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Old 10-27-2004, 03:02 PM   #53
Encaitare
Bittersweet Symphony
 
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Celeborn: International Elf of Mystery

Wow -- this thread seems to have just expanded overnight.

I see we've moved towards matters of Celeborn, but I had a thought I'd like to throw out there.

Perhaps the reason Galadriel seems to be genderless is because of the way we first meet her:

Quote:
Very tall they were, and the Lady no less tall than the Lord; and they were grave and beautiful. They were clad wholly in white; and the hair of the Lady was of deep gold, and the hait of the lord was of silver long and bright; but no sign of age was upon them, unless it were in the depths of their eyes; for these were keen as lances in the starlight, and yet profound, the wells of deep memory.
From the moment we see her, she and Celeborn are described as having very similar characteristics (at least on the outside): Tolkien consistently uses "they" when describing their height, garb, eyes, and countenance. I also like davem's suggestion that Galadriel is
Quote:
a judge of hearts & minds
and therefore must not show bias that gender can bring about.

While we're on the topic of Celeborn, I feel his humility and his willingness to admit that he is wrong does suggest a wisdom all his own -- not the wisdom of counsel as given by Elrond, and not the wisdom of Galadriel, which, as has been said, forces people to look within themselves and choose the right path. Rather, it is a more quiet sort of wisdom which is not always clear to see. He first speaks rashly due to the shock of Gandalf's death, but otherwise he is courteous, especially in his welcome to Gimli. A sign of the courtesy of Celeborn (and all Elves as is mentioned) is that he and Galadriel stand when the Fellowship arrives.

It seems that Celeborn (contrary to his movie persona!) is more of a speaker. He gives welcome and voices his opinion immediately. Even when what he says is incorrect, he does not hesitate. On the other hand, Galadriel is a thinker. She observes people first to understand them and their purposes -- note how Frodo sees that she "said no word but looked long upon his face" as Celeborn greeted the Fellowship. Combined with her ability to look into the minds of the Fellowship (is this an example of osanwe? I'm still not very familiar with the idea.), she can evaluate anyone she meets.
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