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| “ | Even the smallest person can change the course of the future. | „ |
| ~ Galadriel to Frodo Baggins. |
Galadriel is a supporting character in the fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien and Peter Jackson's Middle-Earth film series.
In the film series, she serves as a supporting character in both The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit trilogy. In The Lord of the Rings, she appears as a supporting character in The Fellowship of the Ring, and a minor character in both The Two Towers and The Return of the King. In The Hobbit, she serves as a supporting character in both An Unexpected Journey and The Battle of the Five Armies.
She is the Lady of Lothlórien, Eleven lady of the light, a member of the White Council, and bearer of Nenya. She's also a friend to the Wizard Gandalf and aids the hobbit Frodo Baggins in his quest to destroy the One Ring of power.
Portrayals[]
Films[]
- In Ralph Bakshi's The Lord of the Rings animated film, she was voiced by Annette Crosbie.
- In Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit film trilogies, she was portrayed by Cate Blanchett, who also voiced Valka in the How to Train Your Dragon franchise and portrayed Florence Zimmerman in The House with a Clock in its Walls, and Lilith in Borderlands.
Television[]
- In the Finnish Hobbit tv series, she was portrayed by Heidi Krohn.
- In The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, she is portrayed by Morfydd Clark and Amelie Child Villiers as a young girl.
Video Games[]
- In The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring video game, she was voiced by Jennifer Hale, who also voiced Commander Shepard in the Mass Effect trilogy, Satele Shan in Star Wars: The Old Republic, Bastila Shan in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Thorn in the Scooby-Doo franchise, Samus Aran in the Metroid Prime series, and Naomi Hunter in the Metal Gear franchise.
- Hale reprised her voice for the character in Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and Middle-earth: Shadow of War.
- In The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II, she was voiced by Lani Minella, who voices Ivy Valentine in the Soulcalibur series, and also voiced Nancy Drew in the titular video games, and Sindel and Sheeva in 2011s Mortal Kombat.
- Minella reprised her voice for the character in The Lord of the Rings: Online.
Theater[]
In the 2006 theater production of The Lord of the Rings, she was portrayed by Rebecca Jackson Mendoza.
Radio[]
- In the 1981 radio dramatization, she was voiced by Marian Diamond.
Sir Peter Jackson's films[]
Before the film trilogies[]
Galadriel married her husband Lord Celeborn and together ruled the magical forest Lothlórien. Galadriel, along with the other Elves, received a Ring of Power during the Second Age. Her Ring was called Nenya, the Ring of Water. But during the Dark Lord Sauron's reign with the One Ring, Galadriel did not use her Ring at all.
The Hobbit trilogy[]
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey[]
Galadriel appeared as a member of the White Council with Gandalf, the White Wizard Saruman, and the Half-elven Elrond at Rivendell, who all listened to Gandalf's claim of a Necromancer in Dol Guldur is becoming a threat. Galadriel supports his claim of it while Saruman dismisses it. She then speaks to Gandalf, stating that if he should ever call her for aide, she would answer before departing.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug[]
Galadriel telepathically sends Gandalf a message to investigate the tombs of the Nine in the High Fells and Dol Guldur and encounters the Necromancer who was revealed to be the Dark Lord Sauron.
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies[]
Gandalf senses Galadriel approaching the fortress, remembering her promise to him. Galadriel arrives at Dol Guldur sometime later and ascends to the tower where Gandalf is imprisoned. After Gandalf is released from his cage by an Orc that's about to kill him, Galadriel silently appears behind him. The Orc shrieks in horror as Galadriel flicks her arm ahead of her and the Orc is sent flying with a flash of light magic from Nenya, which is powerful enough to wreak havoc upon the fortress. She carries Gandalf to a wider area and Sauron begins taunting her in black speech, chanting the Dark Verse speech, which Galadriel finishes in the common tongue "and Nine for mortal men doomed to die". She and the unconscious Gandalf are then surrounded by the spectral forms of the Ringwraiths/Nazgûl.
Seemingly startled by their presence, she retreats with Gandalf onto a dais. Sauron taunts her further for her apparent isolation. She states she is not alone, just as Elrond and Saruman arrive and fight all of the Nine. While they engage the wraiths, Galadriel hastily restores Gandalf's strength with a kiss, which seems to exhaust her own energy. When he comes to self, Galadriel tells him that the darkness has indeed returned. Radagast arrives on his rabbit sled and urges Gandalf to come with him. Gandalf grabs Galadriel's wrists and begs her to join him too, but Galadriel refuses, releasing her wrists from Gandalf's hands. She then suddenly enters a trance, and with a flash of her eyes, she commands Radagast to take Gandalf to safety.
Elrond and Saruman eventually defeat the Nine and Elrond tend to Galadriel. As he does, Sauron's silhouette erupts into his flaming form from above them, with the Nine hovering before him once more, to the horror of Elrond and Saruman. As Sauron bears down on them, Galadriel rises in a darker/ethereal form, like she did when Frodo offered her the Ring, obviously here in reaction to Sauron's presence. With a wave of her hand (bearing the Phial of Galadriel), she casts away all of the nine, leaving only Sauron. She tells him he has no power, notably calling him "servant of Morgoth". Sauron tries to tempt her but she calls him "nameless", "faceless" and "formless", and commands him to go back to the void from whence he came, using the vial to ward him off. Finally, he is cast away and banished as his spirit flees into the sky. Galadriel regains her normal composure and is left exhausted after her battle with Sauron. Elrond states that he must be followed and permanently destroyed, stating that Gondor and other people need to be warned. Saruman tells him to take the severely weakened Galadriel to Lothlórien and to leave Sauron to him, hinting at his downfall.
The Lord of the Rings trilogy[]
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring[]
Galadriel hosted the Fellowship of the Ring after their escape from the Mines of Moria. Galadriel then allowed Frodo to peer into the Mirror of Galadriel and saw possible events of the future. Frodo then offered her the One Ring, which caused her to present an image of herself corrupted by the Ring before returning to her original form and both claiming that she passed the test and that she would return to the east. As the Fellowship departed, she gave each member a gift and an Elven cloak and outfitted the party with boats and supplies. She gave Frodo a magical vial, which captured the light of Eärendil's star and stated it would be a light for him in dark places. She then stood across the lake and raised a hand bidding farewell to Frodo.
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers[]
Galadriel consulted telepathically with Elrond of the growing power of the Enemy and the danger Frodo was in claiming his quest would claim his life and asked him if they should leave the world of Men to their doom. She later sent her warriors to Helm's Deep to assist Aragorn.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King[]
During Frodo's quest in the lair of Shelob, he sees a vision of Galadriel offering her hand to help him up which he takes and remembers the vial she gave him and uses it to find his way through the cave. Later after the destruction of Sauron and the Ring, Galadriel, Elrond and Celeborn board the last Eleven ship and depart Middle-earth, and return to the Undying Land.
Other Media[]
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power[]
- Main article: Galadriel (The Rings of Power)
Quotes[]
| “ | I come for Mithrandir, and I will leave with him. If you try and stop me, I will destroy you. | „ |
| ~ Galadriel in The Battle of the Five Armies. |
| “ | YOU HAVE NO POWER HERE, SERVANT OF MORGOTH! YOU ARE NAMELESS! FACELESS! FORMLESS! GO BACK TO THE VOID FROM WHENCE YOU CAME! | „ |
| ~ Galadriel to The Necromancer. |
| “ | (I amar prestar aen.) The world is changed. (Han matho ne nen.) I feel it in the water. (Han mathon ned cae.) I feel it in the earth. (A han noston ned gwilith.) I smell it in the air. Much that once was is lost, for none now live who remember it. It began with the forging of the Great Rings. Three were given to the Elves, immortal, wisest and fairest of all beings. Seven to the Dwarf lords, great miners and craftsmen of the mountain halls. And nine, nine rings were gifted to the race of Men, who, above all else, desire power. But they were, all of them, deceived, for another ring was made. In the land of Mordor, in the fires of Mount Doom, the Dark Lord Sauron forged in secret a Master Ring, to control all others. And into this ring he poured his cruelty, his malice and his will to dominate all life. One Ring to rule them all! | „ |
| ~ Galadriel's narration in the opening of The Fellowship of the Ring. |
| “ | It all began with the forging of the Great Rings. Three were given to the Elves; immortal, wisest and fairest of all beings. Seven, to the Dwarf Lords, great miners and craftsmen of the mountain halls. And nine, nine rings were gifted to the race of Men, who above all else desire power. For within these rings was bound the strength and the will to govern over each race. But they were all of them deceived, for another ring was made. In the land of Mordor, in the fires of Mount Doom, the Dark Lord Sauron forged in secret, a master ring, to control all others. And into this ring he poured all his cruelty, his malice and his will to dominate all life. One ring to rule them all. One by one, the free peoples of Middle Earth fell to the power of the Ring. But there were some who resisted. A last alliance of men and elves marched against the armies of Mordor, and on the very slopes of Mount Doom, they fought for the freedom of Middle-Earth. Victory was near, but the power of the ring could not be undone. It was in this moment, when all hope had faded, that Isildur, son of the king, took up his father's sword. And Sauron, enemy of the free peoples of Middle-Earth, was defeated. The Ring passed to Isildur, who had this one chance to destroy evil forever, but the hearts of men are easily corrupted. And the ring of power has a will of its own. It betrayed Isildur, to his death. And some things that should not have been forgotten were lost. History became legend. Legend became myth. And for two and a half thousand years, the ring passed out of all knowledge. Until, when chance came, the ring ensnared a new bearer. The ring came to the creature Gollum, who took it deep into the tunnels under the Misty Mountains, and there it consumed him. The ring gave to Gollum unnatural long life. For five hundred years it poisoned his mind; and in the gloom of Gollum's cave, it waited. Darkness crept back into the forests of the world. Rumor grew of a shadow in the East, whispers of a nameless fear, and the Ring of Power perceived. Its time had now come. It abandoned Gollum. But then something happened that the Ring did not intend. It was picked up by the most unlikely creature imaginable. A Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, of the Shire. For the time will soon come when Hobbits will shape the fortunes of all... | „ |
| ~ Galadriel's narration in the prologue. |
| “ | In place of a Dark Lord you would have a Queen! Not dark but beautiful and terrible as the Dawn! Treacherous as the Seas! Stronger than the foundations of the Earth! All shall love me and despair! | „ |
| ~ Galadriel rejecting the one ring when offered it by Frodo. |
| “ | Farewell, Frodo Baggins. I give you the light of Eärendil, our most beloved star. May it be a light for you in dark places, when all other lights go out. | „ |
| ~ Galadriel. |
Trivia[]
- Alongside Gandalf and Sauron, Galadriel appears in all three films of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies.
External Links[]
- Galadriel on the Lord of the Rings Wiki
