May 11, 2002

On Galadriel, Power, Etc.
Mark

Greg H ... Elrond's power from exposure to a Silmaril? It is clear that (to me anyway) Elrond's power lies largely in his ancestry. He is Luthien's (Half-Maia) and Beren's (the most noble and heroic of Men) great-grandson. The only other individuals alive at the time of LOTR who have Maia blood in their veins are his three children and Aragorn (always excepting the Istari). He also possesses Varya, the most powerful of the Three, and is accounted the greatest lore-master in Middle-Earth. So I don't think the Silmaril had anything to do with it. Galadriel was around that Silmaril also (in Doriath), as was Celeborn and any number of prominent (albeit few) Elves in the Third Age.
Next, Glorfindel saw the Two Trees, and is very powerful...don't forget him. I think he is more powerful than Celeborn, for example. I agree with you that Galadriel is the most powerful, "magically" speaking. But Elrond is the most knowledgeable, the most active, and the most influential. If he doesn't harbour and teach his Isildur's line, there is no Return of the King. Cirdan is undoubtedly the wisest. Although Galadriel calls Celeborn the wisest (good memory, Rachael!), Tolkien (in the Appendices and the Silmarillion) explicitly states "Cirdan saw deeper than any other in Middle-Earth". I think Galadriel was just giving Celeborn an ego-boost.
A brief comment on the film...Elrond is a Half-Man, and Aragorn represents the last of his brother's descendants. So why does he hate Aragorn (specifically) and Men (generally) so much? Major problem with the film, but also completely unfaithful to the novel, not to mention remarkably baffling.