[Man-of-the-Wold]

Yes, the following quote from the Road Goes Ever On is addressed in The Unfinished Tales, with respect to the question of the "Ban" on Galadriel:

Originally posted by Tar Elenion:
JRRT actually published [a] very specific statement on her association with the Exile and the Ban in RGEO:
'The question Sí man i yulma nin enquantuva? and the question at the end of her song (Vol. I, p. 389), What ship would bear me ever back across so wide a Sea?, refer to the special position of Galadriel. She was the last survivor of the princes and queens who had led the revolting Noldor to exile in Middle-earth. After the overthrow of Morgoth at the end of the First Age <STRONG>a ban was set upon her return, and she had replied proudly</STRONG> that she had no wish to do so. She passed over the Mountains of Eredluin with her husband Celeborn (one of the Sindar) and went to Eregion. But it was impossible for one of the High-Elves to overcome the yearning for the Sea, and the longing to pass over it again to the land of their former bliss. She was now burdened with this desire. In the event, after the fall of Sauron, in reward for all that she had done to oppose him, but above all for her rejection of the Ring when it came within her power, <STRONG>the ban was lifted,</STRONG> and she returned over the Sea, as is told at the end of The Lord of the Rings. The last lines of the chant express a wish (or hope) that though she could not go, Frodo might perhaps be allowed to do so.'

Road Goes Ever On.

(emphasis added)

My perspective is to treat The Lord of the Rings as gospel, rejecting anything contradicting with it. The Silmirillion and The Hobbit are only just in the same category. In terms of everything else (UT, Letters, HoME, &c.) -- some of which I'm still trying to get at, now, finally, after nearly 20 years of withdrawal -- I attempt in my imagination to make the absolute most of it all, at least by way of generalizations, such as what I expounded above, and of course, for answering my daughter's incessant queries. So, I then consider the following questions:

Road Goes Ever On?

Where does this fit into the set of sacred text?! I remember thumbing through one years ago, and I'm not sure about its availability now, or worthiness for reading. Still, what is quoted above can be accepted at face value, especially since it does not contradict anything in The Lord of the Rings (phew!).

Therefore, Galadriel was clearly subject to some sort of ban or hinderance imposed by or through the Valar to her initially returning to Eldamar.

Still, I'm left in doubt, because in The Silmirillion the far more culpable Maedhros and Maglor are invited by Eonwe to return and seek pardon.

Moreover, the above quote is quite pithy and very much begs greater insight into the relationship and communication of Galadriel and the Valar in this regard.

My discomfort arises from trying to see this in legal or casual, human-type terms. Would the Valar have simply prevented entry, deported or imprisoned her for the lack of the proper Visa? Taking the chant literally, was Cirdan under order to not provide her with passage? But that might get at the mark, in that there was something unresolved there, with which Cirdan or others could not interfere.

Nor, is this question of pardon a simple matter of being contrite and saying "lets be friends again." Rather, I tend to look at it more in a religious/chivalrous context. Galadriel was very high in the eyes of the Eldar, as well as the Valar, and perhaps even seen as dangerous unless clearly repentent; at the same time, she may have indeed been like a wayward child still needing to learn a great lesson.

"I'm Sorry, If You're Sorry!"

The pardon of Galadriel by the Valar could have been forthcoming, and even the Road Goes Ever On excerpt suggest that it was.

But implicitly, she would have needed to sincerely accept any such pardon -- i.e., in effect, admit to the wrong of her actions, pledge fealty and beg for the reinstitution of the Valar's grace. Failing to do so, there was a ban, and she responded truthfully I believe, in that she did not have any intention of leaving Middle-Earth at the end of the First Age, anyway, for the reasons that I noted in the post above.

What you end up with is really two parties talking at cross purposes. The Valar have their doubts about her readiness and faithfulness, which they seek to address through some sort of submission on her part.

Understandably, these doubts and the expectation of an apology are insulting to Galadriel, and Ulmo and others might even have conceded that as a nonparticipant in the kinslaying, Galadriel was not necessarily guilty of anything over which the Valar should seek to deal with, because the march of the Noldor to Middle-Earth was in some ways justified and noble in intent.

Nevertheless, a ban resulted from misunderstanding.

Then, after all that she had done to show the righteousness and steadfastness of her heart, the question of her accepting a pardon became moot. She had proved herself -- 'passed the test' -- in a way far more satisfying to the Valar, as well as herself.

Christopher Tolkien and Satisfaction

One reason that I tend to the above nuanced interpretation is that in reading the The Unfinished Tales, I sense that Christopher Tolkien does not really know how to judge the statement from the Road Goes Ever On. I wish I knew more about him; clearly his work as an editor for UT, HoME, &c. is a labor of love, but he very studiously sticks to a role as neutral editor.

Reading between the lines in UT, Part Two, IV he seems, however, dissatisfied accepting the notion of a straightforward ban on Galadriel's return. Assuming this intuition is correct, it should be given great respect in light of the rarity by which he evers offers opinion, implied or otherwise.

Therefore, I think that The Unfinished Tales through C. Tolkien makes the case implicitly for the "ban" as rather an irresolvable stalemate between the Valar on the one side, expecting to have their pardon accepted, and Galadriel, who not without reason, cannot go down that path, but who finally learns that she does need to prove herself to Valar, when she has done so, unlooked for, on her own terms. (Happy ending)

The Mirror of Galadriel

Lastly, I think the view of a simplistic ban, finally waived aside when Galadriel resists the temptation of the Ring, does not fully do justice to the depth of what transpires between the Ringbearer and the Lady of the Wood. I concur with Peter Jackson, it is one of the most pivotal scenes in The Lord of the Rings.

She has not only just done the right thing, but has seen something through Frodo that had been beyond her reckoning, as well as the fulfillment of her role. This is someone who's been alive for eons, and is on some level the equal of Sauron, and the greatest of the Children of Iluvatar then dwelling in Middle-Earth!

No she's earned the right to go into the West -- with Frodo -- and to live at peace with the Valar.

In many ways, I think that she had at that point truly avenged the deaths of her grandfather and brothers, and redeemed the Noldor for their past excesses, mistakes and, yes, sins. It may be a bit much, and I know JRRT may not have intended (or at least denied) any Christian symbolism [and I agree there is no allusion to the resurrection in Gandalf] in The Lord of the Rings; nevertheless, I see the Mirror scene as very much associated with the Sacrament of Baptism, which removes all sin, so that one comes to God and rejects all evil. And a conservative Catholic such as JRRT wouldn't have placed a women in the role of the priest, if you get my drift.

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"but she was of the Silvan Elves, and regretted the incoming of the Elves of the West, who (as she said) brought wars and destroyed the peace of old. . . . and she dwelt alone beside the falls of the river Nimrodel to which she gave her name."

[ January 21, 2002: Message edited by: Man-of-the-Wold ]

[ January 21, 2002: Message edited by: Man-of-the-Wold ]