Catholic Thought discussion
Lord of the Rings
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Book 2, Chapters 7 & 8
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1. I found the Mirror of Galadriel to be corny. It’s like the “open sesame” of the gate of Moria. It’s like, look into my crystal ball. What is the point of looking into Galadriel’s mirror? I don’t think anything earth shattering was discovered. Nothing as I can tell, nothing that would influence the plot or the circumstances. I guess this is what part of fantasy literature is. Those that know the novel, is there a significance to the mirror I’m missing?
2. That’s not to say that Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel are not fascinating characters. They seemed modeled on idealized British aristocracy. I said earlier Caras Galadon, the city of Lórien, reminds me of Camelot. Elves give me the impression of angels, and Celeborn and Galadriel are the heads of the angels—archangels if you will! I also sensed an echo of those two with Tom Bombadill and Goldberry. There is something magical and mysterious about both couples. Isn’t the image of Lady Galadriel singing on the grass as the company sails off down the river almost a repetition of Goldberry singing as the hobbits journey on to the Barrow Downs? There must be some significance to the repetition.
3. I guess it shouldn’t surprise us at this point that Boromir is the only one who thought ill of Galadriel. At this point we know there is a darkness inside him. I don’t necessarily see a tension within him between good and evil. He’s not evil but there is a hang-up with him, with the ring and with others. He doesn’t seem to trust people. He’s got a will that wants to take him in a different direction and is innately rebellious. Perhaps that’s supposed to suggest a lack of faith? Perhaps his character is not developed enough. While I’m seeing these characteristics, do we understand why he has these characteristics? I’m not sure I’ve seen his inner motivations. Perhaps later.
4. I found it interesting that Celeborn makes that slur against Dwarves but Galadriel with the more open heart speaks with affection about the history of the Dwarves. And with that she touches Gimli’s heart and forever makes a friend of him. That passage is worth quoting. This is after Gandalf’s death in Moria is described.
‘Alas!’ said Celeborn. ‘We long have feared that under Caradhras a terror slept. But had I known that the Dwarves had stirred up this evil in Moria again, I would have forbidden you to pass the northern borders, you and all that went with you. And if it were possible, one would say that at the last Gandalf fell from wisdom into folly, going needlessly into the net of Moria.’
‘He would be rash indeed that said that thing,’ said Galadriel gravely. ‘Needless were none of the deeds of Gandalf in life. Those that followed him knew not his mind and cannot report his full purpose. But however it may be with the guide, the followers are blameless. Do not repent of your welcome to the Dwarf. If our folk had been exiled long and far from Lothlórien, who of the Galadhrim, even Celeborn the Wise, would pass nigh and would not wish to look upon their ancient home, though it had become an abode of dragons?
‘Dark is the water of Kheled-zâram, and cold are the springs of Kibil-nâla, and fair were the many-pillared halls of Khazad-dûm in Elder Days before the fall of mighty kings beneath the stone.’ She looked upon Gimli, who sat glowering and sad, and she smiled. And the Dwarf, hearing the names given in his own ancient tongue, looked up and met her eyes; and it seemed to him that he looked suddenly into the heart of an enemy and saw there love and understanding. Wonder came into his face, and then he smiled in answer.
He rose clumsily and bowed in dwarf-fashion, saying: ‘Yet more fair is the living land of Lórien, and the Lady Galadriel is above all the jewels that lie beneath the earth!’...
That is such a wonderful touch from Lady Galadriel. It transforms Gimli completely, so much so that later when Galadriel asks him what gift he would want he answers just a strand of her hair to remember her by. I was very moved by Galadriel’s touch there.
5. I loved how the next stage of the quest involved sailing down a large river. This strikes me as Tolkien trying to encompass all aspects of journey and quest. We have seen the company go through forest, on roads and off, up hills and mountains and through a blizzard, across marshes, and then through an underground labyrinth with tunnels and bridges and chasms. Since there is no ocean for a sailing voyage within this area of Middle Earth, Tolkien uses a river to capture a nautical element of the quest.
6. The Great River reminds me of the Mississippi River as it runs north to south bifurcating the United States. The Great River also runs north to south and divides Middle Earth in two. However, I am doubtful Tolkien had the Mississippi in mind. There are a few major rivers in England he might have model the Great River after. The Severn, the Thames, and the Trent are the three longest but none divide the country in half. Despite my doubts, the Mississippi seems like the best fit.
7. The trek down the Great River reminds of treks down other rivers in literature. There is the ferrying of more than one river in Dante’s Inferno. Seems like a stretch for Tolkien to be alluding to that. There is the trek down the Congo by Marlow in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. Again, it doesn’t seem like a good fit. Huck Finn down the Mississippi seems like the best fit, though I don’t see why Tolkien would be alluding to that. Perhaps we can expand our search to journeys on water that are not rivers. Homer’s The Odyssey, Virgil’s The Aeneid, or the mythological Jason and the Quest for the Golden Fleece come to mind. Again there doesn’t seem to be a strong connection to LotR. Perhaps all Tolkien has in mind is a lose connection to all the literary river treks in the sense of trying to capture the breadth of adventure.
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I am definitely still with you, Manny! Just a bit busy, as we all are bound to be ... but I loved all of your thoughts and will add mine, hopefully soon! You always bring up really good points that make me revisit everything I learned about this book and about Tolkien and piece all of it together. It's super helpful!
I think the mirror has great significance, Manny. The mirror shows Frodo that the fate of Middle Earth rests in his hands, and it shows Sam what could happen if they fail —or, to be more precise, if Frodo fails. I think the mirror reminds Sam to keep close to Frodo and serves as a warning never to use the One Ring, because Sauron's reach is great and not even Galadriel is all-powerful despite her great power. I don't think it was corny, though maybe a bit out of place. Galadriel is overall an extraordinary figure to me, at least in this book.I liked your comparison of Galadriel to Goldberry, seeing the parties off.
I want to comment on the part about Goldberry singing to them, as well as the songs that appear in these chapters: I think that Tolkien made songs to be a very important part of his story; they are poems on paper, yes, but they are meant to be sung. Even the creation of his universe was done through music (as described in The Silmarillion). I think Tolkien praises music throughout the book, music that conveys beautiful and transcendent things. We can also think of The Mass; in my parish, our priest usually sings almost everything, and music overall is a great part of our celebration of The Mass.
The last thought I want to convey is the beautiful wordplay. The bread the elves give to the fellowship is called Lembas, but we can also call it waybread. Now, let's introduce the word viaticum, which is Holy Communion given to those in danger of death. And yet both waybread and viaticum mean "provisions for the journey". So Lembas in the world of Tolkien represents the Eucharist; the appearance of the bread is the same, and yet its substance is much more nourishing for the soul.
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Oh that is particularly important to note. I caught the Eucharistic analogy but I did not connect it with viaticum. That is spot on.
Book 2, Chapter 7: The Mirror of Galadriel
They arrived at the city of Galadrim where Lord Celeborn and the Lady Galadriel reside. When they had climbed up the hill to the gates of the city, Haldir knocked, spoke, and the gates opened. At first only Frodo and Legolas were called to come before the Lord and Lady, and they climbed up a ladder to a platform with a great house upon it. Then the others of the company were called in, and Aragorn told of the story of Gandalf’s tragic death. The Elves within earshot cried in heartbrake. Celeborn with speaks of the Dwarf’s domain in an insulting manner, but Galadriel speaks with affection of the Dwarves’ history, and Gimli with an exchange glances with her, is transformed from an enemy into friend.
The company told of their quest, and during a silence Galadriel looked each into their eyes and held them spellbound until they could bear no more. That night, camped on the ground, the company spoke about her penetrating eyes. Boromir spoke that he felt as being tested, and did not care for the Elvish lady. After several days in the city, Frodo decided to compose a song about Gandalf and his tragic end.
One night Sam and Frodo walking about discussed how they are content in Lothlórien and how it feels there is magic everywhere. Suddenly they came across Lady Galadriel, and she led them to a garden where she had a silver basin. She filled the basin with water and breathed on it to create a mirror, the Mirror of Galadriel. The mirror is able to reveal of the person who is looking into it their internal conscious and unconscious desires. But it can also reveal the events in other places in the world, from the past, the present, and the future. Sam asked to see what is going on back home, and sees many changes, but Galadriel warned him they may be in the future.
Frodo went next and he saw a succession of unconnected visions, images of a white wizard, of a dark sea and sailing ships, of a river flowing through a city with towers, of a black abyss that turned into a single eye. As Frodo peered into the mirror, his Ring grew heavier. Then the images stopped. Galadriel then showed Frodo her ring, Nenya, the Ring of Adement. Frodo offers her his Ring, and she goes into a thought experiment imagining what she would become if she took it. But she does not take it.
Book 2, Chapter 8: A Farewell to Lórien
That night, the Company all gathered in front of the Lord and Lady. The Company has decided to press on but they have not agreed on which direction to go. Boromir advocates they go onto Minas Tirith, the capital city of his homeland, Gondor. Lord Celeborn offers to give the company several boats to navigate south down the Great River. Boromir makes it clear that if Frodo wants to destroy the ring there is no need to go to Minas Tirith, but if Frodo wants to destroy the army of the Dark Lord, he should go to Gondor, gather an army, and use the Ring to defeat the armies of Mordor. Frodo again senses that Boromir is angling to use the Ring as a weapon for good.
In the morning they packed for the journey down the river. They were all given Elvish food and Elvish garments. They had to walk ten miles to the landing of the Silverlode stream, where three boats awaited them. Aragorn, Frodo, and Sam were in one boat; Boromir, Merry, and Pippin in another, and Legolas and Gimli in the third. As they sailed they came across a ship boarded by Celeborn and Galadriel, where Galadriel sang in her sweet Elvish voice a song about the golden leaves of Lórien. From his ship, Celeborn invited the Company to dine with them before they depart, and they all moored their crafts and on the grassy bank held one last feast.
At the feast, Celeborn explained the Great River’s path, and informed them that if they were to go to Minas Tirith they should get off the river before the Marshes. At Galadriel’s bidding, Celeborn gave a farewell toast with cups of Elvish mead. Galadriel had gifts brought from her ship and gave each of the company a departing gift. To Aragorn she gave an Elvish stone which he pinned to his breast. To Sam, she gave a little box of grey wood. Gimli wanted nothing but a strand of her golden hair, and she cut three for him. To Frodo she gave a small crystal phial.
Finally they were back in their boats, and with Galadriel singing again, this time in her Elvish tongue, they set off. Soon the Silverlode turned into the Great River, and they headed southward.