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The Wars of the Glorfindels - Page 6

© Michael Martinez

The question of who Elrond's Glorfindel should be diminished in importance as the fame of Gondolin's Glorfindel increased...in Tolkien's mind. The readers had no idea these issues existed for the author. Glorfindel was more important to J.R.R. Tolkien than he was to The Lord of the Rings. But to find a place for Glorfindel in the mythology Tolkien had to be consistent with what Gandalf had said of the Elf in "Many Meetings":

'What about Rivendell and the Elves? Is Rivendell safe?' 'Yes, at present, until all else is conquered. The Elves may fear the Dark Lord, and they may fly before him, but never again will they listen to him or serve him. And here in Rivendell there live still some of his chief foes: the Elven-wise, lords of the Eldar from beyond the furthest seas. They do not fear the Ringwraiths, for those who have dwelt in the Blessed Realm live at once in both worlds, and against both the Seen and the Unseen they have great power.' 'I thought I saw a white figure that shone and did not grow dim like that others. Was that Glorfindel then?' 'Yes, you saw him for a moment as is upon the other side: one of the mighty of the Firstborn. He is an Elf-lord of a house of princes. Indeed there is a power in Rivendell to withstand the might of Mordor, for a while: and elsewhere other powers still dwell....'

Glorfindel is therefore an Elf who has dwelt in Aman. So the published text makes it virtually impossible for him to be descended from an Elf of Gondolin. He could have lived in Gondolin, but could not have been born there or afterward among the Exiles of Gondolin. Hence, the decision not to make Glorfindel a descendant of the other Glorfindel was really a very early choice, made prior to the publication of The Lord of the Rings. But that doesn't mean that Glorfindel was meant to be the Glorfindel of Gondolin. Despite common misconceptions, Tolkien did not mind reusing names among the Elves. Although no two Elves in The Lord of the Rings bear the same names, one (at least) bears the name of an earlier Elf: Rumil, one of the march-wardens of Lorien, is given the name of the Noldorin Elf who created the first Tengwar (and the earlier Rumil is mentioned in Appendix E). But another name from Gondolin appears in Elrond's council: Galdor, the Elf from the Havens, Cirdan's emissary. Christopher Tolkien reaches the conclusion that this cannot be the same Galdor who led the vanguard of Tuor's column of refugees in "The Fall of Gondolin". Galdor of Gondolin not only lived, he returned to Aman at the end of the First Age and never returned to Middle-earth.

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