Silmarillion Storybook

The Crossing of Helcaraxe

GaladrielAs she poured water from the pitcher, she remembered the words she uttered to Frodo at this same place. "I will diminish, and fade into the West. I will remain Galadriel." The One Ring had been destroyed, and the Three Rings had lost their power to protect and preserve (including Galadriel's ring, Nenya). She had come to Middle-Earth at the dawn of the First Age, and now the Third Age was drawing to a close. As she looked into her mirror, an image of ice glaciers took shape, then a full moon rising against a backdrop of stars. She knew well the host of Elves crossing those ice galciers; she had been one of them. Though it had been so long ago, she would never forget her journey to Middle-Earth: few deeds of the Elves ever surpassed that crossing in hardship and woe.

The Curse of Feanor The Kinslaying at Alqualonde "We woke to find that the ships and Feanor's host were gone," she remembered. "We did not know where they had gone. Finrod, my beloved brother, believed we had been betrayed. I did not believe him at first; but when we saw the great fire from across the sea, we knew that Feanor had stolen the ships and burned them when he reached Middle-Earth. Some in the host talked about going back; my father Finarfin had already led a small group back after we killed the Teleri, my mother's kin. But I wanted even more strongly to make the journey. Perhaps my pride drove me on, or maybe a sense of shame at our deeds, or a desire for revenge against the host of Feanor -- probably all of them, to some extent. How could we have known the hardship we would face?

Fingolfin Leads the Host Across the Helcaraxe "We continued marching north to the Helcaraxe, the stretch of ice that connected the Blessed Realm to Middle-Earth. Fingolfin led; Finrod and I encouraged the others to keep pressing on. The host got smaller every day. Many preferred to remain behind and die with their loved ones on the Helcaraxe than to make the journey without them. Finrod and I encouraged them and begged them to continue on -- to leave their dead behind -- but many would not.

"Only once was one of the dead my close kin. I found Turgon, my cousin, hunched over his wife Elenwe. She lay there, frozen to death, in the snow. He held their young daughter Idril in his arms, sobbing. I reached out and put my hand on his shoulder, but he brushed it away. 'We should never have come here!' he cried out. 'I have lost the one thing that is most precious to me within the circles of the world. Why did we follow Feanor the traitor? What did we care about his Silmarils?'

Finrod Felagund"Fingolfin ordered the host to stop. Losing his daughter-in-law in this way had destroyed his last shred of hope. The rest of the host, too, seemed to have given up. I did not know what to do: I did not want to stay here and die, but I could not go on alone. I pleaded with Finrod. He was a natural leader -- he would one day rule his own kingdom in Middle-Earth -- and he rose to the occasion. He spoke powerful and persuasive words, urging the host forward. Eventually Fingolfin and Turgon followed him, but Finrod and I led the host the rest of the way.

The First Rising of the Moon "As we drew near to the end of this devastating journey, we received what we took as a sign of favor from the Gods. A round white light rose above the horizon, light like we had not seen since the destruction of the Two Trees. This light did not warm us, but it gave us hope. Fingolfin and those of us with trumpets let out a long, triumphant blast. But we were not triumphant; we had suffered from our own pride and our kinsmen's betrayal. Many died who should not have, had we accepted the Gods' wisdom and remained in Valinor."

Galadriel The image in the mirror faded away as quickly as it had appeared. Galadriel set down the pitcher and took one last look around. She was the last of that great host alive in Middle-Earth; Finrod had died ages before, when he aided Beren in his quest to regain a Silmaril. Yes, it was definitely time to leave; she had lingered too long in Middle-Earth.

Bibliography The Crossing of Helcaraxe The Ring of Galadriel