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09-07-2005, 01:48 AM | #1 | |||
Princess of Skwerlz
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For the Love of Galadriel (Middle-earth’s Ultimate Muse?)
This topic is based on the lecture “Galadriel and Her Lovers”, given by Beth Russell during ‘Tolkien 2005’ in Birmingham, England last month. Lalwendë, davem and I heard it and were impressed by the fascinating thoughts she expressed.
Though Galadriel loved and married Celeborn, her beauty, especially that of her hair, attracted others. Three of them are mentioned in Tolkien’s works, and their love for Galadriel had fateful and wide-reaching consequences. She inspired each of them to creative activity, thereby (though unintentionally, perhaps) fulfilling the function of a Muse, in my opinion. (...though Ms. Russell did not agree with that term when I asked her about it.) We know that Elven marriage was forever, a never-ending union of immortals. So when Galadriel married Celeborn, she became unattainable to others. Their marriage was one of equality, retaining the independence and individuality of each partner, with both using their different abilities and strengths in cooperation, even though they did not always agree. Interestingly, the first other male who desired Galadriel was her uncle Fëanor, offspring of the only Elven marriage that did not last forever. In the Unfinished Tales, ‘The History of Galadriel and Celeborn’, we read: Quote:
Later Galadriel herself was creative, reminiscent of Fëanor as he should have been. After all, just before the above passage, we read in UT: Quote:
According to the UT, Celebrimbor, Fëanor’s grandson, was Celeborn’s rival for Galadriel’s hand. His love for her prompted him to make the Elessar, the first of his mighty and creative works (though there are varying accounts of this ‘fact’ ). Here is the relevant passage in UT, ‘The History of Galadriel and Celeborn’: Quote:
We know of the fatal effects that both the Silmarils and the Rings of Power had in Middle-earth, but what effect did they and the Elves who made them have on Galadriel? Her first fall, rebellion against the Valar and departure from Valinor, resulted from the influence of Fëanor and the Silmarils; the account of this (the first half of her life) is told in the Silmarillion (also in the Unfinished Tales). Ms. Russell said that her relationship to Celebrimbor resulted in her second fall; however, as my notes don’t have a specific reference, I’m not sure what she meant. Perhaps Lal and davem will know, or others can give references with which I’m not familiar. The creations of both Elves ignited wars in which both died. Not very encouraging for a Muse, is it?! But there was one more person, very different, whom she inspired to creative activity near the end of her time in Middle-earth – Gimli, the Dwarf. His love for her was the courtly, idealised love that is found in medieval times. It was not possessive, and her fidelity to her husband was unquestionable. It came as a result of her knowledge of his race (she was formerly allied with the Dwarves) and its consequence was his reconciling friendship with Legolas and the honour of being the only Dwarf ever titled “Elf-friend”. He did not covet a possession, being content with the relationship as such, but as a sign of trust was allowed to name his own gift – and his request was both humble and audacious! The gift he was given was greater than he requested – three strands of Galadriel’s hair. He later encased them in crystal as a treasured symbol of friendship between Dwarves and Elves. It’s interesting to speculate whether he made three crystals, one for each hair – that would be a parallel to the Silmarils: not as great, but not perilous either. Though Galadriel left Middle-earth at the end of the Third Age, some of the creations she inspired stayed on: the Elessar remained with Aragorn (as did her granddaughter Arwen, perhaps ‘inheriting’ her role as Queen?), and Gimli’s crystal(s) with her hair. The Phial, with its last remnant of Silmaril light, left, as did the Rings of Power. In the light of these thoughts, Galadriel becomes even more important within the context of Tolkien’s Legendarium, having a pivotal role in all Three Ages. How do you see her importance for the history of Middle-earth in the light of this theme? Could we speculate that her creative influence still lingers on in today’s world?
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09-07-2005, 01:58 AM | #2 | |
Hauntress of the Havens
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As I am still held in awe of that post, Esty, I cannot yet express my thoughts. But I have one question:
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09-07-2005, 02:01 AM | #3 | |
Princess of Skwerlz
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09-07-2005, 02:04 AM | #4 | |
Hauntress of the Havens
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09-07-2005, 06:03 AM | #5 |
Illustrious Ulair
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Its interesting that Feanor requests a lock of Galadriel's hair but as far as we are told he does not offer anything in return. Celebrimbor, out of love, makes for her the Elessar & later Nenya. Gimli also requests a hair of her head, but only after she has offered him a gift & asked him to name it.
It seems that in the first two cases it is Galadriel who is approached by others & asked for something (probably in Feanor's case it was as much a 'demand' as a request), while in the case of Gimli he has come before her initially asking, & expecting, nothing. His love for her is entirely selfless & he gets more than he asks for (or expects). I think its also important that when asked what he would do with her gift he tells her that it is to be a symbol of friendship between his people & hers, not a personal possession which he will keep only to himself - as Feanor did with the Silmarils. One thing does strike me - in many ways what she herself creates (Mirror, Phial) is 'merely' a version of what Feanor created (Palatiri, Silmaril). She is less possessive of 'her' things - being more like Aule & the other Noldor in that, but the things she creates seem less 'permanent', & have as a principal element water, something which has no real 'form' & can be poured away. Perhaps this choice of substance is reflective of the personalities of her lovers & her own. They seek to produce things which will be hard, solid, weighty & enduring, things that they can (hopefully) count on being around as long as they are (or longer in Gimli's case). She creates things which are about as transitory as possible (ok the Phial is pretty solid as an object, but that is merely the container for her actual creation - the water bearing light of Earendel). I can't help feeling that this reflects her spiritual 'state' by the end of the Third Age. She no longer seeks the permanence of things around her. She has learned to 'let go'. Her giving up of the Elessar to Aragorn seems to me just as significant as her refusing the One Ring - both are symbolic of her knowledge that the desire for permanence is a mistake. I strongly suspect that if Gimli had told her (or if she had felt) that he wanted her hair in a possessive way - as did Feanor, or that his love for her involved any element of desire - as with Celebrimbor, she would have refused him outright. |
09-07-2005, 07:01 AM | #6 |
Pilgrim Soul
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[QUOTE=davem]
It seems that in the first two cases it is Galadriel who is approached by others & asked for something (probably in Feanor's case it was as much a 'demand' as a request), QUOTE] Beg, does not to me imply "demand".... irritating persistence maybe.
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09-07-2005, 10:06 AM | #7 | ||
Cryptic Aura
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An excellent topic for discussion, Estelyn! What really intrigues me for starters is something you suggest about the difference between your approach/view and that of Beth Russell.
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I wonder if the question doesn't turn on just what a 'muse' is. In Greek mythology, the nine (or three, depending on which age one is reading) were daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne ('memory') who inspired mental activity in men. Two aspects are important. First, it was mental activity they inspired. And second, they themselves were not desired. They were not the loved ones, but their effect was. They provided inspiration for thinking and were channels of thought from the gods. They were not the only forms of female inspiration in classical mythology. There were for instance sirens ( women who combined human and animal form) who drove mariners to their doom and succubi (demons in female form) who visited men in their sleep. These inspired not mental endeavour but bodily functions with various consequences. And they appear to have been desired for themselves. This represents the classic split in Western Culture between the body and the mind and it went on, I think, in the tradition of the muse as it developed in at least English literature, which is the one I probably can recall the best. I'm thinking of writers such as Spencer who felt fully confident being able to write glowing prefaces to married women in thanks for their inspiration without any second thoughts about impropriety. But what Russell seems to be getting at with her word "lovers"--which I note davem has used as well--is that Galadriel was involved in some kind of sexual dynamic. Even Russell's use of "fall" is (I'm betting) significant here with all our connotations of Eve, fall, and sexual doom. Was this why Russell would reject the use of 'muse', that it is associated so thoroughly with mental aspects solely and sidesteps any sexual implications? After all, the very negative aspects you yourself point out: Quote:
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09-07-2005, 11:32 AM | #8 | |
Illustrious Ulair
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It is only Gimli's creation which is brought into being out of a selfless love -Feanor's love is either for Galadriel or, more probably, for himself, Celebrimbor's love is for Galadriel. What both have in common is that their desire for her is subsumed into their creation of Silmarils/Elessar/rings - their unfulfilled desires lead them to produce their greatest creations, but those things are not what they originally wanted. Its as if the things they create also contain their creator's desire & hence ignite desire in others. Gimli alone creates something which is without any element of personal desire - its purpose is to bring about & sustain peaceful co-existence between his people & the Elves. It is the one Galadriel inspired creation of which she would truly approve. I think this fact may account for the devastation brought about by the creations of Feanor & Celebrimbor |
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09-07-2005, 11:52 AM | #9 | ||
A Mere Boggart
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I note that it is a saying amongst the Eldar that Galadriel's hair held the Light of the Two Trees; that it was a saying, hints that it was not necessarily a fact. Feanor was clearly inspired by the sight of Galadriel's hair and he wanted some of it; that he was refused it may have caused him to go on and create the Silmarils instead. Or perhaps he simply wished to have some of her hair in order to work out exactly how to capture the Light from the Trees? For myself, I do not see anything sinister or untoward in his desire for a few strands of her hair. He was clearly inspired by the beauty of it, and I can imagine that Galadriel even when young may have wished to be admired for something other than her beauty; her power later in life does not rest on her looks, it rests on what she can do and on her leadership. This makes me think of the Yeats poem: Quote:
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09-07-2005, 12:24 PM | #10 | |
Dead Serious
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09-07-2005, 12:24 PM | #11 | ||
Illustrious Ulair
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09-07-2005, 12:39 PM | #12 | ||
Cryptic Aura
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Are all of you saying this love of Galadriel was not a pure thing, could not be a pure thing? Are you saying she couldn't be a muse like the classical muses or those who poets used to personify their inspiration? What is interesting is that Galadriel herself creates objects--as davem has mentioned--who was her "muse"?
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09-07-2005, 01:19 PM | #13 | ||
Illustrious Ulair
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09-07-2005, 01:29 PM | #14 | ||
Princess of Skwerlz
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I'm enjoying the good posts so far!
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'Mercy!' cried Gandalf. 'If the giving of information is to be the cure of your inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you. What more do you want to know?' 'The whole history of Middle-earth...' |
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