Although the men outnumber the women in The Lord of the Rings, the female characters should not be underestimated, especially Galadriel and Arwen. Although neither has many scenes in the films, they are still two of the most important and best characters in The Lord of the Rings. Arwen might be more passive than Galadriel during the War of the Ring, but she held a vital role as Queen of the Reunited Kingdom, which began in earnest once she gifted Frodo her place to sail West. It is even fitting that Galadriel and Arwen, two independent women, are related.
Arwen & Galadriel’s Elven Lineage Explained
Despite Thousands Of Years Between Them, Arwen & Galadriel Are Two Generations Apart
Arwen is Galadriel’s descendant through her mother, Celebrían. Unlike Galadriel, Arwen is half-elven because her father is half-elven as well. Nevertheless, both Arwen and Galadriel carry elven immortality. Galadriel is the granddaughter of King Finwë, who was the first King of Noldor. Finwë married his second wife, Indis, and they had Finarfin and three other children. Finarfin married Eärwen, the daughter of Olwë, who descends from the third Elf clan, the Teleri, who traveled to Aman. The Teleri were also sea-elves. Finarfin and Eärwen had four children: Finrod, Angrod, Aegnor, and Galadriel.
There it is ! A helpful Tolkien chart that might come in handy absolutely never 🤲🏽🌟 pic.twitter.com/YL90bwGX3U — Juliette 🌞 (@Cy_lindric) September 10, 2022
Toward the end of the First Age, Galadriel married Celeborn, an elven prince of Doriath. Together, they had one daughter, born 300 years into the Second Age: Celebrían. Celebrían met her husband, half-elf Elrond, the Lord of Rivendell, in 1301 of the Second Age. This itself might seem surprising because Galadriel and Elrond have a special relationship in Rings of Power, but they were always just friends. Elrond fell in love with Celebrían, and they eventually married in 109 of the Third Age. Celebrían and Elrond have three children together.
Galadriel Is Arwen’s Grandmother
Galadriel’s Daughter Is Arwen’s Mother
After Celebrían and Elrond married in 109 of the Third Age, Celebrían gave birth to their twin sons, Elladan and Elrohir, in 130 of the Third Age. However, Celebrían and Elrond did not have their daughter until over a hundred years later, when Celebrían gave birth to Arwen in 241. Therefore, despite the thousands of years between Arwen and Galadriel, Arwen is Galadriel’s granddaughter through her mother, Celebrían. Since Elrond is half-elven, Elladan, Elrohir, and Arwen are considered half-elven as well, but they retain the elven immortality characteristic.
How Old Are Arwen & Galadriel In Lord Of The Rings?
Galadriel & Arwen Are Both Thousands Of Years Old
By the time the events of The Lord of the Rings take place during Middle-earth’s timeline, Arwen and Galadriel are both thousands of years old. However, given that each Age has a different number of years, it is complex to calculate Arwen and Galadriel’s ages during the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Galadriel was born in the First Age in 1362, the Year of the Trees, just over 300 years after the First Age began. However, the Years of the Trees are not calculated by solar years — one year in the Year of the Trees equals 9.582 solar years.
The Lord of the Rings Ages
Age
Number of Years
Beginning Event
Ending Event
First Age
14,963 solar years
Awakening of the Elves
Morgoth’s Downfall & Half-Elven Choice Fates
Second Age
3441 years
Morgoth’s Downfall
The Last Alliance of Elves and Men Defeats Sauron
Third Age
3021 years
Sauron’s Downfall
Last Riding of the Keepers of the Rings
Fourth Age
Estimated 2430 years (Tolkien Gateway)
Sauron’s Defeat, Last Riding of the Keepers of the Rings
Unknown
Once the Moon and Sun were created in 1500, Year of the Trees, Middle-earth began calculating time using solar years. At this point, Galadriel was approximately 1322 years old. The remainder of the First Age lasted 590 solar years, making Galadriel 1912 years old. The Second Age lasted 3441 solar years, which means that Galadriel was then 5353 years old. The Lord of the Rings depicts the War of the Ring, which begins in 3018, the Third Age. That means Galadriel is 8371 at the beginning of The Lord of the Rings, and she is 8375 at the end of the series.
Arwen chose to remain with Aragorn rather than sail to Aman, which would result in her eventual death. Arwen died in 121, the Fourth Age, when she was 2901 years old.
Arwen’s age is much easier to calculate because she was born in 241, the Third Age. That makes Arwen 2777 years old when The Lord of the Rings begins and 2780 years old at the end of the series, marked by the Last Riding of the Keepers of the Rings, when Elves and Hobbits traveled to Aman. Arwen chose to remain with Aragorn rather than sail to Aman, which would result in her eventual death. Arwen died in 121, the Fourth Age, when she was 2901 years old.
