Elrond and Galadriel
Throughout the ages of Middle-earth, there have been a number of great, wise and powerful elves.
We have already discussed such elves as Fëanor and Fingolfin. And there is also Glorfindel and Celebrimbor.
But in the Third Age of Middle-Earth, there is inarguably no greater elves than Elrond and Galadriel.
While fans of the Lord of the Rings will certainly be aware of their roles in the War of the Ring.
This video will also discuss their backstories and how they became such important members of Middle-Earth.
Galadriel was born in the Years of the Trees in Valinor, the son of one of the brothers of Fëanor.
Her father named her Artanis, meaning noble woman.
And her hair was a unique and dazzling blend of gold and silver,
said by some to have captured the Light of the Two Trees
One legend says that Galadriel's hair is what inspired Fëanor to capture the light of the Two Trees into the Silmarils.
Her mother was of a different house of elves than her father,
but since her grandfather was king of the Noldor Elves, she was a princess of that house.
When Fëanor swore his oath to recover the Silmarils,
it kindled the desire in her heart to see Middle-Earth
and although she did participate in the revolt with the other Noldor Elves,
she actually fought against Fëanor when he attacked the Teleri Elves for their ships, as they were part of her mother's house.
Regardless, Galadriel was left behind when Fëanor used the ships to cross to Middle-Earth.
And so she went north with her brothers and Fingolfin to cross the icy wastes.
Upon arriving in Middle-Earth she along with her oldest brother Finrod came upon Doriath, home of King Thingol.
It was here that she met Celeborn, who would later become her husband.
Galadriel would spend most of the First Age in Doriath with her husband or with Finrod in the fortress that he had established.
Galadriel and her husband survived both of the destruction of Finrod's fortress by Glaurung the dragon,
as well as the sacking of Doriath by the sons of Fëanor.
Eventually, after the War of Wrath that overthrew Morgoth, Galadriel and Celeborn ended up in a land ruled by Celebrimbor,
the grandson of Fëanor and of the greatest craftsmen to ever live.
Galadriel was likely present when Sauron came in disguise to the elves and assisted them in crafting the Rings of Power.
In secret Celebrimbor had crafted three powerful rings without Sauron knowing and Sauron had crafted the One Rings in secret himself.
When Sauron put the One Ring on to control the other Rings of Power, the elves became aware of his treachery and kept the rings hidden.
Celebrimbor send two of the rings elsewhere and the third ring went to Galadriel.
Very few elves knew of the rings or who held them and Celebrimbor was slain not long after.
Eventually, Galadriel and Celeborn in the recently found realm of Imladris, more commonly known as Rivendel.
Here their daughter met and fell in love with another elf named Elrond.
Elrond was born in Middle-Earth during the First Age, the great grandson of Beren and Lúthien
meaning Elrond was a descendant of all three tribes of elves, all three houses of men as well as a Maia.
When the sons of Fëanor attacked his homeland in search of the Silmaril belonging to his parents,
Elrond and his twin brother were taken captive and raised by one of the sons.
Following the War of Wrath all half-elves, including Elrond and his brother, were given the choice of living as elves or as men.
Elrond chose to live as an elf, while his brother became mortal. Going on to become the first High King of Númenor.
Elrond, for a time, lived with Gil-galad, High King of the Noldor Elves. Where he learned many things about lore and healing.
When Sauron launched an attack on Celebrimbor's realm in order to take the Rings of Power, Elrond led elves to defend it.
Unfortunately, Elrond's assistance was not enough, but he did manage to escape with his life.
He then established the town of Rivendel nestled in the Misty Mountains as a refuge from Sauron.
Many elves came to Rivendel during that time and for a while it was the last place in the region that Sauron had not conquered.
Rivendel became known as one of the chief locations of elven power in Middle-Earth and Gil-galad gifted his Ring of Power to Elrond.
Galadriel played little role in the war against Sauron at the end of the Second Age, but Elrond marched with Gil-galad into the final battle of the war.
Gil-galad and Elendil died during the battle against Sauron, but Isildur cut the ring from his hand and Elrond advised him to throw it into the fires of Mount Doom.
Isildur of course refused, leaving with the One Ring and Elrond return to Rivendel.
Both Elrond and Galadriel were free now to use the Rings of Power to help their kingdoms prosper.
Elrond in Rivendel and Galadriel in the forest realm of elves that would come to be known as Lothlórien.
It was during these early years of the First Age that Elrond married the daughter of Galadriel and Celeborn,
and would go on to have three children with her, one of them being Arwen.
Elrond would also save keep the shards of the sword that cut Sauron's hand and would attempt to foster the heirs of Isildur.
Both Galadriel and Elrond were part of the White Council, and Galadriel would later assist Gandalf and Saruman in driving out Sauron from Mirkwood Forest.
Elrond's wife was kidnapped by orcs later on in the Third Age, and although their sons rescued her, Elrond was unable heal her and she left for Valinor.
Years after, Elrond took in Aragorn as his foster son in Rivendel and sent Arwen off to Lothlórien to live with Galadriel.
Aragorn fell in love with Arwen and Elrond informed him of her Half-Elf nature and how she would have to choose to live as an elf or as a mortal.
Elrond also insisted that Aragorn would not be able to marry her until he was the King of Gondor and Arnor.
Not many years after, Elrond was met in Rivendel by Thorin Oakenshield and his company along with Gandalf.
Elrond examined the weapons they had found in the cave of the trolls, revealing their names to the company.
He also examined the map that Thorin's grandfather had made, reading the hidden moon runes and revealing the location to the secret entrance to Erebor.
This would later prove invaluable to the company and their quest.
During the War of the Ring, Elrond welcomed Frodo and his companions into his home, partly healing Frodo of his wound from Weathertop.
He then held the Council of Elrond with the goal of deciding the fate of the One Ring.
Elrond is responsible for deciding a few members of the fellowship, such as Aragorn, Legolas and Boromir.
He accepted the presence of Merry and Pippin reluctantly.
The Fellowship met with Galadriel and Celeborn in Lothlórien not long after.
She showed her Ring of Power to Frodo, who subsequently offered her the One Ring.
Although greatly tempted by its power, she managed to refuse it.
She then gave each member of the Fellowship a parting gift, including giving Aragorn a fabulous green gem, known as the Elfstone,
and gave Gimli three strands of her hair. Recalling three similar requests from Fëanor for a strand of her hair.
After Gandalf's battle with Durin's Bane, he was brought to Galadriel and she reclothed him and gave him a new staff.
Lothlórien was attacked three times by forces from Dol Guldur,
before finally they launched a counter-attack with Galadriel using her Ring of Power to purify the location of evil.
After Sauron's defeat and the destruction of the One Ring, the three Elven Rings of Power waned in strength and eventually their power vanished completely.
Elrond and Galadriel both attended the wedding of Aragorn and Arwen,
before both boarded the White Ship with Frodo, Bilbo and Gandalf and they all departed from Middle-Earth forever.
While in the Lord of the Rings Legolas might be the most popular and iconic elf, featuring a blend of extreme agility and elegance.
It can certainly be argued that the War of the Ring would have been much worse off for the three peoples without Elrond and Galadriel.
Although some might question the combining of these two separate characters into a single video,
both share many common traits and importance throughout the Third Age.
While much of this knowledge is possibly known to you,
I hope that it has given some people some insight into the history of these two wise and timeless characters.