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* TimeAbyss: Definitely qualifies, being older than the sun and the entire Man race. She was born in the Year of the Trees 1362, before the First Age of the Sun and the awakening of mortal Men. When the Fellowship meet her (depending on the length of First Age years and Years of the Trees), she's between 8,370 and over 13,000 years old.
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* TimeAbyss: Definitely qualifies, being older than the sun and the entire Man race. She was born in the Year of the Trees 1362, before the First Age of the Sun and the awakening of mortal Men. When the Fellowship meet her (depending on the length of First Age years and Years of the Trees), she's between about 8,370 and over 13,000 solar years old.
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* ContraltoOfDanger: As described by Tolkien, "Her voice was clear and musical, but deeper than woman's wont."
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* DeaderThanDead: Like Luthien before her, she claimed the human gift of mortality and died in truth, her soul following Aragorn's beyond the walls of the world.
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* JustTheFirstCitizen: Galadriel and Celeborn made the decision not to take royal titles (which is why they are the Lord and Lady of their realm rather than the King and Queen) as they saw themselves as the guardians of Lothlórien rather than it's rulers.
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* JustTheFirstCitizen: Galadriel and Celeborn made the decision not to take royal titles (which is why they are the Lord and Lady of their realm rather than the King and Queen) as they saw themselves as the guardians of Lothlórien rather than it's its rulers.
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* JustTheFirstCitizen: Celeborn and Galadriel made the decision not to take royal titles (which is why they are the Lord and Lady of their realm rather than the King and Queen) as they saw themselves as the guardians of Lothlórien rather than it's rulers.
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* JustTheFirstCitizen: Celeborn and Galadriel made the decision not to take royal titles (which is why they are the Lord and Lady of their realm rather than the King and Queen) as they saw themselves as the guardians of Lothlórien rather than it's its rulers.
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[[Characters/TheLordOfTheRingsTheFellowship The Fellowship of the ring]] | [[Characters/TheLordOfTheRingsFreeMen Free Men]] | '''The Elves''' | [[Characters/TheLordOfTheRingsTheForcesOfSauron The Forces of Sauron]] | [[Characters/TheLordOfTheRingsOtherCharacters Other]]-]]]]]
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[[Characters/TheLordOfTheRingsTheFellowship The Fellowship of the ring]] Ring]] | [[Characters/TheLordOfTheRingsFreeMen Free Men]] | '''The Elves''' | [[Characters/TheLordOfTheRingsTheForcesOfSauron The Forces of Sauron]] | [[Characters/TheLordOfTheRingsOtherCharacters Other]]-]]]]]
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* TheWoobie: This guy lost his parents as a child. He was then raised by a couple nice brothers, until one of them commits suicide and the other takes a walk and never comes back. Then his brother chooses to become mortal and die. Then his wife has to leave for Aman before him. THEN his daughter goes the route of his brother and chooses mortality. And if that's not enough, Lord of the Rings leaves it ambiguous what Elladan and Elrohir will chose.
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* TheWoobie: This guy lost his parents as a child. child (they aren't dead, but Elrond hasn't seen them in about six thousand years). He was then raised by a couple nice brothers, two of Fëanor's sons, until one of them commits suicide and the other takes a walk and never comes back.goes missing with an ambiguous final fate. Then his brother chooses to become mortal and die. Then his friend Gil-galad dies at the end of the Second Age. Then his wife is near-fatally injured and has to leave for Aman before him. THEN his daughter goes the route of his brother and chooses mortality. And if that's not enough, Lord of the Rings leaves it ambiguous what fate Elladan and Elrohir will chose.
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* PersonOfMassDestruction: Galadriel is one of the most powerful characters in Middle Earth, at least those who aren't Maia, capable of even standing up to (at least in his diminished state) Sauron himself. A notable display of her power is [[spoiler:leveling Dol Guldur ''by herself''.]] It's implied her being corrupted by the One Ring would be comparably bad to it corrupting ''Gandalf''.
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!!For the main character index, see [[AC:[[Characters/TheLordOfTheRings here]]]]
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[[Characters/TheLordOfTheRingsTheFellowship The Fellowship of the ring]] | [[Characters/TheLordOfTheRingsFreeMen Free Men]] | '''The Elves''' | [[Characters/TheLordOfTheRingsTheForcesOfSauron The Forces of Sauron]] | [[Characters/TheLordOfTheRingsOtherCharacters Other]]-]]]]]
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[[folder: Elves in General]]
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[[folder: Elladan and Elrohir]]
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* WaterIsWomanly: Of the three Elven rings, Narya the Ring of Fire, and Vilya the Ring of Air are borne by Gandalf and Elrond respectively, but Nenya the Ring of Water (also known as the White Ring or Ring of Adamant) is borne by Lady Galadriel of Lothlórien.
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* ElvesVersusDwarves - one of the trope codifiers, but then deconstructed as Legolas and Gimli's story arc in the face of the war has them grow from barely tolerating each other to True Companions.
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* ElvesVersusDwarves - one ElvesVersusDwarves: One of the trope codifiers, but then deconstructed as Legolas and Gimli's story arc in the face of the war has them grow from barely tolerating each other to True Companions.
* OurElvesAreDifferent: By and large the TropeMaker for modern fantasy elves, Middle-Earth's Elves are [[TheAgeless ageless and potentially immortal]], but can be killed; linger in the world as faint shadows upon death, but can reincarnate; and are less a DyingRace and more properly just in cultural decline and leaving the world for the earthly paradise of the Valar.
* OurElvesAreDifferent: By and large the TropeMaker for modern fantasy elves, Middle-Earth's Elves are [[TheAgeless ageless and potentially immortal]], but can be killed; linger in the world as faint shadows upon death, but can reincarnate; and are less a DyingRace and more properly just in cultural decline and leaving the world for the earthly paradise of the Valar.
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* OurElvesAreBetter: Serves as a new reader's first introduction to the charm, magic and wistfulness of Tolkien's Elves.
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* ElvesVersusDwarves - one of the trope codifiers, but then deconstructed as Legolas and Gimli's storyarc in the face of the war has them grow from barely tolerating each other to True Companions.
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* ElvesVersusDwarves - one of the trope codifiers, but then deconstructed as Legolas and Gimli's storyarc story arc in the face of the war has them grow from barely tolerating each other to True Companions.
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* HeinzHybrid: 25/32 elven, 3/16 Man, and 1/32 angelic.
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* HeinzHybrid: 25/32 elven, 3/16 6/32 Man, and 1/32 angelic.
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[[folder: Elves in General]]
*ElvesVersusDwarves - one of the trope codifiers, but then deconstructed as Legolas and Gimli's storyarc in the face of the war has them grow from barely tolerating each other to True Companions.
[[/folder]]
*ElvesVersusDwarves - one of the trope codifiers, but then deconstructed as Legolas and Gimli's storyarc in the face of the war has them grow from barely tolerating each other to True Companions.
[[/folder]]
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* KissingCousins: Aragorn also is her first cousin, [[DownplayedTrope albeit sixty-seven times removed.]] This was made possible since Arwen herself is [[Really700YearsOld Really 2700 Years Old.]]
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* MixedAncestry: She has a mix of elven, man, and angelic blood.
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* UnevenHybrid: See HeinzHybrid above.
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* YouWouldntLikeMeWhenImAngry: A noble, wise, and kind elf lord. His wrath terrifies the Nazgul horses enough that they plunge into a raging river to escape.
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* TimeAbyss: A standard trope with Elves in the Lord of the Rings, but Gildor spells it out to Fordo and the other Hobbits when he reminds them "But it is not your own Shire, others dwelt here before hobbits were; and others will dwell here again when hobbits are no more."
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* TimeAbyss: A standard trope with Elves in the Lord of the Rings, but Gildor spells it out to Fordo Frodo and the other Hobbits when he reminds them "But it is not your own Shire, others dwelt here before hobbits were; and others will dwell here again when hobbits are no more."
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No longer a trope
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%%* EverythingsBetterWithPrincesses
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* MadonnaArchetype: She is depicted as motherly, has a name which translates to "lady crowned in light" in her language (thus alluding to a halo), and was entrusted with one of the rings of power by a higher being- a great responsibility. Tolkien also stresses her purity, stating that she was "unstained" and "had committed no evil deeds." Some critics debate whether or not Galadriel is truly meant to resemble Mary in any way, but given Tolkien's strong Catholicism, these traits all suggest the parallels are intentional.
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* StockholmSyndrome: In ''The Silmarillion'' he and his brother Elros were taken in by Maglor, one of the Sons of Fëanor, who led the invasion that killed their grandfather and raided their home in pursuit of a Silmaril. Maglor was kind to them, and only he and Maedhros showed remorse for the actions they took in pursuit of their Oath.
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* StockholmSyndrome: In ''The Silmarillion'' he and his brother Elros were taken in by Maglor, one of the Sons of Fëanor, who led the invasion that killed their grandfather and raided their home in pursuit of a Silmaril. Maglor was kind to them and grew to love them, and only he and Maedhros showed remorse for the actions they took in pursuit of their Oath.
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* TheWoobie: This guy lost his parents as a child. He was then raised by a couple nice brothers, until one of them commits suicide and the other takes a walk and never comes back. Then his brother chooses to become mortal and die. Then his wife has to leave for Aman before him. THEN his daughter goes the route of his brother and chooses mortality. And if that's not enough, Lord of the Rings leaves it ambiguous what Elladan and Elrohir will chose.
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* LivingDistantAncestor: A several times great-uncle of Aragorn via his brother Elros.
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** As the daughter of Finarfin and the highest ranking Noldorin Elf left in Middle-earth, she ''could'' have become the actual High Queen after the death of her kinsman Gil-galad, but neither she nor Elrond (a descendant of her cousin Turgon) succeeded as monarch for unknown reasons.
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** As the daughter of Finarfin and the highest ranking Noldorin Elf left in Middle-earth, she ''could'' have become the actual High Queen after the death of her kinsman Gil-galad, but neither she nor Elrond (a descendant of her cousin Turgon) succeeded as monarch for unknown reasons. It is possible that the High Elves, unlike the Sindar, practised Salic succession, which would mean that neither Galadriel as a female, nor Elrond whose descent was maternal, had a claim.
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How did that horse get in here?
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** Not to mention that she was single-handedly responsible for the transformation of a fairly ordinary woodland realm into the Golden Wood of Lothlorien (a name that even means "Dream Blossom" or "Land of Dreaming Blossoms") a living memory of old Eldamar in which the effects and even perception of time are neigh nonexistent.
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** Not to mention that she was single-handedly responsible for the transformation of a fairly ordinary woodland realm into the Golden Wood of Lothlorien (a name that even means "Dream Blossom" or "Land of Dreaming Blossoms") a living memory of old Eldamar in which the effects and even perception of time are neigh nigh nonexistent.
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Elrond's children and Arwen's older brothers.
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Elrond's children and Arwen's older brothers. [[GodNeverSaidThat While never actually stated to be twins]], most of the fandom assumes they are given that they were born in the same year and twins run in Elrond's family.
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* WorldsMostBeautifulWoman:) Galadriel's granddaughter Arwen was often said to be the most beautiful Elf in Middle-earth at the time of the War of the Ring, but Galadriel's great beauty was every bit as much the stuff of legend. Tolkien described her as being 'the mightiest and fairest of all the Elves that remained in Middle-earth'. The subject of Galadriel and Arwen's beauty and whose was greatest actually nearly brought Gimli and Éomer to arms. Éomer, having seen them both, preferred Arwen to which Gimli (also having seen them both) replies, ''"You have chosen the Evening; but my love is given to the Morning."''
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* WorldsMostBeautifulWoman:) WorldsMostBeautifulWoman: Galadriel's granddaughter Arwen was often said to be the most beautiful Elf in Middle-earth at the time of the War of the Ring, but Galadriel's great beauty was every bit as much the stuff of legend. Tolkien described her as being 'the mightiest and fairest of all the Elves that remained in Middle-earth'. The subject of Galadriel and Arwen's beauty and whose was greatest actually nearly brought Gimli and Éomer to arms. Éomer, having seen them both, preferred Arwen to which Gimli (also having seen them both) replies, ''"You have chosen the Evening; but my love is given to the Morning."''
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* AlliterativeFamily: Elrond's brother is Elros and his sons are Elladan and Elrohir.
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* AlliterativeFamily: Elrond's brother is Elros Elros, his mother is Elwing, and his sons are Elladan and Elrohir.Elrohir.
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* BackFromTheDead: [[WordOfGod Tolkien's]] letters stated that Glorfindel from Gondolin and Glorfindel from the Lord of the Rings was the same elf, just reincarnated.
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* BackFromTheDead: [[WordOfGod Tolkien's]] letters stated that Glorfindel from Gondolin and Glorfindel from the Lord of the Rings was the same elf, just reincarnated. Although technically this happens to all Elves; the real "back" part is that he returned to Middle-Earth as opposed to staying in Valinor.
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Earendil pilots the ship Vingilótë with the Silmaril upon his brow.
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* FantasticLightSource: The phial that she gifts to Frodo contains water from her mirror that has been infused with the light of the star of Eärendil which itself is a [[Literature/TheSilmarillion Silmaril]] being pulled around the night sky in a chariot by Elrond's father, Eärendil. The phial ends up being invaluable to Frodo and Sam later on as they use it to escape Shelob's lair.
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* FantasticLightSource: The phial that she gifts to Frodo contains water from her mirror that has been infused with the light of the star of Eärendil which itself is a [[Literature/TheSilmarillion Silmaril]] being pulled around the night sky in a chariot ship by Elrond's father, Eärendil. The phial ends up being invaluable to Frodo and Sam later on as they use it to escape Shelob's lair.
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* BadassBookworm: He fought in the Last Alliance under Gil-galad, and is famous for his learning.
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* OutOfFocus: Despite being Aragorn's foster brothers, the two receive little characterization and are essentially alike in every way.
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* OutOfFocus: Despite being Aragorn's foster brothers, the two receive little characterization and are essentially (as far as we see) alike in every way.
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* BackForTheFinale: They show up to fight alongside their foster brother at Pelennor Fields.
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* IChooseToStay: Both remain in Middle Earth after their father and other relatives have left. Some interpret this as choosing a mortal life, but it is never clarified.
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[[/folder]]
[[folder: Elladan and Elrohir]]
Elrond's children and Arwen's older brothers.
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* AlwaysIdenticalTwins: Few could tell them apart.
* TheDividual: They are never described apart from each other, and for all intents and purposed are the same.
* OutOfFocus: Despite being Aragorn's foster brothers, the two receive little characterization and are essentially alike in every way.
* RevengeByProxy: They continue to despise all Orcs, hunting and killing them, five hundred years later for what other members of their race did to their mother.
* SaveThePrincess: It was their mother, and [[DespairEventHorizon it didn't quite work out]] but still.
[[folder: Elladan and Elrohir]]
Elrond's children and Arwen's older brothers.
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* AlwaysIdenticalTwins: Few could tell them apart.
* TheDividual: They are never described apart from each other, and for all intents and purposed are the same.
* OutOfFocus: Despite being Aragorn's foster brothers, the two receive little characterization and are essentially alike in every way.
* RevengeByProxy: They continue to despise all Orcs, hunting and killing them, five hundred years later for what other members of their race did to their mother.
* SaveThePrincess: It was their mother, and [[DespairEventHorizon it didn't quite work out]] but still.
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!!For the main character index, see [[AC:[[Characters/TheLordOfTheRings here]]]]
!The Elves
-->"''O Elbereth! Gilthoniel!''"
-->"''We still remember, we who dwell''"\\
"''In this far land beneath the trees,''"
-->"''Thy starlight on the Western Seas.''"\\
A proud and ancient race, full of knowledge and sorrow. Now decaying and leaving Middle Earth, their time dwindling and fading. But before they go, they still have a part to play in the War of the Ring, aiding the other Free Races in beating back Sauron's machinations.
----
[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:Elrond]]
The Half-Elven, Master of Rivendell, father of Arwen, and bearer of one of the three elven Rings, Vilya the Ring of Air, given to him by Gil-galad before the latter's death at the end of the Second Age. He was a great warrior during the Second Age, and is a great healer and scholar as well as a cunning strategist; however, he also acts as opposition to Aragorn from a much less lofty post: that of OverprotectiveDad.
----
* AlliterativeFamily: Elrond's brother is Elros and his sons are Elladan and Elrohir.
* BittersweetEnding: The Fellowship defeated Sauron, restored the kingdom of Gondor and Arnor, and saved Middle-Earth. But Elrond had to part with his daughter Arwen ''forever'', even beyond the end of the world. His sons [[ShrugOfGod may have]] become mortal as well, which would leave him with no surviving children.
** It's said in the Appendices that for Elrond, "all chances of the War of the Ring were fraught with sorrow." Either Sauron prevailed, or Aragorn became king and he lost Arwen.
** Read his backstory in ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'' and the Appendix to ''The Lord of the Rings''. Elrond was separated from his parents, his brother chose to be a Man, and his wife was so thoroughly traumatized by being tortured by Orcs she had to leave for Valinor. Even his foster-father Maglor, whom he seems to have been happy with despite the way they met, eventually vanished when Elrond was a young adult. Elrond's experiences with his family is nothing ''but'' this trope.
* CulturedBadass: A renowned loremaster, he also led Gil-galad's army against Sauron in the Second Age.
* DivineParentage: His ancestor Melian is a Maia.
* ElementalPowers: The Ring of Air presumably gives him these, though his main demonstration is in making the river Bruinen flood.
* HappilyAdopted: By Maglor. Rather remarkable, considering that Maglor took him and his brother prisoner (when they were about five years old), and was among the people who tried to kill his mother and successfully killed his grandparents. See StockholmSyndrome below.
* HealingHands: Though a capable commander in wartime, his skills and inclinations run mostly towards medicine. He's good enough to prevent the Morgul-knife wound from turning Frodo into a wraith.
* HeinzHybrid: Hence Elrond the Half-Elven. (Technically he's 9/16 elven, 3/8 Man, and 1/16 angelic, but that was too long for a nickname.)
* HeroicLineage: His ancestors were mostly famous heroes in Beleriand in the war against Morgoth. His brother Elros became the first King of Númenor, so he's also closely related to the HeroicLineage that produced Aragorn.
* ParentalAbandonment: His parents were both chased out of his homeland by an invasion when he was a little kid, and his father then became the Morning Star. ItMakesSenseInContext.
* ParentalSubstitute: For Aragorn, whom "he came to love as a son." He also fostered several of Aragorn's ancestors.
* ThePhilosopherKing: People of all races and from all around Middle-Earth will go to Rivendell to seek his counsel.
* PsychicPowers: He communicates without speaking with Galadriel, Celeborn and Gandalf using {{Telepathy}} at the end of the book.
* OverprotectiveDad: Demanded that Aragorn become king of both Arnor and Gondor before marrying Arwen. At the time the books take place, Gondor hadn't had a king for almost a thousand years, and Arnor hadn't even ''existed'' for more than a thousand years.
* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: More like Sixty-five Hundred Years Old.
* StellarName: "Vault of the Stars" or "Star-dome."
* StockholmSyndrome: In ''The Silmarillion'' he and his brother Elros were taken in by Maglor, one of the Sons of Fëanor, who led the invasion that killed their grandfather and raided their home in pursuit of a Silmaril. Maglor was kind to them, and only he and Maedhros showed remorse for the actions they took in pursuit of their Oath.
* ThemeTwinNaming: Theme Twin Naming is a thing with Half-Elven twin boys, one he kept up with his own sons.
* TheThreeFacesOfAdam: Aragorn is The Hunter, seeking a place for himself in this world and to prove himself worthy to get what he wants, Elrond is The Lord, well-established, striving to maintain a balance and preserve what he has, Gandalf is The Prophet, the guide who tries to impress his wisdom on the young ones.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Arwen]]
Arwen Undómiel, the Evenstar, is a half-elven woman of great beauty whom Aragorn hopes to marry. Unfortunately, she shows up in only three chapters of the story, the second one being her wedding to the King of Gondor. Tolkien rectified by including more about her romance with Aragorn [[AllThereInTheManual in the appendices]].
----
* AlphabeticalThemeNaming: Arwen and Aragorn.
* AuthorAppeal: Of the RavenHairIvorySkin variety. She's the second-most beautiful woman ever born (after her ancestor Lúthien, whom she greatly resembles) and like Lúthien, her hair is very black and her skin very white.
* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: While Aragorn aged fairly normally (for a 200-year-old guy), Arwen remained youthful right up until her death. She still hadn't become weary of Middle-Earth by the time Aragorn died.
* BittersweetEnding: She gives up her immortality to stay with Aragorn, but it's indicated that he eventually dies, and she follows him not long afterward.
%%* EverythingsBetterWithPrincesses
* MyGirlBackHome: For Aragorn during most of the book.
* HeinzHybrid: 25/32 elven, 3/16 Man, and 1/32 angelic.
* HeroicLineage: Descended from Galadriel, Celeborn, Eärendil, Tuor, Idril, Dior, Beren, Lúthien, Barahir, Turgon, Fingolfin, Thingol, and other famous characters.
* HerosMuse: She functions in this role for Aragorn: the driving force behind his striving to regain his crown is his love for Arwen and the fact that he can only marry her once he is king.
* TheHighQueen: Of Gondor.
* TheLadysFavor: Wove a flag for Aragorn; gave him the Elfstone via Galadriel.
* MayflyDecemberRomance: With a mortal, leading her eventually to give up the Elvish immortality which she'd had for the past 2700 years.
* MissingMom: Her mother Celebrían, unable to endure the woes of Middle-Earth any longer, had sailed West centuries ago.
* PrincessClassic: Not really a princess in title, but in everything else.
* ProperLady: nearly her defining trait.
* RavenHairIvorySkin: A family trait.
* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: Twenty-seven hundred years, to be precise. And like an elf, she looks eternally youthful.
* WhoWantsToLiveForever: When Aragorn decided to die of old age 120 years after the War of the Ring, she finally understood how unpleasant dying of old age can be. But by then it was too late to change her mind.
* WorldsMostBeautifulWoman: Literally (after Lúthien died).
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Galadriel]]
-->''"In Dwimordene, in Lorien''
-->''Seldom have walked the feet of Men,''
-->''Few mortal eyes have seen the light,''
-->''That lies there ever long and bright.''
-->''Galadriel! Galadriel!''
-->''Clear is the water of your well,''
-->''White is the star in your white hand,''
-->''Unmarred, unstained is leaf and land,''
-->''In Dwimordene, in Lorien,''
-->''More fair than thoughts of Mortal Men."''
The Lady of Light, Galadriel is a Noldorin Elf who co-rules Lothlórien as the Lady of Lórien, with her Sindarin husband Lord Celeborn. One of the oldest, mightiest and wisest Elves in Middle-Earth, she is a powerful sorceress (possibly; magic is very rare in Middle-Earth, and her true power, and its nature, are only hinted at) and wields Nenya, the Elven Ring of Water, which aids her people in their fight against Sauron's forces.
See the character sheet for ''Characters/TheSilmarillion'' for tropes that apply to her in that work.
----
* ActionGirl: In her youth. According to one version in ''Unfinished Tales'', she fought for the Teleri in the first Kinslaying. And ''that'' she was an ActionGirl actually means a lot more than it sounds like — the elves believed [[WhiteMagicianGirl women had a special role as healers]], a task no less critical than that of warriors, most of whom were men. Women ''could'' fight (and certainly trained to know how), but it was believed that the act of fighting endangered their abilities as healers. And it's hinted in the novels that she ''still is'' an ActionGirl, if [[spoiler:single-handedly destroying Dol Guldur in the War of the Ring]] is anything to go by.
* BattleCouple: Galadriel and Celeborn. While Frodo and Sam are on their way to Mordor, Celeborn marshals the forces of Lórien to cross the Anduin and lay siege to Dol Guldur. After a long battle, Celeborn captures the fortress and Galadriel throws down its walls and purifies it.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: You would ''not'' want her to take the One Ring, not at all.
* BigGood: Frodo even offers her the Ring because of this, although this turns out not to be a good idea. Her title of "the Lady of Light" also puts her in direct thematic opposition to the BigBad Sauron, who is known as "the Dark Lord".
%%%* DeusExitMachina
* [[{{DreamWeaver}} Dream Weaver]]: Owns a magic pool that shows the person who looks into it visions of the past, present, and possible futures.
** Not to mention that she was single-handedly responsible for the transformation of a fairly ordinary woodland realm into the Golden Wood of Lothlorien (a name that even means "Dream Blossom" or "Land of Dreaming Blossoms") a living memory of old Eldamar in which the effects and even perception of time are neigh nonexistent.
* TheDulcineaEffect: Has this effect on Gimli, despite that whole ElvesVsDwarves thing.
* ElementalPowers: Wields Nenya, the elven Ring of Water, and uses its power to keep her kingdom more or less frozen in time.
* TheFairFolk: The Rohirrim think of her as this, and she isn't entirely sure she isn't one herself.
* FantasticLightSource: The phial that she gifts to Frodo contains water from her mirror that has been infused with the light of the star of Eärendil which itself is a [[Literature/TheSilmarillion Silmaril]] being pulled around the night sky in a chariot by Elrond's father, Eärendil. The phial ends up being invaluable to Frodo and Sam later on as they use it to escape Shelob's lair.
* TheFinalTemptation: When Frodo offers her the Ring, she speculates what she could become if she took it.
* FisherKing: Over Lothlórien, thanks to Nenya. When the Rings fail and she leaves, its beauty and enchantment quickly fade.
* {{Foil}}: In several ways she's ''Sauron's'' mirror opposite. Both she and Sauron rule over mighty regions primarily kept running by their own power, both are immensely powerful creatures whose spiritual influence echo through Middle Earth and affect character's psyches often and both possess rings of power. This is most noticeable when Frodo and Sam are making their way through Mordor, and they often describe a dark influence storming their spirit (implicitly, Sauron's will echoing) but also a light power arising within them (implicitly, Galadriel's influence).
* GoldAndWhiteAreDivine: The description of her in the books is clearly meant to evoke this trope. Her famous hair is of the deepest gold woven with silver and she primarily wears flowing white gowns of the deepest white adorned with jewellery made from gold and/or {{Mithril}}. It is clearly meant to symbolise her divinity as one of the oldest, wisest and most powerful beings in all of the realm and perhaps the sole being (other than Gandalf himself) in Middle-earth that Sauron actually fears. Due to her own powers combined with her ring Nenya he cannot see into her mind without the power of the One Ring. Also, she is the Lady of Light and LightIsGood.
* GodSaveUsFromTheQueen: Galadriel's temptation shows that she ''could'' be this, but she resists.
* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: Like all the House of Finarfin. They were the wisest and kindest of the Noldorin royal houses (though Galadriel is still badly tempted by the One Ring), the most friendly to mortals, and the ones least guilty of wrongdoing in the rebellion. None of them took part in the Kinslaying even by accident. In his last writings Tolkien even decided that Galadriel didn't participate in the rebellion at all, but left Valinor separately.
* HiddenDepths: She too lusts after the Ring, but overcomes its temptation.
* TheHighQueen: Technically she is not a Queen as she and Celeborn did not wish to take royal titles, but she is still the leader of Lothlórien.
** As the daughter of Finarfin and the highest ranking Noldorin Elf left in Middle-earth, she ''could'' have become the actual High Queen after the death of her kinsman Gil-galad, but neither she nor Elrond (a descendant of her cousin Turgon) succeeded as monarch for unknown reasons.
* IHaveManyNames:
** Artanis, "noble woman," was her father-name, or the name given to her by her father Finarfin.
** Nerwen, "man-maiden," was her mother-name, or the name given to her by her mother Eärwen. This was in reference to her unusual tall height and strength for a woman.
** Alatárielle, "maiden crowned with a radiant garland," was given to her back in Aman by her Telerin lover [[HaveAGayOldTime Teleporno]], in reference to her silver-gold hair.
** Altáriel was the Quenya semi-calque of Alatárielle. The full calque would have been Ñaltáriel, but this was not used as her Quenya form.
** Galadriel was the Sindarin calque of Alatárielle, after she and her husband went to Middle-Earth. Teleporno took the name Celeborn, the Sindarin calque of his own name, presumably to stop everyone from [[HehHehYouSaidX snickering]]. If your name was Teleporno, you too would want to change it to ''anything else''.
** Her titles include Lady of the Golden Wood.
* IncorruptiblePurePureness: Played with. Galadriel ''seems'' so perfectly good that Frodo offers her the Ring (apparently forgetting Gandalf's reaction to the same offer). She reveals that she is not incorruptible -- that Frodo has unthinkingly presented her with a terrible temptation. She overcomes that temptation long enough to send the Ring away.
* ItMayHelpYouOnYourQuest: She gives each of the Fellowship a gift at their parting, and specifically hints that the Phial of Light she gave to Frodo may be much more useful than it looks. It is. Subverted with her gift to Sam (a box of soil from her garden "for [the] little gardener and lover of trees"). She even lampshades that, saying that it is a gift that will only ever be useful if he ''completes'' the quest.
* ItsPersonal: Galadriel had even more reason than most to want Sauron destroyed as he was directly responsible for the death of her older brother [[TheHero Finrod]] and [[Literature/TheSilmarillion much of the rest of her family (including her other brothers Angrod and Aegnor) were slain in the many battles against his former master, Morgoth]].
* JustTheFirstCitizen: Galadriel and Celeborn made the decision not to take royal titles (which is why they are the Lord and Lady of their realm rather than the King and Queen) as they saw themselves as the guardians of Lothlórien rather than it's rulers.
* LastOfHerKind: Not the last Elf, but the last of the – named, at least – Noldor who were exiled from Valinor. Also, incidentally, the only one to return (without dying first).
* TheLadysFavor: Three golden hairs from her head. Which is more than [[{{Ubermensch}} Fëanor]] got, incidentally...
* LightIsNotGood: She's referred to as the Lady of the Golden Wood or Lady of Light, and while firmly on the side of good for the purposes of the story, has serious implicit (and in ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'' explicit) [[DrunkWithPower power trip]] tendencies.
* MeaningfulName: Galadriel is Sindarin for 'maiden crowned with a radiant garland'. It's actually not her birth name (her father-name was Artanis and her mother-name was Nerwen), but was instead bestowed upon her by Celeborn.
* ThePhilosopherKing: Probably one of the wisest still in Middle-Earth.
* PsychicPowers / {{Telepathy}}: She greets each of the Fellowship with a searching telepathic question, which greatly unnerves some of them. She also communicates without speaking with Gandalf, Celeborn and Elrond using {{Telepathy}} at the end of the final book.
** Appears to be a family trait, her brother Finrod could not only communicate telepathically, but was actually able to full-on read people's minds ([[MundaneUtility he used it to become an omniglot]]).
* ReusedCharacterDesign: Literary example: the terms and attributes she is described with make her resemble strongly Goldberry, who was introduced before her and might even have been created earlier in Tolkien's mind.
* RoyalBlood: Galadriel is of quite a complex mixed royal Elven heritage. She is the only daughter of Finarfin, who was at the time of her birth a prince of the Noldor who eventually ascended to be the High King of the Noldor in the Undying Lands. Finarfin himself is of both Noldorin blood (from his father Finwë's side) and Vanyarin blood (from his mother Indis's side). Also, Galadriel's mother and Finarfin's wife is Eärwen who (being the daughter of Olwë) was also a princess of the Teleri in the Undying Lands. Therefore, despite being identified as a Noldorin Elf, she is actually descended from the royalty of three separate Elven houses and is really part Noldor, part Vanyar and part Teleri. This is most likely how she got her infamously beautiful silver-gold hair when the Noldor are usually identified as being dark haired. The gold would be from her Vanyarin heritage and the silver from her Teleri heritage.
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: She's one of the bearers of the three Elven Rings (Nenya the Ring of Water), and has kept Lothlórien free of stain for centuries with it. She also regularly assists in repelling Orc attacks against her realm and during the War of the Ring, she and Celeborn marshal their forces and cross the Anduin to lay siege to the armies of Dol Guldur where, following a long battle, Celeborn captures the fortress and Galadriel throws down it's walls and purifies it of its evil.
* RulingCouple: Galadriel and Celeborn have been HappilyMarried for ''thousands'' of years and co-rule Lothlórien together. The wood elves that they rule over seem to revere and love them both, most likely because they have made the Golden Wood a peaceful, safe and prosperous place to live for millennia.
* SacredHospitality: Galadriel and Celeborn aid and shelter the Fellowship in Lothlórien.
* ShroudedInMyth: She seems to have developed something of legend status amongst Dwarves and Men alike. Even some of the Elves who live in other realms of Middle-earth don't appear to know if she actually exists or is just a myth. Éomer comments that the people of Rohan call Lothlórien 'Dwimoden, the Haunted Vale' because every once in a while a member of the Rohirrim will go wandering in the Golden Wood and, if they return at all, they are 'changed somehow'. No non-Elf (besides Aragorn) had entered into the heart of Lothlórien for centuries until the Fellowship were allowed access by Galadriel and Celeborn.
* SpiritAdvisor: Her "spirit" shows up to guide Frodo during his bout with Shelob.
* StatuesqueStunner: She's described as being incredibly beautiful and at, around 6'4, one of the tallest Elf women ever born.
* TimeAbyss: Definitely qualifies, being older than the sun and the entire Man race. She was born in the Year of the Trees 1362, before the First Age of the Sun and the awakening of mortal Men. When the Fellowship meet her (depending on the length of First Age years and Years of the Trees), she's between 8,370 and over 13,000 years old.
* WorldsMostBeautifulWoman:) Galadriel's granddaughter Arwen was often said to be the most beautiful Elf in Middle-earth at the time of the War of the Ring, but Galadriel's great beauty was every bit as much the stuff of legend. Tolkien described her as being 'the mightiest and fairest of all the Elves that remained in Middle-earth'. The subject of Galadriel and Arwen's beauty and whose was greatest actually nearly brought Gimli and Éomer to arms. Éomer, having seen them both, preferred Arwen to which Gimli (also having seen them both) replies, ''"You have chosen the Evening; but my love is given to the Morning."''
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Celeborn]]
The great-nephew of Elu Thingol, High King of the Sindar, Celeborn was a prince of Doriath who is the Lady Galadriel's husband and Lord of Lothlórien. He and his wife aid and shelter the Fellowship on their quest. After the destruction of the One Ring, he and Galadriel lead an attack on Sauron's citadel of Dol Guldur in southern Mirkwood, destroying and purifying the last of the Dark Lord's strongholds. The prologue states that Celeborn was the last of the 'Wise' to sail west for the Undying Lands and with him left "the last living memory of the Elder Days in Middle-earth".
----
* BattleCouple: Celeborn and Galadriel. While Frodo and Sam are on their way to Mordor, Celeborn marshals the forces of Lórien to cross the Anduin and lay siege to Dol Guldur. After a long battle, Celeborn captures the fortress and Galadriel throws down its walls and purifies it.
* BigGood: With Saruman defecting from the White Council and Gandalf killed by the Balrog, Celeborn and his wife take over as the strongest forces of good.
* TheGoodKing: To both the Elves of Lothlórien and those who live outside of his kingdom's borders. One of the main reasons why Celeborn and his wife remain in Middle-earth is to prevent Sauron from returning, and they assist both the Fellowship and surrounding kingdoms of Men at numerous points.
* HeroicLineage: He's a Sindarin prince of Doriath and the nephew of Elu Thingol, who was the Elven Lord of Beleriand and instigated the Quest for the Silmaril.
* JustTheFirstCitizen: Celeborn and Galadriel made the decision not to take royal titles (which is why they are the Lord and Lady of their realm rather than the King and Queen) as they saw themselves as the guardians of Lothlórien rather than it's rulers.
* MeaningfulName: Celeborn in Sindarin means 'Silver Tree' (Celeb = Silver, Orn = Tree) referring to his silver hair and great height. He may have also been named for the White Tree in Tol Eressëa (home of the Teleri in Valinor) which is also called Celeborn.
* ThePhilosopherKing: Known as one of the oldest and wisest Elves in Middle-earth, Galadriel calls him 'Celeborn the Wise'.
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Celeborn's a former prince of Doriath and the Lord of Lothlórien, and he's more than willing to team up with his wife to assist the Fellowship and kingdoms of Men in destroying the One Ring. He also defends the Golden Wood against numerous Orc invasions and leads the final attack on Dol Guldur, beating the enemy into submission while Galadriel razes Sauron's stronghold to the ground.
* RulingCouple: Celeborn and Galadriel have been HappilyMarried for ''thousands'' of years and co-rule Lothlórien together. The wood elves that they rule over seem to revere and love them both, most likely because they have made the Golden Wood a peaceful, safe and prosperous place to live for millennia.
* SacredHospitality: Galadriel and Celeborn aid and shelter the Fellowship in Lothlórien.
* TimeAbyss: Although Celeborn's exact age is uncertain, he was born some time before the First Age, which puts him at around the same age or slightly younger than his wife. And since most estimates place Galadriel's age at around 10,000 years, it's likely that Celeborn is also one of the oldest elves still left in Middle-earth.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Glorfindel]]
An Elf-Lord of Rivendell.
----
* BackFromTheDead: [[WordOfGod Tolkien's]] letters stated that Glorfindel from Gondolin and Glorfindel from the Lord of the Rings was the same elf, just reincarnated.
* CoolHorse: Asfaloth.
* HyperCompetentSidekick: Dialog states that he was possibly the most powerful elf in Rivendell at the time the fellowship was there. Elrond implies that for the Fellowship's mission of stealth, his degree of power would have been a case of CursedWithAwesome: too obvious to avoid attention from Sauron and not powerful enough to overcome him.
* TakingYouWithMe: His death in the backstory.
* YouShallNotPass: When the refugees of Gondolin were escaping, he barred the way to the group of orcs and the Balrog that were chasing them. He killed most of the orcs and killed the Balrog as well, at the cost of his own life.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Gildor Inglorion]]
The leader of a band of wandering Elves of Eriador.
----
* BigDamnHeroes: In one of the calmest examples of this trope, Gildor and his companions [[spoiler: save Frodo and the other Hobbits from a Ringwraith]] simply by wandering by and and singing.
* ForestRanger: He and his companions have the trappings of Woodelves; they know the secret paths of the forest, have contact with nature spirits like Tom Bombadil and seemingly transform a clearing into something like a hall for feasting by their mere presence. However, they are in fact Noldor(or at least Gildor is)
* MagicMusic: Uses Elven song and the invoking of the Name of what amounts to the Patron Saint of the Elves to [[spoiler:chase away a Ringwraith]]. This is not surprising considering his possible lineage (see below.)
* MultipleChoicePast: Introduces himself as "Gildor Inglorion of the House of Finrod", which depending on where in Tolkien's notes you look could make him the son of the legendary King of Nargothrond and brother to [[TheHighQueen Galadriel]] and/or [[TheHighKing Gil-Galad]] or Galadriel's (great-)nephew, or the son of a servant of the King of Nargothrond. Cue much fan speculation and fan fiction concerned with his identity.
* MysteriousInformant: In the typical elvish way he seems to have knowledge about what is going on in the Shire, despite never being seen. He also spreads information about Frodo's journey as far as Rivendell and Tom Bombadil, which is even weirder given that he and his group are explicitly traveling in the exact opposite direction.
* OurElvesAreBetter: Serves as a new reader's first introduction to the charm, magic and wistfulness of Tolkien's Elves.
* TimeAbyss: A standard trope with Elves in the Lord of the Rings, but Gildor spells it out to Fordo and the other Hobbits when he reminds them "But it is not your own Shire, others dwelt here before hobbits were; and others will dwell here again when hobbits are no more."
* TheEndIsNigh: Continues the above quote with: "The wide world is all about you: you can fence yourselves in, but you cannot for ever fence it out.” thus somewhat foreshadowing [[spoiler:Saruman's takeover of the Shire]]. It could also be a read as a simple warning, but Tolkinian Elves often have a knack for prophecy.
* WackyWaysideTribe: One of many in this early part of the story. The Hobbits spend an evening with Gildor and his Elves and never see them again until the end of the story, though they are mentioned a couple of times.
[[/folder]]
!The Elves
-->"''O Elbereth! Gilthoniel!''"
-->"''We still remember, we who dwell''"\\
"''In this far land beneath the trees,''"
-->"''Thy starlight on the Western Seas.''"\\
A proud and ancient race, full of knowledge and sorrow. Now decaying and leaving Middle Earth, their time dwindling and fading. But before they go, they still have a part to play in the War of the Ring, aiding the other Free Races in beating back Sauron's machinations.
----
[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:Elrond]]
The Half-Elven, Master of Rivendell, father of Arwen, and bearer of one of the three elven Rings, Vilya the Ring of Air, given to him by Gil-galad before the latter's death at the end of the Second Age. He was a great warrior during the Second Age, and is a great healer and scholar as well as a cunning strategist; however, he also acts as opposition to Aragorn from a much less lofty post: that of OverprotectiveDad.
----
* AlliterativeFamily: Elrond's brother is Elros and his sons are Elladan and Elrohir.
* BittersweetEnding: The Fellowship defeated Sauron, restored the kingdom of Gondor and Arnor, and saved Middle-Earth. But Elrond had to part with his daughter Arwen ''forever'', even beyond the end of the world. His sons [[ShrugOfGod may have]] become mortal as well, which would leave him with no surviving children.
** It's said in the Appendices that for Elrond, "all chances of the War of the Ring were fraught with sorrow." Either Sauron prevailed, or Aragorn became king and he lost Arwen.
** Read his backstory in ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'' and the Appendix to ''The Lord of the Rings''. Elrond was separated from his parents, his brother chose to be a Man, and his wife was so thoroughly traumatized by being tortured by Orcs she had to leave for Valinor. Even his foster-father Maglor, whom he seems to have been happy with despite the way they met, eventually vanished when Elrond was a young adult. Elrond's experiences with his family is nothing ''but'' this trope.
* CulturedBadass: A renowned loremaster, he also led Gil-galad's army against Sauron in the Second Age.
* DivineParentage: His ancestor Melian is a Maia.
* ElementalPowers: The Ring of Air presumably gives him these, though his main demonstration is in making the river Bruinen flood.
* HappilyAdopted: By Maglor. Rather remarkable, considering that Maglor took him and his brother prisoner (when they were about five years old), and was among the people who tried to kill his mother and successfully killed his grandparents. See StockholmSyndrome below.
* HealingHands: Though a capable commander in wartime, his skills and inclinations run mostly towards medicine. He's good enough to prevent the Morgul-knife wound from turning Frodo into a wraith.
* HeinzHybrid: Hence Elrond the Half-Elven. (Technically he's 9/16 elven, 3/8 Man, and 1/16 angelic, but that was too long for a nickname.)
* HeroicLineage: His ancestors were mostly famous heroes in Beleriand in the war against Morgoth. His brother Elros became the first King of Númenor, so he's also closely related to the HeroicLineage that produced Aragorn.
* ParentalAbandonment: His parents were both chased out of his homeland by an invasion when he was a little kid, and his father then became the Morning Star. ItMakesSenseInContext.
* ParentalSubstitute: For Aragorn, whom "he came to love as a son." He also fostered several of Aragorn's ancestors.
* ThePhilosopherKing: People of all races and from all around Middle-Earth will go to Rivendell to seek his counsel.
* PsychicPowers: He communicates without speaking with Galadriel, Celeborn and Gandalf using {{Telepathy}} at the end of the book.
* OverprotectiveDad: Demanded that Aragorn become king of both Arnor and Gondor before marrying Arwen. At the time the books take place, Gondor hadn't had a king for almost a thousand years, and Arnor hadn't even ''existed'' for more than a thousand years.
* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: More like Sixty-five Hundred Years Old.
* StellarName: "Vault of the Stars" or "Star-dome."
* StockholmSyndrome: In ''The Silmarillion'' he and his brother Elros were taken in by Maglor, one of the Sons of Fëanor, who led the invasion that killed their grandfather and raided their home in pursuit of a Silmaril. Maglor was kind to them, and only he and Maedhros showed remorse for the actions they took in pursuit of their Oath.
* ThemeTwinNaming: Theme Twin Naming is a thing with Half-Elven twin boys, one he kept up with his own sons.
* TheThreeFacesOfAdam: Aragorn is The Hunter, seeking a place for himself in this world and to prove himself worthy to get what he wants, Elrond is The Lord, well-established, striving to maintain a balance and preserve what he has, Gandalf is The Prophet, the guide who tries to impress his wisdom on the young ones.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Arwen]]
Arwen Undómiel, the Evenstar, is a half-elven woman of great beauty whom Aragorn hopes to marry. Unfortunately, she shows up in only three chapters of the story, the second one being her wedding to the King of Gondor. Tolkien rectified by including more about her romance with Aragorn [[AllThereInTheManual in the appendices]].
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* AlphabeticalThemeNaming: Arwen and Aragorn.
* AuthorAppeal: Of the RavenHairIvorySkin variety. She's the second-most beautiful woman ever born (after her ancestor Lúthien, whom she greatly resembles) and like Lúthien, her hair is very black and her skin very white.
* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: While Aragorn aged fairly normally (for a 200-year-old guy), Arwen remained youthful right up until her death. She still hadn't become weary of Middle-Earth by the time Aragorn died.
* BittersweetEnding: She gives up her immortality to stay with Aragorn, but it's indicated that he eventually dies, and she follows him not long afterward.
%%* EverythingsBetterWithPrincesses
* MyGirlBackHome: For Aragorn during most of the book.
* HeinzHybrid: 25/32 elven, 3/16 Man, and 1/32 angelic.
* HeroicLineage: Descended from Galadriel, Celeborn, Eärendil, Tuor, Idril, Dior, Beren, Lúthien, Barahir, Turgon, Fingolfin, Thingol, and other famous characters.
* HerosMuse: She functions in this role for Aragorn: the driving force behind his striving to regain his crown is his love for Arwen and the fact that he can only marry her once he is king.
* TheHighQueen: Of Gondor.
* TheLadysFavor: Wove a flag for Aragorn; gave him the Elfstone via Galadriel.
* MayflyDecemberRomance: With a mortal, leading her eventually to give up the Elvish immortality which she'd had for the past 2700 years.
* MissingMom: Her mother Celebrían, unable to endure the woes of Middle-Earth any longer, had sailed West centuries ago.
* PrincessClassic: Not really a princess in title, but in everything else.
* ProperLady: nearly her defining trait.
* RavenHairIvorySkin: A family trait.
* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: Twenty-seven hundred years, to be precise. And like an elf, she looks eternally youthful.
* WhoWantsToLiveForever: When Aragorn decided to die of old age 120 years after the War of the Ring, she finally understood how unpleasant dying of old age can be. But by then it was too late to change her mind.
* WorldsMostBeautifulWoman: Literally (after Lúthien died).
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Galadriel]]
-->''"In Dwimordene, in Lorien''
-->''Seldom have walked the feet of Men,''
-->''Few mortal eyes have seen the light,''
-->''That lies there ever long and bright.''
-->''Galadriel! Galadriel!''
-->''Clear is the water of your well,''
-->''White is the star in your white hand,''
-->''Unmarred, unstained is leaf and land,''
-->''In Dwimordene, in Lorien,''
-->''More fair than thoughts of Mortal Men."''
The Lady of Light, Galadriel is a Noldorin Elf who co-rules Lothlórien as the Lady of Lórien, with her Sindarin husband Lord Celeborn. One of the oldest, mightiest and wisest Elves in Middle-Earth, she is a powerful sorceress (possibly; magic is very rare in Middle-Earth, and her true power, and its nature, are only hinted at) and wields Nenya, the Elven Ring of Water, which aids her people in their fight against Sauron's forces.
See the character sheet for ''Characters/TheSilmarillion'' for tropes that apply to her in that work.
----
* ActionGirl: In her youth. According to one version in ''Unfinished Tales'', she fought for the Teleri in the first Kinslaying. And ''that'' she was an ActionGirl actually means a lot more than it sounds like — the elves believed [[WhiteMagicianGirl women had a special role as healers]], a task no less critical than that of warriors, most of whom were men. Women ''could'' fight (and certainly trained to know how), but it was believed that the act of fighting endangered their abilities as healers. And it's hinted in the novels that she ''still is'' an ActionGirl, if [[spoiler:single-handedly destroying Dol Guldur in the War of the Ring]] is anything to go by.
* BattleCouple: Galadriel and Celeborn. While Frodo and Sam are on their way to Mordor, Celeborn marshals the forces of Lórien to cross the Anduin and lay siege to Dol Guldur. After a long battle, Celeborn captures the fortress and Galadriel throws down its walls and purifies it.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: You would ''not'' want her to take the One Ring, not at all.
* BigGood: Frodo even offers her the Ring because of this, although this turns out not to be a good idea. Her title of "the Lady of Light" also puts her in direct thematic opposition to the BigBad Sauron, who is known as "the Dark Lord".
%%%* DeusExitMachina
* [[{{DreamWeaver}} Dream Weaver]]: Owns a magic pool that shows the person who looks into it visions of the past, present, and possible futures.
** Not to mention that she was single-handedly responsible for the transformation of a fairly ordinary woodland realm into the Golden Wood of Lothlorien (a name that even means "Dream Blossom" or "Land of Dreaming Blossoms") a living memory of old Eldamar in which the effects and even perception of time are neigh nonexistent.
* TheDulcineaEffect: Has this effect on Gimli, despite that whole ElvesVsDwarves thing.
* ElementalPowers: Wields Nenya, the elven Ring of Water, and uses its power to keep her kingdom more or less frozen in time.
* TheFairFolk: The Rohirrim think of her as this, and she isn't entirely sure she isn't one herself.
* FantasticLightSource: The phial that she gifts to Frodo contains water from her mirror that has been infused with the light of the star of Eärendil which itself is a [[Literature/TheSilmarillion Silmaril]] being pulled around the night sky in a chariot by Elrond's father, Eärendil. The phial ends up being invaluable to Frodo and Sam later on as they use it to escape Shelob's lair.
* TheFinalTemptation: When Frodo offers her the Ring, she speculates what she could become if she took it.
* FisherKing: Over Lothlórien, thanks to Nenya. When the Rings fail and she leaves, its beauty and enchantment quickly fade.
* {{Foil}}: In several ways she's ''Sauron's'' mirror opposite. Both she and Sauron rule over mighty regions primarily kept running by their own power, both are immensely powerful creatures whose spiritual influence echo through Middle Earth and affect character's psyches often and both possess rings of power. This is most noticeable when Frodo and Sam are making their way through Mordor, and they often describe a dark influence storming their spirit (implicitly, Sauron's will echoing) but also a light power arising within them (implicitly, Galadriel's influence).
* GoldAndWhiteAreDivine: The description of her in the books is clearly meant to evoke this trope. Her famous hair is of the deepest gold woven with silver and she primarily wears flowing white gowns of the deepest white adorned with jewellery made from gold and/or {{Mithril}}. It is clearly meant to symbolise her divinity as one of the oldest, wisest and most powerful beings in all of the realm and perhaps the sole being (other than Gandalf himself) in Middle-earth that Sauron actually fears. Due to her own powers combined with her ring Nenya he cannot see into her mind without the power of the One Ring. Also, she is the Lady of Light and LightIsGood.
* GodSaveUsFromTheQueen: Galadriel's temptation shows that she ''could'' be this, but she resists.
* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: Like all the House of Finarfin. They were the wisest and kindest of the Noldorin royal houses (though Galadriel is still badly tempted by the One Ring), the most friendly to mortals, and the ones least guilty of wrongdoing in the rebellion. None of them took part in the Kinslaying even by accident. In his last writings Tolkien even decided that Galadriel didn't participate in the rebellion at all, but left Valinor separately.
* HiddenDepths: She too lusts after the Ring, but overcomes its temptation.
* TheHighQueen: Technically she is not a Queen as she and Celeborn did not wish to take royal titles, but she is still the leader of Lothlórien.
** As the daughter of Finarfin and the highest ranking Noldorin Elf left in Middle-earth, she ''could'' have become the actual High Queen after the death of her kinsman Gil-galad, but neither she nor Elrond (a descendant of her cousin Turgon) succeeded as monarch for unknown reasons.
* IHaveManyNames:
** Artanis, "noble woman," was her father-name, or the name given to her by her father Finarfin.
** Nerwen, "man-maiden," was her mother-name, or the name given to her by her mother Eärwen. This was in reference to her unusual tall height and strength for a woman.
** Alatárielle, "maiden crowned with a radiant garland," was given to her back in Aman by her Telerin lover [[HaveAGayOldTime Teleporno]], in reference to her silver-gold hair.
** Altáriel was the Quenya semi-calque of Alatárielle. The full calque would have been Ñaltáriel, but this was not used as her Quenya form.
** Galadriel was the Sindarin calque of Alatárielle, after she and her husband went to Middle-Earth. Teleporno took the name Celeborn, the Sindarin calque of his own name, presumably to stop everyone from [[HehHehYouSaidX snickering]]. If your name was Teleporno, you too would want to change it to ''anything else''.
** Her titles include Lady of the Golden Wood.
* IncorruptiblePurePureness: Played with. Galadriel ''seems'' so perfectly good that Frodo offers her the Ring (apparently forgetting Gandalf's reaction to the same offer). She reveals that she is not incorruptible -- that Frodo has unthinkingly presented her with a terrible temptation. She overcomes that temptation long enough to send the Ring away.
* ItMayHelpYouOnYourQuest: She gives each of the Fellowship a gift at their parting, and specifically hints that the Phial of Light she gave to Frodo may be much more useful than it looks. It is. Subverted with her gift to Sam (a box of soil from her garden "for [the] little gardener and lover of trees"). She even lampshades that, saying that it is a gift that will only ever be useful if he ''completes'' the quest.
* ItsPersonal: Galadriel had even more reason than most to want Sauron destroyed as he was directly responsible for the death of her older brother [[TheHero Finrod]] and [[Literature/TheSilmarillion much of the rest of her family (including her other brothers Angrod and Aegnor) were slain in the many battles against his former master, Morgoth]].
* JustTheFirstCitizen: Galadriel and Celeborn made the decision not to take royal titles (which is why they are the Lord and Lady of their realm rather than the King and Queen) as they saw themselves as the guardians of Lothlórien rather than it's rulers.
* LastOfHerKind: Not the last Elf, but the last of the – named, at least – Noldor who were exiled from Valinor. Also, incidentally, the only one to return (without dying first).
* TheLadysFavor: Three golden hairs from her head. Which is more than [[{{Ubermensch}} Fëanor]] got, incidentally...
* LightIsNotGood: She's referred to as the Lady of the Golden Wood or Lady of Light, and while firmly on the side of good for the purposes of the story, has serious implicit (and in ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'' explicit) [[DrunkWithPower power trip]] tendencies.
* MeaningfulName: Galadriel is Sindarin for 'maiden crowned with a radiant garland'. It's actually not her birth name (her father-name was Artanis and her mother-name was Nerwen), but was instead bestowed upon her by Celeborn.
* ThePhilosopherKing: Probably one of the wisest still in Middle-Earth.
* PsychicPowers / {{Telepathy}}: She greets each of the Fellowship with a searching telepathic question, which greatly unnerves some of them. She also communicates without speaking with Gandalf, Celeborn and Elrond using {{Telepathy}} at the end of the final book.
** Appears to be a family trait, her brother Finrod could not only communicate telepathically, but was actually able to full-on read people's minds ([[MundaneUtility he used it to become an omniglot]]).
* ReusedCharacterDesign: Literary example: the terms and attributes she is described with make her resemble strongly Goldberry, who was introduced before her and might even have been created earlier in Tolkien's mind.
* RoyalBlood: Galadriel is of quite a complex mixed royal Elven heritage. She is the only daughter of Finarfin, who was at the time of her birth a prince of the Noldor who eventually ascended to be the High King of the Noldor in the Undying Lands. Finarfin himself is of both Noldorin blood (from his father Finwë's side) and Vanyarin blood (from his mother Indis's side). Also, Galadriel's mother and Finarfin's wife is Eärwen who (being the daughter of Olwë) was also a princess of the Teleri in the Undying Lands. Therefore, despite being identified as a Noldorin Elf, she is actually descended from the royalty of three separate Elven houses and is really part Noldor, part Vanyar and part Teleri. This is most likely how she got her infamously beautiful silver-gold hair when the Noldor are usually identified as being dark haired. The gold would be from her Vanyarin heritage and the silver from her Teleri heritage.
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: She's one of the bearers of the three Elven Rings (Nenya the Ring of Water), and has kept Lothlórien free of stain for centuries with it. She also regularly assists in repelling Orc attacks against her realm and during the War of the Ring, she and Celeborn marshal their forces and cross the Anduin to lay siege to the armies of Dol Guldur where, following a long battle, Celeborn captures the fortress and Galadriel throws down it's walls and purifies it of its evil.
* RulingCouple: Galadriel and Celeborn have been HappilyMarried for ''thousands'' of years and co-rule Lothlórien together. The wood elves that they rule over seem to revere and love them both, most likely because they have made the Golden Wood a peaceful, safe and prosperous place to live for millennia.
* SacredHospitality: Galadriel and Celeborn aid and shelter the Fellowship in Lothlórien.
* ShroudedInMyth: She seems to have developed something of legend status amongst Dwarves and Men alike. Even some of the Elves who live in other realms of Middle-earth don't appear to know if she actually exists or is just a myth. Éomer comments that the people of Rohan call Lothlórien 'Dwimoden, the Haunted Vale' because every once in a while a member of the Rohirrim will go wandering in the Golden Wood and, if they return at all, they are 'changed somehow'. No non-Elf (besides Aragorn) had entered into the heart of Lothlórien for centuries until the Fellowship were allowed access by Galadriel and Celeborn.
* SpiritAdvisor: Her "spirit" shows up to guide Frodo during his bout with Shelob.
* StatuesqueStunner: She's described as being incredibly beautiful and at, around 6'4, one of the tallest Elf women ever born.
* TimeAbyss: Definitely qualifies, being older than the sun and the entire Man race. She was born in the Year of the Trees 1362, before the First Age of the Sun and the awakening of mortal Men. When the Fellowship meet her (depending on the length of First Age years and Years of the Trees), she's between 8,370 and over 13,000 years old.
* WorldsMostBeautifulWoman:) Galadriel's granddaughter Arwen was often said to be the most beautiful Elf in Middle-earth at the time of the War of the Ring, but Galadriel's great beauty was every bit as much the stuff of legend. Tolkien described her as being 'the mightiest and fairest of all the Elves that remained in Middle-earth'. The subject of Galadriel and Arwen's beauty and whose was greatest actually nearly brought Gimli and Éomer to arms. Éomer, having seen them both, preferred Arwen to which Gimli (also having seen them both) replies, ''"You have chosen the Evening; but my love is given to the Morning."''
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Celeborn]]
The great-nephew of Elu Thingol, High King of the Sindar, Celeborn was a prince of Doriath who is the Lady Galadriel's husband and Lord of Lothlórien. He and his wife aid and shelter the Fellowship on their quest. After the destruction of the One Ring, he and Galadriel lead an attack on Sauron's citadel of Dol Guldur in southern Mirkwood, destroying and purifying the last of the Dark Lord's strongholds. The prologue states that Celeborn was the last of the 'Wise' to sail west for the Undying Lands and with him left "the last living memory of the Elder Days in Middle-earth".
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* BattleCouple: Celeborn and Galadriel. While Frodo and Sam are on their way to Mordor, Celeborn marshals the forces of Lórien to cross the Anduin and lay siege to Dol Guldur. After a long battle, Celeborn captures the fortress and Galadriel throws down its walls and purifies it.
* BigGood: With Saruman defecting from the White Council and Gandalf killed by the Balrog, Celeborn and his wife take over as the strongest forces of good.
* TheGoodKing: To both the Elves of Lothlórien and those who live outside of his kingdom's borders. One of the main reasons why Celeborn and his wife remain in Middle-earth is to prevent Sauron from returning, and they assist both the Fellowship and surrounding kingdoms of Men at numerous points.
* HeroicLineage: He's a Sindarin prince of Doriath and the nephew of Elu Thingol, who was the Elven Lord of Beleriand and instigated the Quest for the Silmaril.
* JustTheFirstCitizen: Celeborn and Galadriel made the decision not to take royal titles (which is why they are the Lord and Lady of their realm rather than the King and Queen) as they saw themselves as the guardians of Lothlórien rather than it's rulers.
* MeaningfulName: Celeborn in Sindarin means 'Silver Tree' (Celeb = Silver, Orn = Tree) referring to his silver hair and great height. He may have also been named for the White Tree in Tol Eressëa (home of the Teleri in Valinor) which is also called Celeborn.
* ThePhilosopherKing: Known as one of the oldest and wisest Elves in Middle-earth, Galadriel calls him 'Celeborn the Wise'.
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Celeborn's a former prince of Doriath and the Lord of Lothlórien, and he's more than willing to team up with his wife to assist the Fellowship and kingdoms of Men in destroying the One Ring. He also defends the Golden Wood against numerous Orc invasions and leads the final attack on Dol Guldur, beating the enemy into submission while Galadriel razes Sauron's stronghold to the ground.
* RulingCouple: Celeborn and Galadriel have been HappilyMarried for ''thousands'' of years and co-rule Lothlórien together. The wood elves that they rule over seem to revere and love them both, most likely because they have made the Golden Wood a peaceful, safe and prosperous place to live for millennia.
* SacredHospitality: Galadriel and Celeborn aid and shelter the Fellowship in Lothlórien.
* TimeAbyss: Although Celeborn's exact age is uncertain, he was born some time before the First Age, which puts him at around the same age or slightly younger than his wife. And since most estimates place Galadriel's age at around 10,000 years, it's likely that Celeborn is also one of the oldest elves still left in Middle-earth.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Glorfindel]]
An Elf-Lord of Rivendell.
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* BackFromTheDead: [[WordOfGod Tolkien's]] letters stated that Glorfindel from Gondolin and Glorfindel from the Lord of the Rings was the same elf, just reincarnated.
* CoolHorse: Asfaloth.
* HyperCompetentSidekick: Dialog states that he was possibly the most powerful elf in Rivendell at the time the fellowship was there. Elrond implies that for the Fellowship's mission of stealth, his degree of power would have been a case of CursedWithAwesome: too obvious to avoid attention from Sauron and not powerful enough to overcome him.
* TakingYouWithMe: His death in the backstory.
* YouShallNotPass: When the refugees of Gondolin were escaping, he barred the way to the group of orcs and the Balrog that were chasing them. He killed most of the orcs and killed the Balrog as well, at the cost of his own life.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Gildor Inglorion]]
The leader of a band of wandering Elves of Eriador.
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* BigDamnHeroes: In one of the calmest examples of this trope, Gildor and his companions [[spoiler: save Frodo and the other Hobbits from a Ringwraith]] simply by wandering by and and singing.
* ForestRanger: He and his companions have the trappings of Woodelves; they know the secret paths of the forest, have contact with nature spirits like Tom Bombadil and seemingly transform a clearing into something like a hall for feasting by their mere presence. However, they are in fact Noldor(or at least Gildor is)
* MagicMusic: Uses Elven song and the invoking of the Name of what amounts to the Patron Saint of the Elves to [[spoiler:chase away a Ringwraith]]. This is not surprising considering his possible lineage (see below.)
* MultipleChoicePast: Introduces himself as "Gildor Inglorion of the House of Finrod", which depending on where in Tolkien's notes you look could make him the son of the legendary King of Nargothrond and brother to [[TheHighQueen Galadriel]] and/or [[TheHighKing Gil-Galad]] or Galadriel's (great-)nephew, or the son of a servant of the King of Nargothrond. Cue much fan speculation and fan fiction concerned with his identity.
* MysteriousInformant: In the typical elvish way he seems to have knowledge about what is going on in the Shire, despite never being seen. He also spreads information about Frodo's journey as far as Rivendell and Tom Bombadil, which is even weirder given that he and his group are explicitly traveling in the exact opposite direction.
* OurElvesAreBetter: Serves as a new reader's first introduction to the charm, magic and wistfulness of Tolkien's Elves.
* TimeAbyss: A standard trope with Elves in the Lord of the Rings, but Gildor spells it out to Fordo and the other Hobbits when he reminds them "But it is not your own Shire, others dwelt here before hobbits were; and others will dwell here again when hobbits are no more."
* TheEndIsNigh: Continues the above quote with: "The wide world is all about you: you can fence yourselves in, but you cannot for ever fence it out.” thus somewhat foreshadowing [[spoiler:Saruman's takeover of the Shire]]. It could also be a read as a simple warning, but Tolkinian Elves often have a knack for prophecy.
* WackyWaysideTribe: One of many in this early part of the story. The Hobbits spend an evening with Gildor and his Elves and never see them again until the end of the story, though they are mentioned a couple of times.
[[/folder]]
