rose-of-the-bright-sea:

I am genuinely trying to understand the “Galadriel is racist” argument. Not the argument that her storyline has implicit undertones of the “White Man’s Burden” (which is, I think, a completely justified critique and definitely racist), but that she as a person is racist. Part why I’m so confused is that often, when Galadriel is accused of racism, Oropher and Thranduil are held in high-esteem. I don’t understand the jump, at least not with what information I can find in canon.

Now, the following isn’t me trying to explain why Galadriel is not racist. It’s just an attempt to show where I’m coming from with canon. I’m very open to people pointing out where my interpretation went wrong/any canonical evidence I’ve missed. I also want to emphasize, even if there isn’t canonical evidence of Galadriel being racist, I don’t want to argue against any “racist Galadriel” headcanons. I understand why people would get frustrated with Tolkien’s idealization of colonization and the Silvan’s apparent lack of agency in his works and subsequently use Galadriel’s storyline to explore what the consequences should’ve been if Tolkien portrayed colonization realistically. I won’t accuse anyone of sexism for doing that through her storyline instead of Thranduil’s or Fingon’s or what not. I’m just trying to understand why Galadriel is seen as canonically racist, while Thranduil and Oropher are not.

In case I haven’t been clear enough: I really, really don’t want to fight or negate an exploration of racism in Tolkien. It’s an important topic and beyond worthy of discussion.

“Galadriel… was eager to be gone. No oaths she swore, but the words of Fëanor concerning Middle-earth had kindled in her heart, for she yearned to see the wide unguarded lands and to rule there a realm at her own will. Of like mind with Galadriel was Fingon” – The Silmarillion

This is the most commonly accepted form of canon, so I’ll start here. Galadriel’s desire to go to ME stems from Fëanor’s speech. In his speech, Fëanor depicted Middle-earth as the Noldor’s rightful home and argued that men were the ones to keep power away from. He also acknowledges other elves “might” be there, but promises the Noldor they’ll be welcomed if there are. The Noldor had no knowledge of the Nandorin elves, Sindarin or Silvan.

As such, I struggle to see how Galadriel’s eagerness for Middle-earth is an expression of a colonist mindset. First, Fëanor’s speech may have convinced her that ME was her homeland, not some foreign territory to be conquered. Second, she was the youngest daughter of the king’s youngest (and least ambitious) son. In order to rule a land of her own, she needed land. Tolkien was writing about an idealized feudal system, where power = control of land. The above does not imply Galadriel wanted to rule an already populated land. The Noldor didn’t even know if ME was populated. Galadriel may well have assumed her potential realm would be populated by other Noldor. (After all, she was considered a leader on the Helcaraxë).

When Galadriel arrives in ME and sees that it is populated, there’s no indication that she acted on her desire to rule. In fact, she’s one of the few Noldorin royals who doesn’t set up a kingdom.

“Galadriel [Finrod’s] sister went not with him to Narthgothrond, for in Doriath dwelt Celeborn, kinsman of Thingol, and there was great love between them. Therefore she remained in the Hidden Kingdom” – The Silmarillion

After that, there’s a long silence on Galadriel’s activities. We know she spends a bit of time with Finrod, marries Celeborn at some point, and doesn’t die in the War of Wrath, but stays in ME. The next time we see her is in Eriador in the beginning of the Second Age.

“[Galadriel] crossed Ered Lindon with Celeborn and came into Eriador. When they entered that region there were many Noldor in their following, together with Grey-elves and Green-elves; and for a while they dwelt in the country about Lake Nenuial (Evendim, north of the Shire). Celeborn and Galadriel came to be regarded as Lord and Lady of the Eldar in Eriador, including the wandering companies of Nandorin origin who had never passed west over Ered Lindon and come down into Ossiriand” – Unfinished Tales

This is the first time Galadriel is described in a non-Helcaraxë leadership position. She was entering the new lands because Beleriand was kaput, not out of any personal desire. It seems she had a multiracial following from the beginning, made up of Noldor, Sindar, and “Green-elves”. These Green-elves were the Laiquendi who’d followed Denethor to Beleriand and were allies/vassals of Thingol. This was something they chose to do. They weren’t colonized by Thingol, they expressly sought him out (The Simlarillion, Of the Sindar).

Over time, it appears certain “wandering companies of Nandorin origin” became associated with Galadriel’s and Celeborn’s leadership. Given that their titles of Lord and Lady developed over time (canon doesn’t even tell us if Celeborn and Galadriel acknowledged these titles), as did their association with the Nandor, it seems plausible the wandering Nandorin companies were not there originally, meaning Galadriel and Celeborn weren’t settling in already occupied lands. But since this period in time is not extrapolated on, any speculation is really just equivalent to a headcanon.

In 700 SA, Galadriel and Celeborn moved east and:

“established the (primarily but by no means solely) Noldorin realm of Eregion. It may be that Galadriel chose it because she knew of the Dwarves of Khazad-dûm (Moria)… [Galadriel] looked upon the Dwarves also with the eye of a commander, seeing in them the finest warriors to pit against the Orcs. Moreover Galadriel was a Noldo, and she had a natural sympathy with their minds and their passionate love of crafts of hand, a sympathy much greater than that found among many of the Eldar” – Unfinished Tales

We don’t know if Eregion’s non-Noldorin elves are the same as those at Lake Nenuial, so I won’t speculate. Celebrimbor was a leader in Eregion, too. Both he and Galadriel were on very friendly terms with the dwarves. This is where Galadriel’s story gets a bit tricky, because in an early version, Tolkien had her as Amroth’s mother. I’m going to overlook this version in favor of Amroth being Amdír’s son, the most commonly accepted version of canon.

Very little is known about Amdír’s reign, other than that it ended in SA 3434 when he was killed in the Battle of Dagorlad. He was a Sindarin prince ruling over Silvan elves and was succeeded by his son, Amroth. Celeborn and/or Galadriel were somehow involved in his reign, but it’s hard to tell how.

“after Eregion’s fall Celeborn led this migration to Lórien, while Galadriel joined Gil-galad in Lindon; but elsewhere, in a writing contemporary with this, it is said explicitly that they both at that time ‘passed through Moria with a considerable following of Noldorin exiles and dwelt for many years in Lórien.’ It is neither asserted nor denied in these late writings that Galadriel (or Celeborn) had relations with Lórien before 1697, and there are no other references outside “Concerning Galadriel and Celeborn” to Celebrimbor’s revolt (at some time between 1350 and 1400) against their rule in Eregion, nor to Galadriel’s departure at the time to Lórien and her taking up rule there, while Celeborn remained behind in Eregion. It is not made clear in the late accounts where Galadriel and Celeborn passed the long years of the Second Age after the defeat of Sauron in Eriador; there are at any rate no further mentions of their agelong sojourn in Belfalas” – Unfinished Tales

I don’t know what to make of that other than have fun with headcanons. That information can fit into any conception of Galadriel’s character. All canon says is Galadriel lived in Lórien for a time under Amroth’s rule before going to live with Elrond and Celebrían in Imladris. Let’s turn to Amroth for a moment:

“Though Sindarin in descent [Amroth] lived after the manner of the Silvan Elves and housed in the tall trees of a great green mound, ever after called Cerin Amroth. This he did because of his love for Nimrodel… She would speak only the Silvan tongue, even after it had fallen into disuse among the folk of Lórien… when the terror came out of Moria and the Dwarves were driven out, and in their stead Orcs crept in, she fled distraught alone south into empty lands [in the year 1981 of the Third Age]. Amroth followed her” – Unfinished Tales

What I get from this is: Silvan elves lived in the trees, the Silvan language fell out of use during Amdír’s/Amroth’s reigns (i.e. not Galadriel’s and Celeborn’s) and that by 1981 TA, Lórien was facing the threat of orcs and their leader had taken off. A major question arises: how many of the Silvan elves went with him?

“many of the Elves of Nimrodel’s kindred left their dwellings and departed” – Legolas, Fellowship of the Ring

“It is long since the people of Nimrodel left the woodlands of Lórien” – Prince Imrahil, Return of the King

Some of the Galadhrim must’ve stayed in Lórien, but it seems a sizeable portion left. So around 1981 TA, the remaining Silvan elves are facing an encroaching orc army without leadership and with a sudden population drop. This is the context in which Galadriel and Celeborn assume leadership.

“After the disaster in Moria [in the year 1980] and the sorrows of Lórien, which was now left without a ruler (for Amroth was drowned in the sea in the Bay of Belfalas and left no heir), Celeborn and Galadriel returned to Lórien, and were welcomed by the people. There they dwelt while the Third Age lasted, but they took no title of King or Queen; for they said that they were only guardians of this small but fair realm, the last eastward outpost of the Elves” – Unfinished Tales

This brings us to their actual rule, which lasted from 1981(ish) TA to 3021 TA (for Galadriel, at least). Just a little over 1,000 years. Unfortunately, there isn’t that much information about Galadriel’s rule in Lórien. What we do know, however, suggests a certain level of assimilation. As mentioned above, Silvan elves lived in the trees, a tradition which Galadriel and Celeborn continue and adopt themselves, as seen in Fellowship of the Ring. Likewise, even though the Silvan language fell out of use before their assumption of leadership, certain elements of it were kept alive in Lórien’s Sindarin, influencing vocabulary and pronunciation.

The other apparent point of controversy is Galadriel’s use of Nenya to enhance Lórien.

“Galadriel counselled him that the Three Rings of the Elves should be hidden, never used, and dispersed, far from Eregion where Sauron believed them to be. It was at that time that she received Nenya, the White Ring, from Celebrimbor, and by its power the realm of Lórinand was strengthened and made beautiful; but its power upon her was great also and unforseen, for it increased her latent desire for the Sea and for return into the West, so that her joy in Middle-earth was diminished. [9]

[9] Galadriel cannot have made use of the powers of Nenya until a much later time, after the loss of the Ruling Ring; but it must be admitted that the text does not at all suggest this (although she is said just above to have advised Celebrimbor that the Elven Rings should never be used)” – Unfinished Tales

This comes from the version where Amroth is Galadriel’s son, so it’s hard to tell what to make of it. But since she’s seen wearing it in Lord of the Rings, we will assume she uses it at some point to enhance Lórien. (Probably starting during the Watchful Peace). I’m unsure why I should consider that an indication of her racism. If you have the power to help protect your land and people, why wouldn’t you? How does using Nenya make her racist?

Perhaps the controversy arises from her subsequent departure from ME. Without Nenya, Lórien will fade, but that would have happened whether Galadriel and Nenya were in Lórien or not. She tells Frodo that if he successfully destroys the One Ring:

“then our power is diminished, and Lothlórien will fade, and the tides of Time will sweep it away. We must depart into the West, or dwindle to a rustic folk of dell and cave, slowly to forget and to be forgotten” – Fellowship of the Ring

That’s true of Rivendell, as well. After Sauron’s destruction, there isn’t anything Galadriel or Elrond can do to preserve their realms. They didn’t make that stipulation. Moreover, Galadriel’s been in exile for thousands of years and has been weary for home for at least half of that. I don’t understand why her leaving had anything to do with racism. There’s also no reason to suppose that she didn’t bring many of the Silvan elves with her. It’s not as if the Silvan elves didn’t yearn for the sea, as well:

“[Silvan elves] were never wholly free of an unquiet and a yearning for the Sea which at times drove some of them to wander from their homes” – Unfinished Tales

So yeah, I don’t see the positive evidence for Galadriel-the-Character being racist. Again, maybe I’m wrong, maybe I’m missing something. But then I get even more confused when people say Oropher and Thranduil aren’t racist.

“Oropher [the father of Thranduil, father of Legolas], had withdraw northward beyond the Gladden Fields. This he did to be free from the power and encroachments of the Dwarves of Moria, which had grown to be the greatest of the mansions of the Dwarves recorded in history; and also he resented the intrusions of Celeborn and Galadriel into Lórien” – Unfinished Tales

Oropher explicitly moves north to get away from the Dwarves. And/or Celeborn and Galadriel, who, depending on which canon you follow, were fleeing Eregion as refugees or not even in Lórien on a consistent basis until much later, after Oropher’s death. I don’t see why Oropher’s isolationism isn’t seen as racist, especially against the Dwarves.

Similarly, Oropher’s assimilation could (depending one’s interpretation) could be read as racistl:

“Oropher had come among them with only a handful of Sindar, and they were soon merged with the Silvan Elves, adopting their language and taking names of Silvan form and style. This they did deliberately; for they (and other similar adventurers forgotten in the legends or only briefly named) came from Doriath after its ruin and had no desire to leave Middle-earth, nor to be merged with the other Sindar of Beleriand, dominated by the Noldorin Exiles for whom the folk of Doriath had no great love. They wished indeed to become Silvan folk and to return, as they said, to the simple life natural to the Elves before the invitation of the Valar had disturbed it” – Unfinished Tales

Have you heard of the “noble savage”? Oropher’s reasons for assimilation could be read through such a lens, which has deeply racist undertones. I simply do not understand why he is put on a pedestal compared to Galadriel when his storyline contains various problematic elements, at least when viewed a certain way. For instance, his adoption of the Silvan language apparently petered out:

“By the end of the Third Age the Silvan tongues had probably ceased to be spoken in the two regions that had importance at the time of the War of the Ring: Lórien and the realm of Thranduil in northern Mirkwood” – Unfinished Tales

Secondly, the guy leads his people into war and gets a sizable portion of them killed. In the Last Alliance, Oropher realizes he can’t keep to his isolationist tendencies, but fails to provide his Silvan subjects with the adequate armor, weaponry, and training they need in order to succeed:

“He therefore assembled a great army of his now numerous people, and joining with the lesser army of Malgalad of Lórien he led the host of the Silvan Elves to battle. The Silvan Elves were hardy and valiant, but ill-equipped with armour or weapons in comparison with the Eldar of the West; also they were independent, and not disposed to place themselves under the supreme command of Gil-galad. Their losses were thus more grievous than they need have been, even in that terrible war” – Unfinished Tales

I’m not saying there’s one way to read this. I am saying that one could make an argument that Oropher’s failure here is a result of his inability to actually understand the people he’s ruling. Which may or may not be an indication of his own racism.

Thranduil isn’t exempt from a racist interpretation, either. The Hobbit literally says he has “no love for dwarves” and his guards drag Thorin with excessive roughness to his cells. Unless racism only counts against other elves, this seems worthy of acknowledgement.

But does Thranduil really treat his Silvan subjects as equals? He keeps wine “not meant for his servants or his soldiers, but for the king’s feasts only.” (Soldiers… who your family led into battle and failed to properly lead?) Do we really have evidence that the native Silvan elves are lords in Thranduil’s kingdom? After all, Sindarin is the primary language again and more Sindarin elves are known to have entered the Mirkwood after the initial group with Oropher. And, under a particular view, Thranduil is still imposing his authority on the Silvan. Would true assimilation not have been an acceptance of the Silvan elves’s form of governance?

Look, I’m not trying to argue that Thranduil and Oropher are racist. I’m just trying to highlight my confusion as to why Galadriel is apparently canonically racist while those two aren’t. I really, really don’t understand. 

#i have no idea what recent discourse prompted this post but i’ve been seeing this kind of thing for years#there are absolutely plenty of people who hold galadriel to very different standards than they do similar male characters#this is a wonderful clear thorough write-up thank you op (via @kareenvorbarra)