LotR -- Book 2 - Chapter 07 - The Mirror of Galadriel

[Firefoot]

Originally posted by Boromir88

As Boromir said "Maybe it was only a test," that's what it appears to be. The Lady just testing the Fellowship members, seeing if they would hold true.

The answer to this is found a little later in the chapter, when Frodo offers Galadriel the Ring. She says, "Gently are you revenged for my testing of your heart at our first meeting." So yes, she was testing them. I think that what is important is not what she was doing, however, but why she was doing it. Just before Galadriel tested the Fellowship, she said, "your Quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little and it will fail, to the ruin of all. Yet hope remains while all the Company is true." (One of my favorite lines in the book.) So maybe she was seeing whether all of them intended to remain true? (Hilde made some interesting comments on this, as well.)

On Boromir, I think that perhaps she offered him the Ring. He says she offers something, and is this not what Boromir covets most? Sam sees this most clearly of all, perhaps, and shows it when speaking to Faramir. ("He wanted the Enemy's Ring!") Or, maybe he was offered something to do with the defeat of Sauron, and "rule" over Minas Tirith (for which he sees the Ring as a nearly-essential tool). I can see why Boromir would be extremely defensive about it. He already has premonitions about entering Lorien in the first place, and now Galadriel, who he has very likely heard tales about, is offering what he wants most.

Contrast this to what she may have offered Frodo: relief from the Ring, perhaps? Though the Ring is not yet such a heavy burden on Frodo as it would come to be, many times he has shown his reluctance to take (and keep!) the Ring, even though he said he would take it to destroy it. He offered it to Gandalf first, and then at Rivendell he expresses his wish to be able to remain there. Now he is offering it to Galadriel. Whether Frodo actually failed at Mt. Doom (time enough for that discussion then), had Galadriel taken it Frodo really would have failed. Elrond specifically says "On him alone any charge is laid: neither to cast away the Ring, nor to deliver it to any servant of the enemy nor indeed to let any handle it, save members of the Company and the Council, and only then in gravest need." At any rate, Galadriel says to Frodo, "You have preceived my thourhg more clearly than many that are accounted wise." Had Galadriel offered Frodo relief from his burden, perhaps Frodo would have interpreted this to mean that Galadriel actually did desire the Ring.

So, in sharp contrast of each other: Boromir, desiring to have the Ring, and Frodo, desiring to be rid of it!

[Encaitare]

Boromir88 brought up a great point about the difference between "Elf-Magic" and "Evil Magic." It's evident that the Elves are very close to nature, so it seems to me that the Elf-Magic is a sort of natural magic, whereas Evil Magic is more supernatural.

The Elves' magic is based off of that which they can create inherently -- Galadriel's Mirror, for example. She seems to empower or "activate" the Mirror by breathing on it. The elven cloaks, lembas, and rope which we see in the next chapter all have magical qualities: they respectively can make the wearer all but invisible, can sustain a person for a long time, and can support great weights and untie when necessary. To quote Mr. Hedgethistle over in the Music and Magic in Middle Earth thread:

The way I like to think about the magical items, moments, places and persons in M-E is through analogy with our modern way of controlling and ordering the world: technology. Elves have a technique that they use in making rope which means that it comes untied when you need it to. This is perfectly sensible and normal to them but unknown to Sam, who calls it 'magic'. In the same manner, Sauron knows how to make the One Ring; his precise technique and motivation are different, but the process is similar -- he has a technique that is unknown to others, with the result that it appears magical.

As Fordim points out, the magic, whether for good or evil, is like technology. There are those who know how it works, and can make it work for them, and then there are those who do not have this knowledge, and it seems amazing, almost magical, to them.

So when does the natural become the supernatural? When corruption occurs. Sources of Elven power are even natural in appearance: the basin of the Mirror is upon a base carved like a tree, and Nenya resembles a star. To the Elves, nature is power. Since the Elven Rings are closely tied into nature, they are not as "binding" as the One Ring. Twice, Elven Rings were given away freely and for the better good: Gil-Galad gave Vilya to Elrond, and Cirdan gave Narya to Gandalf. With the Elven or natural magic, what you see is not always what you get, but it is not malicious. The supernatural sort of magic controls others, as is seen with the One Ring, and also with the nine rings of Men and the voice of Saruman. They deceive, as Boromir said. They contort reality, or try and bend people's minds to their will. When the boundaries of nature are overstepped and the domination of others becomes the goal, natural becomes supernatural, and the potential of good withers.

I do hope this was coherent; I'm trying to get these thoughts out before I have to leave for orchestra.

[Bêthberry]

Oh, indeed, there is much here to discuss. Like davem, I must register my disappointement with the Blanchett Galadriel--but not to disparage those who were happy with the movie's queen of the elves. I was disappointed on two levels. First, that she appeared to look so much younger than Elrond. I know the text tells us that there was no sign of age upon either Celeborn or Galadriel, yet I could not help but wonder why Galadriel's son in law, Elrond looked older than she, with his receding hair line and furrows of worry. I wondered why we could not have a more mature but handsome and beautiful Galadriel, perhaps played by someone such as Susan Sarandron, or Michelle Pfieffer, or even Angelica Huston (with blonde hair). An older Catherine Deneuve is what I would have wanted. Also, the pyrotechnics of the temptation scene disappointed me. We had Gandalf's great scene in Bag End where Ian McClellan handled the scene himself, without any special effects. Why did Galadriel's temptation have to be delivered via the skills of someone other than the actress? But this is a diversion and, I repeat, my own personal response. I think I can understand how someone who thrills to the special effects of movies would enjoy this Galadriel.

About book-Galadariel I have much to say, particularly cocerning her role with the Mirror, which several of you have already admirably discussed..

Estelyn posted
Her gaze seems to be a part of her power; not only does she test each member silently, but also shows Gimli ?love and understanding? in the ?heart of an enemy?. That opens his heart, prompting his gallant reaction and the courtly love which has often been discussed, as well as preparing the way for his friendship with Legolas.

davem posted:
Galadriel says that if she took the Ring ?All shall love me & despair. This is significant - Sauron is served by slaves who are motivated by fear. Galadriel?s ?slaves? would serve her out of love . She would be more dangerous than Sauron, more powerful, because while Sauron?s slaves would wish to be free of his rule, Galadriel?s never would. Sauron?s slaves would slay themselves out of terror of him, Galadriel?s out of love for her. We can see here the potential for a terrible fundamentalism in her followers: slaying others & sacrificing their own lives at her wish. I don?t think Tolkien pursues this idea anywhere else - his fanatics are either driven by fear or desire. But ?love? as a motivating force for atrocities is at least a potential danger in Middle earth. All that said, it is strange that her taking & wielding of the Ring could inspire ?love? in her subjects - in what way would they ?love? her?

Hilde Bracegirdle posted
Until now I had always felt that Galadriel was testing the character of each in the fellowship with a purely benevolent motive, but at this reading I had the distinct notion that she was weighing her own temptation at the same time, and that her impetus for searching their thoughts might have been prompted by both the proximity of the Ring and her own desire for it. If she had found them any weaker I wonder if it would have affected the ultimate outcome of her test.

Boromir88 posted
Now look at "Elf Magic." Elf Magic, some examples the flood of the River Bruinen, Lothlorien, Mirror of Galadriel. These aren't anything of deceit. The Flood was caused by Elrond to stop the Nazgul from crossing. Lothlorien is a peaceful, beautiful place without a "blemish," it's like you're in a dream. The Mirror of Galadriel shows you the past, present, or future. Shows you what has happened, what will happen, or what could happen.

Encaitare posted
So when does the natural become the supernatural? When corruption occurs. Sources of Elven power are even natural in appearance: the basin of the Mirror is upon a base carved like a tree, and Nenya resembles a star. To the Elves, nature is power.

Firefoot posted
The answer to this is found a little later in the chapter, when Frodo offers Galadriel the Ring. She says, "Gently are you revenged for my testing of your heart at our first meeting." So yes, she was testing them. I think that what is important is not what she was doing, however, but why she was doing it. Just before Galadriel tested the Fellowship, she said, "your Quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little and it will fail, to the ruin of all. Yet hope remains while all the Company is true." (One of my favorite lines in the book.) So maybe she was seeing whether all of them intended to remain true? (Hilde made some interesting comments on this, as well.)

I am going to step back from all these approaches for a bit and suggest something different for Galadriel's power. I am not going to be as shocking as davem when he, in the previous chapter, drew a similarity between Boromir and the Nazi youth who augmented Hitler's armied. But at least initially my comparison might be shocking.

Most of us here, I think, are aware that Tolkien was drawing heavily on imagery of the Virigin Mary in his depiction of the elven Queen. (This, I suspect, makes Celeborn similar to St. Joseph, the patron saint of cuckholded husbands and in some way might account for his seeming disappearance in the face of Galadriel's power. To my mind, the ancient Catholics had a good sense of humour.) Yet I have been uneasy with this artistic attempt to combine the medieval courtly regime with the veneration of Mary. Mary is for me, as she is for Diane Schoemperlen in her recent novel (Our Lady of the Lost and Found), "the perfect house guest" rather than a female available for male adoration. But this is really a digression....

I am going to suggest that Galadriel's role in this chapter, particularly in her seeing into the heart of the members of the Fellowship and in allowing Sam and Frodo to view the Mirror, is more akin to an ancient role in the Old Testament. Galadriel is an adversary, not in the sense of being an opponent, but in the sense of challenging human activity for the purposes of trying it, of making it firmer and more resolute. Those of you who know the old Hebrew Bible might know the term satan, not as a diabolical agent who opposes God but as an angel who, not necessarily malevolent, opposes human desires for the purpose of warning them against a bad path.

This would explain why Galadriel claims she will not give counsel, as she is not a counsellor.

I will not give you counsel, saying do this, or do that. For not in doing or contriving, nor in choosing between this course and another, can I avail; but in knowing what was and is, and in part also what shall be.

The effect of her gaze is rendered thus:

Then they sighed and felt suddenly weary, as those who have been questioned long and deeply, though no words had been spoken openly.

How does Sam describe to Frodo his experience?

She seemed to be looking inside me and asking me what I would do if she gave me the chance...

Merry says it was almost exactly what he felt. And the others agree.

All of them, it seemed, had fared alike: each had felt that he was offerred a choice between a shadow full of fear that lay ahead, and something that he greatly desired ...

It is Boromir who speaks the less allusively of what Galadriel offers:

but almost I should have said that she was tempting us, and offering what she pretended to have the power to give. It need not be said that I refused to listen.

If indeed Galadriel is testing the Fellowship, as the satan urged Yahweh to test Job, in order to determine Job's true righteousness, we can only wish that at this point Boromir had had the courage of mind to listen to what Galadriel was holding out to him .

This is also the test of the Mirror of Galadriel, that she shows Sam and Frodo what they most desire, as a lesson in their true devotion. Sam can save The Shire only by, at this point, not succumbing to his desires and returning to it. Yet it is not a desire he must turn aside completely.

With Frodo, of course, the test of his desires becomes also a test of her own. Yet I think it is important to recognise that Galadriel's powers lie in making the members of the Fellowship more aware of their own role and desires, if they choose to listen. It is a test of self-knowledge and their own integrity. This is the true perilousness of the perilous realm: to be sought after by the greatest of your own desires, yet to withstand them.

[Child of the 7th Age]

Zipping in and out, enjoying the read but with no time to respond in an organized way. Still, a few ideas off the top of my head...

Bethberry, how interesting that you point to the Hebrew Bible in your analysis of Galadriel. In my personal reading of the text, I have often sensed this connection with the ancient Hebrew text. Your description is apropos:

Galadriel is an adversary, not in the sense of being an opponent, but in the sense of challenging human activity for the purposes of trying it, of making it firmer and more resolute.

While acknowledging the aspect of Satan that you bring up and the possibility of applying it in this context, my reading of these passages is somewhat different than your own. Look more carefully at the quotation above. You have given us the perfect description of the biblical "prophet": the individual who seeks to compel people and society to search within themselves and to come to grips with what they find.

I do not know if you are familiar with the works of Abraham Heschel, particularly his two volumes entitled The Prophets. They are among my favorites. These books explore many themes which I've always felt also applied to Galadriel: sensitivity and awareness of evil; the inevitable tension between admonition and compassion (both of which I see encapsualated in her behavior and words); the message of doom versus the message of hope.

Of course, the Hebrew prophets were not the only ones who performed such a function. I think we can sense the same in medieval mystics like Theresa, Birgitta, and Mechthild; even the dervishes of the Moslem world; and the shamans of the Ural-altaic peoples.

Whenever I read the interaction between Galadriel and Frodo, I have this odd sense that she is an Elf who has somehow ascended to another realm and learned something of the "secrets" there and thus has gained the ability to challenge hostile powers or spirits. Eru's name is, of course, never mentioned in LotR, and the Valar themselves seem very distant. Yet in Galadriel's presence I have the clear feeling that Frodo has a glimpse of what many of us today would call 'holy'. Davem's mention of faerie may be akin to this: perhaps we are describing the same thing with different words.

Lorien is the point on earth that seems closest to the West and Aman (even more than the Havens), and Galadriel seems to be its "gatekeeper". The fact that her own past is so flawed makes this all the more interesting. In her presence, Frodo of the Shire must have felt a bit like Dorothy awakening to the realization that this isn't Kansas anymore!

Strange thoughts at 2 in the morning when I should be in bed asleep!

One last impression.... We often speak of Galadriel as the prime example of a powerful female character in LotR. Yet sometimes I wonder about this. To me, at times, she seems almost genderless, if such a thing is possible. (Perhaps this ties in with the Virgin Mary, an issue that others can better address?)

Does anyone else view Galadriel as "genderless", or do you see her in a different, more feminine, light?

[drigel]

I would be remiss if I didnt throw down my opinion on my fav. chaper(s) in the books. Perhaps JRRT was hinting at allusions to Mary in her character, I can see why there would be some who draw that conclusion. I would not call her genderless either. For me, from read #1 back in the day, the wonder and interest came from the fact that here is an elf who was and Elf. The personification of what was being laid down in the treatment of Lorien itself. An embodiment of the Elder days. As if it werent wonderous enough for us to get a glimpse of a bygone time/imagination walking with hobbits in ME, here we have a moment to ponder an even more glorious/heroic age that is more ancient than what we are experiencing.

This was later reinforced by JRRT's choice of treatment of the character evolution in The Silm. Here was an Elf Lady who is in ME, and remembers walking in a Valinor that was illuminated by the Two Trees. The same Elf who turned down a request from Feanor himself. Strong woman indeed. Apprenticing with Melian for how many years..?

Her temptation of the fellowship was for me logical. She is not a councilor as already proven. She was a major player in events. Her participation in the White councils shows this. If she was at Rivendell at the time of the formation of the fellowship i could see her sitting down with each and every member, doing what she did in Lorien, testing and challenging hearts...

As for elf magic /technology - yes i agree most of what Sam calls magic is simply a result of a culture of people who live for thousands of years and have gained an Understanding of things in their world. But i would say there is 5-10% that is Mystery that probably comes from their Fea.

The movie treatment - Blanchett as a choice - ok - could have been better. Her temptation scene treatment - rediculous. I do like PJ's treatment of Lorien itself a wonderfull quick glimpse (too quick) at the "other side" of the elvish experience - most scenes at night with the wonderfull lighting, dangerous, intriguing, Mysterious.

[Bêthberry]

A very hurried and rushed reply....

[bChild[/b] posted
We often speak of Galadriel as the prime example of a powerful female character in LotR. Yet sometimes I wonder about this. To me, at times, she seems almost genderless, if such a thing is possible. (Perhaps this ties in with the Virgin Mary, an issue that others can better address?)

hmm. We get into many kinds of problems here. Galadriel had a daughter and grandchildren. She has a husband, but as Estelyn and Aiwendil suggest, his depiction is mixed--Galadriel even 'corrects' him at one point, does she not?

"... And if it were possible, one would say that at the lat Gandalf fell from wisdom into folly, going needlessly into the net of Moria." [spoken by Celeborn]

He would be rash indeed that said that thing," said Galadriel gravely.

My understanding of the Catholic tradition of Mary is that she remained a virgin even after bearing Christ. (The concept of virginity is related to purity rather than corporeal fact.) Some traditions say that she and Joseph never had children; others, that they did. Others more knowledgeable than I about the Catholic tradition will have more to say, but to me Mary is usually represented without the stain of human sexuality but nevertheless has gender as the Mother of God.

Particularly in the interactions with Gimli, Galadriel is represented as part of the courtly love tradition (for Tolkien's view of this, see letter #43 to his son Michael). Tolkien describes the best of the tradition as " the highest ideal of love between man and woman." Particularly with the exchange of Galadriel's lock of hair, which could easily be an eroticised object, I think the characterisation stays firmly within a gendered depiction of Galadriel, but one well removed from sexual connotations.. But then, Tolkien's tone removes much sexual connotation from his characterisation. Perhaps it is this high tone ("free from dross", if I am remembering jHelen's thread correctly) which creates your sense of a genderless Galadriel?

To my regret, I do not know Abraham Herchel's [i]The Prophets[/b]--something I should redress I think. My understanding of prophets is that they carry God's message to others, they speak for God in His name. Would this be possible in a work of Middle-earth, particularly one where Eru's name is not mentioned? This gets us into the realm of Tolkien's allusions ("consciously so in the revision" as I recall Littlemanpoet's excellent thread). Given that LotR does not make explicit the cosmology of TheSilm, I myself can not see Galadriel as a phrophet (prohetess?) in this text. For this reason, I preferred to think of her as a challenger who helps stimulate the members of the Fellowship to reflect upon their roles and the self-knowledge and self-discipline which will be required of them.

davem has asked me, when he repped my previous post, to pursue my ideas further and explain what exactly Galadriel is up to, but alas I have no more time now to devote to posts--later tonight perhaps.

I'm sure that others will take up Child's very interesting idea that Lothlorien is somehow closer to the West than the rest of Middle-earth.

[Child of the 7th Age]

To my regret, I do not know Abraham Herchel's [i]The Prophets[/b]--something I should redress I think. My understanding of prophets is that they carry God's message to others, they speak for God in His name. Would this be possible in a work of Middle-earth, particularly one where Eru's name is not mentioned? This gets us into the realm of Tolkien's allusions ("consciously so in the revision" as I recall Littlemanpoet's excellent thread). Given that LotR does not make explicit the cosmology of TheSilm, I myself can not see Galadriel as a phrophet (prohetess?) in this text. For this reason, I preferred to think of her as a challenger who helps stimulate the members of the Fellowship to reflect upon their roles and the self-knowledge and self-discipline which will be required of them.

Bethberry -

Heschel's ideas are complex and difficult to convey in a concise manner. His two-volume study, first published in 1962, was widely read among both Jewish and Christian scholars and is today regarded as a classic. He is a theologian who writes like a poet: this can be clearly seen in his popular volume God in Search of Man, which I think you might find especially enjoyable.

Heschel did not deny the reality of revelation to the Hebrew prophets, but the emphasis of his own study is very different. Perhaps I can give you a taste of what Heschel meant (and, as a side line, what I mean by applying the term prophet with a little "p" to Galadriel) by throwing out just a few quotes from his introduction:

The prophet is a person, not a microphone......The prophet's task is to convey a divine view, yet as a person he is a point of view. He speaks from the perspective of God as perceived from the perspective of his own situation. We must seek to understand not only the views he expounded but also the attitudes he embodied: his own position, feeling, response--not only what he said but also what he lived; the private, the intimate dimension of the word, the subjective side of the message.....

The prophet is not only a prophet. He is also poet, teacher, ...social critic, moralist. There has been a tendency to see the essence and chief significance of prophecy in the display of one or other of these aspects. Yet this is a misapprehension of the intrinsic nature of prophecy.....

Heschel's stress is not on revelation but response. He is looking at the individual who has struggled with questions on another plane of being, one who has stepped into a world beyond the commonplace, yet who now returns and, because of that struggle, is able to combat hostile powers or spirits.

Doesn't such a description fit Galadriel? She is a prophet with a small "p" reacting from the depths of her own experience, able to interpret the reality of unseen things because she has struggled with them herself. Galadriel is certainly not a direct spokesmen for Eru, but she has grappled with things that others scarcely know exist, something which others sense. I certainly felt that in my own reading. Galadriel knows more about the West and the music of creation than most of those whom she deals with, even among the Elves.

Just as Elvish art looks like "magic" to most of us, so too a hobbit like Samwise would have a hard time truly comprehending Galadriel's past life: her experience in the West, how the great events of the Silm touched her life for good or evil, and the degree of understanding and wisdom she has gained. Moreover, Galadriel has taken such a tortured route to get to the place where she is now: the point where she can actually reject the Ring. Her spirit pervades Lorien, and it is this spirit that compels each of the Fellowship to look inside themselves and ask difficult, even disturbing questions. If we leave aside the question of revelation, that is surely the central function of a prophet. It is not a matter of judging the person or offering a complete assessment of what is going to happen. Instead, it is suggesting possibilities and inviting another person to examine the things inside their own soul in terms of those possibilities. This is what Boromir, and also Samwise and Frodo, found so challenging, even frightening. To put it bluntly, Galadriel is a very "scary" figure. She is someone who makes us look in the mirror and confront ourselves. She also seems quite different than any of the other female characters whom Tolkien developed in either LotR or Silm. Why is this, or has my mind been twisted by the scenes in PJ's move? I would love to hear other views.

In terms of Galadriel's gender....yes, she certainly had marriage and a family. The marriage, however, is also depicted in a manner that is unusual for Tolkien. At the end of the story, we aren't sure where or when or even if she and her husband will come together. I can't think of too many "good guys/gals" in Tolkien who voluntarily separate themselves from their spouse! Tolkien is very careful to keep many of his characters single precisely because he does not want them to have the responsibilities of wife and hearth that would tie them down. "Good" married couples just don't go running off in two separate directions in Middle-earth. But once again, Galadriel is different.

And sorry for running off in this particular direction instead of focusing on the chapter as a whole. But I always have the feeling that she and Frodo stand at the heart of this chapter, and everything else is secondary.

[mark12_30]

Originally Posted by C7A

One last impression.... We often speak of Galadriel as the prime example of a powerful female character in LotR. Yet sometimes I wonder about this. To me, at times, she seems almost genderless, if such a thing is possible. (Perhaps this ties in with the Virgin Mary, an issue that others can better address?)

Does anyone else view Galadriel as "genderless", or do you see her in a different, more feminine, light?

Mary is often considered the absolute ideal of motherhood, hence, definitely not genderless. If (to preclude confusion and facilitate discussion) I may summarize the main differing views, so that those who are not Catholic-- especially our beloved and passionate protestants-- might have a doorway to Tolkien's likely outlook, in the hopes that there might be respectful understanding all around. First, a verse often discussed regarding of Mary's virginity is Matthew 1:24 & 25

Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son.

Both sides agree that Mary and Joseph were, clearly, separate 'til Jesus was born and that Joseph has no genetic claim to Jesus. But afterward? The key phrase that gets argued over (and over and over-- but of course, not here on the Downs ) is: "did not know her til she had brought forth ", the key word being 'til'. Upon this little three-letter word hinges great and profound matters into which we will not delve on the Downs, but here is the essence of the debate:

Catholics hold that not only didn't Joseph know mary 'til" she brought forth her firstborn son, but that Joseph didn't know her afterwards, either. In contrast, Protestants hold that once Jesus was born, Mary and Joseph entered into normal marital relations and Mary had children after Jesus. In order to support this they often refer to Mark 6:3, as follows:

Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?”

Catholics respond saying that "brothers and sisters" are debatable terms and may also refer to half-brothers, half-sisters, and/ or cousins. Protestants reply: "Half brothers, yes; they both had Mary as a mother, but Jesus' father was God, and the rest had Joseph as a father." Catholics reply, "No, these were children of Joseph by a previous marriage, and half-brothers via the name of Joseph only."

I don't know Greek so don't ask me.

Okay, so that's the debate and we can leave it there, right? (Right?) So, why on earth do I bring all this up, risking wrath all around, from Protestants, Catholics, AND The Barrow Wight to boot?

Because either way you look at it, Mary had a houseful of children. Either they were Joseph's by a previous marriage, in which case she generously adopted and cared for Four Older Boys plus several sisters. (Yikes!) Or-- they were her own, and she bore them to Joseph. Whichever doctrinal approach you prefer, you must acknowledge the following: she had a houseful of children, for whom she cooked, cleaned, hauled water, did laundry, taught scriptures, prayed over them and with them, and all the rest of those things that hebrew families did in those days; she was very family oriented and very maternal. Hence very feminine. Just to show that all this is no mistake, on Golgotha, John adopted her as his mother. John had known her for three years and was no fool... she must have been a great mom. Nothing genderless here.

She is clearly listed in Acts as being present in the upper room, which to me implies she was probably still there at Pentecost. Simply put, that means spiritual power, and a lot of it. Yet she is hardly mentioned again in Acts after that. Like Anna, one can easily imagine her devoting herself to a retired life of prayer and hidden power. So here we have a maternal, respected, powerful presence, yet reserved and retiring.

I would say the same thing about Galadriel. She exercises her queenly power by supernaturally protecting Lorien from the gaze of Sauron. She is a quiet power; reticent; hidden; yet formidable. Elrond is much easier to find and meet than Galadriel; all her power is hidden from sight. Yet neither does her power reduce her femininity. If I may jump forward to Ithilien, to recall Sam's description of her:

Originally Posted by Sam Gamgee

Beautiful she is, sir! Lovely! Sometimes like a great tree in flower, sometimes like a white daffadowndilly, small and slender like. Hard as di’monds, soft as moonlight. Warm as sunlight, cold as frost in the stars. Proud and far-off as a snow-mountain, and as merry as any lass I ever saw with daisies in her hair in springtime. But that’s a lot o’ nonsense, and all wide of my mark. ..... But perhaps you could call her perilous, because she’s so strong in herself. You, you could dash yourself to pieces on her, like a ship on a rock; or drownd yourself, like a hobbit in a river. But neither rock nor river would be to blame.

Galadriel's power is here described as at once very deadly and very feminine. This reminds me of davem's comment that Galadriel would be loved first before she was feared. I think Sam, like Gimli, would have been at risk there.

EDIT: Cross-posted with Child; now to go back & read her dissertation