Glorfindel is a fan favorite because he is what every Tolkien believes what an Elf SHOULD be. He is a warrior, does not let fear dictate his actions, he is extremely wise, very powerful, stoic, has integrity, is not corrupt nor blind…
Just the fact that when he was riding around looking for Frodo and friends and he came upon 4 or 5 Nazgul guarding a bridge, they all just ran away from him!, should hint that he wasn't a standard-issue kinda guy.
From a 10 years old boy in 1967 to now , for some reason Glorfindel has always been one of my favorites .I could never understand that until I read the full story in the ancillary writings. I can not remember the quote exactly but the battle at the fords , the Nazgul were treated to A great Elven Lord revealed in his wrath, yes well I would have run also...Balrog slayer returned and was pissed off !! Yes even 55 years on he still catches me no matter his brief appearances. He was one of the few things I think Jackson did wrong in LOTR movies, Arwen was not a warrior anymore than her Granmother , Glorfindel however was and was a genuine threat to the Nazgul , such a shame he was not used more . Thanks for the vid...
Imagine if Glorfindel had joined the Fellowship instead of Legolas (or even in addition to him)... Cut to Khazad-dúm- Gandalf: "This foe is beyond any of you-" Glorfindel: "Nah, I got this!"
This dude is probably the most badass character in Tolkien's universe. I mean he was badass enough to be reincarnated to the point he was basically an angel and then sent out on a mission. That's cool af honestly.
I always think as badass characters in Tolkien's works go, Fingolfin has got to be up there... Although there's a fair few that would have an epic fight for that top spot!
@@bambostarla6259 I was joking about the fact, not about the power of those two. Sauron got his ass kicked by Gil-Galad and Elendil, and he had the One Ring, not to mention being clowned by a dog once. Ecthelion invented the whole dropping a balrog off a cliff by piledriving one Gothmog, whose kill list comprended Fingon and freaking Feanor.
@@stefanovitali2925 To be fair sauron was never the best fighter, having to use deception to get what he wanted.. Ecthelion and glorfindel would stomp him into the ground unarmed if they came face to face in battle
I sort of imagine Glorfindel gained so much popularity the same way Boba Fett did in the original Star Wars. Someone that wasn’t part of the main story, so they had an air of mystery about them, but they were respected by everyone. Glorfindel is an Elf Lord, and by all accounts, a complete badass. Boba Fett had Darth Vader single him out, stipulating “No disintegrations!”
If it wasn't for Glorfindel's sacrifice, Earendil would've probably died so he could never sail to Valinor and the Valar would've never interfered in the war against Morgoth, which would make his triumph almost guaranteed
The fact that Ecthelion would play the flute and "could shove it up your nose." All of the house of the Fountain played flutes....gotta love a cultured bad ass
That was only in the earlier writings when Balrogs were more numerous, and much less imposing before Tolkien reduced their numbers to no more than seven.
To me it was amazing reading his part at the forward the first time. "And the beheld Glorfindle in his fury with his brands behind them and feared him". Allll 9. Soooo badass. And Glorfindle was described as one who could "ride against the 9". Total badass. And killed a Balrog.
Glorfindel also stays in Middle Earth, Círdan returns after 1400 years of repose in Valinor to build a new Gondolin in Middle Earth and befriends Glorfindel who is still chilling there
I fell in love with Glorfindel in Gondolin and despaired when he fought his way through it all, saving the refugees escaping by defeating the Balrog but dies tragically. I would cut that hero's hair in his next life!!!
@@tolkienuntangled no they alive legolas bhe bloned they did from FIM years ago 3tohn years morodr legolas he my friend erond from rivendell and gondor aragorn he king
@@tolkienuntangled In the book "the fall of Gondolin" while they flee the city, Legolas is mentioned as one of them. Now, is it the same Legolas of LotR or did they just happen to share the same name? Any idea?
Glorfindel is so popular the same way Boba Fett is. Show off a character that look and acts super badass but then barely tell any stories. The creator creates a perfect character for fans to fantasize and create their own stores about
This is funny, because although I first read LOTR a few years before The Simarillion was published, the elf I had the biggest crush on was… Glorfindel 😸
great video.. additional info though, Finrod, was also mentioned in the Silmarillion released from Mandos Hall and walked again in the undying land with his father.
Yeah it's a really nice detail. I believe he was the first of the rebels to be released from the Halls of Mandos, as he really didn't do anything wrong, and he did so much right. He got to be reunited with his love Amarië as well, as she stayed in Valinor when he departed for Middle-earth. I'm really glad Finrod got a happy ending, no one deserved one more than him 😀
Odd, I casually like JRRT, but love the world building. Your presentation is rad, not many bells and whistles, but great writing, easy to follow. I feel like I understand and appreciate the stories a ton more after one rabbit hole trip to your channel. I will like and subscribe.
I've never really hesitated in thinking that Gandalf is my favorite character. From the first time I read the Hobbit after my grandmother gave it to me, he stood out.
it is said that glorfindel was so powerful for a non-mayar/valar that gandalf and other mayar considred him as equal and was supposed to not use his full power when back to mid earth. -correct me if wrong.
No, I will not correct you, for you are right. I don't remember where I read that passage (The Appendices, maybe) Yes Gandalf considered Glorfindel an equal and Manwe commanded him just like the Istari, not to unveil his full power in Middle-Earth.
I have an idea of Glorfindel returning to Middle-Earth, re-imbodied, his body humming, practically vibrating at a subtle frequency, barely holding his now angelic power within an Elven form. It was said that Frodo saw him as a being of pure light in the ring's void. Due to this I feel as if Elrond Peredhil, the bearer of Elven-ring Vilya of Air for many centuries, would see the re-imbodied Glorfindel as glowing and shifting slightly around his outline. Glorfindel's form, to him, would ooze power in an even more tangible way, with a faintly audible hum, reflecting overmuch light as if ever back-lit.
I always wondered what Glorfindel was doing during the War of the Elves and Sauron and the War of the Last Alliance. He must have been somewhere else when Sauron was defeated because I don't think he would pass up the opportunity to fight him to keep Gil-Galad and Elendil safe
Glorfindel was in Rivendell waiting to see if the ring would be destroyed or not. I get the feeling he would have either 1v1nd The Witch King of Angmar who yes could be killed by an Elf, only a “man” couldn’t kill him or would have 1v1nd Sauron himself
"Finrod walks with his father in Valinor" - Finrod was also rebodied. And its to be surmised that all elves, except Maeglin, Feanor, and his sons were rebodied at some point. Miriel, Feanor's mother, also remains in the halls of Mandos, but that is by choice.
IIRC it mentioned in the Silmarillion that Feanor would eventually be rebodied, but that he would have to stay in the halls for a long, long time first.
Yep, whiffed on that one. Finrod is the only elf in what would have been the published writings specifically mentioned as rehoused. Glorfindel had to be explained. I still wonder at Christopher changing the line from Amarie to Finarfin.
Well he didn't have much political baggage that came with the rest of some of the elves. He was just a badass good guy with incredible hair. I was pretty pissed when it was arwen who showed up in the movies
If you held me at sword-point and asked me, I would have to say Faramir. The funny thing about prophecy is that you usually hear what you want to hear. Glorfindel's prophecy was descriptive; he saw what happened and described it, but the Witch-King heard it as prescriptive; this thing has to happen before you can die. Guess he didn't hear the part about the far-off Doom.
I always wondered though, why a warrior such as Glorfindel (and with his powers) did not join the Dúnedain and Elrond's sons to fight for the freedom of Middle-Earth. Maybe Tolkien thought he would be too overpowering, a sort of Gary Sue character who just beats any opponent who stands in the way of the forces of the West.
I absolutely love how Tolkien weaved his stories together. The chance of small knives, found in ancient graves miles away from Pelenor , would be marked with the spell to break the protection of the Witch Kings sorcery was perfect. Just enough for a lady in disguise to finish it!!! The mercy of Bilbo saved the world.
I often Wonder if Glorfindel was above the Maiar in terms of power, I have 2 reasons for this. One is the excepted term used to describe Glorfindel power, and that is "Almost" equal to that of the Maiar. I believe that many interpret that as being "Not Quite as much as" but it can just as equally mean "Slightly more than"........If i've 950ml that is "Almost" a Litre, If i've 1,050ml that also is "Almost" a Litre. The other reason i believe he was more powerful than the Maiar is the Witch Kings reaction towards him. He had no fear of the Wizards but he did flea from Glorfindel. The reaction of the Witch King and the Interpretation of "Almost" equal to that of the Maiar do make me wonder just how much clout he truly had.
Gandalf fought all 9 of the nazguls at the weathertop and was only driven off then night arrived (then the Nazguls are stronger) so i think hes stronger then Glorfindel but not by much!
@@skaraturbo @skaraturbo You kind of answer my point with your words. He did fight the 9 but did not defeat them....quite the opposite, Gandalf was driven off by the Nazgul. When the witch king faced Glordindel, it was the Witch King that ran fleeing as a fast as he could, they didn't even fight, that was when Glorfindel made the prophesy about no Man being able to kill the Witch king. It is the witch kings reaction to Glorfindel and the "Almost" as powerful as a Maia which make me think that Glorfindel has more power. It is also worth remembering that Gandalf was a Maia, all be it in the form of Man, when he defeated a Balrog, which are also Maia. Glorfindel was "Just" an Elf who was able kill a Balrog. Maia kills Maia Elf kills Maia Which one has the bigger stick :) I would have loved to put this to Tolkien to find some sort of clarity
Glorfindel is definitively stated to have had golden hair. His name literally mean golden hair. ...so the creator's of Battle for Middle Earth decided to give him silver hair lol
I love bad guys, not bad guys like Saruman - there’s just something insignificant about his grievances. Bad guys just, well they make the whole story worth telling. But my favorite character in the tales would have to be Gandalf. He’s the one character I wish I could actually know. As far as power and looking cool I have to go with the bad guys, Sauron or Morgoth. The bad guys motivate heroes to be better. They are needed. Ever since I was a kid I liked the villains lol Say what you will. Ungoliant is wicked cool as well.
I love bad guys too, they're essentially needed to tell the story and even if some bad guys are absolutely wicked, they still get the audience to like them, the two main Tolkien baddies are great at doing that too. Also quick question, favorite Tolkien dark lord?
Between Glorfindel and Ecthelion my favorite is Echthelion hands down. My favorite character though is a tie with no end between Ecthelion, Aredhel, and Haleth
Refraction Action Dave! Where did Glorfindel come from?? Do we know?? Finarfin, presumably?? But maybe freshly invigorated by the presence of the Ainur, while he was dead??
I started wondering, since Glorfindel exists on both the seen and unseen realms, he would do ably see someone if they wore the ring. I wonder if he would be able to resist the ring. I’d love to see an analysis of this question!
Wasn't there discussion that rather than having Glorfindel be resurrected, that it was simply the possibility that there were two different characters who had the same name? I mean something that Christopher Tolkien published. No? Ah, at the 8:08, you begin to answer my question! Thanks much!
Glorfindel must have somehow pleased the Valars.... but i wonder what made them give his life back, when so many others did more? Did Glorfindel request for it? Why did he not have a wife and mini-glors? :-)
Good questions. I always wondered why Glorfindel got to be sent back but Ecthleion didn't. I guess maybe there was only one position available, and Glorfindel either got lucky or drew the short straw, depending on your perspective.
But don't all elves eventually get resurracted in the halls of mandos to their old body , so isnt it simly that he got a little more power this time and did return to middle earth and the rest just stayed in valinor
@5:25 did you say children or kildren? It really sounded like kildren. I thought maybe it was an old way of saying children in middle earth. Also, I wonder how do we pronounce the letter r in elvish? Is it like the today's english, the french r or like a rolling r such as italian, spanish or arabic? Thanks in advance.
Nah, I meant to say children. I think typically Elvish 'Rs' are rolled like in Spanish and other languages, but I am simply incapable of rolling my Rs. I've tried many times but I just can't do it. 😭
So at the end of the videos I say navaer mellyn nin, which means "farewell my friends" in Sindarin (the language of the Elves of Middle-earth). But at the beginning of the videos I say Alatulya meldonyar, ar hara mariessë, which means "welcome my friends, and live well in happiness" in Quenya (which is the language of the elves of the West). So mellyn nin and meldonyar both mean "my friends" but in two different dialects of Elvish 🙂
Let us hope that, Lord of the rings(Amazon) is coming back and they've decided to inclund more stories of the exploits of our favorite elf. Glorfindel is the quiet storm and he was born and made for amazing exploits to honor men, dwarves, elves, and those who dwell in the Blessed Realm. I wish others would give LOTR series a chance that's the beauty a lot of the time with story telling. Surely the showrunners for such a show are not completely oblivious to what their audience is expecting in this much needed and long awaited series. Right people, hint, hint we are hoping this to be true and a fact! I/We will leave it with you.... Thank You. R
If Nazgul can't die, why were they afraid of Glorfindel? Maybe he had one of the "undead killing" swords, like the daggers Bombadil gives to the hobbits.
Tolkien still leaves some room for doubt so my favorite pet theory (based on nothing really) is that Glorfindel never died. The mangled and burnt body that they buried in the First Age was another elf. :)
@@herbthompson8937 I assume it was this, in all his wisdom Elrond probably saw it as an insult to ask the man who already gave his life for his people to do it again and spit on the gift of new life that was given to him by the Maiar/Eru
Mebbe Tolkien just wasn't creative enough to think of multiple ways to kill a Balrog. "Yep, everyone goes up against a Balrog can only win if there's a huge fall off a cliff."
God, it was Glorfindel who's part they gave to arwen? It's been 22 years since I read the LOTR ( guess I need to stop rereading the silmarillion and go back to the hobbit and LOTR) which is on me, but it kinda makes me mad at the films for changing these little things slowly in my head cannon, cus it's always less good than the original..
I mean he more or less has glory in his name, plus the Fin of royal Noldor fame, and the del from earendel (og spelling so yhe character of tolkien and the Anglo-Saxon myth) hmmmm? 😊
Okay, okay, Glorfindel is the equivalent of a saint or Christ figure. Gave his life to defeat evil, and was such a special soul that God decided to send him back, Bodhisattva, whatever. Yes he was a dominant character who saved everyone special. He glowed just standing there, invited to every meeting that was important and whose wisdom was irrefutable but really, how many saints are there? A couple of thousand? If you want to call him a Messiah, okay, in what way did he teach and gather acolytes? So we'll call him a saint. Are there any other attributes of his character? Did he like to go dragon slaying on a Saturday afternoon? Did he have other hobbies? When I think of Glorfindel, I see a blank piece of paper with no writing on it. He's the perfect elf from perfected elven-dom. It's still a blank piece of paper.
I don’t want anyone to make Gondolin’e fall into film, they would turn Glorfindel into a bitch who was running away not helping but ran “into” a Balrog rather than 1v1nd him, I hate film writers…
Glorfindel is a fan favorite because he is what every Tolkien believes what an Elf SHOULD be. He is a warrior, does not let fear dictate his actions, he is extremely wise, very powerful, stoic, has integrity, is not corrupt nor blind…
Glorfindel, as soon as he is resurrected: "Can I get a ship back to Middle-earth? I heard they are in need for badasses over there"
Exactly
Just the fact that when he was riding around looking for Frodo and friends and he came upon 4 or 5 Nazgul guarding a bridge, they all just ran away from him!, should hint that he wasn't a standard-issue kinda guy.
Exactly
"Did you die?"
"Sadly, yes ... But I lived!"
From a 10 years old boy in 1967 to now , for some reason Glorfindel has always been one of my favorites .I could never understand that until I read the full story in the ancillary writings. I can not remember the quote exactly but the battle at the fords , the Nazgul were treated to A great Elven Lord revealed in his wrath, yes well I would have run also...Balrog slayer returned and was pissed off !! Yes even 55 years on he still catches me no matter his brief appearances. He was one of the few things I think Jackson did wrong in LOTR movies, Arwen was not a warrior anymore than her Granmother , Glorfindel however was and was a genuine threat to the Nazgul , such a shame he was not used more . Thanks for the vid...
Imagine if Glorfindel had joined the Fellowship instead of Legolas (or even in addition to him)...
Cut to Khazad-dúm-
Gandalf: "This foe is beyond any of you-"
Glorfindel: "Nah, I got this!"
Then a mixtape track of him rewinding and repeating, sailing back to Middle Earth again.
Nah, the party would be to OP. That is like taking a level 15 group in 5e to say a level 5 dungeon... Because why not
The second the Balrog made it's presence known you know Golden Glorfindel would be running straight for it. And honestly why wouldn't you?
"Hold my beer"
This foe is beyond any of you. Well, most of you.
This dude is probably the most badass character in Tolkien's universe. I mean he was badass enough to be reincarnated to the point he was basically an angel and then sent out on a mission. That's cool af honestly.
I love when they name drop him in The Martian
I always think as badass characters in Tolkien's works go, Fingolfin has got to be up there... Although there's a fair few that would have an epic fight for that top spot!
I agree. Fingolfin is the tops for me. But its a close 2nd between Glorfindel and Ecthelion. @lukeblundell5610
Little known fact, the Valar actually resurrected Ecthelion too, but realized sending him back to ME was too much overkill
Is this actually stated somewhere or are you making a joke😂.
Those 2 together could walk into mordor and stomp sauron by themselves
@@bambostarla6259 I was joking about the fact, not about the power of those two. Sauron got his ass kicked by Gil-Galad and Elendil, and he had the One Ring, not to mention being clowned by a dog once. Ecthelion invented the whole dropping a balrog off a cliff by piledriving one Gothmog, whose kill list comprended Fingon and freaking Feanor.
@@stefanovitali2925 To be fair sauron was never the best fighter, having to use deception to get what he wanted..
Ecthelion and glorfindel would stomp him into the ground unarmed if they came face to face in battle
I sort of imagine Glorfindel gained so much popularity the same way Boba Fett did in the original Star Wars.
Someone that wasn’t part of the main story, so they had an air of mystery about them, but they were respected by everyone.
Glorfindel is an Elf Lord, and by all accounts, a complete badass.
Boba Fett had Darth Vader single him out, stipulating “No disintegrations!”
i know its a random one but i have always been fond of Farmer Maggot. i think its the respect that Bombadil gives him.
Maggot was MI6 just like Tom. Maggot and Bombadil--code names. 😉
If it wasn't for Glorfindel's sacrifice, Earendil would've probably died so he could never sail to Valinor and the Valar would've never interfered in the war against Morgoth, which would make his triumph almost guaranteed
eru always has a plan b.
@@knotkool1 Iluvatar never needs a plan b. It all happened as he planned.
I actually never thought about it like that.
We must say that Ecthelion slained 3 balrogs before his sacrifice to kill Gothmog
Didn't get resurrected because he was too OP.
The fact that Ecthelion would play the flute and "could shove it up your nose." All of the house of the Fountain played flutes....gotta love a cultured bad ass
That was only in the earlier writings when Balrogs were more numerous, and much less imposing before Tolkien reduced their numbers to no more than seven.
@@KingOfSciliy true, but Ecthelion still saved Tuor from Gothmog and did kill him in one of the greatest ways ever.
He slew one, the chief amongst the balrogs- Gothmog.
Ecthelion and the demon drowned in the waters of the fountain.
To me it was amazing reading his part at the forward the first time. "And the beheld Glorfindle in his fury with his brands behind them and feared him". Allll 9. Soooo badass. And Glorfindle was described as one who could "ride against the 9". Total badass. And killed a Balrog.
Glorfindel also stays in Middle Earth, Círdan returns after 1400 years of repose in Valinor to build a new Gondolin in Middle Earth and befriends Glorfindel who is still chilling there
Keep up the great work Mellon! ECTHELION!!
I fell in love with Glorfindel in Gondolin and despaired when he fought his way through it all, saving the refugees escaping by defeating the Balrog but dies tragically. I would cut that hero's hair in his next life!!!
That's a good point. A haircut could have saved his life! I guess it all worked out in the end though 😃
@@tolkienuntangled no they alive legolas bhe bloned they did from FIM years ago 3tohn years morodr legolas he my friend erond from rivendell and gondor aragorn he king
@@tolkienuntangled Just to cross genres for a moment, I can imagine what Edna Mode would have to say at this point!
"No long hair!"
@@tolkienuntangled In the book "the fall of Gondolin" while they flee the city, Legolas is mentioned as one of them. Now, is it the same Legolas of LotR or did they just happen to share the same name? Any idea?
Never mind, You just explained it. Still watching.
Ecthelion may have been slain during the actual fall - but falling while taking out the Lord of the Balrogs, Gothmog - is still pretty darn badass.
Fingolfin has got to be one of my favorite
Thank you!! I just named by handsome new Belgian Tervuren companion Glorfindel! He is golden haired and very elf like.
Glorfindel is so popular the same way Boba Fett is. Show off a character that look and acts super badass but then barely tell any stories. The creator creates a perfect character for fans to fantasize and create their own stores about
This is funny, because although I first read LOTR a few years before The Simarillion was published, the elf I had the biggest crush on was… Glorfindel 😸
great video.. additional info though, Finrod, was also mentioned in the Silmarillion released from Mandos Hall and walked again in the undying land with his father.
Yeah it's a really nice detail. I believe he was the first of the rebels to be released from the Halls of Mandos, as he really didn't do anything wrong, and he did so much right. He got to be reunited with his love Amarië as well, as she stayed in Valinor when he departed for Middle-earth. I'm really glad Finrod got a happy ending, no one deserved one more than him 😀
@@tolkienuntangled Totally agree. Felagund is the incarnation of sincere love and the value of the staked word. Beloved Nóm
Odd, I casually like JRRT, but love the world building. Your presentation is rad, not many bells and whistles, but great writing, easy to follow. I feel like I understand and appreciate the stories a ton more after one rabbit hole trip to your channel. I will like and subscribe.
I've never really hesitated in thinking that Gandalf is my favorite character. From the first time I read the Hobbit after my grandmother gave it to me, he stood out.
So that’s 2 people coming back to life after dying fighting Balrogs!
Apparently the only way to kill a Balrog is to die trying!
Apparently, Balrogs drop a resurrection item once they are killed.
it is said that glorfindel was so powerful for a non-mayar/valar that gandalf and other mayar considred him as equal and was supposed to not use his full power when back to mid earth. -correct me if wrong.
No, I will not correct you, for you are right. I don't remember where I read that passage (The Appendices, maybe) Yes Gandalf considered Glorfindel an equal and Manwe commanded him just like the Istari, not to unveil his full power in Middle-Earth.
I have an idea of Glorfindel returning to Middle-Earth, re-imbodied, his body humming, practically vibrating at a subtle frequency, barely holding his now angelic power within an Elven form. It was said that Frodo saw him as a being of pure light in the ring's void. Due to this I feel as if Elrond Peredhil, the bearer of Elven-ring Vilya of Air for many centuries, would see the re-imbodied Glorfindel as glowing and shifting slightly around his outline. Glorfindel's form, to him, would ooze power in an even more tangible way, with a faintly audible hum, reflecting overmuch light as if ever back-lit.
I always wondered what Glorfindel was doing during the War of the Elves and Sauron and the War of the Last Alliance. He must have been somewhere else when Sauron was defeated because I don't think he would pass up the opportunity to fight him to keep Gil-Galad and Elendil safe
Glorfindel was in Rivendell waiting to see if the ring would be destroyed or not. I get the feeling he would have either 1v1nd The Witch King of Angmar who yes could be killed by an Elf, only a “man” couldn’t kill him or would have 1v1nd Sauron himself
Glorfindel and Ecthelion are my favorites in the houses of gondolin
"Finrod walks with his father in Valinor" - Finrod was also rebodied. And its to be surmised that all elves, except Maeglin, Feanor, and his sons were rebodied at some point. Miriel, Feanor's mother, also remains in the halls of Mandos, but that is by choice.
IIRC it mentioned in the Silmarillion that Feanor would eventually be rebodied, but that he would have to stay in the halls for a long, long time first.
Yep, whiffed on that one. Finrod is the only elf in what would have been the published writings specifically mentioned as rehoused. Glorfindel had to be explained. I still wonder at Christopher changing the line from Amarie to Finarfin.
@@orirune3079 He would be rehoused to fight Morgoth in The Last Battle. I think Turin gets in on that one too.
"But Finrod walks with his father Finarfin beneath the trees in Eldamar"
@@johns1625 One of the originals in the HoME The Prof had it as Amarie.
Incredible as always
Well he didn't have much political baggage that came with the rest of some of the elves. He was just a badass good guy with incredible hair. I was pretty pissed when it was arwen who showed up in the movies
I agree, but they had to give Liv Tyler something to do. 😉
@@raydavison4288 yeah, he's not super important to the lotr directly so it makes sense his role was given to expand a more important character.
Arwen is not important she's just Aragorns squeeze
@@geert574 which is still more important than Glorfindel
@@geert574 ну, она играет огромную роль в жизни Арагррна, значит и в жизни Средиземья
Thanks!
If you held me at sword-point and asked me, I would have to say Faramir.
The funny thing about prophecy is that you usually hear what you want to hear. Glorfindel's prophecy was descriptive; he saw what happened and described it, but the Witch-King heard it as prescriptive; this thing has to happen before you can die. Guess he didn't hear the part about the far-off Doom.
Ecthelion is not given the credit he deserves
I always wondered though, why a warrior such as Glorfindel (and with his powers) did not join the Dúnedain and Elrond's sons to fight for the freedom of Middle-Earth. Maybe Tolkien thought he would be too overpowering, a sort of Gary Sue character who just beats any opponent who stands in the way of the forces of the West.
I can certainly understand the arguments, and concede that Glorfindel would be a fine choice for favorite character.
I still prefer Gandalf though.
I absolutely love how Tolkien weaved his stories together. The chance of small knives, found in ancient graves miles away from Pelenor , would be marked with the spell to break the protection of the Witch Kings sorcery was perfect. Just enough for a lady in disguise to finish it!!! The mercy of Bilbo saved the world.
I often Wonder if Glorfindel was above the Maiar in terms of power, I have 2 reasons for this.
One is the excepted term used to describe Glorfindel power, and that is "Almost" equal to that of the Maiar. I believe that many interpret that as being "Not Quite as much as" but it can just as equally mean "Slightly more than"........If i've 950ml that is "Almost" a Litre, If i've 1,050ml that also is "Almost" a Litre.
The other reason i believe he was more powerful than the Maiar is the Witch Kings reaction towards him. He had no fear of the Wizards but he did flea from Glorfindel.
The reaction of the Witch King and the Interpretation of "Almost" equal to that of the Maiar do make me wonder just how much clout he truly had.
Gandalf fought all 9 of the nazguls at the weathertop and was only driven off then night arrived (then the Nazguls are stronger) so i think hes stronger then Glorfindel but not by much!
@@skaraturbo @skaraturbo You kind of answer my point with your words. He did fight the 9 but did not defeat them....quite the opposite, Gandalf was driven off by the Nazgul.
When the witch king faced Glordindel, it was the Witch King that ran fleeing as a fast as he could, they didn't even fight, that was when Glorfindel made the prophesy about no Man being able to kill the Witch king.
It is the witch kings reaction to Glorfindel and the "Almost" as powerful as a Maia which make me think that Glorfindel has more power.
It is also worth remembering that Gandalf was a Maia, all be it in the form of Man, when he defeated a Balrog, which are also Maia. Glorfindel was "Just" an Elf who was able kill a Balrog.
Maia kills Maia
Elf kills Maia
Which one has the bigger stick :)
I would have loved to put this to Tolkien to find some sort of clarity
Not to mention in the Lord of the Rings, he was robbed of his big fight scene to give a female elf a fighting part.
She also took the role of Elladan and Elrohir, who brought the standard with the tree to Aragorn in the book.
Rainbow dave is my new favourite Tolkien lore nerd.
Finrod Felagund. Because of his loyalty, sacrifice and power. Also Khamûl because of the cool name.
Glorfindel is definitively stated to have had golden hair. His name literally mean golden hair.
...so the creator's of Battle for Middle Earth decided to give him silver hair lol
I love bad guys, not bad guys like Saruman - there’s just something insignificant about his grievances. Bad guys just, well they make the whole story worth telling. But my favorite character in the tales would have to be Gandalf. He’s the one character I wish I could actually know. As far as power and looking cool I have to go with the bad guys, Sauron or Morgoth. The bad guys motivate heroes to be better. They are needed. Ever since I was a kid I liked the villains lol Say what you will. Ungoliant is wicked cool as well.
I love bad guys too, they're essentially needed to tell the story and even if some bad guys are absolutely wicked, they still get the audience to like them, the two main Tolkien baddies are great at doing that too.
Also quick question, favorite Tolkien dark lord?
Thanks
Very much appreciated!
Between Glorfindel and Ecthelion my favorite is Echthelion hands down. My favorite character though is a tie with no end between Ecthelion, Aredhel, and Haleth
All excellent choices!
Haleth deserves so much more recognition!! She's pretty cool.
Thank you! The origins of the “killed by no man” makes the killing of the witch king much more interesting and feels less like cheating.
Goldberry.
The magical connection to nature.
A one of a kind being.
Her small part creates mystery and you wish to know more about her own tale.
Finrod also came back, it is said that “he walks with his father under the trees in Valinor.”
He's a badass elf! :D
My fave character always been Glorfindel.
What is the .music instrumental from 0:20
It's probably In ur every video.
I can't get this tune out my head since last week. I need this instrumental
First description of Glorfindel was that he was “straight”. Based
You would figure if Balrogs had wings they wouldn’t of all fell to their deaths lol.
: Well said.
To any of you who haven’t listened to rob inglis narration of LOTR I highly suggest listening to it. Changed the way I think of the books forever.
'I thought you were killed?'
'I got over it.'
Tuor the only mortal man to become immortal
Refraction Action Dave! Where did Glorfindel come from?? Do we know?? Finarfin, presumably?? But maybe freshly invigorated by the presence of the Ainur, while he was dead??
7:08 Moral of the story… if you’re going to sacrifice yourself fighting anything, make sure it’s a balrog. Odds are you’ll get to be alive again.
Glorfinder is one of those characters that if Tolkien was another author, it would have had a book or more only about his story!!!!
he is the same Glorfindel from the first age :) Tolkien letters.
My favorite character in all of Tolkien's writings? Gollum. I likes riddles!
I started wondering, since Glorfindel exists on both the seen and unseen realms, he would do ably see someone if they wore the ring. I wonder if he would be able to resist the ring. I’d love to see an analysis of this question!
Recall that the character, Teddy Sanders, director of NASA in the 2015 movie "The Martian," demanded Glorfindel as his code name.
Wasn't there discussion that rather than having Glorfindel be resurrected, that it was simply the possibility that there were two different characters who had the same name? I mean something that Christopher Tolkien published. No? Ah, at the 8:08, you begin to answer my question! Thanks much!
Glorfindel must have somehow pleased the Valars.... but i wonder what made them give his life back, when so many others did more? Did Glorfindel request for it? Why did he not have a wife and mini-glors? :-)
Good questions. I always wondered why Glorfindel got to be sent back but Ecthleion didn't. I guess maybe there was only one position available, and Glorfindel either got lucky or drew the short straw, depending on your perspective.
He didn't have a wife or other tiny glory because he hadn't met me yet
GLORFINDEL GAVE HEAD TO ALL VALARS THATS WHY HE WAS REVIVED.. ECHTHELION ON THE OTHER HAND IS A LEGEND
I think that Tolkien was too pessimistic about elf reincarnation. I think that most elves who died were reincarnated in due time.
But don't all elves eventually get resurracted in the halls of mandos to their old body , so isnt it simly that he got a little more power this time and did return to middle earth and the rest just stayed in valinor
Balrog's wings comment made me laugh😁
#TeamGlorfindel *FOREVER*
@5:25 did you say children or kildren? It really sounded like kildren. I thought maybe it was an old way of saying children in middle earth. Also, I wonder how do we pronounce the letter r in elvish? Is it like the today's english, the french r or like a rolling r such as italian, spanish or arabic? Thanks in advance.
Nah, I meant to say children. I think typically Elvish 'Rs' are rolled like in Spanish and other languages, but I am simply incapable of rolling my Rs. I've tried many times but I just can't do it. 😭
If there's a Tolkien reader who doesn't love Glorfindel unconditionally, they need to switch to Game of Thrones.
Can you explain to me the words that you say in the end of the videos? Are they elvish words? and what do they mean?
So at the end of the videos I say navaer mellyn nin, which means "farewell my friends" in Sindarin (the language of the Elves of Middle-earth). But at the beginning of the videos I say Alatulya meldonyar, ar hara mariessë, which means "welcome my friends, and live well in happiness" in Quenya (which is the language of the elves of the West). So mellyn nin and meldonyar both mean "my friends" but in two different dialects of Elvish 🙂
@@tolkienuntangled thank you :)
balrogs final grab is off the chats🤣
Let us hope that, Lord of the rings(Amazon) is coming back and they've decided to inclund more stories of the exploits of our favorite elf. Glorfindel is the quiet storm and he was born and made for amazing exploits to honor men, dwarves, elves, and those who dwell in the Blessed Realm. I wish others would give LOTR series a chance that's the beauty a lot of the time with story telling. Surely the showrunners for such a show are not completely oblivious to what their audience is expecting in this much needed and long awaited series. Right people, hint, hint we are hoping this to be true and a fact! I/We will leave it with you.... Thank You.
R
He is special because he IS GLORFIN-freakin-DEL
I firmly believe Glorfindel is the son of Findis, and thus another grandson of Finwë.
So on the one hand, Glorfindel is a total bad ass...but on the other hand his name sounds like a a really cool floor wax...😁
You think Glorfindel had another shirt printed up for Gandalf the White, "I killed a Balrog and all I got was this lousy t-shirt"?
If Nazgul can't die, why were they afraid of Glorfindel? Maybe he had one of the "undead killing" swords, like the daggers Bombadil gives to the hobbits.
How old was Gandalf?
Tolkien still leaves some room for doubt so my favorite pet theory (based on nothing really) is that Glorfindel never died. The mangled and burnt body that they buried in the First Age was another elf. :)
high king of middle earth thingol
Why didn't he duel Sauron instead of Gil Galad and Elendil?????
That's a good question. Glorfindel's actions in the Second Age are never accounted for in any if Tolkien's writings.
@@tolkienuntangled maybe a chance he was left to hold Rivendell...but I gotta imagine he was at the battles
@@herbthompson8937 I assume it was this, in all his wisdom Elrond probably saw it as an insult to ask the man who already gave his life for his people to do it again and spit on the gift of new life that was given to him by the Maiar/Eru
@@ArtisticRenaissance Gil-gilad would be ordering or not ordering Glorfindel. Not Elrond
Mebbe Tolkien just wasn't creative enough to think of multiple ways to kill a Balrog. "Yep, everyone goes up against a Balrog can only win if there's a huge fall off a cliff."
So Glorfindel is basically the MC from any fantasy video game???
Elros ! He could have stayed a beautiful elf, and lived forever, but he chose to be a man, and suffer all their problems, and eventually die.
Excellent choice!
God, it was Glorfindel who's part they gave to arwen? It's been 22 years since I read the LOTR ( guess I need to stop rereading the silmarillion and go back to the hobbit and LOTR) which is on me, but it kinda makes me mad at the films for changing these little things slowly in my head cannon, cus it's always less good than the original..
I mean he more or less has glory in his name, plus the Fin of royal Noldor fame, and the del from earendel (og spelling so yhe character of tolkien and the Anglo-Saxon myth) hmmmm? 😊
If Geralt and Legolas had a child
Did Fëanor kill a Balrog too?
Tolkien never mentions him killing one. Only that a balrog killed him.
Not me wondering why nobody in the comments is replying to Dave's question "who's your favorite character in the entire legendarium".
Middle earth exploit: kill a balrog, respawn!
I think some Balrogs have wings, some don't, a genetic thing.
I know this video be old but in that prophecy surely Glorfindel is referring to mankind not man, its not a man for instance 🤔
Okay, okay, Glorfindel is the equivalent of a saint or Christ figure. Gave his life to defeat evil, and was such a special soul that God decided to send him back, Bodhisattva, whatever. Yes he was a dominant character who saved everyone special. He glowed just standing there, invited to every meeting that was important and whose wisdom was irrefutable but really, how many saints are there? A couple of thousand? If you want to call him a Messiah, okay, in what way did he teach and gather acolytes? So we'll call him a saint. Are there any other attributes of his character? Did he like to go dragon slaying on a Saturday afternoon? Did he have other hobbies? When I think of Glorfindel, I see a blank piece of paper with no writing on it. He's the perfect elf from perfected elven-dom. It's still a blank piece of paper.
Feanor
favorite character.
Beren
Turin, the cursed
I don’t want anyone to make Gondolin’e fall into film, they would turn Glorfindel into a bitch who was running away not helping but ran “into” a Balrog rather than 1v1nd him, I hate film writers…
he's a bit of jon snow + harry potter