Silm thoughts - “Of the Flight of the Noldor”
“I will diminish, and go into the West, and remain Galadriel”. I wonder at the last bit. It could mean that had she taken the ring and become a Dark Queen, she would have gained a new named, much like Melkor and Sauron. But I think it could have another meaning too. Maybe Artanis would have taken the ring, and this is her saying she’s not that person anymore, she’s not the one who went into Middle Earth with the desire to rule over realms of her own, the one that followed Fëanor.
Something that’s more evident in this chapter is how there’s a huge difference in the way Elves are portrayed in the Silmarillion compared to what we see in The Lord of the Rings. From fellowship, you get the feeling Elves are this wise immortal beings that can do no wrong. So it’s a little bit of a shock going from there to the Silm, where they are wrong in many occasions, most of the times with catastrophic consequences. It’s like once you read learn First Age stories, it’s impossible to look at Elves the same way. This made me think of Bilbo as we see in Many Meetings. He doesn’t seem to view Elves with the wonder the other hobbits show. In a way, he almost speaks to them as if they were equals. Yes, maybe it’s a combination of his age, personality and experiences, or maybe he’s become immune after being around them for so long. But what if, after learning so much Elven history, just like us, he can’t see them the same way? That’s my new little headcanon.