Show Notes
In this episode of Peaceable and Kind, Derek Vreeland returns to Middle-earth for one final “dip into Tolkien,” reflecting on the Elves of The Lord of the Rings—ancient, wise, and quietly powerful figures who stand at the fading edge of an age.
Though not the central heroes of the story, the Elves serve as keepers of memory, bearers of wisdom, and guardians of beauty. Derek explores how characters like Elrond and Galadriel function as guides rather than rulers, offering clarity, provision, and encouragement to those tasked with carrying the future. Their presence echoes something familiar in Scripture. They are like angels as they illuminate truth, bring comfort, and point others toward courage without seeking power for themselves.
Through the Council of Elrond and the gifts of Galadriel, we see a different kind of leadership marked by wisdom, restraint, and the ability to recognize where true responsibility lies. The fate of Middle Earth is not entrusted to the strongest or the wisest, but to the humble. And the Elves are wise enough to let that happen.
In the end, the Elves remind us that true greatness is not found in holding onto power, but in preparing others, playing your part faithfully, and knowing when to let go.
Key Takeaways
- The Elves are not the central heroes, but essential to the story’s unfolding.
- They serve as keepers of memory, wisdom, and beauty in Middle-earth.
- Elrond models leadership through listening, guidance, and historical awareness.
- Galadriel embodies spiritual insight, testing, and provision.
- True wisdom resists the temptation to seize power.
- The future is shaped by humility, not dominance.
- Faithful leadership prepares others rather than controlling outcomes.
- Knowing your role—and embracing it—is a mark of maturity and wisdom.
Books Mentioned
The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
Resources Mentioned
Malcolm Guite YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MalcolmGuitespell
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Transcript
Welcome back.
To another episode of Peaceable and Kind.
I am your host, Derek Vreeland, and it is May.
We have entered into the month of May.
We’re still in Eastertide, celebrating the joy of resurrection.
But it feels like summer is just around the corner.
Hope you are having a good day today.
And if you are new to Peaceable and Kind, welcome.
I would love for you to subscribe.
and to share this episode or a previous episode.
And if you would leave us a rating and review.
That helps a whole lot.
So on this episode, we are going back to Middle-earth.
This will be my last dip into Tolkien for a while.
uh that that phrase dip into tolkien comes from malcolm geit do you know malcolm
He is a British poet and priest and writer and pipe smoker, and I absolutely love his YouTube channel.
If you love Tolkien, you gotta subscribe to Malcolm Geit’s YouTube channel.
We’ll put a link in the show notes.
But Geit likes to use this phrase, uh, let’s take a little dip into Tolkien.
And in his YouTube videos, he will often read passages from Tolkien while he’s smoking a pipe.
If you don’t know, in Lord of the Rings, uh pipe smoking is quite popular.
And I think this came from Tolkien himself, who was a pipe smoker along with
C.
S.
Lewis.
I’ve been to the Wade Center on the campus of Wheaton College, and I’ve seen C.
S.
Lewis’ pipe and Tolkien’s pipe.
Anyway, on Malcolm Geit’s YouTube channel, he’ll smoke a pipe and he’ll read a passage from Tolkien, normally the Lord of the Rings, and then he talks about it.
So if you love Tolkien.
and the Lord of the Rings, you got to go subscribe to Malcolm Geit’s channel.
But he often says, let’s take a little
dip into Tolkien.
So on this episode, we are going to take a little dip into Tolkien, and this will probably be my last episode talking about Lord of the Rings, at least for a while.
I’m sure there is coming a time in the future when I will reference Lord of the Rings again because as you know, I I just finished this spring.
reading through the trilogy for the very first time.
I have watched the movies.
You know, I watched them when they came out.
I am familiar with The Hobbit.
I read The Hobbit when I was in middle school.
And a couple years ago, I got a nice hardback set of The Lord of the Rings, but I hadn’t worked through it
And so during the season of Advent last year is when I said, okay, now I’m going to take my time.
To read through The Lord of the Rings, and I loved it.
I can’t believe I waited so long to read these books.
And it’s uh it’s an epic tale.
It’s a long story, three volumes, roughly 1200 pages, approximately half a million words
But I did a slow read.
I took about three months to read through the three volumes, and I loved it so much.
And so
I have been dedicating a couple episodes to talk about the Lord of the Rings.
I gave you an overview of Middle-earth.
which is the fictional and fantasy world of the Lord of the Rings.
I also dedicated an entire episode to Sam, to Sam Wise Gamgee, the loyal companion of Frodo.
Brodo is the ring bearer.
He is tasked to take the ring to Mount Doom.
There the ring can be destroyed, and thus the power of Sauron, the Dark Lord.
the villain in the Lord of the Rings would ultimately be destroyed.
And Sam, who is Frodo’s companion, I believe is the true hero of Lord of the Rings.
So I did a whole episode
I called it an unlikely hero talking about Samwise.
And I hope that these episodes get you interested in Tolkien.
If you’re not interested in reading the books, I understand not everyone’s a reader.
At least watch the films.
The Peter Jackson films are really good.
They don’t follow along
with everything in the books, there’s a a few characters that aren’t in the movies that I I kind of regretted now thinking back to it.
But the the films will give you the main plot.
So
Watch the movies and if you watched them when they first came out, watch them again.
And watch them with Christian eyes, looking for
Christian values and virtues throughout the films.
But I would encourage you and challenge you even to read the books if you can, even if you’re not a reader.
Tackle those books, take time to read those books.
Really, I think reading a series like Lord of the Rings
could help a number of people break their addictions to their phones.
I mean, don’t get me wrong, I am as addicted to my phone as anybody.
But one of the things that happens when you’re scrolling night after night is it starts rewiring your brain.
It does for me.
And so one of the reasons I started Lord of the Rings last November with the season of Advent was I was also uh taking a break from social media.
So I took four weeks off of social media.
Because I felt myself getting addicted to these algorithms.
And so if you want to break yourself from phone addiction, uh shut your phone off at night and start reading Lord of the Rings.
So I want to talk about the elves today, elves in Lord of the Rings.
And if you haven’t watched the films or read the books, this is all gonna sound
very foreign to you, uh, but just sort of um just sort of walk with me as I introduce you to the elves of Middle-earth.
Now, within Middle Earth, uh you have different beings, you have different creatures, you have men, you have elves, you have dwarves, you have
bad guys, you know, not just Sauron, but you got the Orcs.
They’re kind of like stormtroopers from the Star Wars universe.
They’re these nameless sort of
faceless warriors of the bad guys.
You also have wizards, of course Gandalf is the greatest of the wizards.
Uh so you have lots of different creatures, but I want to talk on this episode about the elves because I love the elves in Lord of the Rings.
Now when you hear
elves, don’t think of the elves of Santa’s workshop.
That would not be an accurate picture of the elves in Lord of the Rings.
They are the oldest
race.
They’re the oldest creatures in Middle earth.
They’re immortal.
They’re tied deeply to creation and to the beauty of Middle Earth.
They engage in warfare against that which would destroy Middle Earth.
And they’re often marked by sorrow
Particularly by the time we get to the Lord of the Rings, this is the third age of Middle-earth.
There is an entire backstory which is told in other Tolkien books.
Not really going to get into that.
But by the time we are in the third age in the telling of the Lord of the Rings,
The elves are ancient, wise beings, and they’re sort of on the decline.
They’re sort of fading out
And they have this sense of sorrow because they have this great memory.
They can remember
in vivid details all of the days of their lives.
And so they will often talk about the elder days, the olden days.
And I think that they feel sorrow in what they see in Middle earth.
But they also, because of their wisdom,
And being able to draw from the knowledge of the past, they see and perceive things that other people do not
And so there’s a number of elves in the Lord of the Rings.
There is Elrond, who is the Lord of Rivendale, very wise and ancient.
Rivendale is a land of elves.
It’s a sort of an elven city.
And the fellowship first takes a little rest there.
Then you got Keleborn and Galadriel.
They are the Lord and the Lady.
They rule over Lothlorian.
Lothlorian is on the other side of the Misty Mountains, and it’s another enclave of the Elves.
You get the sense in Lord of the Rings.
That elves were much more dominant and they were much more spread out, but it seems like their lands have have shrunk into just these small little enclaves.
And so uh Kelleborn and Galadriel uh rule over Lothlorian.
And I really I’m gonna have a lot to say about Galadriel and Lothlorien on this episode.
But there’s other elves in the story.
Of course, there’s Legolas.
Legolas is a wooden elve from Merkwood.
And he becomes one of the fellowship
uh of the ring, traveling with Frodo and Sam.
And uh Legolas is a is a character that remains consistent throughout all three
volumes.
You also have Glorfindel.
He is not as big in the films as he is in the books.
And then there’s Arwen.
She is much bigger in the films than she is in the books.
She’s the daughter of Elrond, who’s the Lord of Rivendale.
And she loves Aragon and Spoiler.
Uh they get married uh towards the end of the tale
So there are a number of elves, but I really want to focus on two of them
Elrond of Rivendale and Galadriel of Lothlorien.
I want to talk about
Those two characters in particular.
Now, again, they’re not the center of the story, right?
You don’t see Elrond and Galadriel uh throughout the novel
Uh you they they pop up now and again, but there’s there’s two important sections at the
end of or in the second half of the first volume, The Fellowship of the Ring, and they are important characters, but they’re not central characters.
They are these keepers of memory and wisdom, and they embody beauty.
And it’s almost like they stand at the threshold between what is and what’s passing away.
For me, the elves in the Lord of the Rings remind me of of angels.
Um they’re not exactly like angels, but
The elves in Lord of the Rings and angels that we see in the Bible occupy a place above humans
But there is human interaction.
Of course, angels biblically are not God.
Elves are not God.
but they serve as as messengers, angels in the Bible, messengers of God.
And in Lord of the Rings, they serve as messengers of that which is true and good and beautiful.
Both angels and elves dispense their wisdom and are messengers of revelation
Angels in the Bible are often sent with a message.
Think about the angel Gabriel who announces the birth of Jesus
Angels often appear to people in the Scriptures, offering a word of comfort.
Often when angels show up in the lives of people in the Scriptures, they bring a message, do not be afraid.
And so similarly, the elves in the Lord of the Rings are bearers of insight and truth and memory.
Elrond, who we’ll talk about in a little bit, you know, at the Council of Elrond, he uh gives a a quick history
of the rings themselves, and that’s important history to know.
And Galadriel, who again I want to talk a lot more about
When the fellowship first arrives at Lothlorion, and they’re the fellowship are going to bed, uh it’s it’s late into the night, Galadriel says, and this is a quote from the Fellowship of the Ring
She says, Do not let your hearts be troubled.
Tonight you shall sleep in peace.
And that line really stood out to me because, one, it’s a direct quote from Jesus.
Who told his disciples, Let not your hearts be troubled.
But when I read that, I thought, ooh, this is like a little messenger angel.
Uh Galadriel said to the fellowship, What angels in the scripture say to people.
over and over again, and that is don’t worry, be at peace, do not be afraid.
Both angels in the Bible and elves in the Lord of the Rings are associated with light
And both angels and the elves are not seeking power.
They’re not seeking the limelight.
They’re not the main characters.
They just.
They have this servant role, but it’s it’s a it’s an elevated servant role.
So let me talk to you about, again, just two of these elves.
Elrond of Rivendale and Galadriel, the Lady of Lothlorien.
And I’m going to talk quickly about Elrond, because really I could have dedicated an entire episode to Galadriel.
I think Galadriel is an extremely important character, a complex character, a mystical character.
So I’m gonna spend some time talking about her, but first, let me give El Ron his due.
He is uh a fascinating creature in Middle-earth.
He does live at the intersection of men and elves, as we learn
Um Elrond fought with the Alliance of Men and Elves in the previous age, and Elrond himself is half Elven
His father was human, uh, but his mother was an elf.
And so because of this
It’s like Elrond stands in between the world of men, and there’s lots of men in The Lord of the Rings, but also these mystical elves.
And Elrond was given a choice.
You can be counted among men or elves, and he chose to be among the elves.
And so he has seen ages rise and fall.
He remembers the ancient wars, broken alliances.
the long defeat of evil that seems never to stay quite defeated.
And so he is the Lord of Rivendale, and he’s not just a host,
uh to the fellowship when they come.
He is really a living memory.
He’s like a living history book of the first and second ages of Middle earth.
And so Rivendale that Elrond governed is an important place
Early in the story.
It’s a place of refuge and healing.
It’s a place where the past is preserved and honored.
And Elron, though he fought in battles in the past, really isn’t a warrior as much as Elron is a guardian of wisdom.
He is a sacred keeper of history and then a guide for other people.
And so the
The Council of Elrond is one of the most important chapters in the Lord of the Rings.
It’s the longest chapter, but it’s the most important.
And at this council, there are representatives from men and dwarves and elves and of course the hobbits.
And they all bring pieces together of a longer story.
So when they’re gathered in this council, the fellowship has left the Shire.
And Frodo has the ring, the one ring of power, and they’re trying to figure out what to do with it.
So at the council, El Ron starts.
By recounting history, he tells how the rings were created, the rise of Sauron, and the failure of previous generations.
to avoid the ring and and really to destroy the ring.
And this is a hopeful little insight.
To me, this is helpful.
um to know that evil is not new and whatever present crisis we’re in today, it really can’t be understood without remembering the past.
So if you think about the current
Problems, social problems we have, political problems, geopolitical problems, economic problems
If you want to understand why in contemporary society we have the problems that we do, it starts
By figuring out what happened in the past.
So, back to Lord of the Rings.
So Elrond of the Council of Elrond, he acts the kind of narrator.
Holding together the threads of history so that the council can make a wise decision.
And it’s interesting to me that El Ron does not try to seize authority.
Now, because the council is in Rivendale
there is a mediator role for Elrond, but he’s not trying to dictate the outcome.
He does not have a slam your fist on the table kind of approach.
Instead, he gives space for people to speak, to share their thoughts.
Boromir and Aragon, both men, and Gandalf the wizard, even Frodo the Hobbit
has an opportunity to share.
And so a part of the wisdom of Elrond is that he chooses to listen
Rather than to dominate.
And so the question before the council is: what should we do with the one ring?
They think we could hide it.
Boromir wants to use it.
Try to use the one ring of power for good.
Others say we should send it away, but ultimately the conclusion is the ring must be destroyed.
It cannot be held safely by anyone.
Not even the wise elves, not even wizards, who are also wise characters like Gandalf.
because the ring has seductive and corruptive power.
And so
There comes a turning point at the Council of Elrond when Frodo says, I will take the ring, though I don’t know the way.
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Go to the show notes for ordering information
So Frodo, the humble hobbit from the Shire, becomes the ring-bearer.
He wants to give it to Elrond, because this is what humble people do.
Frodo’s like, I I can’t do this.
I I’m not worthy of this.
And he wants to give it to Elrond.
Elrond says no.
Elrond knows that he cannot take the ring.
And so Elron says to Frodo, I think that this task is appointed for you, and that if you do not find a way, no one will.
So, the Fellowship of the Ring is the group of people that are going to travel with Proto, who is the bearer of the ring.
And so they head off from Rivendale.
Now I want to fast forward the story, and we’re really still in the very first volume, The Fellowship of the Ring.
But I want to fast forward the story to talk about Galadriel.
Because if Elrond represents wisdom and memory, then Galadriel represents something
Almost otherworldly, something mystical and spiritual.
It’s why I’m so captivated by her
She is an elf, but she she carries herself differently than the other elves.
I mean, she is the most angelic
of all of the elves.
And she and her husband Celeborn are the Lord and the Lady of Lothlorion
Lothlorien is on the other side of the Misty Mountains.
It’s a forested area.
And it’s not just like the woods of Merkwood and other places in Middle Earth.
It’s a place that seems to be illuminated by light.
It’s a place that seems untouched and preserved.
Time itself feels different
The fellowship, they spend a month in Lothlorien resting before the rest of their journey.
And time just seems to go by differently.
It’s almost like Lothlorien
Is a glimpse of what Middle Earth used to be like.
And so Galadriel herself, she is perceptive, she is noble.
And she is ancient in a way that doesn’t feel old.
And she has this intuitive ability.
to see into the hearts of people that uh come to her, people that that come into her presence.
She perceives there
fears and their weaknesses and their ambitions.
And towards the end of their time in Lothlorian, Galadriel offers Frodo and Sam, the two hobbits
From the Shire.
Now remember, there are four total hobbits in the fellowship, also Mary and Pippin, but I’ve been focusing a lot on Sam and Frodo.
But Gladriel offers just Frodo and Sam a vision, a glimpse into possible futures.
They are given this opportunity by looking into her mirror, which is water that’s held in an outdoor basin.
This is the mirror of Galadriel
And in the mirrored reflection, they could see possible futures.
And I want to emphasize the word possible
Because in the journey of the fellowship throughout the Lord of the Rings, one of the predominant themes is choices that we all have to make.
And so from it, I draw this kind of overarching theme in Lord of the Rings that our future is not shaped by fate.
but by choices.
And I think that’s important.
Now, I will add that there seems to be a thread of the work of providence
throughout the Lord of the Rings?
I mean there are all of these providential meetings of people throughout the story, almost like the hand of Providence has brought them together.
Now, there’s not much or any concept of God.
There is a creator figure in Lord of the Rings, but there God is not really talked about.
But because Tolkien is a Christian,
There is the unseen presence of God in Middle earth in these sort of providential happenings
But I would say that Providence is at work throughout the Lord of the Rings, but more than Providence, there is an emphasis on choice.
People are faced.
with a choice over and over and over.
All of the fellowship are faced with decisions that they have to make.
The most pivotal one is Frodo becoming the ring bearer, for example.
And so in looking in her mirror, Frodo and Sam can see possible futures.
And I won’t say more about that, but it does get worked out towards the end
things that they see in the mirror of Galadriel at Lothlorion uh do help them make decisions in the future
The other significant thing that happens with the fellowship while they’re in Lothlorian is the gifts given to each one by Galadriel.
And her gifts aren’t random.
They’re all deeply meaningful.
So everyone in the fellowship receives an elven cloak.
This is a brownish-gray kind of cloak that serves to keep them warm at night when they’re sleeping, but also it camouflages them.
And it almost seems like the cloaks change color based on their surroundings.
And so it helps them to hide.
uh more than once they hide from the enemy because of those cloaks.
They’re also each given um lambus, which is uh elfin bread.
And let’s be honest, there is no way they would have made it to Mount Doom.
This is Frodo and Sam, without Lambus.
without this elfin bread.
So it’s some kind of flat bread.
It’s like a super protein bar.
And uh you know for those of us who are believers in Jesus
There seems to be a parallel between the Lambus bread and communion bread.
Um Tolkien is very clear that he does not like allegory.
He doesn’t want people to read
Lord of the Rings allegorically, but just as a Christian, uh I I I couldn’t miss the connection between this elfin bread and communion bread.
Christians, we are sustained.
by the body of Christ mediated to us through the bread of communion and the fellowship.
They they survive on Lambus.
So Galadriel gives them all cloaks and bread, they’re given boats.
In the boats, there are ropes.
But then she gives to each member of the fellowship something specific.
To Frodo, she gives him this little glass vial that is illuminated with light.
This is the file of Galadriel.
And it is illuminated by the light of Arundil, uh, which is this star which has an important function.
for the elves and and all of those who are good and righteous and noble in Middle earth.
And this little um
Lighted vial, the file of Galadriel, uh serves as a literal light in dark places that
comes in handy more than once.
Sam, the other hobbit, companion of Frodo, Sam receives a box
that has dirt from Lothlorian and this is given to Sam.
Remember Sam is a gardener.
Uh he’s on this great epic adventure, but truly he just wants to be back at the Shire plantin’ flowers.
So he is given the earth of Lothlorien in a wooden box, and he will use this to recultivate the Shire.
Um, again, this episode is filled with spoilers, but after the ring is destroyed, there is a journey home.
And the Hobbits find that their home has been taken over.
And so the the final battle in the Lord of the Rings trilogy is the scour of the Shire.
And spoiler, uh the the hobbits prevail, but the shire they return to is not the shire that they left.
And so there’s a lot of work to rebuild and recultivate.
And so Sam will use um dirt, earth from Lothlorian to do that.
Aragon, um, who becomes the king of Gondor, the third volume is called Return of the King.
And much of that story is about Aragon.
He receives a sheath for his sword, which is necessary, but he also receives the elf stone.
And the elf stone is a gift, again, given from Galadriel to Aragon.
And it is to reveal his
nobility, his true identity as a king, and also his calling to heal and restore, uh, which was
much of the work of the elves.
And it’s also a a bit of a a wedding gift.
It represents the hope of his future marriage to the elf Erwin.
Legalos, who is an elf, a wooden elf, is known for his skills as an archer.
He receives a bow from Galadriel
Uh Boromir, who is human, he’s a man from Rohan, he receives a golden belt
I think this belt has something to do with his death and how his death is honored.
Uh Marion Pippen, who are the other two hobbits from the Shire, they each receive silver belts.
And then Gimli the Dwarf receives three strands of Galadriel’s hair
And as I wrap up this episode, I want to talk about Galadriel and Gimli.
Now, the gift that Galadriel gives him, well, there’s a there’s a huge backstory.
First
There’s a lot of bad blood between dwarves and elves.
One of the interesting relationships that are formed is the relationship between Gimli and Legolas.
the elf.
I think I talk about that um in my introduction to to Middle-earth.
Uh they elves and dwarves were not known to be partners.
They had this
under the surface animosity, which would sometimes boil over the surface into real hostility.
But Legolas and Gimli, they become great friends, which is beautiful.
And so when a dwarf enters into the land of the elves, Lothlorian, this is surprising and shocking because dwarves did not associate with elves
And so there’s this beautiful scene between Gimli the Dwarf and Galadriel the Elf.
In their first meeting, and then as the gift is given.
So when they first arrive in La Florian, Aragon
Is telling the story of how they lost Gandalf.
So when the fellowship is leaving the Shire, the four hobbits are leaving the Shire.
They’re doing so under the direction of Gandalf, and then Aragon joins the fellowship, but they’re still following the lead of Gandalf.
But as they were passing through the mines of Moria, they encounter the Balrog, who is this horrible monster
that has driven all the dwarves out of Moria.
Moria was originally the underground city of the dwarves, but the Balrog had run em off.
And so Gandalf stands before the Balrog.
If you know anything about Gandalf and the story of the Lord of the Rings, you’ve probably heard or seen, You Shall Not Pass.
Well, this is the pivotal moment when Gandalf tells the fellowship, run, get out of this cave, go save yourself.
Fly, you fools.
That’s what Gandalf says.
and then he alone stands before the Balrog.
Well, fast forward, win the fellowship
is in Lothlorian, Aragon is telling Celeborn and Galadriel and the other elves what happened.
because as Gandalf defended the fellowship, gave them quick exodus, Gandalf falls into this deep pit with the Balrog, and they assume that he is dead.
Again, spoiler, he’s not, he comes back.
But they’re telling the sad story.
And so there’s a lot of sadness in Lothlorian as he is telling the story
In hearing all of this, Galadriel is moved.
And this is her response.
And let me just read a paragraph
From the Fellowship of the Ring.
I don’t want to sum up what she says.
I want to read it to you word for word.
So here’s what Galadriel says in response.
to the fellowship making their way through the old dwarf country, the mines of Moria.
This is what she says.
Dark is the water of Kelad Zarm, and cold are the springs of Kibil Nala
And fair were the many pillared halls of Kazad Doom in the elder days before the fall of mighty kings beneath the stone
She looked up upon Gimli, who sat glowering and sad, and she smiled, and the dwarf, hearing the names given in his own ancient tongue
looked up and met her eyes, and it seemed to him that he looked suddenly into the heart of an enemy and saw their love and understanding
Wonder came to his face, and then he smiled in answer.
So I wanted to read all of that.
Because I wanted to capture not just how Tolkien describes it, but sort of the mood of the moment
Galadriel responds by calling Moria, which was the elfin word for this area.
She uses the phrase Casa Doom, which is
the original name in dwarves language for that place.
Because the dwarves were known to be great artisans in the area of masonry.
And they had built these beautiful stone galleys and halls throughout the mines.
It was a beautiful place.
And Galadriel calls that place by the name that dwarves would use.
And this meant a lot to Gimli.
Because again, he was suspicious of elves.
Elves and dwarves didn’t get along.
But here is the Lady of Lothlorien speaking in such glowing and positive terms
about this ancient place, again, which used to be the dwelling place for dwarves, but they had been run out uh centuries before.
So that’s important backstory to then the giving of gifts.
Galadriel has given gifts to all of the fellowships, specific gifts to each one of them.
And so she asked Gimli what gift he wants.
And he says, none.
He says,
He was just happy to have met Galadriel and to heard her gentle words.
She then asks
Gimli, really starkly, tell me what you desire.
What what do you want?
And he then asks for a single strand of her hair
Galadriel has been described as tall, noble, beautiful, luminous, and her hair was like gold.
And by the way, this is not Gimli having some kind of romantic feelings for a married woman, as if he’s a stalker and wants a lock of her hair.
It is nothing like that
Tolkien was not romantic in that sort of sappy sentimental way
Um this is more think about a queen, a beloved queen in a kingdom, who is beloved by the lowliest of servants.
So it’s that kind of noble, higher kind of love.
It’s not like Gimli had a crush on Galadriel.
When people think that, that kind of irrit irritates me.
You’re missing the the beauty of the moment.
So then Galadriel asks what Gimli would do with the strand of her hair.
And Gimli says, and again, I’m going to read from the Fellowship of the Ring, Gimli says, treasure it, lady.
Again, he’s being asked by Galadriel, if I give you a strand of my hair, what are you going to do with it?
And he says, Treasure it, lady, in memory of your words to me at our first meeting, and if ever I return to the smithys of my home, it shall be set in imperishable crystal?
to be an heirloom of my house, and a pledge of good will between the mountain and the wood, until the end of days.
Ah I love it
Dwarves not only were good masons, they were mighty in battle.
Gimli has a battle axe.
And so these are hardened
Tough warriors, but I love Gimli’s response here.
He’s not asking for a weapon of war like his friend Legolas got.
He wants a strand of her hair that he might encase it in crystal and turn it into a family heirloom.
that it would symbolize the peace and goodwill between, he says the mountain and the wood, because
Dwarves are creatures of the mountain.
Elves are creatures of the wood.
So he’s talking about the peace and the fellowship and the goodwill between elves and dwarves.
I love that.
And so she gives him not one but three strands of her golden hair
And she offers these strands as a gift to Gimli with a blessing.
And again, I’ll read straight from Tolkien
She says, I say to you, Gimli, son of Gloin, that your hands shall flow with gold, and yet over you gold shall have no dominion
Of course her hair is golden.
She’s placing three hairs in the rough hands of this dwarf, and says, Your hands will become golden.
That is, what you set your hands to do.
will be golden, but you will never be tempted by wealth.
Gold will have no dominion over you
I absolutely love that scene, and I love all of these gifts that are given.
Because the gifts that are given are not weapons per se.
Legolas gets a bow.
But they’re not weapons to dominate.
The gifts given are provisions for endurance
Galadriel equips the fellowship, and this is at the end of the Fellowship of the Ring before the next volume, the two towers begin, because they are they have really just begun their journey
A lot happens in the next two volumes.
But the gifts that Galadriel gives, they allow them to endure.
Endure unto the end.
And this is what I love so much about the elves.
Their giving nature, not just giving physical gifts, but giving wisdom.
allows the fellowship to accomplish what each one has set before themselves
And before the fellowship leaves Lothlorian, Frodo wants to give the ring to Galadriel.
Um, and she, like everyone else, is tempted and thinks, wow, I could be this powerful and beautiful queen, but then she she refuses.
And the fellowship they each carry on.
But none of the members of the fellowship would be able to do what they did
Without the guidance and support of the Elves.
Elrun gives clarity
History direction.
Galadriel gives them strength and provision and peace
And the elves represent a world that is shrinking, that is fading, but but not without first giving what they can to the fellowship.
Who is going to carry goodness and truth and beauty forward?
And again, it’s interesting to note that the elves are not the main characters.
They’re not clinging to power.
Again, one of the predominant themes of Lord of the Rings is power and what we do with it.
The elves are not interested in power.
Instead, they want to serve and help others.
They understand their role
And both Elrond and Galadriel are just simply happy to play their part.
While the fellowship is in La Florian, it’s interesting how often Galadriel smiles and laughs.
She knows who she is.
She’s not the queen.
She’s not going to be the ring bearer, but she’s just happy to play her part.
And there is a there’s a kind of wisdom there in knowing who you are, what you are called to do, and then humbly do it.
Instead of being ambitious and seeking greatness for yourself, this is why I love Lord of the Rings.
This is why I’ve been spending over 45 minutes on this episode.
And congratulations if you made it to the end.
I could talk for hours about the Lord of the Rings.
But just this overview, and let me tell you, this is a brief overview.
I kept cutting my notes down.
I wanted to create a 30-minute episode.
Well, we went far beyond that.
But the reason I love the Lord of the Rings and all the many characters in there is there’s something for us to learn and to be challenged by.
And so the elves challenge me.
To remember the past.
They challenge me to understand who I am, what I’m called to do, and then humbly do it.
And again, Tolkien doesn’t like analogy, but that is so similar to the Christian life.
Jesus has come to rescue you, your true self, to show you who you really are.
And King Jesus will reveal what you’re supposed to do.
And then, like the fellowship, you just have to go do it.
Well, that’s probably enough for one episode.
Thank you for joining me.
And if you love the Lord of the Rings and you’ve enjoyed this episode, feel free to reach out.
to me on social media or leave a review.
But that is all that we have for this episode.
Go in peace and be kind.
This transcript was generated with AI and may contain errors.