News culture This mistake by Tolkien could have ruined The Lord of the Rings: he ultimately decided not to accept him into the Fellowship of the Ring
When we talk about a novel, we often talk about the mistakes in adapting it to the cinema. But novelists aren’t perfect either. They too can make mistakes and this includes a writer named JJR Tolkien who had some difficulty with a particular character named Glorfindel.
A powerful elf
The golden-haired elf lord named Glorfindel played a much more prominent role than in Peter Jackson’s adaptation. If you’ve seen the films, you probably remember Arwen saving the Ringbearer when the Nazgul pursue Frodo. The two characters try to escape the demonic beings in a chase that ends in the favor of the two protagonists. However, if you have read the books, you know that this passage is different. In fact, in the novel we see Glorfindel pushing the Nine back into the waters of the Bruinen using torches.
In reality, this elf already exists in the past. Over 5,000 years ago he was lord of the House of the Golden Flower of Gondolin. In The Silmarillion, a posthumously published work by JJR Tolkien, we learn more about his early life. He would have fought a Balrog alone to enable his people to survive the fall of the city of Gondolin, dragging that bloodthirsty beast with him to the other world!
The companions of the ring elves
If this character arose from the British writer’s good ideas and led to endless pages of text about reincarnation among the elven people, the chapter that followed Frodo’s rescue had to be rewritten because of a bad idea. As a matter of fact, In the final version, it is Legolas who joins the hobbit on his quest. A powerful archer, he is very popular with the public because of his philosophical side and his relationship with Gimli the dwarf. However, we could have had a completely different story, because in the first version it is Glorfindel who is part of the Fellowship of the Ring!
Had such a heroic character been part of the rest of the adventure, it would have been quite difficult for the British poet and novelist to control his power. With such a strong and courageous companion, The quest would probably have ended sooner than expected and the group’s difficulties would have been solved more easily.
