Galadriel

Galadriel is a secondary character in Tolkien's universe who appears in The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales. She is played by Cate Blanchett in the Peter Jackson films. The Amazon series The Rings of Power features Galadriel as a main character, played by Morfydd Clark.
==Canon==
Hard as di'monds, soft as moonlight. Warm as sunlight, cold as frost in the stars. Proud and far-off as a snow-mountain, and as merry as any lass I ever saw with daisies in her hair in springtime.
—Sam on Galadriel; 'The Window on the West', The Two Towers 
Galadriel rivals Lúthien as the most kick-ass woman in Tolkien. An Elf of the Noldor, she's the only named woman in among the exiles from Valinor and, by the LotR, (practically) the Only Elf Standing. She's one of the oldest, wisest and most powerful figures in the LotR, single-handedly razing Sauron's stronghold Dol Guldur to the ground. She's a friend of Gandalf, was mentored by Melian, and is unusually friendly towards dwarves, winning over Gimli. She bears the elven ring Nenya, wields a magical mirror and has the gifts of telepathy, foresight & perfect hair – as well as the knack for selecting the perfect gift for others.
==Fannish Perspectives==
==Fandom==
Galadriel perhaps ties with Éowyn as the most beloved female character in Tolkien. Considerable meta has been written about the character, by academicsSee for example, several essays collected in Perilous and Fair: Women in the Works and Life of J.R.R. Tolkien (Janet Brennan Croft & Leslie A. Donovan, eds) (2015) and fans. She's obviously central to the abundant feminist discussion of Tolkien's works. The origins of the character are also frequently discussed, with parallels suggested with characters as diverse as Circe & Calypso from The Odyssey, She from Rider Haggard, Valkyries from Norse mythology, and the Virgin Mary. Other topics discussed include her ambition and interest in leadership & power; her status as an exile; and the complex evolution of her backstory during Tolkien's creative process.
Many (though not all) fans were inspired by the presentation of Lothlorien in the Peter Jackson films. Online fanfiction started to appear as early as mid-2001, and was fairly common in around 2002–4, though never approaching the levels of the popular Fellowship members, and has experienced a minor resurgence associated with Galadriel's cameo in The Hobbit films. Much fanfiction is gen, with popular topics including her perspective on resisting the ring and AUs where she takes the ring. Fanfiction set during The Silmarillion often calls her Artanis.
Galadriel's relationship with her husband Celeborn has a small following and gets a little fanfiction. Stories often address how the couple met, how they overcame prejudice about the other's race, Galadriel's decision to leave Celeborn in Middle-earth when she sails to Valinor, and their eventual reunion. Some other fans do not consider Celeborn her equal; Marnie writes in chat rooms and preludes to stories and a multitude of websites devoted to Galadriel, people were calling the character [Celeborn] 'a waste of space'... Other m/f pairings are relatively rare, though she is occasionally paired with Gandalf. Femslash is relatively rare but encompasses a wide range of partners including Lúthien, Melian, Aredhel, genderswapped Gimli and most recently Jackson's Tauriel from The Hobbit films.
She's a popular subject for gen fan art, both based on Blanchett and original. Scenes frequently illustrated include looking in the mirror with the hobbits, being tested by the ring, giving the phial to Frodo and kissing him farewell. She's often shown with motifs of leaves or flowers. There's a little art depicting her with Celeborn but other pairings appear rare. Cosplay is another fannish activity.
==Example Fanworks==
===Fanfiction===
Gen & Humour
*Beauty by Kate Bolin. Widely recommended early response to The One Ring Challenge (2002)
*Across the Ice by Deborah Judge. Galadriel & Fingon, during the crossing of the Helcaraxe (2002)
*Wise, Fearless and Fair by Philosopher At Large. Character study set during Fellowship (2002)
*If I Were Queen of the Forest by Halrloprillalar. Humorous voyeur-Galadriel (2003)
*Opening Doors by Adina. Second Age Galadriel, Celebrimbor & the dwarf, Narvi (~2003)
*The Battle of the Golden Wood by Marnie. The overthrow of Dol Guldur (2003–4)
*Your Homeless Souls by Lise. Third Age Galadriel & Maglor (2012)
*Leaving Bliss by Penknife. AU retelling of parts of the Silmarillion (2013)
Het
*Silver and Gold by Oboe-Wan. Galadriel/Celeborn; first meeting (2002)
*Bright and Dark by Tyellas. Explicit Galadriel/Celeborn (~2003)
*Oak and Willow by Marnie. Galadriel & Celeborn's courtship (2003–4)
*Seeds of Old Trees by Marnie. Galadriel & Celeborn's reunion in Valinor (2004)
* By the Falls of Imladris by Artaxastra. Galadriel/Gandalf during The Hobbit (2013)
Femslash
*A Silver Night by Amy Fortuna. Galadriel/Lúthien. The earliest Galadriel-tagged work on ff.net (2001)
*Ring of Water by Altariel. Galadriel/Aredhel (2002)
===Fan Poetry & Filks===
*"Galadriel's Song" by Ellen R in The Palantir 1 (1978)
*"Galadriel", a filk by Mark M in Omicron Ceti III and Friends (1980)
===Fan Art===
*Namarie by Paula DiSante. Galadriel, with Elrond, Gandalf, Frodo & Bilbo, departing for the West (1992)
*Galadriel by Craig Brasco. Dark portrait with her mirror (2001)
*The Phial of Galadriel by Anke Eissmann. Watercolour portrait with Frodo (2001)
*Galadriel and Frodo by Lindsey Henninger. Filmverse Galadriel kissing Frodo farewell; early version of a very common subject; pencil drawing (2002 or earlier)
*Tinuviel by Nellas of Doriath. Galadriel/Lúthien; coloured pencil (2002)
*The Mirror of Galadriel by Peter Xavier Price/peet. Mirror scene with Frodo & Sam; watercolour (2003)
*The Choice of Galadriel by Natalia Nikitin. Dual figure, being tested by the ring (2003)
*The Mirror of Galadriel by Maija Pietikäinen. Pencil drawing of the mirror scene (2003 or earlier)
*Galadriel by Josephine Wall. Art Deco three-quarters figure (~2004)
*Galadriel by Marta Aguado. Art Nouveau portrait; coloured pencil (2004)
*Galadriel by Billy Mosig/Bmosig. The mirror scene with Frodo; watercolour (2006 or earlier)
*Galadriel by Gentinetta. Unusual semi-clothed full-length portrait (2006 or earlier)
*Galadriel by LiigaKlavina. Three-quarters figure, framed with stylised trees; monochrome painting (2010)
*Intimacy by Jafean. A rare explicit Galadriel/Celeborn; digital art (2010)
*Galadriel by Jankolas. Full-length figure framed with stylised vegetation; pencils & watercolour (2011)
*Galadriel by Kazuki-MENDOU. Art Nouveau-influenced anime-style full-length figure with lilies; pencil & colour marker (2012)
*All the others, gone by Jenny Dolfen. First Age Galadriel reunited with her father, Finarfin; line art painted with coffee (2012)
*Galadriel by Heckofabecca. Half-length nude portrait (2015)
===Vids===
===Meta===
*A Wandering History: One account of Galadriel and Celeborn & Of the History of Belfalas and the Influence of Galadril and Celeborn by Bejai (~2004)
*Galadriel: Rebel, Ringbearer, Lady of Light by theironylady (2012)
*Ioreth And Her Sisters: Relationships between Female Characters in Tolkien's World by theironylady (2013)
*“Let Her Be As Lord”: Women as Leaders in Tolkien's Works by theironylady (2014)
*Galadriel: A Character Manifesto by skysamuelle (2016)
==Fanart Gallery==
File:Warriorsgondor4art1.jpg|Art from Warriors of Gondor #4 by Ainulindale and Andy Fry
==Fansites==
*"Herrin des Lichts - A Shine for Galadriel". German fansite
*"Lorien"
*Silver Tree (link). Celeborn & Galadriel fansite (offline)
==References==
Category:Tolkien Characters