It’s one of the greatest hypothetical questions in all of Tolkien’s works.
It’s outcome is even hinted at during a pivotal point in the Fellowship of the Ring.
Today on Nerd of the Rings, I’ve put my usual research and effort into answering the
question “What if Galadriel takes the One Ring?”
The Fellowship has arrived in Lorien after losing Gandalf the Grey in Moria.
Saruman is a known traitor to both Sauron and the heroes of Middle-earth.
The Ringwraiths have taken to using fell beasts and Theoden is ensnared by Wormtongue’s
words and poison.
On February 15, 3019, as the Fellowship rests in Lothlorien, Galadriel invites Frodo and
Sam to look into the Mirror.
After which, Frodo offers her the one ring.
In the canon story, Galadriel passes her test and turns down the offer, forever putting
it behind her, and resolving to diminish and sail into the West.
We are told by Tolkien in Letter 246 that “Galadriel’s rejection of the temptation
was founded upon previous thought and resolve.”
But what if that resolve had faltered?
What if, seeing the loss of Gandalf leads Galadriel to believe the quest is now doomed
to failure and that she is the last hope for Middle-earth?
Tolkien says of Gandalf that it was a sacrifice for him to fight the balrog “...for all
he could know at that moment he was the only person who could direct the resistance to
Sauron successfully, and all his mission was in vain.”
What if Galadriel came to the same conclusion?
Realizing the free peoples were now doomed?
Let us also not forget that it was Sauron himself who killed Galadriel’s brother Finrod
in the First Age and it was Sauron’s master who sent forth the sneak attack that killed
her brothers Angrod and Aegnor.
Galadriel is the only surviving member of her family in Middle-earth because of Sauron
and all he represents.
Whether through altruism or the secret desires of her heart, the loss of Gandalf leads Galadriel
to take the ring from Frodo and the events of Middle-earth are drastically changed.
So what is Galadriel’s strategy?
Does she hole up in Lorien?
Or move against Sauron?
Fortunately, we have the answer from Tolkien himself, once again in Letter 246.
“In any case Elrond or Galadriel would have proceeded in the policy now adopted by Sauron:
they would have built up an empire with great and absolutely subservient generals and armies
and engines of war, until they could challenge Sauron and destroy him by force.”
Galadriel springs into action.
She must build up her forces in order to battle the armies of Sauron.
Messengers are dispatched to both Elrond and Thranduil - requesting soldiers from Rivendell
and the Woodland Realm.
The Ring, she deems must remain a secret - her possession known only to the members of the
fellowship and possibly her husband, Celeborn.
Aragorn, Boromir, Legolas, Gimli and a small company of elves are sent to Minas Tirith
to bring word to Denethor and prepare Gondor for the war to come.
Would Aragorn and the others go along with this plan and with Galadriel having the ring?
I think that while they may be uneasy about it, in the end, Galadriel would seem fair
and righteous as ever, setting them at ease - or at least at ease enough to proceed.
Frodo, freed of his burden, is sent back home with his hobbit friends, accompanied by a
personal guard of a couple elven warriors.
As the hobbits head home, messengers go to the elven realms, and Aragorn travels to Gondor,
we are left to wonder - what about Gandalf?
Well when Frodo looks into the Mirror of Galadriel, one of the visions is of Gandalf with a white
staff, though he thinks it could possibly be Saruman.
A prevailing thought is that it is this vision that prompts Galadriel to send Gwaihir to
search the Misty Mountains for their fallen friend.
However, if Galadriel had interpreted this vision to be Saruman instead, she would have
continued to despair of his loss and also would not have sent Gwaihir, leading Gandalf
to travel by foot from the Mountaintop.
This additional travel time is critical, as it will lead to Galadriel moving on from Lorien
before Gandalf could arrive, as he attempts to follow the Fellowship.
Fresh off seeing who she believed to be Saruman in the Mirror, Galadriel realizes she cannot
leave such a threat free to act in the midst of her allies.
She rides with a modest force to Isengard, where she presents Saruman with an ultimatum
- pledge fealty to her, or be destroyed.
Saruman, unaware she possesses The One Ring, believing his tower unassailable, and possessing
a vast force in his underground caverns, refuses.
This is the moment when Galadriel first uses the One Ring.
The Ring, augmenting her incredible power, allows Galadriel to unmake the very foundations
of Isengard - much like she does to Dol Guldur in the canon story.
The orcs below ground are buried and destroyed.
The tower of Orthanc, while incredibly strong itself, collapses as the ground below it is
torn apart.
The white wizard and his army are no more.
Pulled from the rubble, Saruman’s palantir comes into the Lady’s possession.
Recognizing this for what it is, she uses it to take stock of the situation in Middle-earth.
She discovers Theoden is under the influence of Wormtongue’s words and poison.
Aragorn, Boromir, and their company are nearing Minas Tirith, Sauron and the Witch-King are
rallying their forces in Mordor, and to her shock - Gandalf is making his way to Lorien.
The One Ring, now having a firm hold on Galadriel’s heart, influences her next moves greatly.
If Galadriel returns to Lorien right away, Gandalf will perceive her possession of the
ring and may voice dissent or perhaps even challenge her.
This will not do.
They cannot afford to fight amongst themselves if they hope to defeat Sauron by military
strength.
Galadriel makes camp at the ruins of Isengard and sends word to Lorien.
Gandalf is needed in Rohan.
The White Wizard makes haste across the plains, arriving in Edoras where he frees Theoden
from the influence of Wormtongue.
Galadriel, meanwhile, returns to Lorien having managed to both avoid Mithrandir and gain
the allegiance of Rohan.
As warriors pour in from both Rivendell and the Woodland Realm, the pieces begin to fall
into place for Galadriel.
Time and again in the canon story, we see Sauron - and even Saruman - being forced to
act quicker than desired, which for them has disastrous consequences.
A major reason Sauron’s forces are defeated in the Battle of Pelennor Fields is because
he attacks earlier than desired due to Aragorn revealing himself in the palantir.
In a similar move, Aragorn, now King of Gondor, follows Galadriel’s advice - revealing himself
to Sauron via the palantir in Minas Tirith.
Sauron, fearing the reuniting of the Men of Middle-earth - and that Aragorn has likely
claimed Isildur’s Bane as his birthright - orders the Witch-King to attack from Minas
Morgul.
Aragorn, also at Galadriel’s behest, has already lit the beacons and sent the Red Arrow
to Theoden, requesting their aid for war.
Now, the sizes of the forces involved in the Battle of Pelennor Fields wouldn’t be drastically
affected by these changes.
Sauron’s force coming from Minas Morgul may be slightly less in number, but the more
important point is that they would be less prepared.
On the other hand, we know book Denethor was anything but an inept ruler and had been bracing
for an attack from Mordor for some time.
If anything, the forces of Gondor and Rohan would be more prepared and equipped for the
situation than in the canon story.
In the end, the Battle of Pelennor Fields plays out much the same.
Though with Aragorn in the city from the outset, Gondorian morale is riding high - they have
their king with the famed sword of Elendil leading them.
Theoden arrives earlier in the battle - and having not fought the battle of Helm’s Deep
- with greater numbers and Gandalf at his side.
Whether by the hand of Eowyn, Gandalf, or possibly a combination - the Witch-king falls
in battle - without killing Theoden.
Because Aragorn never travels to Rohan, he has not summoned the Army of the Dead.
However, because this battle now takes place earlier in the timeline, the Corsairs of Umbar
could not yet have arrived at Pelargir from their havens.
If they were to arrive, it would only be to find a field of defeat at the port of Minas
Tirith, where they would surely lose to the victorious armies of Gondor and Rohan.
Now, the situation for Sauron is even more dire than it ever was in the canon story.
Not only is the Witch-king slain and his army defeated, but the force of Gondor and Rohan
remaining is even greater than in the actual events.
Thanks in large part to an earlier arrival of a larger force of Rohirrim.
Not only that, but even now Galadriel has amassed an army of elves from Lorien, Rivendell,
and the Woodland Realm.
Using her immense power, Galadriel obscures her communication with Aragorn via the Palantir
of Minas Tirith.
They arrange to combine their forces to march upon the Black Gate itself.
Gandalf, who has been purposely kept in the dark and away from anyone who knew about the
ring, would only now - having arrived at Minas Tirith, learned that Galadriel has it.
He travels with Aragorn, fearing what evil twist of fate may be before them.
The combined force of elves and Men, led by Galadriel, Aragorn, and Theoden arrives at
the Black Gate to find it closed.
Unlike the canon story, where Sauron sees an easy victory over a depleted force, he
knows he is facing certain defeat.
The Black Gate remains closed as the army of Galadriel approaches.
There, wielding the power of the One once more she brings down the Black Gate.
With this act, what little of Galadriel that may have remained free of the One Ring’s
influence is no more.
Elves and Men flow into Sauron’s lands, overwhelming the orcs of Mordor.
The remaining Nazgul fly into the battle, but their fell beasts are killed in a flurry
of elven arrows.
Approaching the wraiths herself, Galadriel tears them from their existence - for she
now wields the One Ring, to which they are bound.
As for Sauron, we know from Tolkien himself that even Galadriel with the One Ring could
not defeat him.
“Confrontation of Sauron alone, unaided, self to self was not contemplated.”
(Letter 246) He makes it clear that only Gandalf would have been capable of defeating Sauron
in this way and completely destroying him.
However, Galadriel is not alone - she has an entire victorious army with her.
Thus, Sauron remains in his deepest darkest dungeons of the tower of Barad-dur as the
army closes in.
After a week-long siege, Galadriel is rested from her destruction of the Black Gate and
the Nazgul.
She sets her sights on the Dark Tower, and brings it down to nothing.
Once again, Sauron’s body is destroyed.
So what now?
Galadriel, Aragorn, Gandalf, and the others now stand on a field of victory, their enemy
defeated.
But at what cost?
For now Galadriel will surely not give up the One Ring - the key to her victory which
now wholly rules her heart.
Galadriel’s own prophecy is now fulfilled:
In place of the Dark Lord you will set up a Queen.
And I shall not be dark, but beautiful and terrible as the Morning and the Night!
Fair as the Sea and the Sun and the Snow upon the Mountain!
Dreadful as the Storm and the Lightning!
Stronger than the foundations of the earth.
All shall love me and despair!
But would the other rulers stand by as Galadriel leaves with the ring?
She is now both more beautiful and more terrible than ever before.
The elves will certainly not allow others to move against her - and even some of Aragorn’s
own men may turn against him and Gandalf as they are in awe of her - both loving her for
her beauty and magnificence, and despairing of their futility compared with her.
In the end, Galadriel leaves with the ring and returns to Lorien.
Aragorn returns to Minas Tirith, glad at Sauron’s defeat, but deep down knowing that something
even more terrible may have just been set upon Middle-earth.
Galadriel having failed her test, would never be permitted to re-enter the Undying Lands.
But she cares not, for with the One Ring, and her own of the elven three - she can preserve
Middle-earth and create a land to rival that of the Valar.
As for Gandalf and Elrond, the bearers of the other elven rings, they are given a choice.
They can remain in Middle-earth, under Galadriel’s rule and fulfilling her purposes, or they
can leave.
Either way, they must hand over their rings of power - for she will not risk either to
use their ring to maintain a fortress that could threaten her in any way.
As Gandalf considers this offer, he perceives what could come to pass...
Forests and vegetation return to lands where they had not been for thousands of years.
Undoing the destruction Sauron had wrought in the Second Age, allowing Fangorn to flourish
once more.
However, with the One Ring, Galadriel’s good intentions will be twisted for evil.
He sees vast forests of Middle-earth becoming perilous to all, choking out the lives of
anyone not seen as worthy of the lands of the Eldar.
As Queen of Middle-earth, she may be fair as the sea - but like the sea, Galadriel cannot
be contained - or wholly trusted.
Powerful and uncontrollable as the storm and the lightning, she will move to crush any
that should oppose her.
And all the while, a sleepless malice, a dark spirit, works to return - that he could wage
his war on Middle-earth and take his revenge on the Lady of Lorien.
Now, I turn it to you - tell me in the comments what you think would happen next.
Do you think things would have played out differently - give us your best theory!
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