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abrazimir · 3 years

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meta + Galadriel? what she said to him in Lothlórien and how that affected him? any continued effects or feelings in verses where he survives?

Requests for Headcanons! - ALWAYS ACCEPTING

SO there is some pretty clear book canon on at the topic, manner and effect of Galadriel’s interrogation of Boromir, confirmed by Frodo, Faramir and Boromir himself.

‘To me it seemed exceedingly strange,’ said Boromir. `Maybe it was only a test, and she thought to read our thoughts for her own good purpose; but almost I should have said that she was tempting us, and offering what she pretended to have the power to give.’ - Boromir Frodo caught something new and strange in Boromir’s glance, and he looked hard at him. Plainly Boromir’s thought was different from his final words. It would be folly to throw away: what? The Ring of Power? He had said something like this at the Council, but then he had accepted the correction of Elrond. - Frodo 'Boromir, O Boromir! What did she say to you, the Lady that dies not? What did she see? What woke in your heart then? Why went you ever to Laurelindorenan, and came not by your own road, upon the horses of Rohan riding home in the morning?' - Faramir

Galadriel was tempting him with the ring and that caused his attempt to take it.

It’s important to put this into context of her other conversations with the fellowship too, everyone else spoke of being tempted by home and the promise of returning to what was safe and familiar to them and not having to worry for the fellowship anymore. But, of course, that could not be what she promised Boromir. He lives this quest, his home IS the quest. And Boromir knows what the others were tempted by, because they discuss it together, which I think was a deeply alienating moment for him. It put into the starkest perspective that his priorities were simply not the same as the fellowship’s. Which is an important addition to his mindset going forward.

Another important part of this mix is that Boromir, at this point, does not trust in the fellowship. They have been lead through horror and darkness, ignoring or belittling his suggestions to NOT go through horror and darkness the entire way, and by the time Gimli has been threatened with death by Haldir (whom he’s told to trust) and Galadriel has invaded his mind- Boromir doesn’t trust the judgement of anyone within the fellowship anymore. Not that he considers them bad people, he just doesn’t believe they have the ability to complete this quest.

So Boromir has lost faith with the fellowship’s perspective of the quest and their ability to do it. And then Galadriel tempts Boromir with the ring, and that is the moment that Boromir begins to view the ring as something that can be used. He has ‘accepted the correction of Elrond’ up until this point. But now his advice seems hollow, careless and ill advised.

Heartbreakingly, Boromir does recognise that Galadriel is manipulating him somehow, but that just isn’t enough for him to discount it, not with the weight of all his loss of faith and mounting grim doom. And this is important too, Boromir’s reach for the ring is entirely logical. No one could blame him for thinking this was the most sensible decision, but once he has that reasonable hook then the ring can control him in short bursts, like making him attack Frodo.

So! Yes, in a version where Boromir lives, this significantly and enduringly impacts his view on Galadriel and elves as a whole. I always find it funny that people have this perception of Boromir going from mistrusting elves to coming around to them as he meets and befriends more, when it’s entirely the opposite. Boromir came ready to trust Elrond and from then on every subsequent elf he met made him trust them less. He doesn’t blame Galadriel for his taking the ring, that was his failure, but he views her as fell and dangerous and with motives he cannot and will not ever decipher. He also views elves as folk who are very self serving and hypocritical, with a desire to be lauded as good and merciful but no urge to do anything overly taxing to earn those titles.

And this impression reflects directly on Arwen! And colours his view of her. It is hard to see her decisions as sacrifices when so many of his own people have died horrifically just to keep Mordor at bay. When she has already lived thousands of years and will live a hundred more in peace and love as Queen of a country who’s traumas she has never seen and will never comprehend. And he does not trust that she has the empathy for humanity necessary to feel any of that, he does not trust that elves view humans as anything more than things to be manipulated (as he believes her grandmother does). She married Aragorn yes, but he’s very conscious that Aragorn was raised culturally elven, and is a king.

I could not tell you why Galadriel did this! She was testing the fellowship, but in that case Boromir must have failed that test. So why didn’t she do anything with that information? Why do this to him if she was never going to use it in the first place, and why treat him so differently from the others? Who knows what John was ever thinking or intending, a mystery! But it’s a moment with a dramatic effect on Boromir’s actions and thoughts going forward and he never really shakes it.

#;;asks #;;boromircanon #about:galadriel #about:arwen #:33 needed to get this one down too

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