Ponderings about the fates of the Noldor, Galadriel and what it all meant.

[Cazoz]

I was thinking before about the fate of the Noldor, specifically those who left the West to come to Middle Earth. This includes those who swore the Oath of Feanor and those who didn't. I recalled that of the immediate descendents of Finwe, (and here I am taking this to be two generations down, i.e. grandchildren) the only survivor was Galadriel of those who left Valinor. Finarfin remained in the West, and was King and presumably lived on until the end of the tales. There is nothing to suggest otherwise.

Although Galadriel did not take the Oath, she was one of the high-profile Elves who left Valinor, and many other Noldor who did not directly take the Oath (as opposed to just following it). And, speculation about Maglor aside, was the only one of her cousins to survive well into the SA. This strikes me as a strange coincidence; the Sons of Feanor I can understand dying as it pretty much came part and parcel with the Oath and was the end product of sticking to said Oath. But Fingolfin's children were all valiant and great, pretty much!

I don't think they were overly pro-Feanor, beyond wanting to get on for the sake of good blood, so I don't think the negative outcomes of the Oath would have affected them in the slightest. And yet they all died tragically. Fingon rescued Maedhros from the mountain-side (personally, one of my favourite deeds from the Sil) and yet was killed by Gothmog. Turgon founded the great city of Gondolin, another great deed done for the Elves, and he was killed defending it. And their sister, poor Aredhel, was killed (by accident, I concede) by her husband when trying to escape him and his nutty ways. All three died sadly, and I would say that of the three sons of Finwe, it was Fingolfin's children who were possibly the most noble, kind and selfless.

"What is the point of this Sil recap?!” I hear you cry! It is my query about the fate of the high Noldor. Why was Galadriel the only documented survivor out of the ones mentioned? Why did all the other children of Finarfin and all those of Fingolfin die in the FA, and under sad circumstances too? Was this a device by Tolkien to have Galadriel become the greatest surviving Elf in ME at the end of the TA, and thus eventually the most 'senior ranking' (if you will) Noldor, excepting her father Finarfin?

She wasn't the only female, as Aredhel was also a granddaughter of Finwe. She wasn't the only one to procreate and thus give to the world great Elves; Turgon had Gil-Galad and even poor Curufin was survived by Celebrimbor (note that both were slain, furthermore, albeit much later on). Both of these children quite obviously did more for ME, Elfkind and were more notorious than Celebrian, who was little more than a mother and became nothing more than useless orc-fodder and eventually had to high-tail it back West.

Is there much specifically in the Sil (my copy is in London, I'm in Melbourne!) about the fate of the exiled Noldor, relating to those who didn't take the Oath and merely crossed over at the same time as Feanor? (I am aware of the varying accounts, and that of Galadriel and Celeborn leaving Valinor together, unrelated to Feanor's exodus.) And if so, what did Galadriel do to escape this that her brothers and non-Feanorian cousins didn't? Perhaps it is all coincidence that she was the only survivor from her line (again, I am aware of Maglor!) and that through Celebrian and Arwen, only her biological legacy truly lived on into the FA, the only fully documented line to run through the whole story. Was she the link and backbone to it all? The true connection between the old and new worlds, ensuring that with the line of Telcontar, some of her would always be present in the rulers of ME, no matter how diluted.

Did Tolkien actively keep Galadriel as the living, surviving link throughout time; someone who had seen the Trees and lived in Valinor and someone who was also one with ME (or at least Lorien), someone who had lived through the times of Beleriand and Numenor, someone who had lived to tell the tale and would be able to tell it all?

Quite obviously the Sil is based around Morgoth and Feanor and the LoTR is mainly about Sauron, Gandalf, Aragorn and Frodo. And whilst Morgoth, Sauron, Olorin and many others are present and crucial throughout the Legendarium, considering her ubiquitous role/presence/relevance; it really makes me wonder how important a role Tolkien actually had envisaged for Galadriel; did she just coincidentally tie in really well or was she conscientiously intended to be such a vital link? And am I overanalysing this, or was she knowingly written so, by the man himself?

Sorry for the length, anything to procrastinate at work! I effectively just got paid to write that, hehe!