The Complete Travels of Glorfindel | Tolkien Explained
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- Опубликовано: 29 сен 2024
- Glorfindel is not only a fan-favorite character, but also one of the most powerful elves to ever walk Middle-earth. Today, we cover his entire life - his birth in Valinor, his fatal fight against a balrog in Gondolin, and his reincarnation by the Valar. After he re-embodied, he is sent back to Second Age Middle-earth, as an emissary to help the elves of Eriador in their fight against Sauron. Eventually, we would meet him again as he helps Frodo get to Rivendell, and takes on five Ringwraiths single-handedly!
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Glorfindel and Ecthelion - Jenny Dolfen
Glorfindel - Jenny Dolfen
Glorfindel, Aragorn, and the hobbits - Fantasy Flight
Alqualonde - Ted Nasmith
Beleriand Map - Lamaarcana
Lords of Gondolin - Kazuki Mendou
Gondolin Falls - Federico Cimini
Glorfindel's Bane - Ted Nasmith
Glorfindel and the Balrog - Alan Lee
Barrow - Liam Reagan
Glorfindel and the Balrog - Justin Gerard
Trees of Valinor - Helen Kei
Glorfindel Battles the Balrog - Alystraea Art
Sauron - Jerry Vanderstelt
Manwe Sulimo - Gustavo Malek
Glorfindel - Kenneth Sofia
The Nazgul - Istrandar
Glorfindel - Thomas Rouillard
Glorfindel - Gellihana
Glorfindel and the Balrog - John Howe
Rivendell Elf Rider - Nick Keller
Glorfindel and the Balrog - Anato Finnstark
Glorfindel and Asfaloth - Alystraea Art
Glorfindel - Audrey Hotte
Fire on Weathertop - Ted Nasmith
Glorfindel - Anke Eissmann
Ai na vedui, Dunedan - Abe Papakhian
Glorfindel at the Ford - Sebastian Giacobino Fantasy Flight
Glorfindel Returns to Rivendell - Jenny Dolfen
Glorfindel - Ulla Thynell
Glorfindel - Liiga Klavina
Elf - Sjoerd Bijkerk
Frodo flies to the fords of Bruinen upon Asfaloth - Donato Giancola
Glorfindel at the Ford - Alystraea Art
Nazgul and Glorfindel - Denis Gordeev
Frodo and the Nazgul - Magali Villeneuve
Frodo's Recovery - Donato Giancola
The Council of Rivendell - MellorianJ
The Council of Elrond - Alan Lee
Tom Bombadil - Borja Pindado
The Fellowship of the Ring - The Brothers Hildebrandt
Arwen and Elessar Wedding - The Brothers Hildebrandt
The Grey Havens - Francesco Amadio
Valinor Shores - dogasimsir_artwork
Glorfindel Finds His Grave - Alystraea
#glorfindel #tolkien #lordoftherings
Glorfindel is on of the potential characters for LOTRonPrime that I'm most excited about! Which character that we've never seen on-screen before do you want to see the most?
Not necessarily a character but the isle of Numenor itself (which in itself may be a character if they do it well)
Gil Galad, Anarion, Ringwraiths as Men and many others....
Círdan the shipwright and perhabs the two blue wizards
Tom Bombadil, maybe as a narrator. He seemed to understand a lot of the history of Middle-Earth.
Sauron as Anatar
Ah yes, Glorfindel, whose power against the Nazgul is surpassed only by Farmer Maggot.
He should get a dog
I see you're a man of culture as well
Farmer maggot, why were the Nazgul afraid of him. Hobbits stole his vegetables regularly and he was never able to scare them off. 😂😂😂😂
@@liamwright2510 probably because farmer maggot didn't show any particular fear. He just told the wraiths to get bent or he would fuck them up. The wraiths were busy, too.
Don't be too proud of those undead terrors Sauron has created. The ability to destroy Middle Earth is insignificant, next to the power of the mushroom
I was just watching videos of yours at like 11pm yesterday, thinking, "Man, it would be great to have a video about Glorfindel." Then boom, you post this today.
Glad I could come through for you!
@@NerdoftheRings Of course, recently found you and I love all your videos man! You go in great depth and detail of characters or events. I love it.
Wow... What an epic story. Truly he was a light to his kindred.
Glorfindel is by far my favorite character in Tolkien work
Imagine Glorfindel does go with the Fellowship.
Gandalf: "It is a Balrog."
Frodo: "What shall we do?"
Glorfindel: "Worry not. Gandalf and I shall vanquish this foe in little time. Make way to the exit while we tend to this."
10 minutes later
Gandalf: "The deed is done. Shall we carry on?"
A really hope to see him in the new Lord of the rings tv show, he should have been in the movies!!
That show and the people making it are doing it to destroy Tolkiens vision. If you watch it and give them money you are no better than an Orc.
@@Hoonter101I don't think they want to destroy his vision but they will never get to close to the books, I adore Tolkien and his work and reading the silmarilion, the hobbit and Lord of the rings is the only way to truly experience and know what his vision is!
I may be a bit late to the party on this one; but the reason why Glorfindel is not in Jacksons film adaptation of LOTR and is instead replaced by Arwen, is oddly explained in Jacksons version of ‘King Kong’ with the line “… if this picture had a love interest would gross twice as much”.
So how does this reincarnation work in Tolkien's works...is Glorfindel born again or is he basically resurrected, but getting a new body?
In this case, he was given a new body, as his old one was buried in Beleriand.
One of Tolkien's earlier conceptions was that elves who had died would eventually be reborn in Valinor as an offspring of their line, so that the number of elves would never grow, but that doesn't seem consistent since new elves were being born before any had died. But all elves would eventually be reborn in some manner.
There are really two ways this could happen. (1) Glorfindel's spirit enters into a pregnant Elf in Valinor and he is born and has to grow up all over again. (2) His body is formed somehow by the Valar, or Eru, and his spirit is placed in it.
I think the second one is better because he would be able to retain all of the lore he had learned in his previous incarnation and remember all of things he had experienced in that life, which would be useful for him when he returned. Not to mention he could spend all those years in Valinor telling everyone there what happened in his previous life, kind of like The Lost Tales, but from firsthand experience.
@@spangelicious837 Oh cool, that is an interesting concept. But not really used, true
@@Enerdhil Yeah, (2) would be better in a way for him and others around him. So Tolkien is never specific about him, doesnt give details about his second life other than his great deeds?
I only have some basic knowledge from the Silmarillion and the LOTR movies and to my understanding there is so much details written in bits and pieces here and there ♥️
Be great if they came out with a game that lets you play as Glorfindel. Shadow of War style.
My Theory about the Grond, The Battering Ram
Melkor's Hammer was known as Grond, and he was a HUGE giant, right? Well, what if that hammer broke, and only the hilt was found? Could there be a chance that the orcs used this gigantic hilt as a battering Ram? PLZ reply NoTR!!!
So, Morgoth was the size of Godzilla?
@@Enerdhil maybe even bigger
Did Glorfindel come out of the West with the Istari? On the same ship?
Never officially said but it's widely believed that it is the case
I like to think they carpooled. (Or boatpooled?)
@@redlightning2322 I would assume ships from the uttermost West would be very rare. It's not like they come in convoys.
I'm pretty sure Tolkien said they arrived in Middle Earth in the same year. He could have said "at the same time." So I am leaning toward no in answering your question, although it seems like a waste of a trip, or incompetence on Manwe's part
It’s been said that Glorfindel arrived in ME in 1600 S.A with the Blue Wizards
I bet Glorfindel's last words to his people before he fell were "Fly, you fools!"
It's a pretty good line. :)
and once again taking solo XP for Balrog and coming back with few more levels :D
There's more to it than this. In the chapter 'Many Meetings' Gandalf tells Frodo the background of Glorfindel.
"And here in Rivendell there live still some of his chief foes: the Elven-wise, lords of the Eldar from beyond the furthest seas. They do not fear the Ringwraiths, for those who have dwelt in the Blessed Realm live at once in both worlds, and against both the Seen and the Unseen they have great power'
Then in reply to Frodo re Glorfindel specifically:
'Yes, you saw him for a moment as he is upon the other side: one of the mighty of the Firstborn. He ls an Elf-lord of a house of princes....'
Plainly therefore he is the same Glorfindel as in the First Age.
'
Hahahah
It was "paaaaaarrkouuuurrrr!"
As a British person, Tolkien allowing Glorfindel to cut the queue for reincarnation means a lot.
haha!
I love it!
Kept him a place.
Honestly, if you cut a line, you best hope you're already dead.
As if ants picking up on a breeze bourne pheromone; the synchronised turning of british heads, the the twitching of stiff upper lips like mandibles, the budgling of eyes in silence enunciated by the terrible eruption of profanity...
Our paper thin veneer of civility sheds swiftly like soggy tissue paper.
Well he filled out all the proper forms, including the form that allows queue cutting so long as the form for new form embodiment was also completed timely. XD
Balrogs give way too much XP, please nerf.
This quote is pure gold. Well played sir.
🤣🤣🤌🏽🤌🏽🤌🏽
It’s their wings, obviously
Remove those and you may smite their ruin upon the mountainside
first glorfindel gets his power spike then gandalf runs off on his own to steal all the parties exp for himself.
Kill a Balrog and get Undead-up-to-Level-50-flee-on-sight perk.
Glorfindel: I never get to fight anyone anymore....
YES. Glorfindel’s description in Fellowship is one of the greatest character introductions in literature: “Glorfindel was tall and straight; his hair was of shining gold, his face fair and young and fearless and full of joy; his eyes were bright and clean, and his voice like music; on his brow set wisdom, and in his hand was strength.”
It says everything about that character in a couple sentences. Masterful writing. Plus the dude kills a Balrog, which is an incredible feat for a non-Maiar.
But he himself dies while killing the Balrog.. Fingolfin on the other hand wounded a valar before getting killed himself..!!
@@TamajitDas88 Gandalf the Maiar himself died too when killed the Balrog of Moria, killing a Balrog in a duel is not joke. Also Glorfindel had a significant power buff after reincarnated, gained Maiar like powers.
I thought it was Arwen who saved Froso
@@zinny999 in the film not in the book
@@zinny999 It's frodo not Froso
"Dude, you're scared of NAZGUL?! Pfffft. I remember when dragons the size of mountains would show up on your front door and burn your whole fortress-city down...When you had to kick balrogs out of the way on a quest every day of the week and twice on Mettare. Nazgul are just wannabe-Morgoths in stinky robes. One side, I'll handle this..."
Hilarious the Witch-King having to book it in mid "Mwah-hah-hah" when Glorfindel rocks up 🙂
As much as I love Arwen's involvement in the rescue of Frodo in the movie, I still would have liked to have seen Glorfindel
I guess they thought they'd have to add another character in and give it some more detail...they left out a lot. I found shelobs story to be so underdone in the film, none of the back story the book gave about no elf, man or orc ever being able to escape or injure her, and much more.
@@skillsmachine9164 pretty sure they just wanted to give arwen more shine, as she had no role in the book other than being Aragorns girl and later wife
Probably wouldn’t have been as nerve wrecking considering he would have just annihilated them! Gandalf and Borimier probably would have survived if he joined! And both Mordor and Isengard would have failed easily😂
I think they should've just had both Glorfindel and Arwen come to rescue Frodo, and it would probably increase screentime by a minute or two if he was also present in the Council of Elrond. Bonus points: he could've had the opportunity to come back in the Hobbit as part of the White Council
@@mon_moi I think the reason why he’s not in is cause of how powerful he is, and people will be questioning why he’s not involved enough with how strong he is, the whole too powerful for the fellowship as in they will get detected easier thanks to his power thing will not be enough for the mass viewers they will ask him to be involved in a different way and that would have changed the story too much
That 'Maiar like Gandalf regard him as an equal' hits differently when you remember that Gandalf (who himself thinks he's a coward) also stood against a Balrog and slayed it thusly
All of the first born from Valinor are basically super elves partly due to the years of the two trees and dwelling near the valor
That's what you get when you bathed in the light of the two trees
Also, from what I remember, the maiar were only sent down with a fraction of their powers, so he’s presumably way more powerful than the Gandalf/saruman in middle earth. Idk if he was sent with his full power tho.
Also let’s not forget that Gandalf held off all nine all night long
@@williamwohl3120 True and that was still as Gandalf the Gray before he got his power upgrade, makes me wonder what he would of done with the witch king as Gandalf the white
The way you animate icons of characters to show troop movements during battles reminds me of a lot of military history channels here on youtube (Historymarche and Kings & Generals come to mind) This is such a helpful way to convey this kind of information that I otherwise had difficulty picturing sometimes! Thanks!
Same 👌🔥
Elrond: lets send Glorfindel to find Frodo!
Glorfindel *rides away on his horse stumbles upon the Ringwraiths*
Ringwraiths *ragequitting*
Glorfindel is my most favorite character in Tolkien Universe, I like to think the reason Peter Jackson cut him off from the movie is because he couldn't find someone as awesome or attractive to play him.
Same... I liked the character alot and was so pissed that Jackson cut him entirely from the movie :(
The perfect person to play Glorfindel WAS later used by Jackson...to play Thranduil. Lee Pace would have been an incredible Glorfindel. But yes, also Jackson could AND SHOULD have at least used him, replacing him with Arwen just didn't make any sense ALTHOUGH from a cinema story telling viewpoint you now have another character on a par with Gandalf, and the big reveal of his power at the Ford would have meant extending the scene at the Council of Elrond to explain exactly why he is not going with them.
Lee pace yessssas
It was just pragmatic as he wanted to highlight the love story between Aragorn and Arwen. Glorfindel would have taken up too much time.
Maybe Glorfindel IS Arwen.
I guess Nazgul aren't really a serious concern when Sindarin-Jesus shows up with a sharp sword and a long bow. No wonder Tolkien/Jackson didn't use him as a main character. It's a MITE overpowered when the guy in question was alive when MORGOTH was the Big Bad.
Man defeated a balrog on his own. What a beast.
Noldorin-Jesus
@@DrewPeabaws Probably kicked it off the side of the mountain, yelling: "THIS...IS...GONDOLIN!!!!"
But the Nine Nazgûl could overwhelm even Glorfindel.
@@MM22966 pffft I laughed out loud imagining this 😹😭 my humor is broken
Witch-King of Angmar: “I fear no man, but that thing…”
*Glorfindel smiles in the unseen world*
“…it scares me”
No comments?, sheesh what's with you all?!.
Glorfindel could drop kick Saron into the void.
@@williamgarrett1712 Not really, Sauron is a Maiar.. commander of the balrogs... to whom Glorfindel died..
@@TamajitDas88 don't think Saurom commanded Balrogs. Morgoth did however
@@TamajitDas88 Dude, take a joke
Just imagine how funny it would have been if the hobbits happened to see Glorfindel chasing the 5 Ringwraiths and hear him just yelling "come back here cowards" as he chases them
Would have been a major morale booster to see the guy you've been running from for the past several days and several of his buddies running in fear from the dude who's come specifically into the wilderness to find and protect you.
You gotta love how Glorfindel's main tactic in the Third Age is to just flex his power like "Yeah... even I wouldn't wanna mess with me"
An Elven Chuck Norris! XD
Glorfindel was criminally underplayed in the films. The fact he prophesied about the Witchkings fall at the battle of pellenor fields is wicked crazy.
Personally I don't mind his switch with Arwen in the movie, the movie is already loaded in characters for a non-book reader, and it gives Arwen a moment to shine so as not reducing her to a lifeless blank "love interest" of Aragorn. I love Glorfindel, but I think replacing him with Arwen in the movie was a good call.
Its because Glorfindel is only in the first book. Arwen shows in all three so they made the change to not have to add another brief cast member
@@muttamerican4863 I believe Glorfindel was in RotK when Ellessar was crowned king and at the wedding. Sure it was a small part.
@@Vonwell_ Except the movies set up Arwen to be a skilled fighter, and then they promptly ignore that for all of her remaining screen time. Why not give the role to Legolas, who actually DOES contribute to the narrative?
They should've given Arwen's role to Glorfindel and have him and Aragorn marry in the end. They already have a female character in the Fellowship (Legolas).
Glorfindel is just such a great example of Tolkiens worldbuilding - he just feels ancient and important and it’s awesome
The simple fact that if it wasnt for his fight vs the Balrog in Gondolin, all hope could have been lost right there for Eärendil would have been captured of worse and the world of middle earth would have been conquered by Morgoth.
Gandalf is taken to his doom by fall with the balrog in khazad dum, Glorfindel is taken to his doom by fall with the balrog at Gondolin, they both are resurrected, the two have very similar endings and new beginnings, I wonder if Tolkien intended on this to be reflected on or not, but either way the Glorfindel story is very compelling, great work!
Actually, Gandalf died on the top of a mountain. The fall did not kill him. Also, Gandalf's spirit reentered his old body. Glorfindel's original body is still under the cairn on the top of a mountain. We don't know how he is reembodied in Valinor.
@@Enerdhil oh my bad i forgot about the rest of the duel between gandalf and glorfindel, but they both died similar ways nonetheless.
@@braylon3233
Yes, as heroes of Middle Earth. 😁
You should listen to the lectures of the tolkien professor! There was one (though i can’t remember which) where he talks about how a lot of stories repeat themselves in Tolkien’s world
@@hollyriver22171 I might do that, thanks for the recommendation!
It is easy to imagine Glorfindel staying at Rivendell to help defend it if it was attacked.
He would be more valuable in battle than many ordinary Elves combined.
i would imagine he also aided the defence of lothlorien and mirkwood, and the final assault on Dol Guldur.
it's non-canon, but the videogame ''Battle For Middle Earth II'' put Glorfindel front and centre in the hero campaign alongside Gloin for most, if not all of it. (my first introduction to him, by far the best unit in the Elven faction)
and to think that I thought he was powerful in that version! dude's here competing with Galadriel, Elrond and Gandalf for ''most awesome'' of the Valinor-Blessed folk...
@@knuckles543 Any elves who were around during the First Age and lived to the War Of The Ring are awesome.
@@anatoldenevers237 Well he didnot exactly lived to the first age......
In Battle for Middle Earth II he was the main leader for the hero campaign and yes it involved him fighting to protect Rivendell among other things.
I just pretend BMFE2 is canon.
The First Age: “attacks”
Glorfindel: ‘Tis but a scratch
That said Tolkien did amazing work in The Fall of Gondolin with Glorfindel taking down a Balrog, one of my favourite passages of prose he ever wrote. Great video as always 😇
lol!
@@NerdoftheRings Turin Tarambar has to be an upcoming video for sure 😉
@@jakermaker9697 he said he'll do it for his 100st vid, so not the next video But the video after that one
Also huge thanks to Tolkiens son, for putting together all the scraps and papers with writting on them to give us so much of the lore
@@jaapuitroepteke2750 daar heb je gelijk jaap!
While I love the movies he is one of the things I miss in them a depiction of the old forest in movie terms, likewise the Barrow Downs and Glorfindel !
Don’t for get …
OOOOOH TOM BOMBADILL HE’S A MERRY FELLOW BRIGHT BLUE HIS JACKET IS AND HIS BOOTS ARE YELLOW !
@@SpecialOrder_937 yea can't forget old Tom if you want old forest and the downs you have to have Tom :)
@@magecraft2
He’s so weird ad funny I’m not sure how it would have played out on screen x
Hi Mate, why don't you check out the Soviet Lord of the Rings as it features these scenes (in a weird way though 🤣)
@@Crafty_Spirit Will check it out :)
One of the Mighty of the First born .. an Elf lord of the house of Princes
Gotta respect an Elf who would leave the Blessed realm just to follow his friend … a deed echoed by Samwise the brave ages later
So powerful, that Peter Jackson could only include him in one shot
Which one was that? At the council or at the wedding?
@@Ljngstrm The wedding, it's never stated that it's him, but there's a broad jawed blonde elf taller than Elrond and he stands behind Elrond very prominently like he is second in command or something and that leads people to believe it's Gorfindel. Which I'm down with because no other elf is directly addressed as such
@@hawkeyeplerce5238 there were two such elves beside Elrond, which makes me believe they were Elladan and Elrohir - that would make even more sense as it was their sister's wedding after all. So, I think we haven't seen him in the adaptation at all...
@@sidthecoach3961 I agree with you
Oh, but PJ was such a big fan of the books and he was going to be true to the books... 😜😾🤬
Its interesting that the Ringwraiths fear Glorfindel more than Gandalf. For just the Witch-King at Pelennor was confident he would defeat Gandalf there but would run from Glorfindel when he had all of the 9 with him. I will be very put out if the Amazon series on the 2nd age excludes Glorfindel.
It probly will as all of his deeds take place in 1st and 3rd age.
@@bricehatcher8391 I'm not so sure about that. First, he was actually sent back in the SA, about the time the 1 ring was forged and the blue wizards arrived, specifically to help against the shadow. Also, didn't one of the posters amazon released show a rayed-sun emblem? One very much like the device of the House of the Golden Flower? This is of course a stretch, but just sayin.
@@roblaw4554 that was probly the star of feanor. Glorfindel is best know for is actions in gondolin in the first age and the war in the north against angmar and helping aragorn and the hobbits to the ford of bruinen, both in the 3rd age.
@@bricehatcher8391 No. There is an 8-rayed star in another poster, but this is a sun that I refer to.
And yes, I do know the tales and the timelines very well. My point is that Glorfindel specifically was re-embodied and sent on a mission, specifically in the middle of the SA. Despite an almost total lack of stories about him in those days, I find it ridiculously improbable that he would have spent the next 47 or so centuries idle before simply riding out to help with a ford crossing. As the new show is set in SA, and there is a lot of quite open territory for non-canon storytelling, I would not be at all surprised to see an appearance by the one who is arguably the most powerful agent for good on the field. If that might be the case, and on the off chance that he would be treated properly by the writers...well, this provides much of my very limited optimism for this show.
@roblaw4554 given what this abomination is now, PLEASE I'M PRAYING THEY DON'T PUT HIM IN THE SHOW RN 😂😭 THEY'LL JUST RUIN HIM SOMEHOW
Love your videos. You should also do one on Glorfindel's best bud, Ecthelion. I love Ecthelion's character and he one-manned Gothmog like a boss after slaying other Balrogs. I've always wanted to know more about him!
I always found it curious that Glorfindel's power was too great for the Fellowship, and would have drawn eyes to it, yet Gandalf's was, apparently, not. I can think of only a few reasons. First could be perhaps that Glorfindel's power exceeded Gandalf the Grey's, even if they wouldn't have necessarily exceeded Gandalf the White's. Though I'm not too keen on that reasoning. Another possibility is that one of them would be fine, but together their power would have been too great to keep secret, and overall Gandalf was better suited for the task than Glorfindel would have been. The other reasoning, and perhaps the one I lean to the most, is that Gandalf's powers, while not lesser, were better concealed thanks to his guise as an old man without fine wears save Glamdring. In any case Glorfindel is among my favorite characters and I really wish we got to read about a bit more of him. I like how they have handled him in Lotro, especially his role in the War of the Last Alliance with the Bright Company.
Given the flight of five Ringwraiths from him, versus the pursuit by four upon Gandalf, the theory that Glorfindel was of greater power than Gandalf the Grey has some bones to it. But I think a large part of it was also that Glorfindel's role was as a warrior, not as an advisor: he was sent back to Beleriand to aid the Elves against Sauron and all of his conributions are on the field of battle. Gandalf was sent to aid the Free Peoples as a whole, and while the Balrog fight in Moria is a thing, it was a holding action of desperation. Instead, the things he does intentionally as The Grey are founding the White Council, incentivizing Thorin to reclaim Erebor from Smaug, and befriending Aragorn. As The White, he heals Theoden, breaks Saruman's staff, and bolsters Gondor during the siege, not least of which is driving back the Nazgul to rescue Faramir.
In nearly every case, Gandalf is there to lift someone else up. His job is to steady others and let them do great things in their own right. Glorfindel, on the other hand, has a job of being the one who does great things. Gandalf, in other words, is like Samwise as Glorfindel is like Aragorn.
Maybe a different kind of power? Gandalf was to inspire and guide in his mission. Glorfindel was a straight up warrior.
It was just poor writing with no logic. He wrote himself into a corner, kinda like how GRR Martin has written himself into a corner, except Tolkien basically just said... "coz of reasons" and carried on. Glorfindel leading Gandalf, Frodo, Elrond, Legolas and Aragorn on Eagles would have been a very short book :D
I feel Glorfindel was a warrior, who could have provided protection, some knowledge given his age, but was too much of a standout for what he could provide and what the group needed (stealth and a network of connections). Since the group had Gandalf, who undoubtedly had the connections and the knowledge needed (as he dedicated his time on middle earth building these relationships with so many races) and was deceptively strong and unappealing, was the perfectly strong leader for the task. Glorfindel not joining was just as important, as the group was found out, and if any of the big 3 (Glorfindel, Elrond, Galadriel) were with this group, I feel a larger force would have been sent to intercept and they all would have been killed (as they are a small group, taking the advantage of sending a large force to intercept would either force the group to retreat back to Rivendell or another safe haven, exposing it to the enemy, or they are captured and killed. The ring wouldn't even matter, as if Sauron killed the big 3 and Gandalf and ended up with Gandalfs, Galadriels, and Elrond's rings of power while neutralizing them, he doesnt even need the one ring to enact the takeover of middle earth, as now his biggest threats are gone. He can take over, and leisurely search for the ring....which....he would have anyway from the interception. Having unassuming members in the fellowship are its biggest strength for this reason, and why the plan would have failed if any other big names joined in my opinion, loved the video!
It could be that the Maia have an ability to hide their power. The blue wizards evaded Sauron despite being powerful figures for example. Glorfindel as an elf doesn't have much control over how much he "emits" his power in both the visible and invisible world. You could make a similar comparison with the Nazgul and Sauron. The Nazgul have no ability to hide themselves and whenever they are around everyone can sense their evil aura. Sauron on the other hand had the ability to present himself in more pleasant forms to others. Like when he was captured by the Numenoreans, he had no trouble convincing the king of his good intentions, despite clearly being evil. Or when Gandalf couldn't detect Saruman's betrayal in time, or how he didn't know of Durin's Bane until the Balrog was right on top of them. All in all I think the Maia have an ability to mask themselves from others.
Glorfidel was one of the noblest characters in the Tolkien books. I always thought there were two versions (Elfs) with the same name. I did not know he was "sent back" to Middle Earth after he died. Very similar to Gandalfs life and death.
And the crazy thing is, Tolkien wrote his short essay on Glorfindel that confirmed that both are the same character only like two months before his death, it's part of his last writings!
@@Crafty_Spirit Tolkien in later years did a lot of revisionist things to his earlier work, like his gradual sanctification of Galadriel: somewhere in one of the tales/histories from Christopher Tolkein he notes that JRR had apparently been mulling a retcon of her history so she came back to Middle-Earth not in support of Fingolfin but as a sort of missionary to the locals. He may well have been similarly uprating Glorfindel's past...
Still, in LotR it explicitly calls Glorfindel an elflord of the Eldar, and a prince, so it's perhaps unlikely there would have been two such with the same name.
Same for me. I knew not until here that there was a passage of Glorfindel's return, always thought it was another powerfull different one.
From Feanor to Glorfindel to Fingolfin, Noldorin elves (the warrior elves) were just a different breed even among their kins.
The best LOTR channel
Thanks! :)
I couldn't agree more!
Agreed
People complaining that Tom Bombadill was taken out of the films but I'd have rather seen this boss
I like to think that he did had his role in the war of the Ring in northern front of the war. A mighty hero such as him would not miss out the opportunity to fight evil alongside men once again.
It is a shame so little is shown of that, would've been nice if for example the movies had shown a bit of it in flashes to show how the war of the ring threatens the whole of ME and wasn't just Helm's Deep, Pelennor Fields and the Black Gate, it'd also show the dwarves doing something.
It's actually the version chosen by the game Battle for Middle Earth 2, where he leads with Gloin a company of Iron Hills dwarves
@@Cancoillotteman great game!
@@rosameltrozo5889 Yes and no. The story (and movie) is focused on the actions of the Fellowship, not all of Middle Earth. Showing scenes of distant battles would either confuse people who had not read the books, or add even more runtime in order to proved context. That's why things like the Battle of Dale during the War of the Ring are covered in the appendices in the books. It's important to keep the story relevant to the characters involved.
@@Cancoillotteman God...I miss that game.
Glorfindel is a great character
Its a shame he was replaced by arwen in the movie ...
well, the nazgul would be afraid of him and the whole scene would be boring since the nazgul would just run away form him. The movies did this on purpose lol
A case of Peter Jackson pandering to 'modern sensibilities' instead of keeping true to the original story.
@@mikelarsen5836 Oh fuck off with your "it was pandering" bullshit. It would not have made any narrative sense to introduce an extremely powerful character which most people would not know/understand (unless the movie specifically devoted their already limit time to this) only to exclude him for the rest of the films. If people don't understand why they couldn't just use the Eagles to get to Mordor, they would not understand anything about Glorfindel.
You can't fit everything in a 4 hour movie. Get over it.
@@mauriciocantu6745 you’re absolutely right. When I watched the movie I hadn’t read the books. Seeing such a powerful character, I’d have wondered why he wouldn’t be around after making his appearance. I think the movies did an amazing job, it inspired me to read every Tolkien book could find several times. And, here I am still learning.
@@mikelarsen5836 what a terrible take....
All though I believe Glorfindel to be one of the greatest and most powerful elves of the first age. I still believe echthelian was the more powerful of the two.
Glorfindel defeated a balrog, while ecthelion defeated gothmog, the lord of balrogs and high captain of angband
@@morgothbauglir8687 And 3 more Balrogs
Hyped for this video, enjoying it as always! Could you make a video about the life and travels of Círdan? As he lived an incredibely long, brave and complex life with great influence in Beleriand and Middle Earth. And thank you for all your work on these videos, I, and many other, really enjoy them as I said before.
This is really interesting and I would love to see him depicted on screen... but I get why they excluded him from the films. He does nothing after the Council of Elrond and he was too powerful to just introduce and abandon. People go on and on about the 'flying the Eagles' into Mordor that it would leave them scratching their heads at not utilizing Glorfindel in any way in the story later on. And it would get pretty annoying pretty soon.
They could've explained it pretty easily by having Gandalf say "Your presence would harken all evil towards us" or something like that, to make it plainly clear that Glorfindel is just too high-profile for Sauron to ignore.
Glorfindel kicking in the gates of Mordor and saying: What's up Sauron
@@deusexaethera but he doesn’t do anything. It’s not about him not joining the fellowship. We get that he shouldn’t. It’s that he is super powerful and sits on his bum.
My theories for both Eagles and Glorfindel is that, the moment they are part of the mission, Sauron agents would have notice and taken measures such as barricading Mount of Doom,close all passage and withdrew his army and flying creatures back to Mordor which will make things difficult as Elves and Human just doesn't have enough army. Remember Sauron eyes thought Pippin hold the ring so now the chase is on Gandalf and attack is on Minas Tirith.Being small undetected made the hobbit a perfect plan for this.Glorfindel will attract too many wraith and agents, Eagles will attract the tower guards and Nazgul riders.The only reason eagle can reach mount of doom later is bcoz Mordor is focusing on the gate, nazgul witchking slain, and Sauron clueless of frodo.Also no one predict Frodo will survive the land of mordor or Shelob.its diff with glorfindel tho.
No one was aware of Sauron’s Fel Flying beasts until one was first seen & shot down by Legolas. Eagles were instructed strictly not to intervene in the events of Men by Manwe. As for Glorfindel, Nerd of the Rings states that in the beginning of this video, he would be too powerful to conceal the Fellowships identity while traveling causing too much attention for a stealth mission.
One of the finest channels on RUclips, if I do say so myself
Glorfindel!!! Also a little bit of a question from my Tolkien readings this morning, Aragorn mentions he had been thru Moria before LOTR, is there any background on that subject?
Dont quote me on it, but I do believe Aragorn goes thru moria on a his hunt for gollum.
Lord hekl smosh ok, thank you so much
@@TheCinderestBlockAround Your welcome, glad I could help
I enjoy your channel. Thumbs up! But I would like to point out that in The Fellowship of the Ring, Gandalf warned that throwing the Ring in the depths of sea was a bad idea, not just because it would certainly resurface, but also because they were all too ignorant of the creatures and powers that lie beneath. I thought the implications of evil mermen and -maids (or worse) were pretty awesome.
Glorfindel was always my favorite Middle Earth character.
here is to my faveourite youtuber : HEY!
Thanks!! :)
*favourite
@@planetkc ye typo
When you named Glorfindels horse I thought of a topic for a potential video: Horses of Middle Earth? If there is enough information on them that is
Don't forget Bill
I'm all about liv Tyler but we missed out on such a great hero in the movies. Btw, any more info about the Rohan cartoon? What news from the riddemark?✌😉
Make sense for the movie I guess. Also why he's not the main character, he's too powerful for the bad guys
Imagine if council agreed that Glorfindel joins the fellowship.
Gandalf in Moria when Balrog arrives: "This foe is beyond any of y-..."
Supercharged Glorfindel: "Yea, I'll take it from here."
* proceeds to bitchslap the Balrog to smoke *
Hey man, found your channel last week and I’ve seen nearly every lore video you’ve done. The Melkor/Morgoth videos and really anything you make is so quality. You’ve reignited my love for Tolkien and I thank you for that. Please keep making your videos. You have a sub for life!
Thanks so much! I love hearing comments like this, that the videos have reignited passions for Middle-earth! Also, love the username! :)
Brilliant, as always.
The Fall of Gondolin chapter from BoLT2 is one of my favorite pieces of Tolkien lore. The hopelessness is gripping. A last stand for all. Ecthelion and Glorfindel are true legends.
Amen to that! Wouldn't a short video on the battle of Ecthelion of the Fountain in single combat with Gothmog, Lord of Balrogs be great? They too fought to each other's mutual death.
I find this character fascinating. My beef with him is that much like Gandalf he was sent back to middle earth to turn the tide against Sauron and I feel like he felt short on that task. Although he’s responsible for the Witch King’s prophecy, however I think he could have played a more important role against the growing darkness. I was for sure disappointed not to see him in the LOTR 🎥 He of all elves I think was well suited to guide the fellowship along with Gandalf.
In the game Battle for Middle Earth 2 Glorfindel was a leader on the Northern front of the War and fought alongside Elves and Dwarves to drive the enemy from Rivendell, Lothlorien, The Blue Mountains and The Grey Havens and it ends with the destruction of Dol Guldur and the ring. It's not canon but it's a great story. I imagine book Glorfindel would have done something similar but since we know so little about those fronts we just never heard about it. I can't picture a valiant hero like Glorfindel sitting to the side during all the chaos of the War of the Ring and this is a pretty reasonable place for him to be.
I love Glorfindel. He always shows up to do something really dramatic and then peaces out. What a legend. Hope he's in the Amazon series!
Yeah,probably with nice black hair and black skin.
@@peterjobovic3406 Yeah that would be great!
The only thing in Peter Jackson’s adaptation that I was super disappointed in.
Trueee
Lol how would you fit him in?
Well, what role should he have had?
@@hydradominatus3641 have you read the book? I would have fit him in that way, with him rescuing Frodo and taking him to the ford, and then included the backstory of him in the scene where Frodo wakes up in Rivendell and Gandalf explains everything to him since he fell unconscious (also included in the book)
@@AureliusAntoninusCaracalla and then you never see him again in the entire trilogy. Well done.
Your videos are awesome man, can you do a video explaining Tolkien’s life and what influenced him to create the legendarium? I appreciate you
Great idea! Maybe a good topic to cover in a special video on Tolkien's birthday! Thanks!
@@NerdoftheRings
Whole books have been written on this subject. Good luck making a short video out of it...
I suspect Glorfindel was truly the most powerful elf in Middle Earth but not as wise as Galadriel and Elrond, which was why he seems to defer to them despite outranking them in sheer power levels. He allowed himself to be used as a blunt instrument of last resort, basically an elf enforcer.
Except Tolkien himself stated that Galadriel is the most powerful elf in Middle Earth. That said, it might only be due to her being a ring bearer while Glorfindel isn't.
How ridiculous that he wasn't in any of the films. I'm shocked actually, he did so much.
Not at all. Glorfindel is kind of... too perfect, too strong, too good. It is difficult to portray such a character in a movie. We might admire him, but it is difficult to relate or identify with him. A "forbidden" love between two people who shouldn't be together despite their deep love, on the other hand, is easier to sell, especially taking into account that the movies were meant mostly for the bigger mainstream audiences, not for the Lotr hardcore fans only. And even in the main lotr plot, Glorfindel is not a main character. He pretty much just appears in a couple of scenes, and only in one is he relevant.
Glorfindel is older than Elrond. He was born in Aman, whereas Elrond has never even been to the Undying Lands. Glorfindel was reincarnated even stronger than he originally was. So, why is Elrond more powerful? Elrond is only Half-Elven after all. Does his Maia blood top all of Glorfindel's attributes? Another question is why Glorfindel wasn't given one of the Three elven rings. It is said that they were given to the three mightiest of the Eldar: Gil-galad, Galadriel and Cirdan. Was Cirdan really mightier than Glorfindel? Cirdan had never even been to Aman or seen the light of the Trees. He was of the Teleri, considered the least mighty of the Eldar. Could you do a video explaining all this?
So cool to see you use my original Ted nasmith glorfindel's bane by Ted nasmith!
It is a breathtaking piece!!
Glorfindel is basically Tolkien's DMPC and the players were against having Glorfindel follow.
I think Gandalf was p[retty obvious too...though I do wonder two things: (1) Why not take the Ring to Valinor and give it to Manwe? Sauron is not going to get it from Manwe and Manwe was so much more powerful than Sauron, that I can't imagine it would corrupt him. I can imagine answers to this question, but I don't ever recall reading them. (2) If Glorfindel's power was so obvious, why not use that fact? Send Merry and Pippen with Glorfindel as a diversion. He could also rally forces against Sauron at the same time (that would probably help with the diversion anyway). It would be very much in keeping for him if Sauron assumed the halfling with the One Ring would be traveling with the most powerful person in Middle Earth after himself. Plus the Nazgul already saw him protecting the halfling with the ringf that they stabbed.
Thanks for sharing so much to us LOTR fans who might not have the time or access to read all of the material!
I am disappointed. only 12 min video
Ever since playing Battle for middle earth 2, I’ve found Glorfindel one of the most awesome characters
It makes me sad that we know so little of his deeds during the War of the Ring thou i wouldnt dare to doubt that his missins where as dangerous as the one of the Fellowship.
One of my favorite characters. Great video Matt!
Not sure how I read over this amazing character, in the books,I need to read it again.Amazing vid.
Dude deserves his own series.
I imagine Glorfindel did what he could to divert attention from the fellowship
I've been waiting for this video! One of my favorite characters. Thank you!
I've been looking forward to this one as well! So glad you liked it!
Definitely top five favorite characters thanks for doing my request 🙏🏾 you gotta love Glorfindel went toe to toe with the Belrog Nuff Said .
I can't believe they sacrificed his character for the sake of adding romance to the Lord of the Rings movies.
I do think the movies are great other than that though
Glorfindel is inconsequential to the rest of the story, whereas Arwen is not. What I can't believe is that Arwen stole Glorfindel's horse. 🤣😂
Yeah.. Romance. One of the most important parts of any movie. For a Chad elf you think is COOL BRO.
Honestly I am not against Arwen having a bigger role in the movies than in the books, but only if she is done right. I mean all the damage she got was from a tree branch.... A ******* TREE BRANCH. Now I know she was suppose to be in the battle of Helm's deep, but they cut her out. For me that was a wrong decision.
@@spangelicious837 it would be nice if they add both of them in that scene arwen and glorfindel.
Love this! Glorfindel is one of my favourites!!!
While I know that people love Glorfindel, I understand why Jackson removed him from the films. He doesn't really do anything in the Lord of the Rings story. I think it was a far better choice to give his actions to Arwen, establishing her as a skilled huntress that can sneak up on Aragorn, a better rider than the Ringwraiths, and possessing enough magic to call on the water. It makes us see why Aragorn loves her beyond superficial reasons and gives us a reason to care that she will die if the quest fails. Hopefully, Glorfindel is one of the main characters in the TV Series. The lack of knowledge about his actions gives the writers a lot of freedom to include him in unique ways.
I don't think so. A bit incongruous that she remains cloistered at Rivendell a part invalid most of the movie.
Except it makes no sense. Why establish Arwen as a skilled fighter and then have her sheltered away at Rivendell for the rest of the story? She's set up to be something that she's not. They never do anything with her as a skilled fighter ever again. In contrast, she's moping around in Rivendell doing absolutely nothing for the rest of the narrative. Why not make it Legolas, who actually DOES fight and contribute to the narrative?
Glorfindel not playing a larger role in the third age is such a missed opportunity. It'd of been awesome to see him lead a group of elves sent by elrond into battle at the black gate to help the men there cutting through hoards of orcs renacting the great battle of the second age in a way. Hopefully in this Amazon lotr series he'll get some well deserved screen time after the movies wrote him out.
I recently started reading the silmarillian and your videos have really helped me understand what’s going on thank you!
Hang in there. Keep reading passages two or three or four times if you have to. That is what I had to do. It is worth it if you care to know more about Tolkien's Legendarium.
So glad to hear it!
Considering his epic power and story, depressing that Peter Jackson left him out of the film series. Glorfindel doesn’t even get a nodding mention not unlike Bombadil. Considering how powerful Glorfindel is, I would imagine he could’ve taken the ring to Mordor and destroyed it. If the Nazgul are (rightfully) so scared of him, nothing would get in his way especially if he unleashed his full might.
Glorfindel: Powerful Hair and Powerful Power! And he Kicked Balrog Butt!!!
I hope you one day make a video on Eol and/or Aredhel. Or even Maeglin, cant really have one without the other. I find their stories tragic and devastating.
The dark elves would make a great topic! Adding it to my list!
@@NerdoftheRings
Yay looking forward to it!
Eol's story is a perfect story of how a person who is not and should not be evil allows his pride to overcome him and cause him to do evil things.
I loved this video, Keep it up! also, i would love a video on Gil-Galad sometime :)
(9:47) I always imagined what Frodo saw of his friends at the ford after he was becoming "wraith-like" besides the spirit essence of Glorfindel (shining white) and his friends (small shadowy forms) behind was the Hobbits waving their swords (that flared red). I suppose that it's likely meant that they were actually carrying fire brands like Aragorn did at Amon Sul, but to me I think it's cooler if he actually sees the auras of the swords (well, daggers, really!) of Westernesse charging up behind the Ringwraiths.
BTW, Glorfindel is probably my favorite character. Especially after reading The Fall of Gondolin. 😎
Great presentation. Thanks. In my opinion, Peter Jacksons biggest mistake was to completely ignore Glorfindel... and even worse, replace him with daughter of singer from dope-saturated american rock band. Glorfindel should've been one of the main charaters in LotR.
Glorfindel is one of my favourite characters in LOTR. If I were to land in Middle-Earth, I would just go to Rivendell and have him and Elrond teach me everything, from fighting to knowledge and skills
Especially the lore. You would know more than Tolkien himself after a few months.
Same but my highest priority would be Tom Bombadil.
They Should have made a timeline like Tha MCU. The Hobbit Prequels are ok. Wat about Glorfindel an Feanor? Ancalagon? Or Beren And Luthien Stealing a Silmarill From Melkor We Need to See That lol🤘🏾💯
Great post :) Always felt Glorfindel was cheated in the film versions as his part was always robbed by another character lol
I love your channel! You've inspired me to read the Silmarillion for the 9th time hehe
I love the bit where he says “It’s Glorfin’ time”.
Not 4 days past I was pining for a history and travels video for Glorfindel, thank you for this!
110% my favorite elf...not a kinslayer. He straight Tea bagged a balrog. Made the witch king think twice...gotta fucking love this feller.
early :D
yay
Bro do a video of theories about what the Nameless Creatures of Moria could be!
Great vid Matt. I really hope we see Glorfindel play a solid role in the Amazon tv show
Definitely! Could be pretty epic!
Glorfindel and Galadriel would have been a force for good and one to truly be reckoned with and a lot of the evil that took root and was allowed to grow in power would have never come too much had those two beings been together and on guard. Well it is what I would have loved to see! Sorry Lord Celeborn, but I think you would also agree?!...
Life sure would be more interesting if magic actually existed.
The world’s pretty magical
It is a sad person who has never worked magic. We are all capable of it; read Tolkien closer and look at what magic actually entails.
I'm gonna watch this for the 10th time, cuz it's Glorfindel 😍❤️🙏😘