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It's All in the Family: The Finweans - Page 15

© Michael Martinez

Galadriel's history is as convoluted and puzzling as Gildor's ancestry. Tolkien changed her history more than once, and in doing so altered her relationships with both Celebrimbor and Celeborn. Celeborn was originally a Wood Elf, but in time he was changed to a Sindarin Elf related to Elwe through a younger brother Elmo. Yet, in the last year of his life, Tolkien decided that Celeborn should be a grandson of Olwe, born in Alqualonde. It seems that Tolkien had forgotten about the ancient (in terms of his life) Eldarin restriction against marriage between first cousins (which principle is referred to in the story of Maeglin, although as published in The Silmarillion that story is mostly the work of Christopher's editing and compression of older materials). Nonetheless, we can be sure that Galadriel was a daughter of Finarfin and Earwen, and that she was never on good terms with Feanor. Nonetheless, she shared Finrod's dreams of other lands, and she was ambitious. She wished to rule her own realm. Regardless of whether she followed Feanor into exile or (as is told in the late story from 1972) preceded him with Celeborn, Galadriel was swept up into the doom of the Noldor. Like her people, she was forbidden to return to Aman. It also remains certain that Galadriel somehow became closely associated with Melian in Doriath for a time, and that she and Celeborn passed over the Ered Lindon before Nargothrond and Gondolin were destroyed. Galadriel's departure from Beleriand is not mentioned in The Silmarillion. I suspect it would have occurred sometime between the Dagor Bragollach (455) and the Nirnaeth Arnoediad (473). Many northern Sindar fled east over Ered Lindon during or immediately following the Dagor Bragollach. The best opportunity for Galadriel and Celeborn to leave would be when these Sindar were forsaking the war. Galadriel and Celeborn would have been welcomed among them, and Galadriel's disapproval of the Noldorin policies may have induced her to get out of Beleriand while the getting was good. Angarato (Angrod) brought his wife, Eldalote, and son, Arothir (Orodreth), into exile. They settled in Dorthonion with Aikanaro (Aegnor), who never married. Angrod possessed great strength and he earned the epesse (a nickname) "Angamaite" (iron-handed). Angrod perished in the Dagor Bragollach, but Arothir escaped and fled south to join Finrod in Nargothrond. Aikanaro (Aegnor) is said to have been "renowned as one of the most valiant of the warriors, greatly feared by the Orks: in wrath or battle the light of his eyes was like flame, though otherwise he was a generous and noble spirit. But in early youth the fiery light could be observed; while his hair was notable: golden like his brothers and sister, but strong and stiff, rising upon his head like flames." Aegnor took no wife, but it emerges in "Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth" ("Morgoth's Ring") that he fell in love with Andreth, a Beorian wise woman, while she was quite young. And though he wished to marry her, he had apparently confided in Finrod (or Finrod understood implicitly) that he had foreseen his own death in battle, and he did not wish to leave her widowed, or any children she might bear him orphaned. Andreth grew quite old and may have lived until the Dagor Bragollach, although her death date is not recorded.

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