Why didn't Galadriel warn Aragorn that Boromir wanted the Ring?

[The Mouth of Sauron]

Galadriel must have known before the Company left Lorien that Boromir wanted the ring. So why didn't she at least warn Aragorn? Or better still, detain Boromir in Lorien?

[Andsigil]

Fate; Galadriel was an elf (one of the oldest) and had a deep sense of fate. She also counseled Frodo that her mirror showed only possibilities.

'No', she said. 'I do not counsel you one way or the other. I am not a counsellor. You may learn something, and whether what you see be fair or evil, that may be profitable, and yet it may not. Seeing is both good and perilous. Yet I think, Frodo, that you have enough courage and wisdom enough for the venture, or I would not have brought you here. Do as you will!' "

[Lotrelf]

As previously said: Fate. Also, Boromir's temptation became the reason for many other things that affected the quest greatly. Gandalf and Galadriel, perhaps, knew this, and felt this. For some reasons, I am sure when she looked into eyes of the members of the Fellowship, they couldn't look into her eyes (except Aragorn and Legolas), and Boromir couldn't look into her eyes because she found out about his increasing desire for the Ring. She "forsaw " Boromir's temptation but wasn't sure if it was so!
Geezz!!

[Sarumian]

I agree with others but also think that the Fellowship was created far away from Loth Lorien and Galadriel felt she did not have enough authority to accuse one of the members thus weakening the Fellowship's unity. To add, apart from Aragorn and Legolas, other members of the Fellowship were initially suspicious about Galadriel and her realm; they could her take direct warnings for intrigues. Therefore, she gave only hints to the Ring-bearer, as he had a right and burden to make the Ring-related decisions on his own.

[Mithalwen]

Don't forget what Galadriel said to Sam when he looked in the mirror "Some never come to be, unless those that behold the visions turn aside from their path to prevent them". If Galadriel had warned Aragorn what could he do... go with Boromir immediately to Minas Tirith forsaking the rest of the company or taking them to where that authority of Denethor could not, at that point be resisted easily? Boromir's fall was vital to the success of the Quest as things turned out.

[William Cloud Hicklin]

Remembers Gildor's words: "We do not willingly give advice, for advice is a dangerous gift."

[Ivriniel]

Originally Posted by The Mouth of Sauron

Galadriel must have known before the Company left Lorien that Boromir wanted the ring. So why didn't she at least warn Aragorn? Or better still, detain Boromir in Lorien?

[Cheeky]Because Galadriel was selfish. All she could think about was about her escape plan to get away from her psycho husband, Celeborn, who had been stalking her since, way back when, she did some kind of favour for yet another domineering male elf from the First Age, who insisted that she accept Celeborn as a pet husband.

I mean, it's not like Frodo was the centre of her universe. She had a bogus Ring on her hands, and *sighs* yet another stalker, Sauron, wanting to hang out in Lothlorien, really, didn't he! "Green is not your best colour, Saurons", Galadriel often said to herself==he was always a jealous brat. He just wouldn't leave her alone. Eru-dammit, Sauron blackening yet another of my favourite night clubs, she said. He [sauron] just couldn't let the Mallorn trees alone, could he? Oh no, they had to be pits of fire and smelly Orc hovels, didn't they in Lothlorien? Then that crappy Mirror of hers that had caused more trouble and anxiety than it was worth! All those psych referrals because people just got so freaked out by having a look. I dunno, all this drama about Elfy artefacts, it's just so hard!

'Look Frodo' she said to herself 'you're worried about who wants that stupid Ring! Deal with it kiddo. I've got a Maia hounding my heels, trying to force marriage upon me and make my pretty elf realm look like his dustbowl! You reckon you've got troubles, why don't you try being a female Elf in this male dominated environment![/cheeky]

[Lotrelf]

Originally Posted by Ivriniel

[Cheeky]Because Galadriel was selfish. All she could think about was about her escape plan to get away from her psycho husband, Celeborn, who had been stalking her since, way back when, she did some kind of favour for yet another domineering male elf from the First Age, who insisted that she accept Celeborn as a pet husband.

I mean, it's not like Frodo was the centre of her universe. She had a bogus Ring on her hands, and *sighs* yet another stalker, Sauron, wanting to hang out in Lothlorien, really, didn't he! "Green is not your best colour, Saurons", Galadriel often said to herself==he was always a jealous brat. He just wouldn't leave her alone. Eru-dammit, Sauron blackening yet another of my favourite night clubs, she said. He [sauron] just couldn't let the Mallorn trees alone, could he? Oh no, they had to be pits of fire and smelly Orc hovels, didn't they in Lothlorien? Then that crappy Mirror of hers that had caused more trouble and anxiety than it was worth! All those psych referrals because people just got so freaked out by having a look. I dunno, all this drama about Elfy artefacts, it's just so hard!

'Look Frodo' she said to herself 'you're worried about who wants that stupid Ring! Deal with it kiddo. I've got a Maia hounding my heels, trying to force marriage upon me and make my pretty elf realm look like his dustbowl! You reckon you've got troubles, why don't you try being a female Elf in this male dominated environment![/cheeky]

Either you are joking or you did not take books seriously. Sigh!

[Morthoron]

Originally Posted by Lotrelf

Either you are joking or you did not take books seriously. Sigh!

Ummm...Ivriniel enclosed her remarks with [cheeky]. "Cheeky" means impudent or saucy; rude and showing a lack of respect often in a way that seems playful or amusing. So, yes, she was joking.

[Inziladun]

Thinking on this, maybe it's possible Galadriel didn't know exactly what was on Boromir's mind. When Gandalf the White meets Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli, he says Galadriel warned him Boromir was in peril. That's fairly vague.
Boromir himself said of his experience with Galadriel's "trial", that

'....it seemed exceedingly strange. Maybe it was only a test, and she thought to read our thoughts for her own good purpose; 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. The Men of Minas Tirith are true to their word.'

FOTR The Mirror of Galadriel

Why would Galadriel be "offering" the Ring? It was not in her possession, and Boromir would not have felt her permission to use it necessary. And what word would Boromir have been breaking by taking the Ring? Elrond specifically said at Rivendell that only Frodo was held to an oath in relation to the Quest. Perhaps Galadriel divined a more general lust for power to defeat Sauron, coupled with a desire to have Aragorn out of the way and rule Gondor himself. After all, I doubt Galadriel could literally read minds. The test of the Fellowship seems more like a overall sensing of the target's emotional state, in response to Galadriel's selective "temptations".

[Ivriniel]

Originally Posted by Morthoron

Ummm...Ivriniel enclosed her remarks with . "Cheeky" means impudent or saucy; rude and showing a lack of respect often in a way that seems playful or amusing. So, yes, she was joking.

- yes joking - though there are items to rescue from the post about Galadriel's motivations. Sauron was the archetypal intrusive psyche, and his impacts upon cognition through the Ring was to create the same (Borormir to Frodo). I suspect that when Galadriel was reading minds or discerning a person's inner orientation, she was looking for that which was familiar to her about how Sauron worked.

I wonder, though, if Galadriel was, herself, not completely sure of an outcome between Boromir and Frodo. She did not read exact thoughts, only indications of overall bearing in the covert mental realm. She was also not able to read Annatar, (and neither did the Gwaith-i-Mirdain) which implies limits to the discerning Elvish eye. She may have detected greed for the ring, or some unrest, or something 'sneeky' that was Boromir's covert scheming, or restive thinking. He was, from the beginning, pro 'Ring for Gondor'. How would she have assessed the level of impact of the risk? How could she know whether or not he was going to actually try to take the Ring?

In which case, if one imagines taking a friend aside and saying, basically, 'look, one of your close companions is going to rob your home-but I'm not sure'. It's not the sort of thing one would usually say. It pre-empts difficulties in friendship/peer circles and was basically, akin to gossip. So, I take the points upstream citing Elvish wisdom as, generally, not something that engaged in 'counsel'--

Though that's also quite difficult to square off in another series of senses.

1. The entire White Counsel is an intervention, and involves counsel that affects the socio-political orientation of the anti-sauronic movement.
2. It is also difficult to square against the entire premise of the Mirror itself! The darned thing gives insights about the future! and
3. It was antithetical to Galadriel's approach to Frodo in the Mirror of Galadriel chapter. The whole chapter was about her counsel to and of Frodo.

I also seem to recall that Frodo already suspected Boromir. I wonder if this was an unspoken between Frodo and Galadriel, where their conversational focus was elsewhere. Recall that Frodo could discern Nenya on Galadriel's hand where that was generally not doable. So, the two had a kind of 'Ring-ish' understanding anyway.

Ivriniel

[Ivriniel]

Originally Posted by Inziladun

Thinking on this, maybe it's possible Galadriel didn't know exactly what was on Boromir's mind. When Gandalf the White meets Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli, he says Galadriel warned him Boromir was in peril. That's fairly vague.
Boromir himself said of his experience with Galadriel's "trial", that

FOTR The Mirror of Galadriel

Why would Galadriel be "offering" the Ring? It was not in her possession, and Boromir would not have felt her permission to use it necessary. And what word would Boromir have been breaking by taking the Ring? Elrond specifically said at Rivendell that only Frodo was held to an oath in relation to the Quest. Perhaps Galadriel divined a more general lust for power to defeat Sauron, coupled with a desire to have Aragorn out of the way and rule Gondor himself. After all, I doubt Galadriel could literally read minds. The test of the Fellowship seems more like a overall sensing of the target's emotional state, in response to Galadriel's selective "temptations".

Yes. I suspect, exactly, that probing others for Sauronic perversion meant probes for detecting lust, greed and power in the motivational architecture of the being she was reading. There was a particular constellation of mental artefacts--a subset of overall cognition--that Tolkien imputed were 'Sauronic'. Domination, callous sadism, corruption (of Elvish beauty--though he saw beauty in his own realm, no doubt), violation of will, enslavement. And, especially, lust and greed.

I wish I could find the quote from LotR, but I forget where I saw it. Sauron had some kind of partial win, or there was reference to that, in LotR, or Silmarillion about how his mind worked. Tolkien actually wrote "...and his lust and greed were increased...".

Tolkien tended to use the word 'lust', and I think with somewhat non-sexual connotations. Some sexual emphasis was also apparent in Tolkien's 'Dark Lord' motifs though also in his use of lust for power. E.g. Morgoth coupling with a troll to birth Gothmog (FA Gothmog), and Maeglin's perversion through the promise of (oh god, I forget, was it Idril or Aredhel!).

[Galadriel55]

Originally Posted by Ivriniel

...and Maeglin's perversion through the promise of (oh god, I forget, was it Idril or Aredhel!).

Idril. Aredhel was his (dead) mother.

I don't think Galadriel was looking for "Sauronic" traits or influence. I don't think she was looking for anything. She was just showing each person to himself, playing the role of an external conscience. The person with a clear and doubtless conscience wasn't embarassed, upset, afraid, etc. In a way, she spelled out each person's dilemma that they may have been half-consciously hiding in their minds. She wasn't exactly tempting, but taking an existing temptation out in the open.

[Ivriniel]

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

Idril. Aredhel was his (dead) mother.

I don't think Galadriel was looking for "Sauronic" traits or influence. I don't think she was looking for anything. She was just showing each person to himself, playing the role of an external conscience. The person with a clear and doubtless conscience wasn't embarassed, upset, afraid, etc. In a way, she spelled out each person's dilemma that they may have been half-consciously hiding in their minds. She wasn't exactly tempting, but taking an existing temptation out in the open.

Not so sure about this--why:

Galadriel had faced the evil variant of tolkienian perversion since valinor. She'd been fighting it in numerous incarnations for millennia, knows its stench and all the guises of mortal men in how they lie to themselves about their 'lust for power '.

She saw her ost in edhel destroyed, saw celebrimbor's head on a pike, and - through her own ring - knew first hand the taint of saurons touch.

I find it highly unlikely that - knowing the evil of the ring was in Lorien - knowing saurons presence through it, that boromir's stench would not have been divined. And attributed to the ring and how men deny - outwardly - evil influence.

I suspect his denial of 'temptation' smacked of the duality in boromir's persona versus inner greed--and lust--for the power of the ring .

Nine for the mortal men doomed to fie

[Galadriel55]

Originally Posted by Ivriniel

Not so sure about this--why:

Because I just can't envision Galadriel in a police search dog role, or a security guard role. "Scanning for virus. Minds left: 8. Estimated time: 6.4 seconds". In that moment, as in most moments, I see her as radiating power because she radiates that power, not to accomplish a purpose that would otherwise be unachievable. She can sense people's emotions because she can sense them, not because she needs or wants to find out about who is tainted with Sauron. And because evil that men bring with them, as Aragorn says, is not necessarily Sauron's touch. And because some of these "temptations" are not even evil, but are still temptations. If Galadriel is testing, it's not for signs of "Sauronism", but for the strength of the loyalty to the quest.

[Ivriniel]

I've moved up in the hierarchy - I'm a Haunting Spirit! Post 51

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

Because I just can't envision Galadriel in a police search dog role, or a security guard role. "Scanning for virus. Minds left: 8. Estimated time: 6.4 seconds". In that moment, as in most moments, I see her as radiating power because she radiates that power, not to accomplish a purpose that would otherwise be unachievable. She can sense people's emotions because she can sense them, not because she needs or wants to find out about who is tainted with Sauron. And because evil that men bring with them, as Aragorn says, is not necessarily Sauron's touch. And because some of these "temptations" are not even evil, but are still temptations. If Galadriel is testing, it's not for signs of "Sauronism", but for the strength of the loyalty to the quest.

I don't dispute that Galadriel reads emotions. Or that she is part of the LAPD, or NYPD, and that she doesn't have sniffer dogs. I'm sure she didn't have a meth lab either, though I wouldn't be surprised if Sauron did. Orcs, after all, were rather perverse and behaved much like a human being on stims.

Having said that, her realm was guarded by the equivalent (of sniffer dogs, both in the literal and metaphysical senses). They had bows, and were xenophobic to serious extremes. Binding the eyes of the Ringbearer's quest was a rather intrusive gesture, after first threatening their lives.

I'm not going to see Galadriel as blunted in perception to the extent that she wasn't looking, *very* closely at the Ringbearer's company to see who stank of corruption. She read how their miens responded to her probing Elfy eye. Her whole realm was in danger, and she'd faced Sauron before. She knows, first hand, how he works. And she knows, first hand, how people fall to evil and temptation. She, herself, was tempted by The Ring and knew how it weaved violation upon those it ensnared. Recall Bilbo's equivocation just on the East side of the Misty Mountains after he found the Ring and how Gandalf sensed the subtle change in Bilbo's character. We're talking about someone (Galadriel) tens of thousands of years old, who'd dwelt in Valinor, witnessed Morgoth's prevarication, and saw the Two Trees, and their fate. She'd fought in the wars for the Silmarils, had stared at Balrogs and Dragons. She knew that Sauron had a tower on Sirion in (FA) with a den of vampires, and knew how Sauron worked. He was an enslaver, an energy thief, an invader of the mind, a perverter and someone who possesses mortal souls. She had seen the early signs of perversion in many mortal men well before Boromir. As I noted, his very denial, to what he took as 'temptation' would have announced his human foibles to her, in a heartbeat. *That* he saw 'temptation' in Galadriel's gaze *was* the test that he set for himself and that he failed. To Galadriel, watching on, she would have seen a face clamp down, shut her out, and announce some kind of human pride to Galadriel. She wasn't trying to tempt him-but that's what he saw when he looked at her. These features would have been very revealing of Boromir to Galadriel, especially since she knew she wasn't 'tempting' him at all. In modern times, we'd call it a 'projective test'.

In her position, who wouldn't use every power known to Elvendom to establish the emotional state of the Ringbearer's company. She was aware, I suspect, of Boromir's peril, though what she meant, saw, appreciated and discerned, exactly, we'll never quite know.

[Galadriel55]

Originally Posted by Ivriniel

I've moved up in the hierarchy - I'm a Haunting Spirit! Post 51

Congrats! Quick promotion!

Originally Posted by Ivriniel

Having said that, her realm was guarded by the equivalent (of sniffer dogs, both in the literal and metaphysical senses). They had bows, and were xenophobic to serious extremes. Binding the eyes of the Ringbearer's quest was a rather intrusive gesture, after first threatening their lives.

I don't know about that. Yes, Lorien wasn't the most welcoming place you could find. But that is to everybody, and by the nature of the place itself, not because of Galadriel specifically - and not without good reasons. She, on the other hand, (and Celeborn, of course), allowed the Fellowship so many freedoms that it's just ridiculous how much she trusts them without having seen them. Then why does she have to test them later? Because that's not a test for evil, but a test for loyalty. Its results do not affect their stay in Lothlorien.

Originally Posted by Ivriniel

I'm not going to see Galadriel as blunted in perception to the extent that she wasn't looking, *very* closely at the Ringbearer's company to see who stank of corruption. She read how their miens responded to her probing Elfy eye. Her whole realm was in danger, and she'd faced Sauron before. She knows, first hand, how he works. And she knows, first hand, how people fall to evil and temptation. She, herself, was tempted by The Ring and knew how it weaved violation upon those it ensnared. Recall Bilbo's equivocation just on the East side of the Misty Mountains after he found the Ring and how Gandalf sensed the subtle change in Bilbo's character. We're talking about someone (Galadriel) tens of thousands of years old, who'd dwelt in Valinor, witnessed Morgoth's prevarication, and saw the Two Trees, and their fate. She'd fought in the wars for the Silmarils, had stared at Balrogs and Dragons. She knew that Sauron had a tower on Sirion in (FA) with a den of vampires, and knew how Sauron worked. He was an enslaver, an energy thief, an invader of the mind, a perverter and someone who possesses mortal souls. She had seen the early signs of perversion in many mortal men well before Boromir. As I noted, his very denial, to what he took as 'temptation' would have announced his human foibles to her, in a heartbeat. *That* he saw 'temptation' in Galadriel's gaze *was* the test that he set for himself and that he failed. To Galadriel, watching on, she would have seen a face clamp down, shut her out, and announce some kind of human pride to Galadriel. She wasn't trying to tempt him-but that's what he saw when he looked at her. These features would have been very revealing of Boromir to Galadriel, especially since she knew she wasn't 'tempting' him at all. In modern times, we'd call it a 'projective test'.

Yes, but. I don't think she was testing for signs of Saurnishness. That implies that all evil (or ungood) comes from Sauron. But it doesn't. I think that's part of what Aragorn tells Boromir - that evil doesn't come from external sorcery and whatnot, but it comes from within men. If she is looking for evil/ungood, she's looking for that - and yes, she does have a lot of experience with it - but not necessarily, or specifically, for Sauron. Secondly, I think that she's not trying to see how weak a person is, but rather how strong they are. She would not be judging them based on their temptation, but based on how faithful they are to the quest despite that temptation. Which is why Sam, who blushed and looked away because of the temptation, still appears to her incredibly faithful - because he truly did overcome his temptation - but Boromir, who even in his mind denies any dilemma, appears like trouble - not because he is more tempted, or more evil, but because he is less loyal and dedicated to the quest.

Originally Posted by Ivriniel

She was aware, I suspect, of Boromir's peril, though what she meant, saw, appreciated and discerned, exactly, we'll never quite know.

We'll never know indeed.

[Lotrelf]

Originally Posted by William Cloud Hicklin

Remembers Gildor's words: "We do not willingly give advice, for advice is a dangerous gift."

It wouldn't have been just an "advice", but the question of entire ME's safety. If it were just advice that needed to be given, she would have warned them. She had foresight, I'm sure. But that doesn't mean she used to be sure of all of it. As someone here explained the reason why She only warned the Ring-bearer.

[MCRmyGirl4eva]

I suppose Galadriel wanted to keep the Fellowship's unity; they were much stronger as a whole than they were apart. To accuse Boromir would have driven them farther apart than Boromir already felt. In the extended Fellowship movie, Boromir is already angry at Aragorn for not taking the Ring to Gondor, and he spits out "You were quick enough to trust the Elves! Have you so little faith in your own people?" For Aragorn to have more than his intrinsic suspicion of Boromir would have forced him to do or say something rash, and Boromir would either have gotten away with the Ring or been struck down by one of the Fellowship, both of which would have led to none of the remaining members trusting each other and causing the entire Fellowship, and thus, Middle-Earth, to fall.

Also, perhaps Galadriel saw what would have possibly happened if she had told Aragorn of what Boromir was thinking of attempting.