It’s one of the greatest hypothetical questions
in all of Tolkien’s works. It’s outcome is even hinted at during a
pivotal point in the Fellowship of the Ring. Today on Nerd of the Rings, I’ve put my
usual research and effort into answering the question “What if Galadriel takes the One
Ring?” The Fellowship has arrived in Lorien after
losing Gandalf the Grey in Moria. Saruman is a known traitor to both Sauron
and the heroes of Middle-earth. The Ringwraiths have taken to using fell beasts
and Theoden is ensnared by Wormtongue’s words and poison. On February 15, 3019, as the Fellowship rests
in Lothlorien, Galadriel invites Frodo and Sam to look into the Mirror. After which, Frodo offers her the one ring. In the canon story, Galadriel passes her test
and turns down the offer, forever putting it behind her, and resolving to diminish and
sail into the West. We are told by Tolkien in Letter 246 that
“Galadriel’s rejection of the temptation was founded upon previous thought and resolve.” But what if that resolve had faltered? What if, seeing the loss of Gandalf leads
Galadriel to believe the quest is now doomed to failure and that she is the last hope for
Middle-earth? Tolkien says of Gandalf that it was a sacrifice
for him to fight the balrog “...for all he could know at that moment he was the only
person who could direct the resistance to Sauron successfully, and all his mission was
in vain.” What if Galadriel came to the same conclusion? Realizing the free peoples were now doomed? Let us also not forget that it was Sauron
himself who killed Galadriel’s brother Finrod in the First Age and it was Sauron’s master
who sent forth the sneak attack that killed her brothers Angrod and Aegnor. Galadriel is the only surviving member of
her family in Middle-earth because of Sauron and all he represents. Whether through altruism or the secret desires
of her heart, the loss of Gandalf leads Galadriel to take the ring from Frodo and the events
of Middle-earth are drastically changed. So what is Galadriel’s strategy? Does she hole up in Lorien? Or move against Sauron? Fortunately, we have the answer from Tolkien
himself, once again in Letter 246. “In any case Elrond or Galadriel would have
proceeded in the policy now adopted by Sauron: they would have built up an empire with great
and absolutely subservient generals and armies and engines of war, until they could challenge
Sauron and destroy him by force.” Galadriel springs into action. She must build up her forces in order to battle
the armies of Sauron. Messengers are dispatched to both Elrond and
Thranduil - requesting soldiers from Rivendell and the Woodland Realm. The Ring, she deems must remain a secret - her
possession known only to the members of the fellowship and possibly her husband, Celeborn. Aragorn, Boromir, Legolas, Gimli and a small
company of elves are sent to Minas Tirith to bring word to Denethor and prepare Gondor
for the war to come. Would Aragorn and the others go along with
this plan and with Galadriel having the ring? I think that while they may be uneasy about
it, in the end, Galadriel would seem fair and righteous as ever, setting them at ease
- or at least at ease enough to proceed. Frodo, freed of his burden, is sent back home
with his hobbit friends, accompanied by a personal guard of a couple elven warriors. As the hobbits head home, messengers go to
the elven realms, and Aragorn travels to Gondor, we are left to wonder - what about Gandalf? Well when Frodo looks into the Mirror of Galadriel,
one of the visions is of Gandalf with a white staff, though he thinks it could possibly
be Saruman. A prevailing thought is that it is this vision
that prompts Galadriel to send Gwaihir to search the Misty Mountains for their fallen
friend. However, if Galadriel had interpreted this
vision to be Saruman instead, she would have continued to despair of his loss and also
would not have sent Gwaihir, leading Gandalf to travel by foot from the Mountaintop. This additional travel time is critical, as
it will lead to Galadriel moving on from Lorien before Gandalf could arrive, as he attempts
to follow the Fellowship. Fresh off seeing who she believed to be Saruman
in the Mirror, Galadriel realizes she cannot leave such a threat free to act in the midst
of her allies. She rides with a modest force to Isengard,
where she presents Saruman with an ultimatum - pledge fealty to her, or be destroyed. Saruman, unaware she possesses The One Ring,
believing his tower unassailable, and possessing a vast force in his underground caverns, refuses. This is the moment when Galadriel first uses
the One Ring. The Ring, augmenting her incredible power,
allows Galadriel to unmake the very foundations of Isengard - much like she does to Dol Guldur
in the canon story. The orcs below ground are buried and destroyed. The tower of Orthanc, while incredibly strong
itself, collapses as the ground below it is torn apart. The white wizard and his army are no more. Pulled from the rubble, Saruman’s palantir
comes into the Lady’s possession. Recognizing this for what it is, she uses
it to take stock of the situation in Middle-earth. She discovers Theoden is under the influence
of Wormtongue’s words and poison. Aragorn, Boromir, and their company are nearing
Minas Tirith, Sauron and the Witch-King are rallying their forces in Mordor, and to her
shock - Gandalf is making his way to Lorien. The One Ring, now having a firm hold on Galadriel’s
heart, influences her next moves greatly. If Galadriel returns to Lorien right away,
Gandalf will perceive her possession of the ring and may voice dissent or perhaps even
challenge her. This will not do. They cannot afford to fight amongst themselves
if they hope to defeat Sauron by military strength. Galadriel makes camp at the ruins of Isengard
and sends word to Lorien. Gandalf is needed in Rohan. The White Wizard makes haste across the plains,
arriving in Edoras where he frees Theoden from the influence of Wormtongue. Galadriel, meanwhile, returns to Lorien having
managed to both avoid Mithrandir and gain the allegiance of Rohan. As warriors pour in from both Rivendell and
the Woodland Realm, the pieces begin to fall into place for Galadriel. Time and again in the canon story, we see
Sauron - and even Saruman - being forced to act quicker than desired, which for them has
disastrous consequences. A major reason Sauron’s forces are defeated
in the Battle of Pelennor Fields is because he attacks earlier than desired due to Aragorn
revealing himself in the palantir. In a similar move, Aragorn, now King of Gondor,
follows Galadriel’s advice - revealing himself to Sauron via the palantir in Minas Tirith. Sauron, fearing the reuniting of the Men of
Middle-earth - and that Aragorn has likely claimed Isildur’s Bane as his birthright
- orders the Witch-King to attack from Minas Morgul. Aragorn, also at Galadriel’s behest, has
already lit the beacons and sent the Red Arrow to Theoden, requesting their aid for war. Now, the sizes of the forces involved in the
Battle of Pelennor Fields wouldn’t be drastically affected by these changes. Sauron’s force coming from Minas Morgul
may be slightly less in number, but the more important point is that they would be less
prepared. On the other hand, we know book Denethor was
anything but an inept ruler and had been bracing for an attack from Mordor for some time. If anything, the forces of Gondor and Rohan
would be more prepared and equipped for the situation than in the canon story. In the end, the Battle of Pelennor Fields
plays out much the same. Though with Aragorn in the city from the outset,
Gondorian morale is riding high - they have their king with the famed sword of Elendil
leading them. Theoden arrives earlier in the battle - and
having not fought the battle of Helm’s Deep - with greater numbers and Gandalf at his
side. Whether by the hand of Eowyn, Gandalf, or
possibly a combination - the Witch-king falls in battle - without killing Theoden. Because Aragorn never travels to Rohan, he
has not summoned the Army of the Dead. However, because this battle now takes place
earlier in the timeline, the Corsairs of Umbar could not yet have arrived at Pelargir from
their havens. If they were to arrive, it would only be to
find a field of defeat at the port of Minas Tirith, where they would surely lose to the
victorious armies of Gondor and Rohan. Now, the situation for Sauron is even more
dire than it ever was in the canon story. Not only is the Witch-king slain and his army
defeated, but the force of Gondor and Rohan remaining is even greater than in the actual
events. Thanks in large part to an earlier arrival
of a larger force of Rohirrim. Not only that, but even now Galadriel has
amassed an army of elves from Lorien, Rivendell, and the Woodland Realm. Using her immense power, Galadriel obscures
her communication with Aragorn via the Palantir of Minas Tirith. They arrange to combine their forces to march
upon the Black Gate itself. Gandalf, who has been purposely kept in the
dark and away from anyone who knew about the ring, would only now - having arrived at Minas
Tirith, learned that Galadriel has it. He travels with Aragorn, fearing what evil
twist of fate may be before them. The combined force of elves and Men, led by
Galadriel, Aragorn, and Theoden arrives at the Black Gate to find it closed. Unlike the canon story, where Sauron sees
an easy victory over a depleted force, he knows he is facing certain defeat. The Black Gate remains closed as the army
of Galadriel approaches. There, wielding the power of the One once
more she brings down the Black Gate. With this act, what little of Galadriel that
may have remained free of the One Ring’s influence is no more. Elves and Men flow into Sauron’s lands,
overwhelming the orcs of Mordor. The remaining Nazgul fly into the battle,
but their fell beasts are killed in a flurry of elven arrows. Approaching the wraiths herself, Galadriel
tears them from their existence - for she now wields the One Ring, to which they are
bound. As for Sauron, we know from Tolkien himself
that even Galadriel with the One Ring could not defeat him. “Confrontation of Sauron alone, unaided,
self to self was not contemplated.” (Letter 246) He makes it clear that only Gandalf
would have been capable of defeating Sauron in this way and completely destroying him. However, Galadriel is not alone - she has
an entire victorious army with her. Thus, Sauron remains in his deepest darkest
dungeons of the tower of Barad-dur as the army closes in. After a week-long siege, Galadriel is rested
from her destruction of the Black Gate and the Nazgul. She sets her sights on the Dark Tower, and
brings it down to nothing. Once again, Sauron’s body is destroyed. So what now? Galadriel, Aragorn, Gandalf, and the others
now stand on a field of victory, their enemy defeated. But at what cost? For now Galadriel will surely not give up
the One Ring - the key to her victory which now wholly rules her heart. Galadriel’s own prophecy is now fulfilled: In place of the Dark Lord you will set up
a Queen. And I shall not be dark, but beautiful and
terrible as the Morning and the Night! Fair as the Sea and the Sun and the Snow upon
the Mountain! Dreadful as the Storm and the Lightning! Stronger than the foundations of the earth. All shall love me and despair! But would the other rulers stand by as Galadriel
leaves with the ring? She is now both more beautiful and more terrible
than ever before. The elves will certainly not allow others
to move against her - and even some of Aragorn’s own men may turn against him and Gandalf as
they are in awe of her - both loving her for her beauty and magnificence, and despairing
of their futility compared with her. In the end, Galadriel leaves with the ring
and returns to Lorien. Aragorn returns to Minas Tirith, glad at Sauron’s
defeat, but deep down knowing that something even more terrible may have just been set
upon Middle-earth. Galadriel having failed her test, would never
be permitted to re-enter the Undying Lands. But she cares not, for with the One Ring,
and her own of the elven three - she can preserve Middle-earth and create a land to rival that
of the Valar. As for Gandalf and Elrond, the bearers of
the other elven rings, they are given a choice. They can remain in Middle-earth, under Galadriel’s
rule and fulfilling her purposes, or they can leave. Either way, they must hand over their rings
of power - for she will not risk either to use their ring to maintain a fortress that
could threaten her in any way. As Gandalf considers this offer, he perceives
what could come to pass... Forests and vegetation return to lands where
they had not been for thousands of years. Undoing the destruction Sauron had wrought
in the Second Age, allowing Fangorn to flourish once more. However, with the One Ring, Galadriel’s
good intentions will be twisted for evil. He sees vast forests of Middle-earth becoming
perilous to all, choking out the lives of anyone not seen as worthy of the lands of
the Eldar. As Queen of Middle-earth, she may be fair
as the sea - but like the sea, Galadriel cannot be contained - or wholly trusted. Powerful and uncontrollable as the storm and
the lightning, she will move to crush any that should oppose her. And all the while, a sleepless malice, a dark
spirit, works to return - that he could wage his war on Middle-earth and take his revenge
on the Lady of Lorien. Now, I turn it to you - tell me in the comments
what you think would happen next. Do you think things would have played out
differently - give us your best theory! If you enjoyed this video, please hit subscribe
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