Lord of the Rings

Q is for — Queen Galadriel from J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion

Descended from Elven Kings, the fair Galadriel was one of the greatest and most powerful of all the Elves in Middle-earth. She and her husband, Lord Celeborn, ruled the forest realm of Lothlorien, and they aided Frodo Baggins and the Fellowship of the Ring on their journey to destroy the One Ring. Galadriel wears one of the three Elven rings of power, Nenya, the Ring of Water.

Her daughter, Celebrian, married Lord Elrond, ruler of the Elven House of Rivendell, making Arwen Evenstar her granddaughter.

I admire Galadriel’s courage and quiet strength, her wisdom and grace. She, along with Gandalf, maintained vigilance against the return of Sauron and stood strong in the face of Sauron’s evil. When tempted by the power of the One Ring, she was one of the very few to resist its lure.

Though her character did not appear in The Hobbit book, Peter Jackson’s Hobbit movies included her in scenes of the White Council and the battle of Dol Guldur. Purists may beg to differ, but I enjoyed the added scenes and the historical depth they brought to the story.

Photo Credit: LOTR Wikia

Photo Credit: pixshark.com

A is for — Aragorn and Allanon — from my two favorite book series, The Lord of the Rings and The Sword of Shannara.

Aragorn, the reluctant heir to the throne of Gondor in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Rings series, embodies honor, integrity, and courage. He may not look like much, but he is a true hero in every sense of the word. One of my favorite quotes regarding Aragorn comes from The Fellowship of the Ring, where Frodo, Sam, and Pippin are deciding whether or not to trust Aragorn.
Frodo says to Aragorn:
“You have frightened me several times tonight, but never in the way that servants of the Enemy would, or so I imagine. I think one of his spies would — well, seem fairer and feel fouler, if you understand.”
And Aragorn replies:
“I see. … I look foul and feel fair. Is that it? All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost.”
Whatever his looks, the gold of Aragorn’s character shines through as he declares, “I am Aragorn son of Arathorn, and if by life or death I can save you, I will.”

Allanon, the mysterious Druid of Terry Brooks’ Shannara series, is more the Gandalf type — a guardian of the Four Lands, who uses magic to help the descendants of Jerle Shannara fight the evil that threatens the Lands. He is the last of the Druids, tasked with, among other things, safeguarding the remnants of the written histories and destroying an evil spellbook called the Ildatch. He is a darker character, though — grim, secretive, and forbidding. None of Gandalf’s folksy charm, here.

I can still remember reading these stories — being glued to a chair for hours, living the adventures of Shea, Wil, and Brin Ohmsford and of Frodo Baggins and Sam and the Fellowship. These inspiring tales propelled me into stories of my own, much more humble, but equally thrilling to me. They will always be my favorites.