#high king gil galad

[braxix]

Elrond: I just want to frolic in a field.

Gilgalad: You're a thousand years old.

Elrond: And?

[queenmeriadoc]

The High King Gil-Galad - Singing - Trust me, I was there.

[merryverse]

The Rings of Power - High King Gil-Galad - A Shadow of the Past

[gil-galadhwen]

Gil-Galad was an Elven-king

Of him the harpers sadly sing

The last whose realm was fair and free

Between the mountains and the sea

His sword was long, his lance was keen

His shining helm afar was seen

The countless stars of heaven's field

Were mirrored in his silver shield

But long ago he rode away

And where he dwelleth none can say

For into darkness fell his star

In Mordor where the shadows are.

- The Fall of Gil-galad, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. J.R.R Tolkien

[beyonddarkness]

I hope you're right and Disa and Durin get through this challenging time. I hope Disa doesn't fall so low she can't get out. Charlie V. said 2 other characters he wants Sauron to work with are Disa and Elrond. I see the connections. Also, what in the name of Eru is Gil-galad doing? He sees through Annatar. How can he miss the Mithril threat? What's with his judgement? His decision making is in contradiction with his character description in the Silmarillian. alot is ambiguous but still

I love Durin and Disa. Disa may go down the Celebrimbor Path, coming to a realization in the end, and defying Sauron (silver lining). If she has the same tragic and horrific demise as Celebrimbor, I would be in much pain. Imagine how that would affect Durin. Pleasepleaseplease let her have a happy ending. (Also, what Charlie said frightens me.)

Funnily enough, I'm in the middle of answering that question in Chapter 6 (hence the latest teaser). I don't want to give too much of it away, but I think it'll be okay, since it's only part of a really long sidenote. Since you asked (and I'm glad you did), I'll disclose a compressed portion of it.

Gil-galad perceived the mithril threat before anyone else. I don't even know if there is anyone else, besides he and Galadriel, who perceived that specific threat by the end of the season. His decisions don't contradict The Silmarillion's description of his character at all! His vigilance is just extremely subtle. So...

Allow me to explain why Gil-galad never missed the mithril threat.

"He is by far the most prescient of the Elves. He can anticipate the impending rise of Evil before anyone else. So, when we find him at the beginning of the series in this period of relative peace, for him we know that it's deeply unsettling, and that he's setting about the long chess game of how to protect Middle-earth from Evil. The stillness of an Elf is easy to underestimate, but Gil-galad—he's just vibrating on another level, and he's tapped into the health and well-being of Middle-earth in a way that no other Elf is." Benjamin Walker

He knew that the Shadow was spreading, as did Galadriel, but he played the long game, instead of charging at every obstacle in his path like a colt in full gallop. When Elrond said, "Then, the shadow she sought. You believe it does exist," Gil-galad reassured him by saying, "Set your mind at peace about it." In other words: "Nobody panic! Let's take a moment to breathe and see if sending Galadriel away bought us some time." He was on high-alert, wanting to seize every opportunity to be one step ahead of the Enemy.

So, going along with what Ben said, and your question:

What is he going to do about it?

What were his intentions with Elrond? If he recognized this threat, why would he make Elrond recount everything himself, instead of telling him everything up front in episode 5? (That is one of my favorite scenes. It's so loaded with subtleties and hidden meanings; it's like a playground.)

Gil-galad knows that Elrond seeks to lead one day. To determine if Elrond was fit to lead, he would have to be tested, ensuring his ability to see what is right, by looking past the veil of friendship for the sake of his people. The first test that we witnessed was when he convinced Galadriel to leave in the first episode. Then, we heard this foreshadowing:

1x01 Elrond: "It is hard to see what is right when friendship and duty are mingled." Gil-galad: "Such is the burden of those who lead, and those who would seek to" (1x01).

Now, Elrond has been set up this season as a master detective. He was able to catch Disa's lies and discover Durin's whereabouts. He quickly noticed that the table story was fabricated. He even found out, by sheer investigation, that Halbrand was not who Galadriel said he was (though he still does not know that Halbrand is SAURON; he only knows that he is untrustworthy). This was relatively easy for him, given that friendship was the only factor; duty was not an issue.

When his friendship with Durin was mingled with the duty of saving his people, he failed to see what was right. Trusting the suspicions of a friend over the intentions of the High King, Elrond believed for a moment that Gil-galad wanted mithril from greed. This belief was provoked by Durin's accusations in episode 4 ("You want it for yourselves!"), which served as a filter for Gil-galad's honest inquiry at dinner in episode 5.

1x05 Gil-galad: "Your loyalty to the Dwarf is admirable." Elrond: "Loyalty to a friend ought to be expected, regardless of his race." Gil-galad: "Does that justify lying to your king?" Elrond: "I wonder, High King, if it is in fact you who has been lying to me."

Elrond: "I went to Khazad-dûm with a proposal of friendship, but in truth, you sought something far more tangible, didn't you?"

This suspicion has the potential to drive a wedge between Dwarves and Elves (as well as within the Elven race itself), which would most definitely be a welcome divide for a certain Dark Lord we know. That is what he wants: DISCORD. So, since Elrond was heading down the perilous path of being turned against his own king, Gil-galad quickly appeased Elrond and simultaneously put him through another test.

Gil-galad: "Are you familiar with the song of The Roots of Hithaeglir? Recount it for me, please." Elrond: "An obscure legend, regarded by most to be apocryphal." Gil-galad: "[Yes exactly, that's why I'm saying:] Recount it, Elrond Peredhel."

Recounting things out loud can trigger certain realizations. BUT Elrond made the incorrect realization.

Elrond: "It speaks of a battle, high among the peaks of the Misty Mountains. Not over honor or duty, but over a tree, within which some claim was hidden the last of the lost Silmarils."

He paused for a moment, thinking a lightbulb just went off in his head: "Aha! A Thingol situation! You want the light of a Silmaril!"

Boy howdy, was he wrong.

Skipping ahead (for brevity), Gil-galad literally quoted the end of the song, after Elrond said, "...forging of their conflict a power."

Gil-galad: "A power 'as pure and light as good; as strong and unyielding as evil.'

He emphasized the word power because if not referring to that of the Valar, "power" is a very dangerous idea. Gil-galad knows that. Elrond knows that. Everyone should know that. So, Gil-galad tried to bring Elrond's attention to it. Then he said "as pure and light as good," and raised his eyebrows as if to mimic those who believe the tale; they would draw attention to the pure and good part.

But he focused on the "strong and unyielding as evil" part—a trait that is nothing to be excited about.

He was trying to tell Elrond: "Wake up! This thing is not good!"

And although the Oath of Fëanor is void, Gil-galad was aware of the peril of seeking possession of a Silmaril, as Finrod told Beren in private:

"For the Silmarils are cursed with an oath of hatred, and he that even names them in desire moves a great power from slumber;" (The Silmarillion: Of Beren and Lúthien).

Would this not extend to something that ~~supposedly~~ contains the very light of a Silmaril? Gil-galad would not fall into that trap.

At this stage of the long chess game, he wanted nothing more than to know if the Dwarves found the mithril. He was not greedy. He was not demanding access. Right then, he simply wanted to know if it had been found. Why?

Because something poisoned the Great Tree, and it seemed that the Elves were dying as a result. Indeed, he perceived the spread of the Shadow, or a great power being moved from slumber, and if he could know, with certainty, that the mithril had been found, part of the evil that was spreading would have been exposed.

1x08 Gil-galad: "There is no Elf in Middle-earth who wanted a solution more than I. But if this was to be our salvation, [looks at Elrond] I'm afraid we needed it sooner!"

Or... Elrond should have answered his question sooner:

1x05 "I ask again, and for the last time: did the Dwarves find the ore, or not?"

Almost three months before the show's release, Ben Walker said:

"It’s almost like [Gil-galad] can smell it in the air. And not only that. He’s got this connection with the life force of Middle-earth, almost as if he can feel the tentacles of evil slithering beneath the crust of Middle-earth. And he knows it’s there. And so, it begs the question what am I going to do about it?”

"...the tentacles of evil slithering beneath the crust of Middle-earth."

Ben, are you kidding me?

(subtle much?)

Gil-galad: "...as strong and unyielding as evil. They say it seeped down the roots into the mountain depths, where for centuries now, it has waited."

Gil-galad did NOT mean that these "Tentacles of Evil" were kindly waiting for someone to take them. What he said must be taken in the context of what Galadriel told Elrond in the first episode (of which Gil-galad was well aware).

Galadriel: "Evil does not sleep, Elrond. It waits. And in the moment of our complacency, it blinds us."

LISTEN TO THEM, ELROND!!!

Who told Elrond that the Elves wanted mithril to survive? Not Gil-galad. All he said was that their light was fading, manifested by the blight upon the Great Tree. He asked if the Dwarves found the mithril and gave a warning (accompanied by Sauron's theme, but instead of Black Speech, the vocals sing in Quenya: AICA FÍRIË—'terrible death'):

"If the Elves abandon Middle-earth now, the armies of darkness will march over the face of the earth. It will be the end, not just of our people, but all peoples. If the hope of preventing that is not reason enough to make you reconsider your oath, I suggest you find another."

But Celebrimbor, grandson of Fëanor, who "desired in his heart to rival the skill and fame of Fëanor," and "was not corrupted in heart or faith, but had accepted Sauron as what he posed to be" (UT), said:

"We believe if we can secure vast quantities of it, quickly, enough to saturate every last Elf in the light of the Valar once more, then yes. Yes, [mithril] very well could be [our only salvation]."

Everything that Elrond told Durin at the end of episode 5 was most likely told to him by Celebrimbor.

Elrond: "Without it, my kind must either abandon these shores by spring or perish. [...] Our immortal souls will dwindle into nothing, slowly diminishing, until we are but shadows swept away by the tides of time, forever."

I have mentioned before that that does not describe the fading of the Elves. It describes the nazgûl. Elrond said that without mithril, the Elves would fade, but guess who told Galadriel the truth in episode 8.

Sauron: "Without me, your people will fade, and the shadow will spread and darken to cover all the world. You need me."

So, after the conversation with Durin ends happily, and they set out to convince King Durin III to allow them access to the mithril mines, we see that Gil-galad heard their conversation, and we have to wonder why he looks more worried than relieved.

Elrond missed the point that Gil-galad and Galadriel were trying to make, because "in the moment of our complacency, [evil] blinds us."

Elrond: "Durin was right."

What was Durin supposedly right about?

1x04 Durin: "You want it for yourselves!"

The following reaction from Elrond then makes sense:

Gil-galad: "So, you admit the Dwarves did find it—the ore containing the light of the lost Silmaril." Elrond: "I admit only this: I promised Durin never to reveal his people's secrets."

As a reminder, this suspicion can potentially cause significant divide, which is what Sauron would want. To Elrond, the way Gil-galad speaks of the mithril sounds like "Durin was right." But "it is hard to see what is right, when friendship and duty are mingled." Need we believe what Sauron would want us to believe?

No.

One might ask, "If Gil-galad knew that the song of The Roots of Hithaeglir came from a suspicious source, why would he believe that the mithril contains the light of the lost Silmaril?"

Regardless of Gil-galad's belief of what kind of power the mithril possesses, there is no disputing that he knows that The Roots of Hithaeglir is dubious. And even if the mithril did contain the light of the lost Silmaril, he would not necessarily think that's a good thing.

Nevertheless, he might have made some mistakes. There is a reason Sauron was able to rise to power again, and retain that power for a long time: the mistakes of his enemies. From glimmers of hope, Gil-galad entertained Celebrimbor's ambition, but he realized his folly in the end, and shut down Celebrimbor's operation as soon as he caught wind of what was really going on.

1x08 Gil-galad: "And you would place all that power upon the brow of one being?" Elrond: "Not just any one being, High King. You."

That's a trap. The idea was obviously Sauron's. Keep in mind that Celebrimbor had been conferring with Sauron for a while, then it was proposed that Gil-galad, a truly noble specimen, would have this power placed upon his head—the same power that Sauron wants to use to control the minds and wills of the Elves. What more efficient way to do that than through the High King?

He immediately recognized that something was terribly wrong.

Gil-galad: "Perilous are these whisperings." Galadriel: "Sometimes, the perilous path is the only path. I would not be standing here, otherwise." Gil-galad: "You should not be standing here, at all."

That's not an insult. He's right, and it adds to his suspicion. (see Chapter 4)

Skipping ahead, he clearly recognized that something awful was behind Celebrimbor's pitch.

Celebrimbor: "But I almost had it sooner! It was only in speaking with the Southlander that I realized—" Gil-galad: "The lowman? This idea was his?"

He wasn't scoffing at Halbrand. Rather, the very possibility that this idea was Halbrand's finally pointed Gil-galad directly to a source! His alarm amplified the more Celebrimbor spoke because he knew that Celebrimbor was not using his own words; he was under an influence.

Celebrimbor: "We are on the cusp of crafting a new kind of power! Not of strength, but of spirit..."

"...Not of the flesh, but over flesh! This is—this is a power of the Unseen World!"

And just like that, Gil-galad was like, "Alright, let's pack it up. We're in immediate danger. Retreat."

Gil-galad: "I am sorry, Lord Celebrimbor. You are hereby commanded to disband the city, and return to Lindon immediately. All of you."

Elrond then asked for more time, and Gil-galad (recognizing the folly of letting things get this far) simply warned that "it is a fool's hope," not because their time "runs short," and they might as well give up; but because this "power" the smiths want to craft is PERILOUS.

Elrond: "Grant me three months! I am owed that much." Gil-galad: "You are owed nothing." Elrond: "Then, do it not out of recompense. Do it because I asked you." Gil-galad: "It is a fool's hope, Elrond. Merely that, nothing more." Elrond: "Hope is never mere, not even when it is meager. Or, have you forgotten your own counsel?"

Okay, now the question is: why did Gil-galad give the go-ahead after knowing that it was all a set-up?

He did so for the exact reason that Galadriel gave the go-ahead after knowing (perhaps more certainly than Gil-galad, given she heard it from Sauron himself) that it was all a set-up:

To use Sauron's own power against him.

They do not yet know that Sauron plans to make a Ruling Ring. Once it is forged, and they hear him speak the Ring Verse, they will recognize the peril of that tactic.

And three thousand years later...

Boromir: "Let the Ring be your weapon, if it has such power as you say. Take it and go forth to victory!" Elrond: "Alas, no. We cannot use the Ruling Ring. That we now know too well." (The Lord of the Rings [FOTR]: The Council of Elrond)

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It is worth noting that all of this perfectly ties in to The Silmarillion. Gil-galad does not yet know who Halbrand is, exactly. Neither does Elrond. But the extreme suspicion of Halbrand has been established, and they are not going to allow him nor his emissaries into Lindon any time soon. We literally saw the reason for this paragraph:

[...] long he sought to persuade the Elves to his service, for he knew that the Firstborn had the greater power; and he went far and wide among them, and his hue was still that of one both fair and wise. Only to Lindon he did not come, for Gil-galad and Elrond doubted him and his fair-seeming, and though they knew not who in truth he was they would not admit him to that land. But elsewhere the Elves received him gladly, and few among them hearkened to the messengers from Lindon bidding them beware; [...] And [Annatar] said to them: 'Alas, for the weakness of the great! For a mighty king is Gil-galad, and wise in all lore is Master Elrond, and yet they will not aid me in my labours. Can it be that they do not desire to see other lands become as blissful as their own? [...]' (The Silmarillion: Of The Rings of Power and the Third Age)

It's funny to think that all of this fuss and next-level vigilance is because of this guy:

[elrondscalaquendi]

Does anyone think that Gil-Galad will be good at the Cha Cha slide? Just casually playing it in Lindon in his castle alone before Elrond catches him.

[elanorar]

Gil-Galad concept art 

[laurinque]

So, you have to give it up for High King Gil-Galad for his remarkable wisdom and foresight on more than one count.

[thrillofhope]

One of the reasons I will maintain that Gil-galad is the son of Fingon is because I think it enhances a bit the weight of legacy that the title of High King would hold for him. Fingolfin stood alone against Morgoth and struck many mighty blows. Gil-galad goes on to stand against Sauron (not alone, bc how could he do something so important without his best friend, Elendil??) Like his grandfather before him, he falls to such a foe; but like Fingolfin, he strikes a wounding blow before he meets his end.

History repeats in a sense, no matter how long you live and how much it seems you have learned. There's a certain sense of fate, but in it, wisdom is not absent. History repeats: a High King of the Noldor rides out to face a foe of Arda, but this time, he is not alone. Gil-galad and Elendil strike blows that weaken Sauron but it is Isildur who cuts him down (a nice callback to Mandos' prophecy that no power of the elves could bring down Morgoth).

Also, it's a nice parallel to Celebrimbor and his struggle with the legacy of his grandfather, Fëanor. (and how maybe he is not so good at applying wisdom/discernment, because the lure of pride and legacy is a little bit stronger)

[benwalkerupdates]

this is an update too good not to post

[steve-needs-a-hug]

what I think RoP characters are listening to.....

[braxix]

Gil-Galad: Elrond, I wish for you to be my heir. In the case of my death you will be-

Elrond: No! I am not touching that kingship with a twenty foot pole! It's cursed to awful deaths!

Galadriel: He has a point.

[queenmeriadoc]

And it was this moment that The High King said to himself “Maybe it should have been I who had sailed to Valinor?” He needs a vacation that’s for sure.

[beautifulwhensarcastic]

From all the things I could complain about in Rings of Power my biggest disappointment is... Gil-galad. He’s so unimpressive. 

I'm sorry, but after the most dramatic, snobbish fancy bitch Thranduil I expected more from high elves on the big screen. Meanwhile Gil-galad is at most a ballad-singing contestant at Eurovision. Zero flare.

[mikey-64]

posting some older pieces, from a short lived LOTR character pieces I did, of how I personally imagine then, and some quotes I really loved. The last unfinished piece is a scene from Fellowship of the ring, where Gil-Galad is seen fighting alongside Elendil, Ilsuldur (and Elrond I think?) and the Last Alliance of Elves and Men. I drew Elrond and Gil-Galad standing side by side, but I honestly bit off more than I could chew and lost my steam for it.  Gil-Galad might be one of my favorite characters in all of LOTR lore.  The last is Galadriel, perhaps holding a bit of light from Eärendil's star? Creating the phial of Galadriel?? Idk but Galadriel is peak beautiful badass. Sorry for the huge post, it just felt lame to post all these separately.

[silmarillion-ways-to-die]