The Galadriel played by Morfydd Clark in The Rings of Power is nothing like the character introduced by J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, nor Cate Blanchett’s version from Peter Jackson’s movie trilogies. Upon departing Rivendell, one of the first stops the Fellowship makes as a nine-piece outfit comes at the Elven refuge of Lothlórien. They’re greeted by the serene – but exceptionally formidable – Lady Galadriel, who glides gracefully between the trees. So enchanting is her magical aura, Gimli spends the rest of the trilogy periodically fawning over three strands of her hair (probably). Though she supports Frodo’s quest to destroy the One Ring, Galadriel remains in Lothlórien to protect her own realm from Sauron’s darkness, and whenever she does fight, it’s through magic alone.
That’s not the Galadriel audiences have seen in Amazon’s Lord of the Rings prequel, Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Set during J.R.R. Tolkien’s Second Age of Middle-earth, Galadriel is portrayed by Morfydd Clark. The version of Galadriel Clark plays is much, much younger. The Rings of Power is set almost 5000 years before the events of Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Even by the standards of the long-lived elves, Galadriel is at a very different stage in her life. She’s the immortal equivalent of a young adult, and it shows in her temperament, which is a far cry from the aloof Elf Blanchette portrayed. Her circumstances are incredibly different too. Rings of Power finds Galadriel long before she became the Lady of Lothlórien. During this era of Tolkien’s timeline, Galadriel has made the trip from Valinor to Middle-earth. Commanding on the battlefield wasn’t necessarily something Lord of the Rings fans expected from The Rings of Power (even if they were hoping for it), but this Galadriel means business. Here’s how Galadriel is different in Amazon’s interpretation of Middle-earth.
What Is Galadriel Like In Rings Of Power
“Commander of the Northern Armies” isn’t a title Galadriel holds in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings mythology. With the few details we have, it’s not even clear what “the Northern Armies” refers to. Though there’s no explicit mention of Galadriel personally commanding any sort of military in established lore, maybe these battles take place during the long-running Second Age war between Sauron and the Elves after the Dark Lord manipulated them into forging the Rings of Power. However, Galadriel spent much of that period safeguarding Nenya in Lothlórien. Perhaps, then, Galadriel’s war-faring days came while she was leader of Eregion earlier in the Second Age. Galadriel helped found this Elvish haven near the Misty Mountains, but likely would’ve encountered resistance from remnants of Morgoth’s followers. The Northern Armies could be an alliance against those remaining orcs and fell-beasts, and as the ruler of Eregion alongside her husband, Galadriel commands from the front.
Wherever Galadriel’s battlefield antics eventually fall within Middle-earth mythology, they do honor her traditional characterization – albeit not necessarily her traditional characterization from The Lord of the Rings. During The Silmarillion‘s “Flight of the Noldor,” Galadriel was the only woman to champion the exile from Valinor. Though she eventually became the stay-at-home mythical Elf-queen checking what the Fellowship wanted for Christmas, the younger Galadriel was more rebellious, direct, and ambitious. It’s no surprise to see that version of Galadriel jumping into dirty, steel-to-steel combat, rather than just casting powerful spells during key showdowns. The younger Galadriel is the one The Rings of Power shows, and while she’s very different from the version played by Cate Blanchett, she is more accurate to the character than some fans mistakenly believe.
Tolkien’s Portrayal Of Galadriel Leaves Much Open To Interpretation
The Rings of Power made changes to Tolkien’s vision, even though Galadriel’s persona isn’t as much of a deviation as it initially seems – to those whose only exposure to Middle-earth one his via Peter Jackson’s trilogy. Amazon still added a lot to her character, but this isn’t the heresy hardcore Tolkien enthusiasts make out. The showrunners of The Rings Of Power had a surprising amount of wiggle room, especially when it came to her personality. Even though she appears in several books, Galadriel really isn’t as fleshed out a character as Frodo, Sam, Bilbo, or Gandalf.
Tolkien wrote a lot about what Galadriel did, but little about who she was. Aside from a lot of names, dates, and locations, not much about Galadriel as a person crops up. Her pre-Lord of the Rings material is mostly nonfiction-style world-building and lore history, like most of The Silmarillion and various appendices on which The Rings of Power is based. Amazon had a surprising amount of license to do what they wanted with the character (within reason, of course). As long as she shows up at the times and places Tolkien specified and did whatever he canonically confirmed she was responsible for, how Amazon used Galadriel for The Rings Of Power was more or less fair game.
New episodes of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power release every Friday on Amazon Prime.
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