Tolkien Had a Perfect Strong Woman For Amazon to Adapt, But It Chose to Butcher Galadriel Instead
Amazon could have both female empowerment and respect for the canon, but it is what it is now.
The role of women in J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings series has been the subject of discussion and controversy over the years.
Tolkien's writings are known for their emphasis on traditional gender roles and for their portrayal of women as minor characters, often relegated to supporting roles.
However, there are several significant female characters who play key roles in the narrative. Separately, it is worth mentioning the warriors women like Idril, Haleth and Eowyn.
One can't say that Tolkien treated female warriors with contempt, for example, Eowyn performed one of the most important military feats in The Lord of the Rings, when she defeated the Witch King.
The brave Emeldir could be an ideal candidate for a strong female character, as not only her own story is interesting, but also her son became a significant character in Tolkien's universe.
When Morgoth broke the siege of Angband, the leader of the people of Beor, Barahir, and some of his warriors decided to stay in their homeland and fight the orcs.
Eventually, however, Barahir's situation became so desperate that his wife, Emeldir, nicknamed the Man-hearted, gathered the remaining women and children, distributed weapons to everyone, and led them into the mountains.
To reach the safety of Brethil, the exiles traveled perilous roads. Emeldir saved her people from annihilation and became a true heroine.
Her son was Beren, the character of one of Tolkien's most famous stories. After meeting Luthien, he became the first man in Middle-earth history to fall in love with an elf.
To gain the king's permission to marry her, Beren went on a quest for the Silmaril, and was successful when Luthien herself later joined him.
Upon his return to Doriath, he was killed by the wolf Carcharoth, but through Luthien's intercession, was resurrected with the special permission of Eru Iluvatar.
Amazon's The Rings of Power could take the story as far away from The Lord of the Rings as possible, instead of attracting viewers' attention with already familiar characters like Galadriel, whom many viewers found to be an incomparably weaker version compared to Peter Jackson's one.
The Rings of Power looks more like a parasitism on the nostalgic feelings of fans than an attempt to enrich one of the most interesting fantasy universes.