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A History of Galadriel - The Lady of Light

October 15, 2003
Submitted By Mirlomien

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Galadriel was born before the start of the First Age, being one of the few who saw the Two Trees. Called Nerwen by her mother Eärwen and Artanis by her father Finarfin, she was extremely beautiful and very tall. In the Silmarillion (p. 61) it says,

"Galadriel, most beautiful of all the house of Finwë; her hair was lit with gold as though it had caught in a mesh the radiance of Laurelin."

But Laurelin was not protected from the destruction of Ungoliath, and Fëanor was not protected from pride and selfishness. Morgoth had been at work, and because of his lies he caused Fëanor to want to follow him to Middle Earth. To the Noldor Fëanor gave a powerful speech, convincing many to go with him. Though Galadriel did not trust Fëanor, she to wanted to leave for Middle Earth. In the Silmarillion (p. 90) we are told,

"But Galadriel, the only woman of the Noldor to stand that day tall and valiant among the contending princes, was eager to be gone. No oaths she swore, but the words of Fëanor concerning Middle Earth had kindled her heart."

So, against the wishes of the Valar they decided to leave Valinor, forbidden from returning. But as Galadriel and her kin waited for Fëanor to send the ships back for them they realized they had been betrayed. Braving the harsh north Galadriel helped lead the remainder of her people across to Middle-earth. When they arrived there was a great fight between the two groups, and many were slain.

Galadriel from there went to live in Doriath, learning lore and wisdom from Melian, wife of Thingol. There she met Celeborn, the great nephew of Thingol, and married him. They moved several times before settling in Lothlórien, where they eventually became rulers. Over the years they had one daughter, Celebrian, who later married Elrond, the Lord of Rivendell.

In SA 1693 the elven smith Celebrimbor gave to her Nenya, the ring of water, which was one of the three. Throughout the Second and Third Ages she used her powers against evil, for she could see the mind of Sauron without revealing her own. At the end of the War of the Ring the Valar granted her permission to return to Valinor because of her constant hard work. There she was reunited with her daughter Celebrian, and later joined by Celeborn.

And so it was that Galadriel, the only leader of the revolt of the Noldor to survive the Wars of Beleriand, returned to Valinor.

Reader Comments

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... 9 Comments

Very interesting,but you should have put in more detail.

Comment by Legolas-Lover - November 29, 2003 @ 8:54 AM
Just wanted to say that this is a really lovely summary of Galadriels life. I had tried doing something like this myself, once, for a school report, and found it very difficult to condense (not to mention, research) her entire past. I think you did a very nice job of succinctly describing her history.

Comment by EmpressOfAlvarra - February 13, 2004 @ 8:23 PM
thank you! i had always wondered about her, but didn't have time to look through the whole Simirillian (sp?) about her. i think it was a good summary for ppl needing to know the basic background on characters. (btw, if you had put everything about her, it would probably have been a [long] paper)
anyways, this was well-written! i think i am going to save it to refer back to for my story. thanks again!
tethcelebel

Comment by Tethcelebel - February 14, 2004 @ 7:26 PM
sorry, i'm still trying to get the hang of bolding text, ect. and i have to figure it out. oh well. i meant long paper. i dunno if this will work. hopefully! *crosses fingers*

Comment by Tethcelebel - February 14, 2004 @ 7:27 PM

i'm leaving now. *shakes head* don't think i'll get the hang of it

Comment by Tethcelebel - February 14, 2004 @ 7:28 PM

Is this a detail changed by Tolkien? I always thought that the rings were Narya, of Fire, Nenya, of Air, and Vilya, of Water.

Comment by naurghash - June 8, 2004 @ 2:48 AM

*bows*

Comment by VardaElbereth - September 27, 2005 @ 7:11 AM

Very good...but add some more details to make it great.

Comment by LuthienNienna - June 18, 2007 @ 5:29 AM

Interesting.Galadriel has always been awsome to me

Comment by Crystal castle - January 13, 2008 @ 7:12 AM

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