How did it happen in the movie?
After a long journey through Lórien, the Fellowship meets the Lord and Lady of the Galadhrim: Celeborn and Galadriel. They speak of their quest and Gandalf’s death and though they don’t seem to have really high hopes for this Fellowship, they do bring hope to most companions.
Later that evening, while the companions are preparing for the night, they hear a lament for Gandalf. Aragorn and Boromir have a little chat about Minas Tirith, and Galadriel lures Frodo to her glade where he is shown a glimpse of a possible future and decides to travel to Mordor on his own.


Paul Rivoche – Lothlórien At Night

How did it happen in the book?
2.VII. The Mirror of Galadriel focuses mainly on two events: the arrival of the Fellowship in Caras Galadhon, and Frodo’s and Sam’s confrontation with the possible future in Galadriel’s mirror. A lot of the material in this sequence was either altered or made up by the scriptwriters. Let’s take a closer look at them.

Meeting with the Lord and Lady
When the Fellowship finally gets to meet Celeborn and Galadriel in the movie, it’s the Lady that does most of the talking: she is the one that realises Gandalf has passed away, and she speaks encouraging to all there while secretly she reads their minds.
In the books, more weight is placed on the character of Celeborn who is presented as an equal to Elrond. The Lady only gains importance afterwards, when she takes Frodo and Sam to her mirror. A larger part of the conversation is devoted to the Dwarves, with Galadriel speaking the names of Mirrormere, Celebrantl and Moria in Khuzdul to please Gimli.

Lament for Gandalf
After the meeting we see how the Fellowship prepares to retire to bed. Gimli is already snoring away, which earns him a smack on the head from Aragorn. In the background a lament is heard but when asked to translate, Legolas says he can’t because the grief is still to near.
This moment is taken straight from the book, as well as Sam’s last verse about the fireworks. Frodo’s lament for their leader and friend however was left out, and it was to this (beautiful) song that Sam’s attempt at poetry was an addition. (And Gimli doesn’t get smacked on the head anywhere either.)

The talk between Aragorn and Boromir
All three conversations between Aragorn and his future Steward are non-canon, including this one here.
Boromir speaks about his father, Lord Denethor, and his city Minas Tirith with great love but also great despair. It’s one of those moments that have to make the grumpy proud warrior from the books a little more accessible to a (large) movie audience.
In the book there is never such closeness between the two Humans in the company, though they are in fact travelling to Minas Tirith together (and not a real part of the Fellowship). Tolkien doesn’t suggest any rivalry, but they are not palls either.
There’s also no crying done by Boromir.

The Mirror of Galadriel
This piece is, like in the book, the centrepiece of the Lórien-sequence: a lot of emphasis is placed on the huge responsibility Frodo carries and on the way Galadriel is tempted. A more detailed commentary of this sequence can be found here.

Mistakes

Borrowed Lines
In this sequence, a lot of lines traded owners:
– Celeborn’s ‘We have not had dealings with the Dwarves since the Dark Days.’ is taken from Haldir to pardon his conduct towards Gimli.
– Another line of Celeborn’s, ‘Tell me where is Gandalf? For I much desire to speak with him’, is taken from Galadriel: ‘Now tell us where he is; for I much desired to speak with him again.’
– Galadriel’s ‘He has fallen into shadow’ is actually Aragorn’s response to the previous question: ‘Gandalf the Grey fell into Shadow.’
– Legolas’ ‘ He was taken by both shadow and flame – a Balrog of Morgoth. For we went needlessly into the net of Moria.’ is a little summary of the following conversation from the book:
Aragorn: ‘It was both a shadow and a flame: strong and terrible.’
Legolas: ‘It was a Balrog of Morgoth.’
Celeborn: ‘And if it were possible, one would say that at the last Gandalf fell from wisdom into folly, going needlessly into the net of Moria.’
– ‘The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater.’ This nice speech of Haldir’s was given to Galadriel and turned into: ‘For the world has grown full of peril, and in all lands love is now mingled with grief.’
– Celeborn’s ‘Without Gandalf, hope is lost’ is derived from Aragorn’s ‘Farewell, Gandalf! What hope have we without you?’ in 2.V.
– Galadriel’s offer to ‘Go now and rest for you are weary with sorrow and much toil. Tonight you will sleep in peace….’ is stolen from her husband Celeborn who says ‘You are worn with sorrow and much toil. … Now you shall rest.’
– Galadriel’s telepathic ‘Welcome, Frodo of the Shire: one who has seen the Eye!’ is taken from her own tale about Nenya at the mirror: ‘But it cannot be hidden from the Ring-bearer, and one who has seen the Eye.’
– ‘But if Legolas was with the Company, he would not interpret the songs for them, saying that he had not the skill, and that for him the grief was still too near, a matter for tears and not yet for song.’ This passage from the book was adapted for Legolas: ‘I have not the heart to tell you. For me the grief is still too near.’
– The Elvish choir singing ‘Mithrandir Mithrandir O Pilgrim Grey!’ can also be found in the movie: it’s part of the lyrics to the lament on the soundtrack.
– Boromir’s ‘She said to me: ‘Even now there is hope left.” is quite literally taken from the book, where Galadriel says ‘But even now there is hope left.’
– Boromir’s ‘It is long since we had any hope.’ is taken from his brother Faramir’s account to Frodo in Chapter IV of Book 4 (Window On the West).
– Boromir’s ‘And the tower guard shall take up the call: ‘The Lords of Gondor have returned.” is taken from a passage in Book 5: ‘Then Aragorn set trumpeters at each of the four roads that ran into the ring of trees, and they blew a great fanfare, and the heralds cried aloud: ‘The Lords of Gondor have returned….’
– Galadriel’s ‘This task was appointed to you and if you do not find a way, no one will.’ was actually spoken at the Council by Elrond: ‘This task was appointed for you, Frodo; and (…) if you do not find a way, no one will.’
– Frodo’s ‘Then I know what I must do. It’s just, I’m afraid to do it.’ is spoken by him when Boromir seeks him out on Amon Hen: ‘For I know what I should do, but I am afraid of doing it, Boromir: afraid.’

Bookie Details
– Sam’s few verses about Gandalf’s fireworks (EE) come straight from the book; there he adds them to Frodo’s longer lament for Gandalf, and concludes that they don’t do him justice by a long shot.
– There’s a cruel irony to Boromir’s words to Aragorn: ‘She spoke of my father and the fall of Gondor. She said to me, ‘Even now there is hope left.’ But I cannot see it. It is long since we had any hope.’ The Elvish name given to Aragorn in Rivendell is Estel, meaning hope.
– On the extended edition of FOTR, Galadriel shows her Ring, Nenya, to Frodo. It is also called the Ring of Adamant, and it looks very similar to Tolkien’s description of it: a ‘ring wrought of mithril, that bore a single white stone flickering like a frosty star’. [6.IX]


Tim Kirk – Galadriel and Celeborn

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Related Information
Other Books vs. Movies Articles:
In this sequence a lot of changes have been made to the characters of Boromir, Celeborn and Galadriel and to some extent Gimli.


Interesting Links
Our Gallery has screencaps of the theatrical version,as well as the extended edition with more on Celeborn's speech and Sam's poetry.

A transcript of Lord Of the Rings: Fellowship Of the Ring can be found in our Film Fun & Facts section.

A summary of Lord Of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring can be found in Elrond's Library.

Some articles that are related to this sequence:


Forum threads related to this sequence:
- The Movie Forum has a Sequence by Sequence thread about this scene, where you can voice your opinion.
- The Book Club has a thread about this book chapter here.

Take a look at how some artists interpreted this sequence:
- The Great Tree in Lórien by Nasmith
- Lothlórien by Rivoche
- Frodo meets Celeborn and Galadriel by Bakshi
- Boromir and Aragorn by oresama

Not pleased with the book or the movie, take a look here: