Aragorn is descended from Elros, so Elrond is his Great[sup]30[/sup] Uncle.
I don’t think we know that about Glorfindel. The first time I know of that he is mentioned is in Gondolin, as one of the lords there. I don’t know of any reference to him having come from Valinor with the other Noldor Exiles, so it’s entirely likely that he was born after the exile, in the First Age as Gil-galad was.
I guess we could say that Glorfindel saw Valinor in the time after he’d been re-embodied and released from the Halls of Mandos, but not exactly what I was going for.
There’s also Círdan, who was one of the first elves to awaken at Cuiviénen, but never made the trip to Valinor. And beyond that… I can’t think of anyone other than Galadriel who’d been one of the original Noldor exiles.
JRRT refers to Cirdan as the wisest elf in ME, mainly due to his age and also to his use of the Palantir at the Grey Havens. He used it to communicate with his kin in Avalonnë, and learn from them.
Well, Celeborn was being re-written as a Telerin elf who left the Undying lands with Galadriel, in JRRT"s later notes. But otherwise, I can’t think of anyone either
Now the fun begins…
Favorite Characters: (mine, feel free to chime in with your own)
Eowyn–hands down, no question. JRRT gave the world a strong female character, w/o making her a ball busting/frigid bitch or one who just needed a good lay or a man, or rescuing for that matter. True, she does “melt” a bit once she meets and lover Faramir, but so do most people. All the more amazing is JRRT had essentially a Victorian/Edwardian upbringing. His saga would be remarkable if only for Eowyn.
Eowyn/Film–good casting. Miranda Otto does well portraying Eowyn’s tensions. She could have been a bit more ice maidenish, IMO. (more remote).
Aragorn–you say this coming. He’s the ultimate ubermensch (no umlaut on my keyboard). He is nobless oblige, the Hero, the Good Man who won’t let the side down.
Aragorn/Film-you gotta be kidding me. Is there ANYONE who is unhappy that Viggo played Aragorn? He is Strider on set and off. I cannot imagine this book w/o him now. He embodies this character–and even gives him more depths, IMO. Absolutely spot on.
Frodo-the Everyman. He’s a good guy and wants to do what’s right. He reminds me of Milo in The Phantom Tollbooth, who couldn’t have done what he did, if he had realized it was impossible. He is much more than this, but I only have so much time (so is Aragorn, but this is a bb, not literary analysis and theory class)
Frodo/Film–another winner. I liked Elijah Wood as Frodo. He was more physically beautiful than most on paper Hobbits, but that is film for you. I thought he did a good job of interpreting Frodo’s torment. I really liked his turning and keeping of the ring in Mt Doom. Well done, and if PJ likes to film this handsome young man in bed, over and over again, that’s his right!
Boromir-kind of a cardboard cutout character here. Good, simple soldier and leader, going for the obvious, not appreciating subtlety. Meh.
Boromir/Film-fantastic. Sean Bean encapsulates Boromir, but like Viggo, gives him shades of meaning. Best death scene in a long, long time. Excellent small touches in the scene on the mountain where Boromir picks up the ring.
Gandalf–wonderful. A truly lovable and respected character. I could read just about anything about Gandalf. He is well rounded, alive on paper, yet powerful and fantastic. I want to know more about HIM (not Maiar in general).
Gandalf/Film-fabulous. Ian McKellen did a great job. Perhaps he could have made Gandalf more mysterious or eerie, I dunno.
Ioleth-great minor character, as was the pharmacist in the Healing House. Comedic touch in a dark part of the book-very welcome relief. Shows JRRT’s love of play re language and intellectual pomposity.
Ioleth/Film–sucks, because she doesn’t exist. No reason they couldn’t have had that scene with the athelas and Ioleth–PJ tossed the damned dwarf, didn’t he!?
Gimli-nice dwarf, as dwarves go. Kinder and more “human” than the ones who go on the burgalry with Bilbo (although I came to like them as well). Wonderful growth in character when he sees the Caverns and then goes into Fangorn with Legolas.
Gimli/Film-good job. Rode that line of becoming a schticky sidekick of Aragorn and Legolas, but didn’t quite topple into it. Well played by John Rhys-Davis.
Legolas–great elf character. I thought the woodland elves laughed more and sang and drank a lot. That seemed to be missing, although they were on a deadly quest and all. I expected more laughter or humor from him, though.
Legolas/Film-the supermodel of the trilogy, and by that I mean no disrespect. He is a perfect complement to the earthiness of Gimli and the rough-hewn warrior of Strider. See? A man can be manly and have great hair. Love the braid. Orlando Bloom must have channeld Errol Flynn or Douglas Fairbanks to do what he did.
Faramir-deeper, more subtle character than his brother. Felt his pain re his father.
Faramir/Film-David Wenham stepped into this role. I could see his conflict in his eyes and felt his loss of his brother and his conflict with his father.
Ok, I’m tired now. More later.
Ioreth
Oops. Well, my cat will be named Ioleth… 
Ok, one assignment down, am avoiding the next one. So, more characters and my reactions to them.
Galadriel-meh. Sure, she’s fair and powerful and wise. But she seems insipid to me, not at all like the elves in The Hobbit. She’s too stately, too remote.
Galadriel/Film-again, meh. No real hidden but hinted at depths there. Nice outfits, though. Cate Blanchett is a good actress, but some of her lines are awful: “that choice is still before her.” The weird laugh/smile she gives when Sam asks for a sword; her talking over herself upon formal introductions; her telling Frodo he brings great evil here-like he doesn’t know it… Meh.
Celeborn-Ugh. Is he needed in this plot, at all? Filler, IMO. No doubt he’s vital in The Silmarillion, but not here.
Celeborn aka Mr Galadriel/Film–need I say more? He’s an extra in nice clothes. The only time he acts like a man-elf is when he gives that odd dagger to Aragorn. His odd intonation of “where is Gandalf” makes him sound deaf or autistic, not wise and omniscent.
Arwen-well, I guess he’s got to love someone. Problem is, she isn’t given enough paper in the books to really show why she’s so important to Aragorn. I didn’t realize she gave a jewel to Frodo, though. She’s ok.
Arwen/Film–ok. Liv Tyler is beautiful and her costumes are gorgeous. She does an excellent job of showing anger toward Aragorn when he attempts to give back the necklace. I don’t mind the necklace as a device–PJ is trying to keep her in the film! --otherwise, Eowyn is a good match for Aragorn. She speaks Elvish nicely. I don’t get the whole “Arwen is dying, her fate is tied to the Ring” meme–it’s a distraction that makes no logical sense whatsoever. Has to be a Philippa Boyd idea… Their final kiss is lame, though–Aragorn/Viggo tries to make it good, but that scene is so weighted down.
Pippin-nice comedic touch. He learns alot. I like him.
Pippin/Film-he’s ok. Not much to add. Love his voice and the lament.
Merry-ok, more stable in character than Pippin, but good.
Merry/Film-not as strong a screen presence as Pippin/Billy Boyd. ok.
Treebeard–I used to fascinated by Ents. Now, not so much. He’s witty and pithy (for all his verbosity).
Treebeard/Film-shoot me now. He does not translate onto film–he is too slow, too ponderous, too boring. They also do not look the way I thought they would.
Gollum-well done. He’s like a living, walking Freudian text. Eerie kind of evil, pathetic, but dangerous.
Gollum/Film-well done, Andy. Should have gotten some kind of award for his portrayal.
Saruman-subtle devilry and malice lurking under authority and entitlement. <shivers>
Saruman/Film-well, I think this actor has an ego the size of ME, but he did do a great Saruman. I love the way his eyebrows move when Wormtongue says “there’ll be women and children” on the way to Helm’s Deep. One nasty motherfucker.
Tired again-this is alot of work… more later. I’ll do Theoden, Eomer and Wormtongue and Denethor, but then I’m done.
No so much. He really is just Mr. Galadriel, as far as I can tell.
That’s one of my favorite scenes. My friends and I call that expression the “mmmm, tasty children” look.
yes–like the women and children just ADD enjoyment to the destruction and death. Evil, nasty man (but with a twinkle).
Can’t settle to do my grad school work, so here is my last shot at this.
Wormtongue-eh. A contemptible character, but then that’s his job. He’s drawn well, but his “worm turning” scene in the book feels false. It’s too sudden and given short shrift, as if Tolkien just wanted to get the book over with. Tidying up a loose end, rather than great drama.
Wormtongue/Film–well done, again. He is so nasty looking-he looks like a white Michael Jackson to me (oh, wait-that was Johnny Dep–speaking of which, I could see Legolas played by Depp-as long as he added Jack Sparrow into the mix). Unlike a person I know on another (nursing) board who is a LOTR fanatic, I think having Wormtongue say Gandalf’s lines about “who knows what bitterness etc” is brilliant. It fits so well. (her reaction in that scene is meh to me-she doesn’t convey her revulsion and anxiety correctly). I like how he spits in Aragorn’s hand-nice touch. I also like his murder of Saruman better (but think that Saruman should have been killed in the Shire–put that scene in the Scouring in, which never happened, according to PJ, thereby negating the whole maturation arc of hobbits).
Eomer-not bad. In the book, he has an ongoing relationship with Gimli, and the hobbits. He seems more of a leader. JRRT’s description of him on the mound in the Pelennor fields–the whole “he was young, he was king” stuff–glorious.
Eomer/Film-I just don’t see him as king, after Theoden. He’s too young, too frat-rat-y. But I think he’s constrained by the script, more than any other character-he is forced into the background, and unlike Boromir, has no big death scene to steal. He does brotherly grief well.
Theoden-kind of cardboard here, too. If he’s so wise and all-how come things aren’t’ better controlled? And why doesn’t he see the whole Saruman trick stuff? (evidence of Saruman’s skill with treachery, I imagine). If he wasn’t destined to die in battle, someone would have killed him off.
Theoden/Film-wow. Great makeup and transformation. Fantastic pre-battle speech. Nice death, too. Got a bit tired of the “I know your face” bit. Well done.
Who’s left?
Rosie Cotton-seems a nice down to earth girl.
Rosie Cotton/Film-she looks old enough to be his mother. I like her better as a barmaid than a bride.
Elanor (oh, come on-you know I had to do this!). Seems a pretty behaved, nice child.
Elanor/Film-Gorgeous hair. Nice acting, given her age.
Frodo Gamgee-no mention of him, except in one sentence.
Frodo Gamgee/Film-whose idea was it to put that stupid beret thingy on his head? It looks stupid. Take it off. NOW. thanks.
Deagol-I refuse to go there. That murder…ugh. I close my eyes every time. (I’m a wimp at movies).
Figwit-love him. He’s gorgeous. Nice speaking voice.
Oh, the irony.
I suspect you added this just to be mean to me. :mad: 
I forgot Denethor and Tom Bombadil. Plus, I can’t sleep.
Denethor-well, some people like him. I thought he was an SOB. Still do. I don’t think he was an especially good father, either-to either of his sons.
Denethor/Film-same. He was disgusting. Maybe the actor overplayed it a bit. I found myself repulsed by him. (and thinking that Faramir was better off w/o his love). Bitter, old, twisted bastard.
Tom Bombadil-intriguing character. Is he an embodiment of God? or is he an embodiment of the Green Man? See here GreenMan The popularity of the Green Man (aka Pan) resurged about the time that Tolkien started writing. Just a thought. I like to think of both Bombadil and/or Beorn as what COULD happen, if humans lived as one with nature. Completey idealistic etc, but there it is.
Bombadil/Film-doesn’t exist. But in the EE, they show Merry and Pippin “sucked” into one of the trees and it is Treebeard who gets them out. Not fair, PJ. Disingenuous at best.
Off to read Appendice A etc.
Why? I don’t get it. Is she his daughter in RL? (can’t be-Sean Austin’s kids are young)
I wouldn’t be mean to you. Really. Why is Figwit’s voice and natural beauty a blow to you? I’m confused.
Rosie is played by Sean Astin’s wife, who isn’t at all old enough to be Sean’s mother in real-life. Eleanor, IIRC, is indeed played by their daughter. So I found it ironic that you think they picked someone who looked old enough to be his mother instead of his wife.
… and I was teasing about Figwit. I hadn’t even noticed him much at all in the movie, one reason that finding that there’s fanfic about him and Legolas left me rather aghast.
And it’s probably the kind where someone is telling some other person that, no their wings don’t make them hideous, they’re beautiful. Oy.
That’s Sean Austin’s wife? <off to google>
No, it’s not. Rosie was played by Sarah McLeod. Rosie
Ms McLeod is much more attractive as a brunette.
Sean’s wife’s name is Christine. Christine
You’re right about Alexandra, though. She played Elanor.
Well, I’ll be… huh. Ignorance fought.
It’ll drive me crazy trying to remember where I’d heard that… but that can wait until tomorrow, after sleepytime. 
And now, so many things make sense…
Am reading appendix 9 and 3/4. Just kidding. Started to read it seriously, got overwhelmed by Tolkien’s torturous prose and giving everyone 3 names at a minimum, so started skimming for names I recognized. The bit about Aragorn and Arwen was nice. I see the touchs (touches? Why can’t I spell anymore?) that PJ put in–the “I gave my hope to Men, but kept none for myself” that Gilraen says–Aragorn and Elrond say that re Arwen in the film. Also, that splendid line about Aragorn “…glory undimmed before the breaking of the world.”
It is something to know that the whole thing turned on a chance meeting of Thorin Oakenshield and Gandalf in a pub in Bree. That really ties it down for me–for in such ways is history made (god, now I’m writing like JRRT). I can handle his writing style if there’s a plot–a mere relaying of info–he’s as bad as Dickens.
Who is Thorongil? It says he’s the son of Ecthilion, but then it says that no one knew from whence he came. Is he like John the Baptist?
Aragorn is Thorongil (“Eagle of the Star”), a name he went by in his youth, especially in service to Gondor as a Captain and then rival to Denethor.
Ecthelion II is Denethor’s father and the prior ruling steward. You got that a little mixed up.
Hmmmm. Here is the passage:
"Ectholion II, son of Turgon, was a man of wisdom…OOOooohhh. Ya know, if you miss so much as one half of one sentence in these appendices, you miss a lot. So, Ecthilion was aided by one Thorongil, whose origins no one knew.
Ok.
And so Aragorn just laid down and died, eh? Did he stop to think it might just be a touch of 'flu? Mono? Ennui? Do we learn about his son (not that I’m much interested…unless Tolkien makes him interesting.)
Eldarion Telcontar is the son and we know very little about him.
I know you’re being flip, but I’ll respond anywhistle. Aragorn chose to die when he did; voluntarily giving up the ghost when the time was right (and for that matter knowing when that time was) was a grace granted the Numenoreans, and we all know how strong that blood ran in him.
Which makes me wonder: how long did Faramir live? Unless he died in battle, it’s not likely that Eowyn pre-deceased him. I can easily imagine him choosing to give up the ghost when she died, though he may have been still vital when that happened. Thoughts, anyone?
Wait-again with the too fast. My reading comprehension went south when I hit the Appendices.
Faramir is ALSO of the line of Numaenor? How so? (reader’s digest version, please).
Did Eowyn and Farmir have any kids? And so Faramir, instead of being Steward went of to something that begins with I to live with Eowyn?
What of the King of the Elves in The Hobbit? Where did he fit in the Elrond/Galadriel stuff?