Saruman it was near fatally ineffectual. This was certainly true for Celebrían, wounded by orcs in the Redhorn Pass in 2509; a year later Galadriel and Celeborn bade farewell to their only child. In the same year Gondor was again attacked and near-overrun. This time Galadriel was able to help, casting a protective veil across the Anduin to ensure the Eorlingas reached the Field of Celebrant unhindered by Dol Guldur. In so doing she also ensured that the plain north of the White Mountains, Eriador's southern entrance, was better guarded than in the Second Age. But her influence was limited, and treachery within the ranks of The Wise by no less than the leader of the Istari she could do little about, hence her warning to the Ring Company: " Yet hope remains while all the Company is true. " followed by a mental interrogation to both satisfy herself there were no traitors in the Fellowship and reinforce her message. It was a testament to Galadriel's ability to suppress the frustrations she had born and her determination to fulfil her role to the end.

As the War of The Ring reached its climax, Galadriel's purpose in Middle-earth came to a close. Victory or defeat in the Quest of The Ring were almost meaningless, for either way her part-fated, part-chosen role must end. She achieved her full potential whilst able to wield her Ring, but was only able to use it openly for a brief period to defend Lórien from assault in the final battles of the War, when Sauron's attention was focussed elsewhere and no reason to conceal it remained. Her last act was the cleansing of Mirkwood; it must have pleased her greatly, for that was the purpose of the Elven Rings, though their powers were rapidly waning.

Thereafter she could only, as she told Frodo, diminish, though diminish was a relative term. Frodo then saw her as a laughing, slender elf-woman, whose gentle voice was soft and sad. Galadriel could not match the powers of the Istari, but her outward appearance and behaviour ever concealed the wisest Elf in Middle-earth, whose abiding legacy lay in her continued deception of Sauron. From long before her decision to sail to Avallónë (the capital and port of the isle of Tol Eressëa, to which ships bearing Elves leaving Middle-earth might come), there was no question of Galadriel not having kept faith with the Valar, albeit on her terms. How she knew she had earned her place in The West she did not vouchsafe; possibly it was her own "test" she passed? Had she not refrained from using the Elven Ring as openly as she must have been tempted to, and foregone her ambitions, the Fourth Age would have begun much sooner, and very differently.

Celeborn remains something of an enigma. He was not included in the Councils of the Wise, despite being an Elf-Lord and Galadriel's husband. Though Galadriel deferred to him, Gandalf respected him, and the Galadhrim regarded him as their Lord, he appears to have been excluded from the circles of the Tareldar by the Noldor. Whether this was due to personal choice or snobbery is untold, but it is worth comparing the status of two other Umanyar: Cirdan and Elrond. It seems most likely that he simply opted out. He may even (like many of the Sindar of Doriath) have continued to harbour a dislike of the Noldor. His leadership qualities were never in doubt, and there is no hint of antipathy between Celeborn and Elrond.

Despite the long Ages spent with Galadriel, Celeborn retained his own identity. Having left matters in the Vale of Anduin settled in the hands of Thranduil (and no doubt a new ruler of Lórien), he left as promised. With Elrond's departure Imladris needed a new Lord, and Celeborn's experience made him the obvious choice. Celeborn resisted the call of the gulls, perhaps feeling the need to prove himself too, free of the shadow of the Noldor. Elven Middle-earth would henceforth be Silvan.

	~ The Amroth Legacy ~ LoreMaster Elrond ~
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