Tolkien Blog Party || Why I Love . . . {Elrond}

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He was as noble and as fair in face as an elf-lord, as strong as a warrior, as wise as a wizard, as venerable as a king of dwarves, and as kind as summer.

The Hobbit

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Since The Lord of the Rings movies were a staple in my home long before I was old enough to watch them, I had certain preconceived notions about the characters before I ever actually "met" them.  Trading cards, soundtrack inserts, stills in piano books — all of these ensured that I was familiar with the faces of Middle-earth, and with that familiarity came assumptions.  

Occasionally, I would ask various family members different questions about the characters I'd see:  What was this one's name, what was that one's relationship to this one, things like that.  In the course of this pre-viewing questioning, I developed a kind of anticipatory dislike of Elrond.  I still hadn't watched the movies, but I preemptively decided that I wouldn't like him when I did. 

This was because I got the impression that he tried to separate Arwen and Aragorn and was somehow really mean about it.  (Apparently, to ten-year-old Olivia, disapproving of your daughter's romantic choices was the Height of Villainy.)  

Of course, my understanding of the Arwen/Elrond/Aragorn situation was superficial at best; somehow, I had missed the entire point of Elrond's "objections" to Arwen and Aragorn's relationship.  I can't recall what exactly I did think was the cause of his concern — some kind of discriminatory disapproval of "mortals"?  sheer caprice?  who can know — but my idea was that it was baseless and therefore Rude.

Once I actually did watch the movies, they blew my somewhat petty grievance completely out of the water.  "Silly me," I thought as I watched.  "There's nothing wrong with Elrond.  Elrond is great.  We love Elrond.  Way to go, buddy."

In learning how the Arwen/Aragorn relationship really unfolds, I realized that Elrond doesn't "try to separate" them out of "meanness," nor out of some twisted need for parental control.  He literally just doesn't want his daughter to die.  Even more than that, he doesn't want his daughter to suffer.  

He's merely trying to spare her pain — pain which he knows will be inevitable if she decides to stay in Middle-earth for Aragorn.  

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"But there will be no choice before Arwen, my beloved, unless you, Aragorn, Arathorn's son, come between us and bring one of us, you or me, to a bitter parting beyond the end of the world.  You do not know yet what you desire of me."  [Elrond] sighed . . . 

Appendix A, The Lord of the Rings

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He just loves his baby girl, you guys.  That's literally all.  He just. loves. his child. 

And, remember, he loves Aragorn, too.  He raised Aragorn.  He sees Aragorn as his own son.  But doesn't that actually make it harder for him?  He knows Aragorn's lineage and destiny.  He wants, as much as anyone, to see the line of Elendil redeemed and reinstated through Aragorn's kingship.  And, on a personal level, he desires Aragorn's happiness for his own sake, because he loves him.  But loving Aragorn as much as he does will not make it any easier to let his daughter sacrifice her natural birthright of immortality for him.  It will only make his pain more grievous, because he is in essence caught between the welfare of both, and both are (in one case biologically, in the other spiritually) his children.  

(Which is really freaking hard and I'm Upset™ that Elrond has to go through that because he really doesn't deserve it, you guys.)

*ahem*

Eventually, however, all of that notwithstanding, Elrond supports Arwen.  At the end of the day, even though the decision she's making means infinite pain both for her and for him, he accepts it.  At the end of the day, he's standing by her side when she reunites with Aragorn.  

And look at this man.  Look at the way he looks at his daughter.  

That look kills me, guys.  

Because here's the thing:  Elrond knows, perhaps better than Arwen herself knows, exactly what she has chosen.  He knows exactly how much pain now awaits his daughter at the end of her life.  (In the Two Towers film, his monologue about Arwen's fate comes straight out of the book appendices.  All of that really does happen.)  And, as any decent father would, Elrond wants to shield his child from suffering. 

But ultimately, it's her decision.  He knows that, and he knows that much good and much happiness will come of her decision, as well as much sorrow.  Despite the bitter end that is coming, there will be a glorious middle.  So he lets her go with grace, with a look of heart-wrenching love and sadness and hope.  He gives his blessing and a smile, clapping even as his heart breaks.

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The Third Age ended thus in victory and hope; and yet grievous among the sorrows of that Age was the parting of Elrond and Arwen, for they were sundered by the Sea and by a doom beyond the end of the world.

Appendix A, The Lord of the Rings

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*sniffles*

ANYWAY LET'S MOVE ON.

There's much else to love about Elrond besides his parenting.  For example, his resilience.  He has persevered through great personal pain.  He has watched trusted friends commit treachery; he has watched leaders and followers die in battle and has kept fighting anyway.  He has been separated from his wife, after she was tortured by Orcs and inflicted with a wound he could not heal, forcing her to leave Middle-earth prematurely in search of help that she could only find in Valinor.  (My one consolation for the fact that Elrond has to leave Arwen behind when he finally does travel to the Undying Lands is knowing that he at least gets to reunite with Celebrian, and that, eventually, their sons will join them.  He won't be alone, and that comforts me. ♥)

He's seen a great deal of Middle-earth's history — at times tragic, at times triumphant, always turbulent — and he has entered willingly into its conflicts and tried to help.  He has served in multiple wars, including the one in which he witnessed Sauron temporarily defeated, only to see the race of Men corrupted by lust for the one thing that could reanimate him.      

hee hee

Yet, despite all the reasons they've given him to shun them, he is still able to recognize the merits of the mortal races. Though they have in many ways brought evil upon themselves, Elrond never abandons Men to face it alone. He fights alongside Elendil and Arathorn in their turns; he sends reinforcements to Theoden at Helm's Deep.

(This is how you elf-lord, ThRaNDuiL. *pointed glares*)

Elrond could have left the troubled realm of Arda at any time for the bliss and peace of Valinor. But he doesn't. He sticks with it, through thick and thin. He stays behind for three full Ages, out of a sense of duty to it and its people.

I think there is a deep-running fondness in Elrond for Middle-earth and all of its inhabitants — especially those less powerful than him and his kin.  I think Tolkien was onto something when he said that he was "as kind as summer."  Those he loves, he loves deeply; and he loves freely.  Though he may not always look it, Elrond is an affectionate person and a loyal one, and he has no vanity.  He is lofty and learned, but that does not stop him from respecting and honoring even the "lowliest" of his friends and allies. 

Moreover, despite his own sound judgment, he values the counsel of others and actively seeks it out.  He works, while he can, as a kind of administrator among the strongholds of Middle-earth, communicating and organizing meetings between Lothlorien, Rivendell, Mirkwood, and Isengard when new or growing threats arise.

And in the midst of all this toil, Elrond somehow finds time to maintain his optimism: an optimism all the more compelling because it does not flinch away from reality.  Elrond has no naivete; he's simply able to acknowledge truth without giving way to despair.  He's steady.  He's reliable.  There's a sense of settled-ness about him; a sense of quiet, inner strength.  He's not emotionless, he's not stoic, he's not afraid of feeling — he's just wise, and with that wisdom comes a certain undercurrent of calm.  I love him for that stability, for that dependable, level-headed good sense that anchors him to the solid ground of Middle-earth while diminishing none of his elven ethereality.  

Yet, for all his majestic dignity, Elrond has a witty side, too — I would even argue a playful one.  If you watch him carefully, you can catch glimpses of a restrained but potent sense of humor, one which allows him to find joy and mirth in the world around him.

He is the lord and founder of Imladris, and it is a role in which he excels.  He is a wise and competent keeper, protecting the beauty of the Last Homely House in a rapidly darkening world.  Yet, despite the shadows lurking beyond the valley and the vital importance of preserving it from them, Elrond makes Rivendell a sanctuary for more than his own people.  He is open-handed in his hospitality, accepting sojourners from all corners of the stained and weary world; inviting them to rest, recuperate, and be healed for a time of all their ills.

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His house was perfect, whether you liked food, or sleep, or work, or story-telling, or singing, or just sitting and thinking best, or a pleasant mixture of them all.  Evil things did not come into that valley.

The Hobbit

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Elrond is, in short, A Wonderful Guy; and while I don't know of anyone who dislikes him, he doesn't seem to receive much attention in the Tolkien fandom.  And that's fine; there are so many excellent characters in the Middle-earth universe that it would be virtually impossible to fully appreciate all of them, all of the time.  Plus, it's in keeping with Elrond's personality to remain in the background.  He's a subtle but quietly powerful presence, a behind-the-scenes kind of helper who doesn't need the spotlight to validate his work. 

Still, he's worthy of affection and admiration, he's one of my personal favorite characters, and I always enjoy him whenever he's around. ♥

What do you think of Elrond?