In the second book of The Fellowship of the Ring, The Mirror of Galadriel is the seventh chapter. The chapter describes a large silver basin of water filled by a close river. The mirror had the power to grant its viewers a glimpse into the past, present, or future. The possible future was shaped by what the viewer wanted to see. This mystical mirror was housed in the Elven realm.
Summary
The mirror was powered by Galadriel who was regarded to be one of the most powerful Elves in Middle Earth. When Frodo and the rest of the adventurers traveled to their city, Galadriel invited Frodo and Samwise to look into the magical mirror. They both saw scenes from the past and the future. When Frodo looked into the Mirror, he witnessed the Scouring of the Shire. An event in which an army attacked the Shire and took the villagers as hostages. The mirror also revealed Saruman and his army of orcs destroying the Shire while Frodo, Sam, Pippin, and Merry were all chained by their ankles. After being terrified by the revelation from the mirror, Frodo tries to hand over the OneRing to Galadriel. She transforms to show Frodo that keeping the One Ring in her possession would corrupt her, which proved why Frodo should continue the quest. [1]
Portrayal In Adaptations
The Fellowship of The Ring
The Lord of the Rings movie scene that featured the Mirror of Galadriel turned out different from the book. In The Fellowship of the Ring, Frodo was not the only one who was invited to look into the mirror. Sam also saw a vision into the future where his house in the Shire was dug up and his father was all alone. [2] Along with that, he also saw a scene where Frodo is lying on a cliff. An event that would take only place after the One Ring has been destroyed. Another difference in the movie was when Frodo saw Sauron’s eye on the mirror and the ring around his neck started getting heavier and heavier.
When Frodo looked, he saw the Eye of Sauron and the ring weighed heavier around his neck. He tries to give the ring to Galadriel but she resists. Despite showing different accounts of the same scene in books and movies, the Mirror of Galadriel served the same purpose in both the portrayals of Lord of the Rings. The purpose was to make Frodo realize that the destruction of the One Ring was his responsibility and the destiny of the entire Middle Earth rests on the result of his quest.
When Frodo looked, he saw the Eye of Sauron and the ring weighed heavier around his neck. He tries to give the ring to Galadriel but she resists. Despite showing different accounts of the same scene in books and movies, the Mirror of Galadriel served the same purpose in both the portrayals of Lord of the Rings. The purpose was to make Frodo realize that the destruction of the One Ring was his responsibility and the destiny of the entire Middle Earth rests on the result of his quest.
Peter Jackson's Film Trilogy
In Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, it was only Frodo who was invited to look into the Mirror of Galadriel. He sees the vision of the Shire being destroyed while the four hobbits are being whipped by the Orcs. He sees how the Orcs are slaughtering other Hobbits. He also gets a final glance from the Eye of Sauron after which the One Ring starts to slide away from his shirt and almost touches the water making Galadriel step in and make the vision vanish. [3]
References
Categories:
Lorien
Magical Objects
The Fellowship of the Ring chapters
