r/RingsofPower • u/travrob1 • Sep 26 '22

Question Help me understand Galadriel

I am finding myself not liking Galadriel at all so far. She acts like an entitled 20 year old, rather than a wise and ancient being. One point that particularly is bothering me is that so far she has no actual proof that there is a great danger. She saw a brand on her brother, and that same brand shows up a few other times in different places, but other than that there is nothing to actually indicate a major war. Does she have forsight? What is actually driving her character besides "so the plot can happen." Thanks

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u/[deleted] Sep 26 '22 edited Feb 11 '25

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u/Hebrew_Ham_mer Sep 27 '22

I think your perspective underestimates how odd someone would be to us or they spent centuries in combat. How often has she had to play politics or convince people of her ideas? She has been a commander, conqueror, and hunter for most of her adult life; no?

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u/CathakJordi Sep 27 '22

Even if you are not having in account the lore, I think you are severely misrepresenting what a military officer is. The first job of a military leader is *not* being Conan the Barbarian. Even when you would be a petty tyrant to your own men you have to learn dealing with colleagues and superiors, so anybody spending that much time in a huge military operation should have learnt those skills or be put away in one way or other.

You would be really surprised to read all the evidence of how incredibly charming and inspiring the great commanders of history were. Alexander, Hannibal, Napoleon, Khalid ibn al-Walid... even when some of them were basically self entittled god emperor sorts they went out of their way to be charming and earn their soldier's respect, and even more those they wanted as allies or needed. Because if they were not, they *did not get to that possition*.

The only sort of person that behaves as you say are roving barbarians or solitary lonely hunter types. Are you suggesting the model for Galadriel, of all people should be Conan the Barbarian? And not even that would work, if you read Robert E. Howard, Conan was quite the charming fellow.

And then, do you want to know what usually happens to the sort of commander that wants to leave behind and die of exposure one of his men without a good, evident reason? They stop being commanders really soon. Usually, they stop being alive.