Galadriel, Lady of Lothlórien (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
inafadingcrown) wrote2015-05-20 10:24 pm
inafadingcrown) wrote2015-05-20 10:24 pm
History
There’s 8,000 plus years of character development here, so I’ll just skip most of the histories of the wars and the motives behind them.
Galadriel grew up in Aman, the Undying Lands. It was a pretty good life, but she was ambitious and wanted a land of her own to rule. Due to a series of rather unfortunate events her uncle, Fëanor, convinced a great number of the Noldor (their particular group of elves) to leave and swear an oath of vengeance for said series of unfortunate events. Galadriel didn’t trust or like Fëanor-she “sensed a darkness in him”- and she didn’t swear the oath. However, her desire to rule over a spot of Middle-Earth led her to join the group.
Unfortunately, Fëanor’s determination to leave Aman would prove to be costly. When the Telari (another group of elves, renowned for seafaring) refused to join the Noldor or part with their ships Fëanor and his sons turned on them, initiating the Kinslaying. Galadriel did not aid in this slaughter; in fact she fought to defend the Telari, her mother’s kin, but she also failed to see this event for what it was: a giant warning sign. She continued to travel with Fëanor’s group, although one can imagine that relations were somewhat strained. To top all of this off, Fëanor and his sons took the ships of the Telari for themselves, leaving Galadriel, her brothers, and their followers to cross a harsh land bridge to get to Middle-Earth. This left Galadriel more determined than ever to make the journey, if only to thwart Fëanor in every way possible. At this point, the Valar spoke up and, in response to the Kinslaying, cursed the Noldor who left to treachery among themselves and banned them from ever returning. Galadriel’s leadership during this time meant that she fell under the ban and, though some of her kin sought pardon and received it, she was far too proud.
The curse of the Valar held true and much of the First Age was filled with war and strife. For the most part, Galadriel was able to stay out of the conflict. She spent a great deal of time in the kingdom of Doriath, where she met two people who would have a major impact on her life. First, she met Melian, the queen of that realm and a Maia, who was very wise and powerful. By all accounts the two became good friends and it is likely that Melian’s influence led to the growth of Galadriel’s wisdom and probably helped calm her down a bit. It was also in Doriath that she met Celeborn, whom she would marry by the end of the First Age. Unfortunately, Doriath fell violently at the hands of Fëanorians, an event known as the Second Kinslaying. Again, a home was lost to her and, again, her own family was responsible.
The second age began relatively peacefully and it was during this time that Galadriel gave birth to her daughter, Celebrían who would later marry Elrond and have Elrohir, Elladan, and Arwen. Eventually however, the peace of the Second Age was interrupted by Sauron’s return. It was during this time that the Rings of Power were forged and, along with them, the One Ring. The elves realized that they had been deceived, and, on Galadriel’s advice, hid the rings and did not use them until Sauron was defeated and the One Ring was lost. It was at this time that Galadriel received Nenya, the ring of the adamant. At some point during the Second Age, Galadriel and Celeborn became the rulers of Lothlórien, arguably the fairest Elven realm east of the Sundering Sea. The end of the Second Age also left Galadriel with a significantly trimmed family tree; Her brothers and kin had all been killed in the assorted wars of the first two ages.
During the Third Age that Celebrían was ambushed by a party of orcs while on her way to visit her parents. She was captured and tortured and, although she was rescued by her sons, she never fully recovered mentally and sailed into the West a year later. This would have been particularly painful for Galadriel on a number of levels. Most obviously, she would have empathized with the pain of her daughter and perhaps even felt slight guilt given where Celebrían was headed, but it should also be remembered that Galadriel was still under the ban preventing her from sailing to the West. This event was, as far as she knew at the time, the last she would ever see of her daughter.
During the War of the Ring, Galadriel played a vital yet largely hidden role. She formed the White Council, a group of the wise to discuss what to do about the problem. She continually used her telepathic abilities to search the mind of Sauron and gather information, all while guarding her own mind from his intrusions. Her most visible role, from the point of view of the hobbits (and thus the reader) was to aid the Fellowship during their stay at Lothlórien. During this time, Frodo offered her the Ring. By this time, Galadriel is a significantly different person than the ambitious and proud young elf who left Aman. The years of strife and loss had left their mark and she has come to understand her place in the world. She had been, in effect, force-fed some humble pie. It would not be true to say that it was easy for her to decline the One Ring, but she did. Her rejection of it proved to be the final act that removed the ban of the Noldor exiles from her shoulders. In this show of wisdom and humility, she demonstrated exactly how much she had changed; it is unlikely that, had the Ring come to her in her younger years, she would have been able to resist the temptation.
After the Fellowship left Lothlórien, she received the injured Gandalf, nursed him back into health, and garbed him in white robes, completing his transition from “Gandalf the Grey” to “Gandalf the White.” He left Lothlórien with messages from Galadriel to several members of the Fellowship. From then on, her role in the War of the Ring was largely in the background- at least for the reader. We know that she met and spoke with Eomer because he said as much to Gimli. But we can assume that she spent much of her time preparing her realm for battle, because Sauron's forces from Dol Guldor began the first of three assaults on Lothlórien around the same time Gollum visited Shelob (about a week after Helm's Deep). The attack was repelled, only for a second attack to come four days later. That too was defeated. The third and final assualt, coming five days after the second, was also repelled. Soon after, in Mordor, the One Ring was destroyed, causing 'a Shadow' to lift and a weaking of Sauron's allies.
Knowing this, Celeborn lead his forces over the River Anduin and they took the fortress of Dol Guldor. Galadriel "threw down its walls and laid bare its pits and the forest was cleansed." After this, things became decidedly more peaceful. At this point, Galadriel obviously knew that she was going to sail West, but she remained for a time, tending to matters both political and personal. She attended Arwen and Aragorn's wedding (and coronation) and, as they are returning to Lothlórien (traveling with Elrond, Gandalf, and the hobbits) she and Celeborn meet with Treebeard. It's a reunion between two of the oldest elves left in Middle Earth and one of the oldest beings there- and they all know that they will not likely meet again in this lifetime; it's a bit bittersweet. The group also has a brief encounter with Sarumon. Galadriel offers him a chance to make amends and redeem himself. He, of course, sneers at her and throws insults at everyone in earshot.
After a bit more traveling and a lot of late night psychic conversations and reminiscing, Galadriel, Celeborn and their retinue seperate from the main group and head towards Lothlórien.
Galadriel grew up in Aman, the Undying Lands. It was a pretty good life, but she was ambitious and wanted a land of her own to rule. Due to a series of rather unfortunate events her uncle, Fëanor, convinced a great number of the Noldor (their particular group of elves) to leave and swear an oath of vengeance for said series of unfortunate events. Galadriel didn’t trust or like Fëanor-she “sensed a darkness in him”- and she didn’t swear the oath. However, her desire to rule over a spot of Middle-Earth led her to join the group.
Unfortunately, Fëanor’s determination to leave Aman would prove to be costly. When the Telari (another group of elves, renowned for seafaring) refused to join the Noldor or part with their ships Fëanor and his sons turned on them, initiating the Kinslaying. Galadriel did not aid in this slaughter; in fact she fought to defend the Telari, her mother’s kin, but she also failed to see this event for what it was: a giant warning sign. She continued to travel with Fëanor’s group, although one can imagine that relations were somewhat strained. To top all of this off, Fëanor and his sons took the ships of the Telari for themselves, leaving Galadriel, her brothers, and their followers to cross a harsh land bridge to get to Middle-Earth. This left Galadriel more determined than ever to make the journey, if only to thwart Fëanor in every way possible. At this point, the Valar spoke up and, in response to the Kinslaying, cursed the Noldor who left to treachery among themselves and banned them from ever returning. Galadriel’s leadership during this time meant that she fell under the ban and, though some of her kin sought pardon and received it, she was far too proud.
The curse of the Valar held true and much of the First Age was filled with war and strife. For the most part, Galadriel was able to stay out of the conflict. She spent a great deal of time in the kingdom of Doriath, where she met two people who would have a major impact on her life. First, she met Melian, the queen of that realm and a Maia, who was very wise and powerful. By all accounts the two became good friends and it is likely that Melian’s influence led to the growth of Galadriel’s wisdom and probably helped calm her down a bit. It was also in Doriath that she met Celeborn, whom she would marry by the end of the First Age. Unfortunately, Doriath fell violently at the hands of Fëanorians, an event known as the Second Kinslaying. Again, a home was lost to her and, again, her own family was responsible.
The second age began relatively peacefully and it was during this time that Galadriel gave birth to her daughter, Celebrían who would later marry Elrond and have Elrohir, Elladan, and Arwen. Eventually however, the peace of the Second Age was interrupted by Sauron’s return. It was during this time that the Rings of Power were forged and, along with them, the One Ring. The elves realized that they had been deceived, and, on Galadriel’s advice, hid the rings and did not use them until Sauron was defeated and the One Ring was lost. It was at this time that Galadriel received Nenya, the ring of the adamant. At some point during the Second Age, Galadriel and Celeborn became the rulers of Lothlórien, arguably the fairest Elven realm east of the Sundering Sea. The end of the Second Age also left Galadriel with a significantly trimmed family tree; Her brothers and kin had all been killed in the assorted wars of the first two ages.
During the Third Age that Celebrían was ambushed by a party of orcs while on her way to visit her parents. She was captured and tortured and, although she was rescued by her sons, she never fully recovered mentally and sailed into the West a year later. This would have been particularly painful for Galadriel on a number of levels. Most obviously, she would have empathized with the pain of her daughter and perhaps even felt slight guilt given where Celebrían was headed, but it should also be remembered that Galadriel was still under the ban preventing her from sailing to the West. This event was, as far as she knew at the time, the last she would ever see of her daughter.
During the War of the Ring, Galadriel played a vital yet largely hidden role. She formed the White Council, a group of the wise to discuss what to do about the problem. She continually used her telepathic abilities to search the mind of Sauron and gather information, all while guarding her own mind from his intrusions. Her most visible role, from the point of view of the hobbits (and thus the reader) was to aid the Fellowship during their stay at Lothlórien. During this time, Frodo offered her the Ring. By this time, Galadriel is a significantly different person than the ambitious and proud young elf who left Aman. The years of strife and loss had left their mark and she has come to understand her place in the world. She had been, in effect, force-fed some humble pie. It would not be true to say that it was easy for her to decline the One Ring, but she did. Her rejection of it proved to be the final act that removed the ban of the Noldor exiles from her shoulders. In this show of wisdom and humility, she demonstrated exactly how much she had changed; it is unlikely that, had the Ring come to her in her younger years, she would have been able to resist the temptation.
After the Fellowship left Lothlórien, she received the injured Gandalf, nursed him back into health, and garbed him in white robes, completing his transition from “Gandalf the Grey” to “Gandalf the White.” He left Lothlórien with messages from Galadriel to several members of the Fellowship. From then on, her role in the War of the Ring was largely in the background- at least for the reader. We know that she met and spoke with Eomer because he said as much to Gimli. But we can assume that she spent much of her time preparing her realm for battle, because Sauron's forces from Dol Guldor began the first of three assaults on Lothlórien around the same time Gollum visited Shelob (about a week after Helm's Deep). The attack was repelled, only for a second attack to come four days later. That too was defeated. The third and final assualt, coming five days after the second, was also repelled. Soon after, in Mordor, the One Ring was destroyed, causing 'a Shadow' to lift and a weaking of Sauron's allies.
Knowing this, Celeborn lead his forces over the River Anduin and they took the fortress of Dol Guldor. Galadriel "threw down its walls and laid bare its pits and the forest was cleansed." After this, things became decidedly more peaceful. At this point, Galadriel obviously knew that she was going to sail West, but she remained for a time, tending to matters both political and personal. She attended Arwen and Aragorn's wedding (and coronation) and, as they are returning to Lothlórien (traveling with Elrond, Gandalf, and the hobbits) she and Celeborn meet with Treebeard. It's a reunion between two of the oldest elves left in Middle Earth and one of the oldest beings there- and they all know that they will not likely meet again in this lifetime; it's a bit bittersweet. The group also has a brief encounter with Sarumon. Galadriel offers him a chance to make amends and redeem himself. He, of course, sneers at her and throws insults at everyone in earshot.
After a bit more traveling and a lot of late night psychic conversations and reminiscing, Galadriel, Celeborn and their retinue seperate from the main group and head towards Lothlórien.