I always admired the fact that Galadriel saw through Fëanor's arrogance. She defied him by not gifting one strand of her golden silver hair to him. She saw into his Fëa and knew his hubris. She really had the power of foresight.
Which makes what they did to her character in ROP all the more egregious. She wasn’t taken in by Fëanor as a youth but then, in total contradiction to the lore, played patsy to Sauron himself? GTFOH!
@@Darkstar-se6wc I agree completely. The show runners of ROP along with the actors obviously don't care or understand Tolkien at all. I wish it would get cancelled.
@@samu_el_pack Tolkien had a lot of feminist characters in his original books. One famous example is Éowyn, and he also had another character from an older time period who was similar to her, called Haleth, and he also had a female elf called Lúthien, who had an actual goddess (Melian) as a mother. Also, female elves had just as much physical power as male elves, so there isn't really any muscle mass difference between male and female elves.
@@Peter_1986all the characters you mentioned were well written by Tolkien himself while the Galadriel and Rings of Power is overall inferior on all levels
"You have no power here servant of Morgoth!!" Born in the first age, gal pals with Melian, wise, strong willed, knows how snub Feanor like a boss. Not much that doesn't make her powerful. But living many long years, seeing the fall of the Noldor, having felt great pain and loss. Power comes from strength and strength comes from within.
Examples of Galadriels great power Shielded Rohirrim in the times of mid-Ta with golden mists of magic for 3 days and prevented Sauron to find them who was also wielding magic at that time. Which resulted in the creation of Gondor Destroyed Dol Guldur without a ring and in her weakest state. Kept Dol Guldur at bay because of her mere presence and it is said only Sauron himself could have overcome it. It might be said that is because of her ring but that is not true because elven rings are only as effective as its owners power. The 3rd most powerfull elf of all time Resisted Saurons mental attacks who can conquer whole islands with such attacks Created bonds with Khazad Dum which made indirectly the creation of Imladris possible. She could have overthrown Sauron with her armies had she regained her ring. Created mirror of Galadriel that can see future. She captured the light of Earendil and defeated Shelob indirectly It is said she learned reality warping by Melian She doesnt fear Nazgul and Witch King feared her so bad that he changed his path rather than go nearby Lorien Overall she is pretty much a powerhouse and I am pretty sure I forgot other things as well. That is how powerfull she really is
Regained what ring? The only ring she's written of as having is Nenya and she never lost it once she received it. And with what armies could she have defeated Sauron? The Elves didn't armies large and powerful enough to defeat Sauron in the 2nd and 3rd Ages.
@@istari0 I wrote it wrong. Nenya lost her power after One Ring is destroyed so she didnt have the power of that ring that comes with it. Tolkien confirmed Galadriel and Elrond could have overthrown Sauron if they had the One Ring
She didn't help create Gondor she helped save it by hiding the Rohirrim with her shining mist driving back the darkness of Dol Guldur and helped create the country of Rohan.
Galadriel is one of the most powerful Elves to have ever lived. Her powers were so great that even Sauron himself feared her. She has many great powers and also has strong telepathic abilities. She can even communicate with some that is hundreds, if not thousands of miles away.
This was great! just what I needed. Concise, informative, and bite-sized with no filler! Galadriel is a character that Tolkien didn't seem to get a hold of. Christopher Tolkien in "The History of Galadriel and Celeborn" wrote "There is no part of the history of Middle-earth more full of problems than the story of Galadriel and Celeborn..." Tolkien kept revising his conception and description of Galadriel all the way up to a month before his death, as described in letter written in August 1973. But with all of them, her power remains essentially unchanged, rightfully earning the description as "the mightiest and fairest of all the Elves that remained in Middle-earth."
You forget that another reason Galadriel and her brothers where all so powerful is partly do to the fact that they are descended from all 3 of the Calaquendi aka high elven clans. On her fathers side she is 25% Noldor and 25% Vanyar and on her Mothers side she is 50% Teleri. and she and her brothers are the only elves with that kind of genetic makeup.
Melian was of the Maiar of Olofantur (Lorien). She definitely learned much of the dreamworld from her. In terms of reading hearts and minds and such, only Feanor himself was more skilled. As you mentioned, physically Galadriel had the strength and prowess of a male Elf, hence her mother-name Nerwen, "man maiden", and her father-name Artanis, "Noble Woman". I am also suspecting that, like Olorin, she spent time learning from Nienna as well. At the end of the First Age, she was the last of the leaders of the Rebellion of the Noldor, and thus still fell under the Ban, even as the rest of the Noldor were welcomed home. After the fall of Gil-Galad, she COULD have claimed the High Queenship of the Noldor. Peter Jackson paid homage to that because when the Elves came to Helm's Deep, they were flying the banners of the House of Finwe.
I believe it is in the Nature of Middle-Earth that Tolkien talks about all beings having the potential for telepathic communication but very few actually develop the ability to do so.
Very good, Yoystan. I think Lady Galadriel was so powerful because Prof. Tolkien made her into the more tangible symbol of the Blessed Virgin. I draw on old works published in the 1970s for this idea. Tolkien admitted in a interview that Lembas was a symbol of the Holy Eucharist--the more the heroes relied in it and not on earthly food, the more it sustained them. So the interviewer asked, If this miraculous bread is the symbol of the Eucharist, who does this make the Lady Galadriel? Tolkien merely smiled, but the answer to that is obvious to those who understand his Catholic background. I should also mention that the more remote symbol of the Blessed Virgin in the legendarium is Elbereth Gilthoniel to whom the elves always sang "Snow white, snow white...O Queen beyond the western seas..." That elven song was basically a prayer to Elbereth / Varda. But the more potent symbol is Galadriel since she is directly involved in the story. Namarie.
Though Giladrial did get married and have a child with Celeborn, Celebrian, who ended up marrying Elron...and thus the grandmother of Aragorn's wife Arwen...
She's more a symbol of Freyja/frigg of norse mythology. The blessed mother is also created from freyja and frigg as well but with different "morals" supposedly.
@@samanthaodegard4511 Nothing in Tolkien's writings or interviews supports this theory. He told an interviewer that lembas was a symbol of the Eucharist. When the interviewer asked who then was the woman who gifted the Fellowship with this bread, Tolkien smiled. The obvious conclusion is the Blessed Virgin--certainly not Freya.
There was also a dimension of desperation in Galadriel. She chose to Rebel Against The Valor along with the rest of her kin and while she was in Middle Earth she was exiled and I think she wanted to return to valinor but I think she had to prove herself before she could return. When she told Legolas,"...in joy thou hast livith beware of the sea...", I wonder if that 'sea longing' was inherent to the Noldorian Elves.
Well done as always! Ty for doing what you do. You have no idea how much your channel has impacted me and helped thru some dark days by highlighting hope in some way in your closing comments. ❤️
Tolkien had a back story about Galadriel in which she makes a redemptive journey. She, as you noted, wanted power, to rule her own realm. She learned both from Feanor and Sauron how dangerous the desire for power could be. By the time, Frodo offers her the ring, she has gained maturity and wisdom from the millenia she has lived and her encounters with Sauron. She knows that she must humbly remain Galadriel and go into the West if she wishes to avoid the corruption of the ring.
I always thought Glorfindel was the strongest of the surviving elves in the Third Age, but in his letters, Tolkien himself said it was actually Galadriel. She was likely gifted / trained in many powerful arts by Melian. That, plus thousands of years of experience, and her ability to survive across the ages, put her nearly on par with the Maiar.
The light of the Two Trees is by far the greatest reason for her power. The two most powerful elves in the LOTR books were her and Glorfindel precisely because they two were born in Valinor under the light of the Two Trees. Gil-Galad was born in Middle Earth and never saw the light of the trees. He would never have dared to order Galadriel around like a common foot soldier. Despite being "King of the Noldor" Galadriel was an order of magnitude above Gil-Galad's stature. Galadriel would never need to attack a troll with a sword. The troll would simply wither and shrink from her light and possibly even have turned to stone.
When the movies came out, my wife listened to books on CD afterward, she had the same question: wtf with Galadriel? I had to explain that she was "Lord (Eru) knows how old", first, and also as egotistical as f*ck (part of the Kinslaying). Her ego would never had let her to seek pardon at the end of the First Age and her power could have sustained the Noldor who remained for thousands of years. Like most women, getting married and having kids seemed to lay the groundwork for her finally getting her shit together, rather than turning into an Elf Wine-aunt surrounded by cats and bitching about her past.
It is nice that the three Elven rings are not one note, meaning the Ring of Water is not a magic token to manipulate just water, a character with water shaped hair in a water inspired supercostume, as we see in lots of modern storytelling.
I wonder how actors like Cate Blanchett feel knowing that for the foreseeable future, representations of the characters they played will look like them. I would not be surprised if there comes a point where artists who never saw the movies will still paint Galadriel with Cate Blanchett's face.
She was born to play the role so is Viggo Mortensen to play Aragorn, Christopher Lee to play Saruman, Ian McKellen to play Gandalf, so is Liv Tyler to play Lady Arwen, Elijah Wood as Frodo and Sean Benn to play Boromir. I cannot think of any other actor at that time who can play better role than them.
Lothlorien could never have been taken while she ruled there, as the Galadhrim under Galadriel and Celeborn repelled the hosts of Dol Guldur three times during the War of the Ring.
Galadriel is one of my favorite characters in the Legendarium. Her beauty and power are awesome not in a way that makes one afraid, but humble. She’s a paragon of how power itself is not corrupting, but a lack of wisdom and discipline is.
Not forgetting Tolkien's Catholicism, I believe that Galadriel's character inspiration came from the Blessed Virgin herself. Her defining virtue was also her humility but is considered by us Catholics to be the most influential Saint in Heaven. She is seconded by St. Joseph whom, I believe, inspired Celeborn's character as well.
Studying Galadriel never gets old! She seemed only to be brash & sword wielding in her youth around the time of the rebellion of the Noldor but I totally agree that she learned more sophisticated forms of warfare and resistance (and courtly manners) and so much more from Melian. By the second age, she was way beyond the type of angry, aggressive, & haute character we see envisioned in RoP. But knowing how much she could kick aas physically if needed is fun to imagine. But not this show-off style, beating up amateurs & bouncing off swords! It gets silly and almost insulting to an otherwise written, beautifully complex wise & sophisticated being.
Great video. I think this paints a picture of just how important she was and where you real power lay. The picture is needed in a timely way now as others have tried to coopt the character into something much less and much less powerful.
Why? First, I think, because she is a Noldo, whose defining characteristic is ''how do things work?" All the Noldor seem to want understand how the world works -- and then to make stuff. Second, isn't she the oldest survining high elf in Middle Earth? She's lived in Middle-Eart close to 8,000 (or more) years. That's a long time to watch, study, learn. And that's not counting the thousands, maybe tens of thousands, of years she was in Valinor. Third, all those years in Aman, she lived under the light of the Two Trees. The Trees are a miracle in themselves -- they MAKE light. And that "dew light" persists. Some of it seems to evaporate, but so much is left, it's gathered into wells and lakes. In a way, that light is the very essence of Arda. That's one of the reasons any elf who lived under their light is so powerful, it is now part of their physical being. Fourth, I think that after Feanor, she is probably the most gifted and talented of all the High Elves. But her gifts are in preseving, bettering the world around her. And her gift for seeing the motives, attitudes, desires of those around her. That's why she and Feanore never got along. She saw that behind his amazing works was a selfishness, an arrogance, and a desire for dominace. That's why Feanor won't give up the Silmarils when the Trees are poisoned -- theyre HIS. Even though the light inside was a gift of Yavana and the Valar. She's seen from Feanor, Morgoth, Sauron, what that lust for dominance can do to the world she loves. She's not only powerful, but she's become wise.
That's what I thought too but never show it and never imply it. Just let things reveal itself in it's time. I think she suspect and knew all along but still has respect for Saruman but with her experience and age, anyone call fall into the dark side.
But also this shows how arrogant and selfish she is, she could have done much more for middle earth, Isengard is not even far from Lothlorien, all the elven lords only cares about their own crowns. She knew that if someone like Saruman turned Evil it could have been the end for everyone. She did nothing to protect others than the elves from lothlorien
“Similar to Melian she was wife to a wise sindarin lord” but also like melian she far eclipsed her husband in wisdom and power. Everyone knows who wore the pants in those two relationships. Also thingol, while a lord of the sindar, was counted among the calaquendi as he had beheld the light of the trees in his youth.
And to this day I thank Peter Jackson for bringing Cate Blanchett on to play her! I'm sure an almost angelic charisma was one of her "powers," and Cate really nailed that quality. Whether somber or delighted--no wonder Gimli was smitten so, lol!
Thanks for the great analysis. Some instances of your "Why Was X So Powerful" series tend to be better described as "In What Ways Was X So Powerful," but this video in particular does a really good job of using her genealogy and history to explain how she developed into this strong metaphysical presence in Middle-Earth. For me as a reader, I was always a little annoyed that Galadriel was held up by the author to be admired and respected -- I felt it was forced on me, particularly because my own reaction was that she was creepy. Peter Jackson did a decent job of making her appear creepy, although showing her in negative was patently stupid, and he went so far with it that the later portrayal of her as a comforting presence to Frodo (in Return of the King) felt like a retcon. But that's just more about what makes Galadriel such an unusual character.
When my Chicken *who was named Galadriel* was alive her feathers really shone with Radiance like the 2 Trees of Valinor, even when she got dirty she was Radiant. There was always a glow on and around her when we took pictures of her!!! Man, Tolkien is one of the most Powerful Women in all the legendarium (who is not a Valar and Maiar) in all she did!!! Thanks, Mellon for How Galadriel is Powerful?...Until the most Famous Weapons Dwarves have Made...Marion Baggins Out!!!
In my opinion, there are three main factors underlying Galadriel's character development as well as her increase in power and her ability to use her potential more effectively: 1) Born and raised in Valinor 2) Melian's training 3) Being the bearer of Nenya
Tie this with the video CluelessFangirl did with GirlNextGondor regarding Galadriel and the important of the Vanyar. I think it didn’t have the Galadriel in the title but she came up a lot. “The mysterious Vanyar” or something. ❤
Even as a small child I couldn't fathom anyone being able to lift a weapon against her, let alone manage to use it. It just didn't seem *possible* to do such a thing against her, and back then I had no background information about WHY she would be as powerful as she is. Must be in the way she was portrayed, be it book or movie.. and, lords, did Cate Blanchett snatch my tender child heart in under a minute. ❤
I think Galadriel is so powerful to set an example that true strength and power doesnt come from the sword but more from the ability to motive and encourage people to do acts they thought they couldnt do. She is no pushover and I'm sure she would have incredible skills at melee and range combat given her age but her greatest gift isnt from her sword arm but her heart and uplifting other people from their darkness into the light so they can see they can make a difference.
All the beings in Tolkien's world their children were lesser versions of themselves [ All save Hobbits ] . Also there was an never spoken rule of Defeat , and victory the loss , or gain of power . " Why not let Orthanc and Mordor fight it out? Because whom ever won would be all the more powerful . ' [ paraphrased ]
The other day I realized that Maximus from "Gladiator" refers to himself as the "Commander of the armies of the North." ROP literally ripped off "Gladiator."
A detail that seems to me lost in most consideration of Galadriel is her age--specifically that she has grown in power and wisdom over the ages. She is a far older, far wiser, far stronger, far more mature person when she met Frodo than at the end of the First Age when she proudly refused the forgiveness of the Valar. Such wisdom as she showed must have been earned. More, Tolkien never finished writing her story. There is very little canon about her, because remember THE SILMARILLION was never complete. It cannot be canon. We don't even know really who Celeborn was, or even his people.
She is very godly by personality, As one of the oldest She has that quality, the patience, knowledge, self control all those mighty history and legends she has been part of, who witnessed the figuration of Middle earth itself made her very Goddess, And Thanks to Cate Blanchett who could exactly portrayed the Character excellently
Great video! I’d love to see you make a video about diminishing/fading. Why does it happen? Who is affected (orcs? Men?)? Couldn’t elves persist in middle earth indefinitely by simply having children that would reset the fading clock so to speak! Does this happen still in Aman? Is the weakening of the valar a distinct type of fading or related? Will valar eventually be weaker than an ordinary man by this process? Lots to explore…. Thanks!
If you read all the books , Galadriel's truly the queen of the Elven race.Also the kindest among all the Elves that not once did she hesitate to consider the well being of all living things in Arda simultaneously with hers and her own kin. By the time the Third Age had begun , she was the only remaining high Elf the Dwarves respected simply due to the fact that not once she looked down on them as an inferior race as well as because the Dwarves shared only happy memories by her and her husband Celeborn's many visits.Gimli hadn't been born at that time so he only spoke of her as a witch of terrible power through all the legends he'd heard about her when the Fellowship entered Lothlorien , until he glanced at her for the first time. The reasons she doesn't take part in the quest of the Ring are simple.First and foremost the Elves need their last remaining leaders to keep the peace among all of their quest for power and authority troubled race.If the race of Men failed against Sauron , Mordor's forces would naturally advance to all territories lying before Gondor and Rohan , obviously reaching Mirkwood , Iron Hills , Isengard and Lothlorien of course till crossing the borders of the Misty Mountains. So yes you see the remaining lesser numbers of the Elves compared to Mordor's forces throughout this scenario would be sentenced to failure and annihilation without somebody as powerful and dangerous to all that is evil as Galadriel. As a queen she too was protecting her own race by keeping a defense line.
I am pretty sure she took up arms at some point as well. I don't know how else to interpret the line about the First Kinslaying in the Shibboleth. It was prior to meeting Melian so I doubt she would throw fireballs or something. Also, it is mentioned only a couple paragraphs after the remark on her extraordinary athletic abilities, which I find telling.
That’s one of the things I liked about Rings Of Power: they humanized her. They made her less powerful, less of a goddess, portrayed her as a lesser version of the Galadriel we meet in the trilogy. I like to think that through the conflict of RoP, she grew & became the wiser, stronger Galadriel of LoTR.
It suddenly occurs to me that, given how Tolkien's world seems to revolve around destiny, that the various beings who live there may have innate power, etc. proportionate to the role that's intended for them.
maybe there's a reason why Valinor elves are prohibited from going back to Middle Earth. They were bathed in too much radiation from the two trees that they somehow acquired powers like enhanced strength or ability to wield magic or ability to enchant items... If they return to middle earth, they would just cause havoc especially to the dwarves and men.
Servants of the dark powers would have simply shrank and withered in her presence because they could not withstand the light of Valinor that she exuded.
Do you think she can be called elf witch? It's interesting because in Tolkiens, legendarium witches are mentioned twice: Morwen and Galadriel. In the Children of Hurin novel and in The Silmarillion, witches are purged by man's.
She was also said to be the strongest Elf living in middle earth. This included Glorfindel who battle a Balrog and was said to return to middle earth even more powerful than when you battled it.
@@Makkaru112 so swimming the distance of Japan to America but not been able to swim the distance of England to France is impossible? I couldn't have guessed that at all.
There are plenary of stories about drowning elves. For the show to suggest she was committing suicide is absurd because she would in up in the halls of Mandos anyways. Talk about writing your charter into a corner!
The true strength of Galadriel, and as of Gandalf as well, was that they were tempted by the evil, but wise enough to resist it. Not many of us are that wise.
What if Galadriel were a Maia just like Sauron would she be even more powerful? And which Valar would she serve? I would think her Valar would be the same as Gandalf's
She is a coward in every sense of the word, with the exception of the third age. She spent her life running away. I think she deserved more attention from the author, especially in the first age.
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I always admired the fact that Galadriel saw through Fëanor's arrogance. She defied him by not gifting one strand of her golden silver hair to him. She saw into his Fëa and knew his hubris. She really had the power of foresight.
So, she's seen what they haven't seen?
Which makes what they did to her character in ROP all the more egregious. She wasn’t taken in by Fëanor as a youth but then, in total contradiction to the lore, played patsy to Sauron himself? GTFOH!
@@Darkstar-se6wc I agree completely. The show runners of ROP along with the actors obviously don't care or understand Tolkien at all. I wish it would get cancelled.
@@Alexs.2599no reason for them to understand. What they have created has nothing to do with Tolkien other than some names.
In the books, she really is one of the coolest characters.
And gracious and graceful with Sam about the Ring.
And in Rings of power she has an extra power: the feminist power strong female character
I was a bit disappointed that galadriel was played by Cate Blanchett. She was meant to be stunningly beautiful but she just....isnt.
@@samu_el_pack Tolkien had a lot of feminist characters in his original books.
One famous example is Éowyn, and he also had another character from an older time period who was similar to her, called Haleth, and he also had a female elf called Lúthien, who had an actual goddess (Melian) as a mother.
Also, female elves had just as much physical power as male elves, so there isn't really any muscle mass difference between male and female elves.
@@Peter_1986all the characters you mentioned were well written by Tolkien himself while the Galadriel and Rings of Power is overall inferior on all levels
Yup she is along with Elrond the only character to impact nearly all the ages. She is an OG
Elrond only impacted the 2nd and 3rd age.
Better examples are Glorfindel, Cirdan and Celeborn who greatly impacted each age.
Having Wisdom learned in Valinor, Galadrial was the most powerful inspiring those around her. Her lineage among the Noldar is also a factor.
I thought it was because there was a tempest inside of her
She's actually half-Teleri and quarter Noldor and Vanyar.
@@spinningspin6053 Oh please don't remind us hahaha!
@@spinningspin6053 We do Not mention the You Know What and the quotes from it
"You have no power here servant of Morgoth!!"
Born in the first age, gal pals with Melian, wise, strong willed, knows how snub Feanor like a boss. Not much that doesn't make her powerful.
But living many long years, seeing the fall of the Noldor, having felt great pain and loss.
Power comes from strength and strength comes from within.
Born before the first age during the age of the trees*
@@brandonr424 The First Age began when the Elves awoke at Cuivienen.
Examples of Galadriels great power
Shielded Rohirrim in the times of mid-Ta with golden mists of magic for 3 days and prevented Sauron to find them who was also wielding magic at that time. Which resulted in the creation of Gondor
Destroyed Dol Guldur without a ring and in her weakest state. Kept Dol Guldur at bay because of her mere presence and it is said only Sauron himself could have overcome it. It might be said that is because of her ring but that is not true because elven rings are only as effective as its owners power.
The 3rd most powerfull elf of all time
Resisted Saurons mental attacks who can conquer whole islands with such attacks
Created bonds with Khazad Dum which made indirectly the creation of Imladris possible.
She could have overthrown Sauron with her armies had she regained her ring.
Created mirror of Galadriel that can see future. She captured the light of Earendil and defeated Shelob indirectly
It is said she learned reality warping by Melian
She doesnt fear Nazgul and Witch King feared her so bad that he changed his path rather than go nearby Lorien
Overall she is pretty much a powerhouse and I am pretty sure I forgot other things as well. That is how powerfull she really is
Regained what ring? The only ring she's written of as having is Nenya and she never lost it once she received it. And with what armies could she have defeated Sauron? The Elves didn't armies large and powerful enough to defeat Sauron in the 2nd and 3rd Ages.
@@istari0 I wrote it wrong. Nenya lost her power after One Ring is destroyed so she didnt have the power of that ring that comes with it.
Tolkien confirmed Galadriel and Elrond could have overthrown Sauron if they had the One Ring
@@oguzhanenescetin5702 But it would have corrupted them.
@@taylemgames2652 yep
She didn't help create Gondor she helped save it by hiding the Rohirrim with her shining mist driving back the darkness of Dol Guldur and helped create the country of Rohan.
Galadriel is one of the most powerful Elves to have ever lived. Her powers were so great that even Sauron himself feared her. She has many great powers and also has strong telepathic abilities. She can even communicate with some that is hundreds, if not thousands of miles away.
This was great! just what I needed. Concise, informative, and bite-sized with no filler!
Galadriel is a character that Tolkien didn't seem to get a hold of. Christopher Tolkien in "The History of Galadriel and Celeborn" wrote "There is no part of the history of Middle-earth more full of problems than the story of Galadriel and Celeborn..." Tolkien kept revising his conception and description of Galadriel all the way up to a month before his death, as described in letter written in August 1973. But with all of them, her power remains essentially unchanged, rightfully earning the description as "the mightiest and fairest of all the Elves that remained in Middle-earth."
You forget that another reason Galadriel and her brothers where all so powerful is partly do to the fact that they are descended from all 3 of the Calaquendi aka high elven clans. On her fathers side she is 25% Noldor and 25% Vanyar and on her Mothers side she is 50% Teleri. and she and her brothers are the only elves with that kind of genetic makeup.
Melian was of the Maiar of Olofantur (Lorien). She definitely learned much of the dreamworld from her. In terms of reading hearts and minds and such, only Feanor himself was more skilled. As you mentioned, physically Galadriel had the strength and prowess of a male Elf, hence her mother-name Nerwen, "man maiden", and her father-name Artanis, "Noble Woman". I am also suspecting that, like Olorin, she spent time learning from Nienna as well. At the end of the First Age, she was the last of the leaders of the Rebellion of the Noldor, and thus still fell under the Ban, even as the rest of the Noldor were welcomed home. After the fall of Gil-Galad, she COULD have claimed the High Queenship of the Noldor. Peter Jackson paid homage to that because when the Elves came to Helm's Deep, they were flying the banners of the House of Finwe.
But Galadriel read Feanor very well.
Thank you I was wondering
I believe it is in the Nature of Middle-Earth that Tolkien talks about all beings having the potential for telepathic communication but very few actually develop the ability to do so.
Very good, Yoystan. I think Lady Galadriel was so powerful because Prof. Tolkien made her into the more tangible symbol of the Blessed Virgin. I draw on old works published in the 1970s for this idea. Tolkien admitted in a interview that Lembas was a symbol of the Holy Eucharist--the more the heroes relied in it and not on earthly food, the more it sustained them. So the interviewer asked, If this miraculous bread is the symbol of the Eucharist, who does this make the Lady Galadriel? Tolkien merely smiled, but the answer to that is obvious to those who understand his Catholic background. I should also mention that the more remote symbol of the Blessed Virgin in the legendarium is Elbereth Gilthoniel to whom the elves always sang "Snow white, snow white...O Queen beyond the western seas..." That elven song was basically a prayer to Elbereth / Varda. But the more potent symbol is Galadriel since she is directly involved in the story. Namarie.
Very insightful
From what i read that sounds accurate.
Though Giladrial did get married and have a child with Celeborn, Celebrian, who ended up marrying Elron...and thus the grandmother of Aragorn's wife Arwen...
She's more a symbol of Freyja/frigg of norse mythology. The blessed mother is also created from freyja and frigg as well but with different "morals" supposedly.
@@samanthaodegard4511 Nothing in Tolkien's writings or interviews supports this theory. He told an interviewer that lembas was a symbol of the Eucharist. When the interviewer asked who then was the woman who gifted the Fellowship with this bread, Tolkien smiled. The obvious conclusion is the Blessed Virgin--certainly not Freya.
There was also a dimension of desperation in Galadriel. She chose to Rebel Against The Valor along with the rest of her kin and while she was in Middle Earth she was exiled and I think she wanted to return to valinor but I think she had to prove herself before she could return. When she told Legolas,"...in joy thou hast livith beware of the sea...", I wonder if that 'sea longing' was inherent to the Noldorian Elves.
Well done as always! Ty for doing what you do. You have no idea how much your channel has impacted me and helped thru some dark days by highlighting hope in some way in your closing comments. ❤️
Because the Two Trees are one heck of an EXP boost.
Tolkien had a back story about Galadriel in which she makes a redemptive journey. She, as you noted, wanted power, to rule her own realm. She learned both from Feanor and Sauron how dangerous the desire for power could be. By the time, Frodo offers her the ring, she has gained maturity and wisdom from the millenia she has lived and her encounters with Sauron. She knows that she must humbly remain Galadriel and go into the West if she wishes to avoid the corruption of the ring.
I always thought Glorfindel was the strongest of the surviving elves in the Third Age, but in his letters, Tolkien himself said it was actually Galadriel. She was likely gifted / trained in many powerful arts by Melian. That, plus thousands of years of experience, and her ability to survive across the ages, put her nearly on par with the Maiar.
Didn't Glorfindel already die and just got reincarnated? In terms of 'surviving', then it would really be Galadriel.
The light of the Two Trees is by far the greatest reason for her power. The two most powerful elves in the LOTR books were her and Glorfindel precisely because they two were born in Valinor under the light of the Two Trees.
Gil-Galad was born in Middle Earth and never saw the light of the trees. He would never have dared to order Galadriel around like a common foot soldier. Despite being "King of the Noldor" Galadriel was an order of magnitude above Gil-Galad's stature.
Galadriel would never need to attack a troll with a sword. The troll would simply wither and shrink from her light and possibly even have turned to stone.
Here we go a power level video to end my lazy weekend
The lighting they used for the elves and similar characters like GD the White was so perfect, so accented
When the movies came out, my wife listened to books on CD afterward, she had the same question: wtf with Galadriel? I had to explain that she was "Lord (Eru) knows how old", first, and also as egotistical as f*ck (part of the Kinslaying). Her ego would never had let her to seek pardon at the end of the First Age and her power could have sustained the Noldor who remained for thousands of years. Like most women, getting married and having kids seemed to lay the groundwork for her finally getting her shit together, rather than turning into an Elf Wine-aunt surrounded by cats and bitching about her past.
It is nice that the three Elven rings are not one note, meaning the Ring of Water is not a magic token to manipulate just water, a character with water shaped hair in a water inspired supercostume, as we see in lots of modern storytelling.
oof.... the picture that's shown around the 0:31 mark is a very good candidate for a diamond painting.... love it!
Happy Mother’s Day to all of the mothers subscribed to this channel! I hope you are having an amazing day wherever you are in Middle Earth!
🥰
"She was more of a mage and not so much a swordswoman." So she wasn't Guyladriel? Amazon lied to me!!!
I wonder how actors like Cate Blanchett feel knowing that for the foreseeable future, representations of the characters they played will look like them. I would not be surprised if there comes a point where artists who never saw the movies will still paint Galadriel with Cate Blanchett's face.
She was born to play the role so is Viggo Mortensen to play Aragorn, Christopher Lee to play Saruman, Ian McKellen to play Gandalf, so is Liv Tyler to play Lady Arwen, Elijah Wood as Frodo and Sean Benn to play Boromir. I cannot think of any other actor at that time who can play better role than them.
@@keddiemeal Sean Bean's portrayal of Boromir made him more sympathetic than it was for me reading the books as a teenaget 50 years ago
@@jeffbosworth8116was he portrayed so badly in the books? He seems human, just a bit flawed as all humans, and certainly redeemed himself.
@@Az22490 I may be remembering the animated video (came out when I was in HS)
Nice work dude
Best lord of the rings channel, great job man!
Lothlorien could never have been taken while she ruled there, as the Galadhrim under Galadriel and Celeborn repelled the hosts of Dol Guldur three times during the War of the Ring.
Her ability to swim across oceans.
sHe HaS a VaGiNa
Please, we’re discussing Galadriel here, not Guyladriel. The one has nothing to do with the other, whatever Jeff Bezos et al might claim.
@@glennross85 and it’s magical.
@@obi-wanshinobi2353 That gaping chasm swallowed Celeborn whole, hence his absence.
@@glennross85xD !!!! Made my day hahaha
Galadriel is one of my favorite characters in the Legendarium. Her beauty and power are awesome not in a way that makes one afraid, but humble. She’s a paragon of how power itself is not corrupting, but a lack of wisdom and discipline is.
Not forgetting Tolkien's Catholicism, I believe that Galadriel's character inspiration came from the Blessed Virgin herself. Her defining virtue was also her humility but is considered by us Catholics to be the most influential Saint in Heaven. She is seconded by St. Joseph whom, I believe, inspired Celeborn's character as well.
Thanks. Happy mothers Day.
I like how Yoysten subtly scoffs at rings of power Mary sue. 😅
Studying Galadriel never gets old! She seemed only to be brash & sword wielding in her youth around the time of the rebellion of the Noldor but I totally agree that she learned more sophisticated forms of warfare and resistance (and courtly manners) and so much more from Melian. By the second age, she was way beyond the type of angry, aggressive, & haute character we see envisioned in RoP. But knowing how much she could kick aas physically if needed is fun to imagine. But not this show-off style, beating up amateurs & bouncing off swords! It gets silly and almost insulting to an otherwise written, beautifully complex wise & sophisticated being.
Great video. I think this paints a picture of just how important she was and where you real power lay. The picture is needed in a timely way now as others have tried to coopt the character into something much less and much less powerful.
Why? First, I think, because she is a Noldo, whose defining characteristic is ''how do things work?" All the Noldor seem to want understand how the world works -- and then to make stuff.
Second, isn't she the oldest survining high elf in Middle Earth? She's lived in Middle-Eart close to 8,000 (or more) years. That's a long time to watch, study, learn. And that's not counting the thousands, maybe tens of thousands, of years she was in Valinor.
Third, all those years in Aman, she lived under the light of the Two Trees. The Trees are a miracle in themselves -- they MAKE light. And that "dew light" persists. Some of it seems to evaporate, but so much is left, it's gathered into wells and lakes. In a way, that light is the very essence of Arda. That's one of the reasons any elf who lived under their light is so powerful, it is now part of their physical being.
Fourth, I think that after Feanor, she is probably the most gifted and talented of all the High Elves. But her gifts are in preseving, bettering the world around her. And her gift for seeing the motives, attitudes, desires of those around her. That's why she and Feanore never got along. She saw that behind his amazing works was a selfishness, an arrogance, and a desire for dominace. That's why Feanor won't give up the Silmarils when the Trees are poisoned -- theyre HIS. Even though the light inside was a gift of Yavana and the Valar. She's seen from Feanor, Morgoth, Sauron, what that lust for dominance can do to the world she loves. She's not only powerful, but she's become wise.
Galadriel greatest strength was her wisdom. I think that she was suspicious of Sauroman after dol guldur.
That's what I thought too but never show it and never imply it. Just let things reveal itself in it's time. I think she suspect and knew all along but still has respect for Saruman but with her experience and age, anyone call fall into the dark side.
But also this shows how arrogant and selfish she is, she could have done much more for middle earth, Isengard is not even far from Lothlorien, all the elven lords only cares about their own crowns. She knew that if someone like Saruman turned Evil it could have been the end for everyone. She did nothing to protect others than the elves from lothlorien
“Similar to Melian she was wife to a wise sindarin lord” but also like melian she far eclipsed her husband in wisdom and power. Everyone knows who wore the pants in those two relationships. Also thingol, while a lord of the sindar, was counted among the calaquendi as he had beheld the light of the trees in his youth.
Keep up the great videos, woulda been great if she could have made an appearance in thor ragnarok haha
And to this day I thank Peter Jackson for bringing Cate Blanchett on to play her! I'm sure an almost angelic charisma was one of her "powers," and Cate really nailed that quality. Whether somber or delighted--no wonder Gimli was smitten so, lol!
Thanks for the great analysis. Some instances of your "Why Was X So Powerful" series tend to be better described as "In What Ways Was X So Powerful," but this video in particular does a really good job of using her genealogy and history to explain how she developed into this strong metaphysical presence in Middle-Earth.
For me as a reader, I was always a little annoyed that Galadriel was held up by the author to be admired and respected -- I felt it was forced on me, particularly because my own reaction was that she was creepy.
Peter Jackson did a decent job of making her appear creepy, although showing her in negative was patently stupid, and he went so far with it that the later portrayal of her as a comforting presence to Frodo (in Return of the King) felt like a retcon.
But that's just more about what makes Galadriel such an unusual character.
When my Chicken *who was named Galadriel* was alive her feathers really shone with Radiance like the 2 Trees of Valinor, even when she got dirty she was Radiant. There was always a glow on and around her when we took pictures of her!!!
Man, Tolkien is one of the most Powerful Women in all the legendarium (who is not a Valar and Maiar) in all she did!!!
Thanks, Mellon for How Galadriel is Powerful?...Until the most Famous Weapons Dwarves have Made...Marion Baggins Out!!!
Also this video was released on Cate Blanchett's Birthday, Happy Birthday to our Galadriel!!!
Thank you Yoystan!!! I have always wondered about this. I have enjoyed this video extremely!!! Aloha.
It is Cate Blanchett's birthday today.
Great video
In my opinion, there are three main factors underlying Galadriel's character development as well as her increase in power and her ability to use her potential more effectively:
1) Born and raised in Valinor
2) Melian's training
3) Being the bearer of Nenya
Tie this with the video CluelessFangirl did with GirlNextGondor regarding Galadriel and the important of the Vanyar. I think it didn’t have the Galadriel in the title but she came up a lot. “The mysterious Vanyar” or something. ❤
Darned typo. Importance. Not important. It I edited it’d automatically remove the heart Yoystan gave lol
Excellent!
Even as a small child I couldn't fathom anyone being able to lift a weapon against her, let alone manage to use it. It just didn't seem *possible* to do such a thing against her, and back then I had no background information about WHY she would be as powerful as she is.
Must be in the way she was portrayed, be it book or movie.. and, lords, did Cate Blanchett snatch my tender child heart in under a minute. ❤
"Heart"
I think Galadriel is so powerful to set an example that true strength and power doesnt come from the sword but more from the ability to motive and encourage people to do acts they thought they couldnt do. She is no pushover and I'm sure she would have incredible skills at melee and range combat given her age but her greatest gift isnt from her sword arm but her heart and uplifting other people from their darkness into the light so they can see they can make a difference.
All the beings in Tolkien's world their children were lesser versions of themselves [ All save Hobbits ] . Also there was an never spoken rule of Defeat , and victory the loss , or gain of power . " Why not let Orthanc and Mordor fight it out? Because whom ever won would be all the more powerful . ' [ paraphrased ]
"Well, here's one Dwarf she won't ensnare so easily. I have the eyes of a hawk and the ears of a fox." -- Gimli
The other day I realized that Maximus from "Gladiator" refers to himself as the "Commander of the armies of the North." ROP literally ripped off "Gladiator."
Her self control is her greatest power
Good vid
Happy Sunday 🎉😊
A detail that seems to me lost in most consideration of Galadriel is her age--specifically that she has grown in power and wisdom over the ages. She is a far older, far wiser, far stronger, far more mature person when she met Frodo than at the end of the First Age when she proudly refused the forgiveness of the Valar. Such wisdom as she showed must have been earned.
More, Tolkien never finished writing her story. There is very little canon about her, because remember THE SILMARILLION was never complete. It cannot be canon. We don't even know really who Celeborn was, or even his people.
Oh my! I can't believe I missed this yesterday! But thank you so much for all you insights! I really like Galadriel as a powerful female character ❤
To give Gimli her hair but refuse her cousin Feanor the same when he was forging the silmarils also shows her wisdom and what a great writing point
Why didn’t she give him something useful too, like a rope
She is very godly by personality, As one of the oldest She has that quality, the patience, knowledge, self control all those mighty history and legends she has been part of, who witnessed the figuration of Middle earth itself made her very Goddess, And Thanks to Cate Blanchett who could exactly portrayed the Character excellently
Great video! I’d love to see you make a video about diminishing/fading. Why does it happen? Who is affected (orcs? Men?)? Couldn’t elves persist in middle earth indefinitely by simply having children that would reset the fading clock so to speak! Does this happen still in Aman? Is the weakening of the valar a distinct type of fading or related? Will valar eventually be weaker than an ordinary man by this process? Lots to explore…. Thanks!
The REAL Galadriel and not that angry shrew in that joke tv show,
If you read all the books , Galadriel's truly the queen of the Elven race.Also the kindest among all the Elves that not once did she hesitate to consider the well being of all living things in Arda simultaneously with hers and her own kin. By the time the Third Age had begun , she was the only remaining high Elf the Dwarves respected simply due to the fact that not once she looked down on them as an inferior race as well as because the Dwarves shared only happy memories by her and her husband Celeborn's many visits.Gimli hadn't been born at that time so he only spoke of her as a witch of terrible power through all the legends he'd heard about her when the Fellowship entered Lothlorien , until he glanced at her for the first time.
The reasons she doesn't take part in the quest of the Ring are simple.First and foremost the Elves need their last remaining leaders to keep the peace among all of their quest for power and authority troubled race.If the race of Men failed against Sauron , Mordor's forces would naturally advance to all territories lying before Gondor and Rohan , obviously reaching Mirkwood , Iron Hills , Isengard and Lothlorien of course till crossing the borders of the Misty Mountains. So yes you see the remaining lesser numbers of the Elves compared to Mordor's forces throughout this scenario would be sentenced to failure and annihilation without somebody as powerful and dangerous to all that is evil as Galadriel. As a queen she too was protecting her own race by keeping a defense line.
I assumed that Galadriel's mind reading and telepathic communication abilities were enabled by her wearing of Nenya.
I am pretty sure she took up arms at some point as well. I don't know how else to interpret the line about the First Kinslaying in the Shibboleth. It was prior to meeting Melian so I doubt she would throw fireballs or something. Also, it is mentioned only a couple paragraphs after the remark on her extraordinary athletic abilities, which I find telling.
That’s one of the things I liked about Rings Of Power: they humanized her. They made her less powerful, less of a goddess, portrayed her as a lesser version of the Galadriel we meet in the trilogy. I like to think that through the conflict of RoP, she grew & became the wiser, stronger Galadriel of LoTR.
It suddenly occurs to me that, given how Tolkien's world seems to revolve around destiny, that the various beings who live there may have innate power, etc. proportionate to the role that's intended for them.
Love when she adorns armour and a sword😊
I've always pictured her as the Sumner Queen of the Shide execpt more involved in the affairs of the mortal realm.
maybe there's a reason why Valinor elves are prohibited from going back to Middle Earth. They were bathed in too much radiation from the two trees that they somehow acquired powers like enhanced strength or ability to wield magic or ability to enchant items... If they return to middle earth, they would just cause havoc especially to the dwarves and men.
Her power definitely didn't mean with a sword. Rangs of Power butchered that. She would lose power picking up a sword. Sorceress supreme.
Servants of the dark powers would have simply shrank and withered in her presence because they could not withstand the light of Valinor that she exuded.
Do you think she can be called elf witch? It's interesting because in Tolkiens, legendarium witches are mentioned twice: Morwen and Galadriel. In the Children of Hurin novel and in The Silmarillion, witches are purged by man's.
She has many times been a part of battles. Written by Tolkien as well she was said to be close if not equal to Feanor in battle and superior in mind.
She was also said to be the strongest Elf living in middle earth. This included Glorfindel who battle a Balrog and was said to return to middle earth even more powerful than when you battled it.
I had assumed it was because of her age. I hadn’t thought about being in the light of the two trees or that you absorbed power from the light.
Why was Galadriel an Olympic swimmer in the second age?
It was nearly impossible for several reasons. Even the mighty gleaming Amroth died swimming back to Nimrodel
@@Makkaru112 so swimming the distance of Japan to America but not been able to swim the distance of England to France is impossible? I couldn't have guessed that at all.
There are plenary of stories about drowning elves. For the show to suggest she was committing suicide is absurd because she would in up in the halls of Mandos anyways. Talk about writing your charter into a corner!
@@JinxSwe the sundering seas were HUGE. Even the Helcaraxë took 80 plus years to travel.
The movie didnt tell us, but it definitely show us with but a taste of the extent of her potential power....
The true strength of Galadriel, and as of Gandalf as well, was that they were tempted by the evil, but wise enough to resist it. Not many of us are that wise.
amazon made her look so weak lol
Then don't watch it
Gave her sunpower...So she's basically the elf adult version of Supergirl.
Galadriel is exactly as described here when represented in rings of power 🤣
I think her greatest power was humility. She was able to pass on taking the ring and resign herself to diminishing her status and going west.
Why Was Galadriel so Powerful? because Tolkien had a hardon for Nordic Women. Plus Nordic Women are WONDERFUL
I think in the second age she learned the price of power and that chilled her by the third age
What if Galadriel were a Maia just like Sauron would she be even more powerful? And which Valar would she serve? I would think her Valar would be the same as Gandalf's
Still shows no thumbnail , only for your videos, when I share on fb 😔
Please keep images from that crappy ROP out
So taking the One Ring = Permanent PMS;
Got it; Poor Celeborn.
ALL SHALL LOVE ME AND DESPAIR!
I thought Elrond’s ring was the ring of water?
Magic is about will - thelema.
Was she though? What did she actually do?
Who here hates what Amazon did to our Lady Galadriel?
Water ring OP. Wind ring the most OP surprisingly.
In the movies they make her more powerful than Gandalf and even Sauron, how realistic is this compared to the books?
😊
Inspired by the Virgin Mary❤
Do you guys just make this stuff up? This wasn’t in LOTR books.
She is a coward in every sense of the word, with the exception of the third age. She spent her life running away. I think she deserved more attention from the author, especially in the first age.
😍👌