How about an Elrond/Faramir dilemma for you then, Mithalwen? :P

I think my choice would be the Faramir Vs Boromir face-off. T'would be no contest in terms of the films, but as for the books...flip...that's just too tough to answer....:confused:

I just wonder how many guys would prefer Arwen (or Xenarwen to give her the proper name as this is the film I am talking about now) if she had been played by say.......Keira Knightley? She seems so much more suited to Xenarwen than the lovely placid Liv.

Hmmm... I wouldn't have preferred her.

Kiera Knightly has a chin like a boot-toe and one of the largest underbites in the film industry. Add to that her complete lack of feminine curves, and I don't see what people find attractive in her.

Andsigil has the ladies flocking to his door now :D

I just couldn't believe Liv being a Warrior Princess - it didn't work for me. Maybe as she was so good at being ethereal it didn't seem right when she was being a Riot Grrl? Or maybe it's down to PJ having messed with the original roles too much? But Keira (however you spell her name ;) ) seems to have that tough/pretty thing down in spades - as seen in King Arthur and Pirates.

Married 16 years with 4 kids. Having successfully hunted my trophy, I am now free to be bluntly honest. :smokin:

Did someone say Keira Knightley?

...:)

Yes. But she's not really worth talking about for the above-listed reasons. ;)

A friend of mine told me that Claire Forlani was first considered to play Arwen. She has sufficiently "elvish" looks to her- and no boot-toe chin or underbite.

http://www.hissandpop.com/celebritie...photos/001.jpg

Haha, I beg to differ about good Keira.

I could picture Claire as Arwen.

Galadriel is more beautiful. Maybe Arwen's face is prettier, but she's nothing like her grandmother. Because it isn't just the features that (for me) tell how beautiful someone is, it's how she bears herself and how is her presence and what "shines through". Taking these things into account, Galadriel sure is more beutiful. Her powerful spirit, charisma and person just clearly override Arwen the Just-A-Prettygirl. Arwen is too passive to be a real striking beauty, if you ask me.

As to Keira Knightley... She is over-rated. I can't deny she's pretty, but she's no goddess (and I agree she's way too thin). I wouldn't have liked to see her as Arwen, because she really is a quite poor actor. Besides, I don't want anyone who says she will go to have plastic surgery at the age of 25 ("because then you start to get wrinkles") :rolleyes: to have anything to do with ME! (No, I don't hate KK, sorry if I sound like that... :))

Arwen 4ever
 

I definatly think that Arwen is prettier, but Galadriel is fairest. Arwen has beautiful dark hair and dark blue eyes where Galadriel has blonde hair and pale eyes. They are both prety and i think Arwen is better because Galadriel just sits at home and does nothing where Arwen goes to Gondor and saves Frodo from the Nazgul (in the movie) Arwen 4ever:)

Galadriel, hands down. Even in the movies - I found Arwen to be rather bland, with little to no personality in her looks. Plus, Galadriel actually does stuff - a definite plus in attraction (at least to me).

I agree with Gimli. (obviously! :rolleyes: 55 times, even! :p)

Any particular reason you like the number 55?

I like it because you have a five after a five, and a five before a five.


Try getting the same with 44 :p

Because it's a whole number that comes after 54 and before 56, a multiple of 5 and 11, half of Nerwen's current age, five more than half a hundred, the number of bottles of beer on the wall after 1x45 of them have been "taken down and passed around"*...

ie, no particular reason.

*a very anoying song that goes "a hundred bottles of beer on the wall, a hundred bottles of beer! We take one down, pass it around, ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall! Ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall, ninety-nine bottles of beer! We take one down, pass it around..." I haven't yet met anyone who has gotten to 1.

Book wise, it's Galadriel for me! Not because she is pretty but because she is powerful and actually does something. Arwen is a bit of a sook in the book because all she does is become a mortal and make a banner. In the movies, Arwen is way prettier, but Galadriel again is way more awesome.

Arwen, because she is descended from Luthien the fairest elf to ever live. It says somewhere in the Lord of the Rings books that Arwen was the fairest since the time of Luthien.

Thing is, Galadriel is also said to be the fairest. It's like the competition between Treebeard and Tom B about who is older. ;)

Yes, it is said that Galadriel was the "mightiest and fairest of the remaining elves" and IMHO Arwen was an elf, ntil she decided to become mortal and Gimli thought also that Galadriel was fairer and if Arwen really would look like Luthien, which she didn´t, she is said to walk in the likeness of Luthien, then there should be no doubt left who is fairer.

And beside the fairest thing, Galadriel is much more powerful and awesome and in one league with Feanor.

Arwen was never an elf. She was one of the Half-elven like her father and brothers. Arwen does resemble Luthien in both looks and character. I think it can be agreed that most people considered Awen the fairest of the elves.

As for power, I agree Galadriel was more powerful than Arwen, but Arwen was a power in her own right. She does become the queen of all the remaining elves in Middle Earth.

She's certainly very beautiful, and those who know what they talk about say that she's Luthien reborn (not literally of course). However, she is not as potent as Luthien.

Certainly. I think that Arwen has an innate power of her own, albeit a lesser one than that of Luthien and Galadriel. The reason I prefer Galadriel over Arwen is not because one is more beautiful or has greater power. I just like Galadriel's portrayal better - and better than Luthien's too, by th way. To be honest, I like Morwen Eledhwen better than either of them, and, though she's beautiful and powerful in her own right, she's no match for an elf or even half-elf. But I absolutely adore her because of her role and her story.

Yes Luthien was exceptional at everything and stands alone.
The thing with Arwen is that we don't know much about her. Considering she was very much like Luthien in personality, I would probably like her more than Galadriel, but not much evidence.

Galadriel, like virtually all the Lords/Ladies of the House of Finwe, seems a bit too power hungry. Even Finrod, who is another one of my favourite characters.


Oddly enough Morwen and Turin are my two favourite characters. Morwen more than Turin, because despite everything that happened to her she remained unbroken.

Yes!!! I have an ally!!! :D

I'm a bit obsessed with tragic heroes and just tragic characters in general, and more FA than the later Ages, and especially COH, though The Sil is good also. But I have endless arguments about Hurin's family (can you go more tragic?) with nearly everyone. :p

Before I get cast out of the Doors of Night to keep Melkor company for going off track...

I'm not the biggest fan of Luthien either. As you can tell, I'm more of a fan of tragic endings than love stories.

The way I see Arwen and Luthien differs from yours. I think that Luthien is much more forward and charismatic, more rough, more First Age. Arwen is, for lack ofa better word, tamer. Between them, there are times when I prefer Luthien because of her wild and rebellious touch (but that's not to say that I see her as a willful teenager, I'm just pointing out the difference what I see her as compared to Arwen). Arwen is gentler, quieter, but you can still feel that backbone in her at times. And both ladies are certainly mysterious, though in different ways. Arwen, because we know so little of her, and Luthien, because, as you well put it, she stands alone.

It's one of my favourite bits of Galadriel history when she refuses the Ring in Lorien. She has a bit of that wild First Age streak in her too in The Sil, but in LOTR she has gained more greatness, more inner power, and curbed her ambition.

Arwen is said to walk in the "likeness of Luthien", but not that she resembles her looks. Unless I forgett something, there is no evidence that Arwen is the fairest in ME, I believe Tolkien at least meant Galadriel and her to be equally beautiful.

And for the quote I stated, that Galadriel is the"...and fairest of the remaining elves" IMHO, when Tolkien is takling generally of elves, both Elrond and Arwen are included, otherwise he would probably say "...the elves of Me and the two half elves..." But that would be silly and nitpicking, so he probably just says elves. Elrond because he chose to be counted among the Eldar and Arwen cause she lifed the life of the Eldar and had their youth and until the point she chose to become mortal she was for me an elf maiden. Genetical she is half elfen but culturally elf, until she decided to become a mortal women.

I really don´t see her as wild and rebellios, I mean it wold have been good, but everything what she did was for Beren and not because she was freeminded and felt confined in Doriath.

And for Luthien I´m really not impressed by her even if Tolkien said that she was the greatest of the Eldar, everything what she did was for the sake of her love to beren but not for the greater good. Would Beren not have come to Doriath Luthien wold probably still dance under a tree. Don´t get me wrong her deeds are impressive, but not Luthien, would she have went to Morgoth to free some people, Finrod for example then I would be impressed or if she became active before she met Beren, that for me would be an example of a strong women but she did that cause she couldn´t life without Beren.

That´s why Galadriel for me is greater (even if Tolkien sees it differently), she chose to stay in ME (if we leave out her pride, which was one reason) for the greater good to see Sauron fall and help where she could.

I speak now only for Galadriel but did she leave Aman only for power, I see it rather as need for responsibility and there is nothing wrong with it. She wanted to have her own kindom to have something to do, to accomplish something and not just sit singing under a tree. In the UT she is disribed as being "brilliant in mind and swift in action", so like all hugely intelligent people she was looking for a challenge but she still wanted only good for her people (she never would have suppressed someone (unlike Sauron or Morgoth) and every society needs a leader. So I see nothing negative in Galadriel wanting a realm of her own, as long as she doesn´t force the elves to accept her.

Yes, but that was nothing she accieved in her own, it was because of her marriage to Aragon, if she had fought for it and went through many dangers (like Aragon) then I would be impressed but she was only lucky that Aragon loved her, otherwise we maybe would have never even heard of her.

Yes. Once again, I do not see her as a daredevil teenager. But compared to Arwen, who sits at home and weaves a banner, she is quite the daredevil. Also, everyone in The Sil has a bit of wild to them compared to those in LOTR. Perhaps because the whole book is more desperate, or perhaps the whole world is new so you don't have the ancient anything to balance out the new and wild.

Arwen is called the fairest woman in the world several times in the books.

Arwen is not a 're-incarnation' of Luthien (that in the view of this mythical history would be impossible, since Luthien has died like a mortal and left the world of time) but a descendant very like her in looks, character, and fate.

There can be no doubt that Arwen looked a lot like Luthien.

'"My son," said Gilraen, "your aim is high, even for the descendant of many kings. For this lady is the noblest and fairest that now walks the earth. And it is not fit that mortal should wed with the Elf-kin."


'"At last, Lady Evenstar, fairest in this world, and most beloved, my world is fading. Lo! we have gathered, and we have spent, and now the time of payment draws near."

But now I will put Queen Arwen Evenstar first, and I am ready to do battle on my own part with any who deny me.

It is very simple. Arwen and Elrond were immortal Half-Elven. Again Tolkien clarifies this clearly.

The Half-elven, such as Elrond and Arwen, can choose to which kind and fate they shall belong: choose once and for all. Hence the grief at the parting of Elrond and Arwen."-Letter 154


"Arwen was not an elf, but one of the half-elven who abandoned her elvish rights-Letter 345

Arwen and Elrond were never elves. Nothing more can be said about it.
Yet power was still one of the main reasons she left and was consequently banned from Aman. Her father was wise and brilliant, but had more wisdom.

What is wrong desiring a peaceful life? The Vanyar and the remaining Noldor were the ones who went and overthrew Morgoth. They were not scared, but wise enough to listen to the council of the Valar and not defy them.
Arwen is Queen of Elves by her right and plays a huge part in running Aragorn's kingdom. Not only that, she was keeping watch on him from Rivendell, arranged for him to receive the Elessar and made his kingly banner.

Arwen remained in Rivendell, and when Aragorn was abroad, from afar she watched over him in thought; and in hope she made for him a great and kingly standard, such as only one might display who claimed the lordship of the Númenoreans and the inheritance of Elendil.

This is not Tolkiens view, that´s rather seen through the eyes of Gilraen and Aragon. Gilraen probably never meat Galadriel and therefore can not even judge that and Aragon is biased cause he is talking about his own wife, furthermore Galadriel wast in ME anymore when he said that.

The quote I provided was Tolkiens general view and not filtered through his characters.

That is debatable too, I would say Galadriel is more noble, being the daugther of a king (Finarfin), Granddaughter of a king (Olwe) and great niece of two kings (Ingwe and Elwe, if we assume that Elwe held kingship in Aman) Arwen is much more removed. But that´s just me. Arwen has of course the plus being decended from Melian, but for me that doesn´t make her necessarily more noble. Is just Gilraen not knowing better.

I´s like Sam saying for example that Rosie is the fairest in ME, that wold e Sams opinion, bt not neccessarily Tolkiens, or Galadriel saying that Celeborn is the wisest elf in ME, that is her opinion but probably not Tolkiens, cause he once said that abot Cirdan.

I´m very much aware that Tolkien said that Arwen isn´t an elf but half-elven, I was just trying to explain why I think that both are included in that statement, when Tolkien is talking in general of the third age eldar They are several thousand years old and living among elves. They are more elven than mortal. I think it´s quite obvious, Arwen is even listened as one of the Eldar.

She was genetically not an elf, but still included when generally speaking of them, until she wedded Aragon. With Elrond it´s even more explizcit, even if he´s half-elven, since "he chose to be counted among the Eldar"

I don´t know how to explain, but isn´t she seen as an elf (I´m not saying the she IS full elven) until she decided to become mortal? After her decision she stays half elven too, but then is no longer seen as an elf but a mortal women.

I´m not saying that Finarfin wasn´t wise returning to Valinor or that the other elves were cowards, it´s just that every person has other goals in life (for Galadriel being influential or powerful) and not everyone is content in just singing and writing poetry, but I wouldn´t say that Galadriel was unwise or stupid for going to ME, she had her purpose, without her things may have ended worse.

Galadriel and Feanor are the only elves described as being brilliant, I don´t think that there a dumb elves anyway, but they are seemingly extraordinary in that area, that´s the reason they weren´t content in living in Aman anymore, Galadriel even more than Feanor is seems.
I see nothing bad in her departure, I see a curious, knowlege- (slightly power) hungry "young" women who is looking for responsibility and something important to do. Even if she was looking for power, I don´t understand why some people see that in negative light. It´s the method how someone craves for power which is cruicial and Galadriel wanted always the best for ME, that sets her apart from the likes of Morgoth, Sauron or Saruman. You can have the need for being powerful and still be a good person if you know when you have to stop. Galadriels "stop" was when she refused the ring.

I don´t understand, she was not in line for succession, if we go with the version that Gilgalads father was Orodreth (sp?) then the next would be Galadriel, then Celebrian, then first the twins. So Arwen was only queen because she married Aragon, had she not married him, she wouldn´t be the queen of the elves.

What about Eomer's quote? Besides I have explained and given you lots of information where Tolkien shows the Half-Elven are not included among the Elves.
Arwen is a descendant of both Earendil and Luthien. The two most beloved, most powerful and most respected out of the Children of Illuvatar. That trumps everything.
Except more than one character says it and they have no reason to be biased. She is also compared to Luthien in looks, the fairest out of all the Children of Illuvatar.
Well there are many reasons why this is not the case.
1. Elrond is called a Elf friend.
"The Master of the house was an elf-friend - one of those people whose fathers came into the strange stories before History, the wars of the evil goblins and the elves and the first men of the North.

[Elrond] was as noble and as fair in face as an elf-lord, as strong as a warrior, as wise as a wizard, as venerable as a king of dwarves, and as kind as summer.

"‘And have you marked the brethren Elladan and Elrohir? Less sombre is their gear than the others', and they are fair and gallant as Elf-lords; and that is not to be wondered at in the sons of Elrond of Rivendell.'"
No quite the opposite, Tolkien in virtually every panel retains the distinction between Elrond/Elrond's children and true Elves. He is only LIKE or AS an elf lord.

Knowing when to stop is returning when the Valar place a curse on your errand. Finarfin was wise and knew when to stop and that was when the Valar cursed them. This is why Finarfin is the ONLY Noldor Prince/Lady to not inherit the weakness of pride the others did including Finrod and Galadriel.

If she acted perfectly then she would not have received the ban, that all the Noldor had.

In him(Feanor) she perceived a darkness that she hated and feared, though she did not perceive that the shadow of the same evil had fallen upon the minds of all the Noldor and upon her own.
No for whatever reason it seems the Noldor had a form of Salic Succession. The throne was only passed to males through a male line. So with the death of Gil-galad not only was there a lack of elves to have a High-King, but there was nobody with a right to the throne anyway.

However, Arwen has right to claim the Queenship through Thingol. That apart the elves did not just accept leaders, because of a birth right. They rejected Finrod, Feanor and Galadriel herself even though they were the rightful rulers by birth. Arwen therefore must have displayed qualities for the elves to except her rule.

You talk only of political power. I think that it is only surface-deep and is based on status, not on the person. I was talking abut innate power, of which even Aragorn has lots - and Arwen probably has just as much (though of a different kind/"direction") at least.

According to me it doesn't. Being a descendant does not necessarily trump a separate quality. It's comparing apples to oranges - being less powerful than the other's ancestors, but in your own right, or not being as special by yourself but having inherited something due to your ancestry.

There is a difference between doing nothing peacefully and doing something peacefully. The only problem is that the something turned quite bloody, but not by Galadriel's will.

And if everyone acted perfectly we would not have a story. *sigh* But that's beside the point. Thing is, we see so few of Arwen's actions that we can't really judge her. Galadriel does things imperfectly. Arwen doesn't do much at all. Galadriel learns wisdom and humility. Arwen becomes mortal. You decide which is the apple and which is the orange.

I anyway don´t understand why they were banned, the Valar said that they are free and could leave if they want but they still banned them, even those who were not guilty in the kinslaying. Galadriel had the right to go, she was no prisinor. Pride is not always a weakness, it saves ones self-respect. If you are convinced that what you do is the right thing, then you should fight for it and maybe even refuse forgiveness, if that "pardon" includes that you have to admit you were wrong. Never should anyone act against his or her believes.

IMHO Galadriel was right when she refused the pardon, because for what should she need to be forgiven? For leaving Aman?
The Valar were wrong.

"Elrond's character had yet to be fully developed when The Hobbit was first published. Rateliff's The History of The Hobbit has a detailed section on Elrond's character, as Rateliff notes:

...and the very presense of Elrond himself, who is certainly not described as an elf (at the end of the chapter Elrond, the hobbit, the wizard, and the dwarves go outside to 'see the elves' dance and sing) and seems to not have been conceived of as an immortal or even particularly long lived at this point, - The History of The Hobbit: Mr. Baggins; Ch III, Rivendell.

And in The Annotated, in A Short Rest: note 9, Anderson refers to a 1964 letter where Tolkien called Elrond's naming a "fortunate accident":

Tolkien wrote to Christopher Bretherton in a letter of July 16, 1964, "The Passage in Ch. 3 relating him to the Half-elven of the mythology was a fortunate accident, due to the difficulty of constantly inventing good names for new characters. I gave him the name Elrond casually, but as this came from the mythology...I made him half-elven."

"Tolkien needed a name for this character in The Hobbit who was an "elf-friend" and the master of Rivendell, and it appears he casually plucked the name Elrond. This would become a fortunate accident, because Tolkien realized Elrond was already a character in his mythology, and already the "half-mortal and half-elfin" child of Earendel and Elwing ("Sketch of the Mythology"). I'm not sure when Elrond's full character gets fleshed out, but it would not be anytime before LOTR."

That all is copied from someone who wrote that in another forum.

Well, I wouldn´t read too much into it.
Elrond "chose to be counted among the Eldar" and therefore is included in that quote despite being half elven, with Arwen it´s a little more difficult, but alone the fact that Tolkien said that her and Aragons wedding was the third between the Eldar and Edain is prove enough for me.
They are called called half - elven, not half-man, so it is reasonable if they would be included in such a general statement.

Yes, Eomer thought Arwen was fairer, Gimli Galadriel, so now, what was Tolkiens opinion on that? Maybe he wasn´t sure. Whose opinion has more weight?

When did they rejected Finrod? He was king and would have stayed king, if he would not have helped Beren, Feanor nobody liked and Galadriel would have been Queen after Gil Galad, if they would have let a women rule, but at that time the Noldor left ME.

I would agree. Yes, only men were Kings, until Numenor changed that. However, when there are no more men left of the line, who else to follow? Moreover, Galadriel is such a figure that people would follow her regardless of her gender. She has charisma. Lots of it. And even in LOTR, whenever she appears with Celeborn, she demonstrates that he is great, and never tries to show otherwise. Yet you get the feeling all the time that despite that she is much greater than him. Even the people who follow her rule defer to her before Celeborn.

No the Valar were right. The Valar cursed the Noldor for leaving, because of their actions. The right thing to do would be go and ask pardon. Ultimately the Valar would have sent a force. Finarfin acted in the correct manner and you will note he was the one that gained everything. He gained the High Kingship of all the Noldor, he was the one who led the Noldor to victory. If his children and relatives had listened then things would have turned out much better.
What does that have to do with anything? Tolkien comments on how he was fortunate he used Elrond's name, but it does not change his status as one of the Half-Elven. The Half-elven are their own separate group. I have given several quotes distinguishing Elrond from other Elf-lords and his children too. None of the Half-Elven were elves. There is only one slip up when he talks about the marriages of the Eldar and the Edain and he quickly corrects this one letter. Through out the Lengendarium he is consistent in showing the difference.

In fact his quote about Elrond having the best chance out of anyone except the Maia suggest Elrond has a greater innate power.
Except we have Aragorn's, Gilraen's and the references to Arwen's similarity to Luthien.
They rejected Finrod when Curufin and Celegorm convinced them to abandon the king. The elves of Eregion by one story rejected Galadriel in favour of Celebrimbor.

In Tolkien, nobility is not just down to actions, but to descent as well. Part of the reason Arwen was so great was her descent. The rest was in her actions.
The Vanyar and the remaining Noldor DID do something. They were the ones who won the war. They regained the Silmarils. Being wise and not too hasty is a virtue.
That is true, but it does not matter when judging characters. Tolkien himself says that people have to fall, to give us the story, but falling is a failure.

I agree we do not really know enough about Arwen to judge, but we only know that she was very similar to Luthien.

I don't get your last point? How is becoming mortal anything to do with character? Earendil would have happily become a mortal as would many elves like Galadriel's own brother Aegnor.

All the Noldor Princes/Ladies were quite deeply flawed and this is why Elrond distances himself from them and would rather be Thingol's heir.

Oh yes, Thingol was of course not flawed:rolleyes:

That Elrond distances himself from the Noldor because of their past, makes me almost not liking him (almost!) If it wasn´t for the Noldor leaving Aman despite the Valar cammanding them to stay, there would be no Elrond. One could ask for a little more respect regarding his Noldorin ancestors.

I wouldn´t call them flawed (except Feanor and his sons), I would call them people with character.

Oh please really, where was Arwen "so great", she just happens to marry the King of Arnor and Gondor. Origianlly he would even have married Eowyn.



It says "IF" Galadriel could, Elrond could too, but that is not the case.

Here's that next line...

But this is another matter. It was part of the essential deceit of the Ring to fill minds with imaginations of supreme power.

It says Galadriel thought she could, but that was because of one of the Ring's key powers - deception. Galadriel was deceived into thinking that she could use the Ring for herself, so was Elrond, maybe even to a greater degree.

That doesn´t make Elrond more powerful than Galadriel, actually i think it´s very unlikely that Elrond has more innate power, when you have in mind what Tolkien has written about her in comparision to Feanor.

I do not disagree. Both have great ancestors, but Arwen has the greater ones. Both do great deeds, but Galadriel does the greater ones. How do you balance it out? You can't. It's apples and oranges.

That's beside the point. They won the war - after an Age of doing... what? Sitting at home, carving jewels, watching the stars... Life in Valinor is good when you are weary and seek rest. But what about when you are still young, vigorous, ambitious? When you don't want to just take and enjoy what the Valar have provided, but want to build yourself? Enjoyment wears off together with appreciation.

Alright. Sure. It's failure. But it makes a character more interesting to read about. I love Galadriel (who has fallen and risen again) as a character more than I do Arwen, who has neither fallen nor risen. She not only does little in the physical sense, but her character is pretty stagnant, other than perhaps her decision to become mortal.

And likewise, I love Morwen more than both of them put together, even though her fall was the hardest and grandest - perhaps I love her more because her fall was the worst.

We don't know much of Arwen's character. We need deeds to judge character. Arwen does very few things that are her choice (I mean, she can be beautiful, but it's not really her credit); she visits Lorien. She weaves a banner. There's the look she gave Frodo in Rivendell that he always remembered afterwards, as well as giving him the necklace. And she became mortal. Coincidence or not, but many of her deeds originate in this choice. It's the most important thing to me in judging her character.

Elrond distances himself from the Noldor and would rather be Thingol's heir? Where did you get this from? I can't seem to recall any such, but I may have forgotten this bit since my last read.

Thingol had his flaws, but disobeying the King of the World was not one of them. Of course Elrond respects them, but disobeying the Valar and receiving a ban is no small matter. Worse still they were kin slayers in Aman itself. I know Galadriel and the House of Finarfin did not take part in this. Rather Galadriel in most accounts defended her kin, but then she STILL left with the Noldor.

I like the Noldor and they certainly did have character, but just like Turin and Morwen, whom resembled them so much; they had too much pride.

In retrospect distancing himself is perhaps too harsh. He rather traced his heritage to Elwe over Fingolfin/Finwe.

where as Elrond remained among the elves and carried on the lineage of Elwe.
and then the note adds
And Turgon; though he preferred that of Elwe, who was not under the ban that was laid on the exiles.
Originally Aragorn was a hobbit with a peg leg.

It does not distract from Galadriel's greatness, that Arwen was great in her own right. Aragorn actually uses Arwen's greatness to praise her.

O lady of Lorienof whom sprung Celebrian and Arwen Evenstar. What praise could I say more

Arwen was great and this reflects on Galadriel not just, because she was her grandmother, but also due to the tutelage Arwen received.
I too don't think even Galadriel could defeat Sauron in person with the ring. That is not to say she would not defeat him in other ways. Like even lesser powers she would just command huge army and defeat Sauron that way. As powerful as Sauron was, Numenor alone was too great for him to handle in might alone.

However, the point still stands that when it came to a confrontation based on innate power alone, Elrond had the greatest chance of victory. It is Elrond who is given the most powerful ring. It is Elrond, who holds out against Sauron's siege too. Melian was a Maia on par and perhaps greater than Sauron. Luthien was an elf greater than Sauron. Six thousand years and over 60 generations down the line, this same ancestry is still giving Aragorn great healing powers.

In my opinion nobility is about character and not just great deeds. I would say Arwen was a more pure character than Galadriel. In the same way that Tuor could be said to be more pure than Turin, even if he was lesser in power. Galadriel was contemplating stealing the ring from Frodo and her temptation was greater than Aragorn or Gandalf, who too were offered the ring.
They won against a more powerful army, than the rebels faced. The desire to leave and travel ME was not inherently a bad choice. If they had petitioned the Valar reasonably (like Galadriel does in some accounts) then the Valar would have granted their request. It was the manner of the their rebelling, which led to the curse.
I agree from a literary point of view a fallen character is more interesting. Tolkien himself says this. He goes further; here are his thoughts on the matter in a letter.

There cannot be any 'story' without a fall....So proceeding the elves have a fall, before their 'history' can become storial.

Ingwe may not be the most exciting character, but I dare say he is a better elf than Feanor.
Morwen is my favourite female character and only second to Turin in my favourite characters, but she was flawed too. If Turin and her, had been less proud then their lives very possibly may have been better, but perhaps not as great. That being said Turin and Morwen were both too proud. They were both great, but their pride was their greatest fault.
I disagree. We know Arwen's character, but we don't know much of her deeds. Her character is similar to Luthien. Her giving Frodo the necklace was not a coincidence. She is the first one to notice the ill effects that the ring has on Frodo. She realises that healing is impossible for him in ME and arranges for him to go the Tol Eressea.
Distanced himself is too strong I feel. It was my mistake to use that word. It's better to say he favoured his Sindar descent over the Noldor and considered himself Thingol's heir.

I beg to differ. I see Galadriel as taking Melian's place in the TA when it comes to a confrontation with the main villain. Compare:

--The Sil, of Turin Turambar (an almost exact copy of this passage is found in COH, The Land of Bow and Helm)

--Galadriel, The Mirror of Galadriel, FOTR.

Can you tell a clean plate from an unused plate? It's one thing to go through trials and come out unscathed (which realistically never happens, near every character has some flaw), and it's another to not go through any trials at all and be nice and shiny. If I understand you right, you respect the ones that do not show any wear-and-tear of usage on them, even if they are clean. But I respect Galadriel more, because she is more flawed, perhaps, and has had many more trials than Arwen - and still she remains the clean plate, though with a chipped edge or a dent.

As for the deeds, once again - the refusal for temptation is the deed. You count it as a flaw. I count it as a refusal to succumb to a flaw. In your eyes it makes one lesser - because she was tempted, and allowed herself to be tempted badly. In my eyes, Galadriel's refusal to temptation makes her greater - because she had the nettle to resist the temptation. The greater the temptation, the greater the strength put into resisting it. If you don't have a strong temptation, you did not display sich strength of mind and will.

You cannot say that Arwen is better than Galadriel because Arwen was not tempted so badly by the Ring, because she was not tempted at all. You could compare Galadriel to Gandalf, to Frodo, Sam, Gollum, Boromir, even Aragorn to some extent, but not Arwen. Not in this case.

Neither of which is what I'm talking about. I am not reciting The Sil; I am trying to explain the desire of many of the Exiles. To build a kingdom of their own, and make their own, without the Valar handing them everything. Like you want to make your own food instead of just heating up frozen foods. It is not about what they ended up doing - fighting a war, losing a war, winning a war, - it's about what they wanted to do before it all went rolling downhill.

Certainly, Ingwe doesn't start a World War. But then, as you said, he's quite boring, and he gives me no emotion whatsoever. I cannot respect him for being good, because there wasn't much of an option (leaving with the Noldor does not count, since the Vanyar were not affected by Morgoth's lies in the first place). He's an unused plate. You can't judge a plate without using it. On the contrary, I'm sure everyone will find some respect (at least!) for the likes of Finrod and Fingolfin, who, despite their brothers and neighbours and everything still try to be good. Even if they fail at it (which is debatable, but beside the point). I respect Fingolfin, who basically committed suicide, more than I respect Ingwe.

Very true. Their main flaws were pride and deafness/blindness to truth and good advice. But they try to be good. Even if they fail utterly (which just adds to the beauty of the story). Unlike Ingwe, who doesn't even have to try.

Firstly, in my opinion, we know only as much about her character as her deeds and a few descriptions allow us to perceive. She looked like Luthien, probably inherited some of her power/wisdom/insight/foresight, possibly inherited some of her character. But I cannot say she had the same character, at least based on the few actions that we do know. I cannot see Luthien sitting at home weaving a banner when Beren is off to god knows where trying to throw down a being who is a head higher than everyone else, metaphorically speaking, of course. Just like I can't see Arwen galloping off to the Paths of the Dead to...? Dunno. Help out somehow.

From the fact that she gives Frodo the necklace, I see that Arwen has wisdom and foresight. Good qualities, but precious little when it comes to character. Any average elf of the TA has this, though perhaps is lesser measure. Her metaphorical giving her place to Frodo is only possible because she chose mortality. It is dependant on her main deed, the choice between Aragorn and life.

The same applies to Elrond and Rivendell. The difference is Melian was up against Morgoth, Galadriel could not keep out Sauron. Without Numenor all of eastern Elvish Kingdoms would have been destroyed. Galadriel would not hope to take on the host of Sauron. Luthien actually DID take on the host of Morgoth.
It's better to reject the temptation at the first test. This is usually better for you and all your friends. Compare the lives of the Noldor to the lives of the Vanyar.
It's better to be so pure that you are never tempted in the first place.
We do not know if Arwen was tempted or not. However, she did struggle more than Elrond, Aragorn and Gandalf. I forget that Elrond too was offered the ring at the Council. In the end the deed is all that matters, but it does show her personality was more tainted by lust for power than the others.
They were deluded and were corrupted by Morgoth, because Manwe is the King of Arda not just Aman. Where ever they tried to go they could not escape the authority of the Valar. The Teleri worked hard on their ships, the Vanyar on poetry and singing. The Noldor's reasons for returning were mostly due to the lies of Morgoth.
You are confusing being a boring person, with a boring story. It seems strange to me that you cannot respect someone for being good. We have very different views. Being good is harder and better than being bad.

The Vanyar were tempted by Morgoth just like the Noldor, but they resisted it and did not fall under the shadow. This is to their credit. Again it seems odd that you respect Fingolfin for leading his people to destruction over a wiser ruler who kept his people safe. The Noldor leave to fight Morgoth having no clue about his true power for mainly selfish reasons. The Vanyar leave fully aware of Morgoth's might for selfless reasons. I respect the Vanyar far more than the Noldor on this. We will never see eye to eye on this matter.
What? Everyone has to strive to be good. Ingwe just made the right decisions so did not suffer. His people were untroubled and had happy lives. He was the High King of all elves.
You canot say she has the same character as Luthien, but Tolkien can and he does. As the author of the story he can gives us definitive statements. Like when he tells us Sam, Frodo and Bilbo still eventually die in Tol Eressea. He tells us outright Luthien and Arwen had a similar character. Luthien too sat at home and respected the authority of Thingol. It was only when things became desperate for Beren and he was days away from death did she interfere. Arwen on the other hand did not have Luthien's power or the need to rush out and save Aragorn. She helped him as she could and had faith in him.
If any average had this wisdom then why was she the first to notice? Why do the elves accept her as their queen? What do you mean she metaphorically gives Frodo her place? Arwen arranging Frodo's place on the boat has nothing to do with her being mortal. Or how do you explain Gimli, Sam and Bilbo all gaining a place. She was not being literal.

It is stated that Galadriel Nothing similiar is said regarding Elrond, later in the passage she resebles Luthien in her deed to destroy Dol Guldur. So I would agree that Galadriel somewhat takes the place of Melian, her defence of Lorien is similar to that of Doriath, just to a lesser degree. And that she could see Saurosn thought and still her thougts are hidden from him.

Elrond was not even the original bearer, the three were given to the tree greatest of the Eldar (of this time) Galadriel, Cirdan and Gil Galad.

The more powerful you are, the more tempted you are, the ring wanted the strongest master to come again to his real master.
Besides Galadriel has good reason to be tempted, more than Elrond, she was really in a dilemma, we must assume that she thought of her self as still being banned and allowing the ring to be destroyed could probably destroy her last home, for before the temptation she wouldn´t know that she could return to Valinor.
Elrond wouldn´t have this pressure, if things would went terribly wrong, he could take Arwen and flee to Aman, Galadriel never wold have the possibility, being banned.

She never planned to take the ring, she was tempted, but she didn´t ask Frodo to look in der mirror, just to get the ring.

So even before Frodo entered Lorien she decided to refuse the ring.

When I compare the Noldor to the Vanya, the Vanya sure had the more comfortable life, but the Noldor were the heroes, matter of histories, legnds and songs, they made the more important deeds, they had a fullfilled life, the Vanyar were always in their golden cage, they never learned to take care of themselves. I wouldn´t want the life of a Vanyar, that wouldn´t satisfy me. I can understand the Noldor, they wanted to see what they were able to achieve alone, without the help of the Valar, of course there is a risk, but they accepted that. Individual fulfilment was very important to them and for that they had to leave Aman at least for a time.

Could they really be sure that they would granted their wish, there is no accord that anyone if leaving Aman to ME except the Istati and Glorfindel. Maybe some were afraid that they never would get the opportunity.

And again, WHY does the Noldor have to ask the Valar to leave? Aren´t they free? That´s really not their business where the Eldar are going and why must they give a good reason, it´s their life and they can do with it what they want.

And if the Valar later would allow them to leave, why not allow them at this point to leave, does it really matter if they leave 100 years earlier or 100 years later?
It seems to me they were overcharged.
They really had no idea what they were doing. Something was going against their wishes and so they had to punish everyody and not just the Noldor who deserves the punishment (The kinslayers and oathtakers).


I don´t think the majority wanted to fight Morgoth, I think the most, like Galadriel just wanted to see new lands. Isn´t it somewhere noted that the Noldor long before Morgoth influenced them had the desire to go to ME, but that it just came to the surface during Feanors rebellion?

That is the problem, "where ever they tried to go they could not escape the authority of the Valar" isn´t that terrible? It´s like a big jail, or like you would never be able to move away from your parents, cause they force you to stay in a little vilage.

I don´t see them being corrupted by Morgoth just because they wanted to leave Aman, they had dreams. It´s true, Arda belonged to the Valar but I see no crime in the need to be a little distanced from them, because you want to make your own experiences, that doesn´t mean that the Eldar who went into exil didn´t love the Valar anymore. Maybe the Valar thought that the Noldor don´t love them anymore, but Galadriel for example, and certaily other Noldor, still revered the Valar very much.

Another thing that occured to me is Galadriels pardon. What was the condition? Did she have to repent going to ME?

So she was able to return because of that, was there more?

No she was banned for her part in being one of the leaders in the rebellion. Tolkien later on was considering changing her significant role in leading the Noldor, but she was always going to under ban for disobeying the Noldor.

No the same thing is said about Rivendell.

What power still remains lies with us, here in Imladris, or with Cirdan at the Havens, or in Lorien. But have they the strength, have we the strength to withstand the enemy, the coming of Sauron at the last; when all else is overthrown?
'I have not the strength.' said Elron; 'neither have they'

Yes her defense is impressive, but how is it more impressive than Elrond's defense of Imladris? Elrond without the help of his ring defended Rivendell against Sauron in person with his entire army at his back. This was Sauron using the One Ring.

It is Elrond, who takes out all 9 wraiths at the same time when they attempt to enter his realm.
Who told you the more powerful the more tempted you are? That is rubbish. Do you think Gollum was more powerful than Faramir? Or Boromir more powerful than Aragorn? The weakness is in the individual not their power. Of course with more innate power you can actually accomplish more.

So did everyone else just like Boromir. You defense of Galadriel is becoming to desperate. Everyone had much to lose and much to gain by using the Ring and if we are honest none more so than Aragorn of Gandalf.
No, but she was considering stealing it from Frodo if he passed through her land.

Would not that have been a noble deed to set to the credit of his ring, if I had taken it by force or fear from my guest?

She does reject this train of thought, but at the same time she greatly desire Frodo to offer her the ring. Characters with pride without majesty do not.
No she was unsure of what she would do until the moment itself happened.
You keep forgetting that the Vanyar were the ones, who actually defeated Morgoth.

There is more to life than just fighting and wars. It's a shame that more people would not be happy with living in a paradise with their friends and family. The Noldor were power hungry and influenced by Morgoth. In the end it cost them and they were forced to return to Aman anyway.
The Valar had said several times the elves were free to come and go as they pleased.
Manwe is King of Arda. It is his business. He is the king and rightful ruler. He is put there by Illuvatar and understands HIS will better than anyone else. That sort of reasoning is how Melkor became Morgoth.
It matters in the manner. Leaving in toe with a mad man, who had broken the Valars laws and sworn a destructive oath was there choice. They then doubled their misery by committing murder before they went.
No the Noldor did many crimes and were rightly punished. They had a choice to reject the actions of Feanor and his people, but instead they followed him.
Tolkien is clear that there is a shadow over them. This first came about when Morgoth started spreading his lies. If they were wiser like the Vanyar or less proud like the Teleri they would have rejected him. Pride like always was the downfall for the Noldor.
Manwe is the rightful ruler. It takes humility to accept that there are people in the world with a higher rank. Morgoth did not like this and the Noldor followed. Eru made it that way. Your words were the same lies that Morgoth told them.

If thraldom it be you cannot escape it: for Manwe is king of Arda and not Aman only.
The whole world is under Manwe. As Mandos said you cannot escape his kingship. Tolkien outright states they were corrupted by Morgoth and repeated his lies. They may have loved the Valr, but they broke their laws and had to make their own bed.

Nor did the Valar punish them in any undue way. They refused them help and banned them from Aman. If the Valar had not shown mercy then the Noldor would have been wiped out by Morgoth and quickly returned to Aman to sit in the halls of Mandos. The ones, who remained would become a rustic people and slowly fade away. The Valar were more forgiving than they could have been. In the end it is the Noldor, who are desperate to come back and constantly pine for Aman.