The Third Age starts happily for Galadriel and Celeborn, who then dwell
with Elrond in Rivendell. For in the year 109 their daughter Celebrian is
married to Elrond. In 130 the twins, Elladan and Elrohir are born, followed by
their sister Arwen in 241.
At the start of the second millennium of the 3rd Age, first rumors
start spreading about a shadow reappearing in the East. And not too much later
the Istari land on the shores of Middle-earth. The Istari and the chief Eldar
then discover an evil presence operating from Dol Guldur in Mirkwood. Their
suspicion that Nazgûl might be involved is soon verified, and the Witch-king of
Angmar starts his long war against the Northern Kingdom of Arnor.
These developments find their climax at the end of the millennium, when
many disasters concur. In 1974, the Witch-king conquers Fornost and the
It is then that the Nandor of Lorinand request Celeborn and Galadriel to
become their Lord and Lady. And their request was granted, and Galadriel weaves
the lands hence called Lorien (and Lothlorien). And all her talents and powers
she now uses to create the enchanted Golden Wood, including Nenya now openly
yielded - for The One Ring is still considered lost. Galadriel lets even time
run slower on Cerin Amroth, and Lorien becomes a haven for those trusted to
live therein. But the world outside is threatened.
Not many years later Gandalf discovers that the necromancer of Dol
Guldur is indeed Sauron returned. Aided by the Eldar the Istari chase Sauron
away from Dol Guldur. But the Watchful Peace does not last long, and after Sauron’s
return, Galadriel forms the White Council in 2463. Saruman is chosen as its chair, though
Galadriel would have preferred Gandalf.
In these years Orcs and other vile things multiplied in many places.
Thus it came to pass that Celebrian, wife of Elrond and daughter of Galadriel, traveling through the Redhorn Pass
from Imladris to Lorien, was attacked by Orcs in the year 2509. Tortured and
hurt before her sons, Elladan and Elrohir, could come to her rescue, she soon thereafter
left Middle-earth to journey away to Aman.
Galadriel perceives many plans of
Sauron, but she makes sure she herself remains hidden to him[2].
During the years that follow Galadriel and the White Council try to counter Sauron's
schemes - but they are misled by Saruman the White, who seeks power for
himself.
In the year 2953 - twelve years after Bilbo finds the Ring in Gollum's cave
- the White Council meet for the last time, and are betrayed by Saruman.
Saruman knows that Sauron's servants are looking for the One Ring, but claims
his research to show without doubt that it has washed into the sea.
Then, at the end of 3018 Galadriel is told about the Council of Elrond.
The ring the hobbit Frodo Baggins is wearing is indeed The One, and he has declared
it his mission to go to Mordor and destroy it. A fellowship has been formed to
go with him.
The subsequent events are known by many. Here we focus on the role of
Galadriel. In January 3019 she and Celeborn receive and welcome the Fellowship
of the Ring in Lorien. Aragorn is greeted as having returned to Lorien after thirty-eight
years. For in the year of 2980 he had met Arwen - granddaughter of Galadriel
- in Lorien, and they had vowed their
troth upon the hill of Cerin Amroth.
Upon hearing that Gandalf has fallen into shadow with the Balrog of
Moria, Celeborn's old resentment of the dwarves is awakened, blaming Balin's
expedition for stirring up Durin's Bane again. But Galadriel speaks words of
soothing to Gimli, words of Khazad-dûm as can only be used by one who has been
there and loved it.
Subsequently Galadriel introspects the intentions and courage of the
members of the Fellowship. Afterward, only the hobbits Samwise and Meriadoc
speak openly of what happened. It was as if each of them had been given a
choice between continuing on the path of the Fellowship - with its hazards of
grief - or be allowed something they greatly desired if they would but withdraw
from that road.
The Fellowship stay in Lothlorien for a month. A few days before their
departure Galadriel offers Sam and Frodo the option to glance into her Mirror
if they so choose, telling them that that pool shows many things that are in
the past and present, and events that might yet come to pass - or not. When Sam
looks into the Mirror he sees the scourging of the Shire and his old Gaffer
being cast out of his home. Frodo first sees a wizard clad in white, who looks
both like Gandalf and Saruman. Then he has visions of the fate of Numenor
before eventually he stares into the Eye of Sauron. When Galadriel then tells
Frodo that she too has seen and fought that Eye he perceives her bearing Nenya
the White, though Sam does not. Galadriel tells Frodo that indeed she is a
ringbearer too, and their fates are intertwined; for if Frodo fails she too
must fall. But if he succeeds her powers will diminish. Thus his coming is as "the footsteps of Doom" to the
Eldar.
Impressed by Galadriel's wisdom and power, Frodo then offers her the One
Ring. She admits she has desired the Ring, and often pondered what she would do
with it. But Galadriel then shows she has come to understand exactly what would be the result if she would
accept the gift. She shows Frodo a vision of herself as she would become:
beautiful beyond comprehension, to be obeyed and worshipped blindly. "All shall love me and despair".
And thus Galadriel states she passed the test by refusing Frodo's offer. She
will fade and go into the West, but remain Galadriel.
Two days later the time for departure has come. To the Fellowship
the elves of the Golden Wood give boats to travel south, with coils of elven rope
(hithlain), lembas for food, and elven
cloaks. Then Galadriel and Celeborn come to bid them farewell, Galadriel
singing sad and sweet of the fading of Lorien and her longing for the West. And
to Frodo she is no longer a vision of power, but indeed a "living vision of that which has already been
left far behind by the flowing streams of Time".
Then Galadriel grants her gifts to the members of the Fellowship. To Aragorn
she gives a befitting sheath for the
blade Anduril, reforged for him by the
smiths of Rivendell before their departure after the Council of Elrond. And
also the Elfstone, Elessar, which had been given by her to Celebrian, then
Arwen, and which was now bestowed on him as a token of hope. "In this hour take the name that was foretold
for you, Elessar".
Boromir receives a belt of gold, Merry and Pippin belts of silver, and
Legolas a bow of the Galadhrim. To Sam she gives a box with blessed seeds and
earth of Lorien. Urged to make a wish for a gift as well, Gimli stammers his
desire for but one strand of Galadriel's hair, and he receives three. To Frodo is
given the Phial with the light of Eärendil, to be "a light in dark places, when all other lights go out".
As the boats bring the Fellowship from the Silverlode to the Anduin,
Galadriel sings her song in Quenya: Namárië!
Nai hiruvalyë Valimar. Nai elyë hiruva. Namárië! "Farewell! Maybe thou
shalt find Valimar. Maybe thou shalt find it. Farewell![3]
It must have been shortly after the departure of the Fellowship that Galadriel
sends Gwaihir to bring Gandalf from Celebdil to Lorien. There she heals him and
clads him in white to signify his new position as chief Istar and head of the
White Council. And she gives messages to Gandalf to be told to Aragorn, Legolas
and Gimli. Her words to Aragorn speak of his need for the Grey Company and the
Path of the Dead.[4]
Then she sends word to Rivendell, so that the Grey Company with Halbarad and
the sons of Elrond set out for their long journey to meet Aragorn in Rohan[5].
Soon after, Lorien itself is attacked by the forces of evil. Thrice
armies of Orcs from Dol Guldur try to penetrate into the Golden Wood, but they
are held back, for "the power that
dwelled there was too great for any to overcome, unless Sauron had come there
himself"[6].
Galadriel appears to Sam in the utter darkness of Shelob's Lair, calling
on Sam and Frodo to remember the Phial. And when Frodo invokes the name of
Galadriel, Shelob retreats momentarily. And later, after Frodo is captured, Sam
invokes her name again, and thereby the words to call on Varda to come to him, and
the Phial as a result is lit to such an intolerable light, that Shelob, brood
of Ungoliant who slew the Light of the Trees, is demoralized and defeated. Thus
Samwise was saved to save Frodo.
After the defeat of Sauron, Celeborn and Galadriel lead the forces of
Lorien into Dol Guldur, and Galadriel lays bare the works of evil there, and
Mirkwood is cleansed.
Then they travel to Minas Tirith on the occasion of the marriage of
Arwen their granddaughter to King Elessar. Afterward they travel to attend the
grand funeral of King Théoden of Rohan, and pay a visit to the ent Treebeard at
Isengard, to whom she predicts that they will not see each other again in
Middle-earth, but might be reunited when "the lands that lie under the sea are lifted up again. Then in the
Willow-meads of Tasarinan we may meet again in the Spring.[7]"
Further on the way North, coming from Dunland to the West of the Misty
Mountains they meet Saruman and Grima, appearing as beggars on the road.
Gandalf and Galadriel offer Saruman a last chance to repent, but he refuses,
saying all that awaits them is "a
grey ship, full of ghosts".
Coming close to the Gates of Moria, it is time for Galadriel and
Celeborn to take their leave, for the road to Lorien goes east[8].
Then, after the hobbits are asleep, Elrond, Gandalf, Galadriel and
Celeborn recall the ages past and all their joys and labours in the
world. No words
are spoken or needed, "grey figures,
carved in stone, memorials of forgotten things now lost (…) looking from mind
to mind; and only their shining eyes stirred and kindled as their thoughts went
to and fro".[9]
Galadriel and Celeborn dwell in Lorien for only two more years before
they are parted. Galadriel then sails to Aman, while Celeborn stays in Middle-earth
for some more years.
When Galadriel sails into the west on the last day of the 3rd
Age, together with the ringbearers Elrond, Gandalf, Bilbo and Frodo, Frodo is
holding up her Phial. And then, just when to Sam it seems that the light of the
Phial fades, to Frodo it seems just as in his dream in the house of Tom
Bombadil: "the grey rain-curtain
turned all to silver glass and was rolled back, and he beheld white shores and
beyond them a far green country under a swift sunrise".
With the sailing of the ringbearers the 3rd Age comes to an
end, and the Era of Men starts. With the departure of the rings the elves are
diminished, and the world is rapidly changed. But in the descendants of Aragorn
Elessar and Arwen Undomiel, the lines of Thingol and Melian, of Turgon, of
Luthien and Beren, and of Elrond and Galadriel, still live on in Middle-earth.
[1] As
sung by Legolas in Lothlorien in The Fellowship of the Ring. Tolkien has laid
out manuscripts of this story in more detail (Unfinished Tales). In one version
Amroth even appears as the son of Galadriel, to explain her taking dominion of
Lothlorien from that time.
[2] An
example is to be found in the tale of Eorl, Unfinished Tales, pp. 386-387.
During these times, Eorl and his Northmen - ancestors of the Rohirrim - ride to
the aid of Gondor in the battle of Celebrant. They are threatened by an evil
presence coming from Dol Guldur, when a White Mist conceals and saves them.
They say they have been preserved by "the Lady of the Golden Wood".
[3] Some of the wise have interpreted this song as
a plea to Varda on behalf of both herself and Frodo. More about this below.
[4] Thus
it is told by Gandalf in Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers,
[5] That is was indeed Galadriel who summoned the
Grey Company to Aragorn's aid is mentioned in The Lord of the Rings, The Return
of the King,
[6] Lord of the Rings, Return of the King,
Appendix B, The Tale of years, end of 3rd Age.
[7] Which is an exact quote of the first lines of Treebeard's
own song on the occasion of meeting Merry and Pippin in Fangorn. But Galadriel
here foretells that Beleriand will once more be reinstalled.
[8] Apparently,
Celeborn no longer refuses to go into Khazad-dûm. A strong reason can be that
at this time he does not want to be parted from his wife. For he knows where
she is going and that he can’t go there himself, yet. Thus he states to Aragorn,
wishing for him that his Doom will be other than his, and his treasure can
remain with him to the end. But we must assume that Celeborn went to Valinor
later, cf. the Prologue to The Fellowship of the Ring.
[9] Lord of the Rings, Return of the King,