Glorfindel

Glorfindel is an Elf-lord of the House of Finrod, one of the High Elves of the West who returned to Middle-earth in exile. He dwells in Rivendell in the house of Elrond, where he is counted among the mightiest of the Eldar still remaining east of the Sea. When Elrond receives troubling news that the Nine Riders are abroad and that the Ring-bearer Frodo Baggins is journeying without Gandalf, he sends out those few in Rivendell who can ride openly against the Nine. Glorfindel is chosen to take the Road, and he departs nine days before Frodo reaches the Ford of Bruinen.

The Search and the Rescue

Glorfindel rides to the Bridge of Mitheithel, where he leaves a token—a pale-green beryl, an elf-stone—in the mud as a sign of hope for those who follow. There he encounters three of the servants of Sauron upon the Bridge, but they withdraw before him, and he pursues them westward. He also comes upon two other Riders, who turn away southward. After searching for Frodo's trail for two days, he finds it and follows it over the Bridge, and on the day of the rescue he marks where the hobbits descended from the hills again. He meets Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli on the Road, and when he sees Frodo he dismounts and runs to meet Aragorn, calling out in the Elvish tongue: "Ai na vedui Dúnadan! Mae govannen!"

The Healing and the Flight

When Frodo collapses from the Morgul-wound, Glorfindel catches him and looks at his face with grave anxiety. He examines the hilt of the Morgul-knife that Aragorn has kept, and shudders as he takes it, saying that evil things are written on it and that the wounds of this weapon are beyond his skill to heal. Yet he does what he can: he searches the wound on Frodo's shoulder with his fingers, and though his face grows graver, Frodo feels the chill lessen in his side and arm, and a little warmth creeps down from his shoulder to his hand. Glorfindel then gives Frodo his own white horse, Asfaloth, and shortens the stirrups so that Frodo can ride. He assures Frodo that the horse will bear him with a speed that even the black steeds of the enemy cannot rival, and that his pace is light and smooth. When Frodo refuses to ride if it means leaving his friends behind, Glorfindel smiles and explains that the pursuit would follow Frodo and leave the others in peace, for it is Frodo and the Ring that bring them all in peril.

The Crossing of the Ford

As the company approaches the Ford of Bruinen, Glorfindel hears the pursuing Riders and cries out "Fly!" He calls to the horse in the Elf-tongue: "noro lim, noro lim, Asfaloth!" The white horse springs away and speeds like the wind along the last lap of the Road. When the Riders are overwhelmed by the flood that Elrond commands, Glorfindel rushes out from hiding with Aragorn and the others, carrying flaming brands. Caught between fire and water, and seeing an Elf-lord revealed in his wrath, the Riders are dismayed and their horses are stricken with madness. Three are carried away by the first assault of the flood, and the others are hurled into the water by their horses and overwhelmed.

Appearance and Nature

Glorfindel is tall and straight, with hair of shining gold, a face fair and young and fearless and full of joy. His eyes are bright and keen, and his voice is like music. On his brow sits wisdom, and in his hand is strength. When Frodo sees him at the Ford, he appears as a shining figure of white light, and Gandalf later explains that Frodo saw him for a moment as he is upon the other side: one of the mighty of the Firstborn, an Elf-lord of a house of princes. Those who have dwelt in the Blessed Realm live at once in both the Seen and the Unseen worlds, and against both they have great power. Glorfindel is one of the few in Rivendell who can ride openly against the Nine, and Elrond sends him out north, west, and south to search for the Ring-bearer.

Role in the Council and the Company

At the Council of Elrond, Glorfindel speaks with authority on the matter of the Ring. When Erestor suggests sending the Ring to Tom Bombadil for safekeeping, Glorfindel argues that to send the Ring to him would only postpone the day of evil, for Bombadil is far away and could not be reached unmarked by any spy, and that in the end, if all else is conquered, Bombadil will fall, Last as he was First. He also declares that two things only remain for them to attempt: to send the Ring over the Sea, or to destroy it. When Elrond says that the Three Rings were not made as weapons of war or conquest, Glorfindel affirms that all the Elves are willing to endure the chance that the Three will fail, if by it the power of Sauron may be broken and the fear of his dominion be taken away for ever. He is present at the feast in Rivendell after Frodo's recovery, seated next to Elrond on one side while Gandalf sits on the other, and Frodo sees him revealed as a lord of dignity and power.