Have you ever felt deeply connected to a fictional character?
I don’t mean the character you like the most, one you see a couple bits of yourself in, or even your overall favourite character, no matter the criteria you use for this choice.
I’m talking about reading about or watching a particular character, and their journey throughout the story, and feeling a deep connection or bond with them. Specifically, a profound bond that’s difficult to explain. It doesn’t refer to a specific type of bond, whether you feel like that character is a friend, you have a crush on them, they feel as if they are you, or something else. It is simply a thread connecting you to them.
Dear reader, over this post and the next, I will walk you through in detail what I mean by this bond and who I have formed it with. However, I believe the title has already given the second part away. I will also pull some evidence as to what has made me feel this way and why.
A Profound Bond
I can count on one hand how many times I have experienced a feeling like this toward a fictional character. This is how I know it is different than simply a favourite character; I have many of those. I have a favourite character in just about every book I’ve read, or television show and movie I’ve watched. However, encountering a character who really hits me in the heart, one I connect with so closely that sometimes it’s hard to define… Well, this only happens every once in a while.
It has been over 10 years, I think, since the last time this happened for me.
This has been on my mind quite a bit lately because I am forming a bond like this with a character I have known for a while. In fact, this is the first time I have formed such a bond with a character I’ve known before. This character also happens to be among my favourites within the story they come from.
The character?
Elrond Peredhel.
The Lord of the Rings: Elrond Peredhel Completed
In Tolkien’s novels The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, Elrond Peredhel is a wise, steady leader. We are given the following description of him:
“He was as noble and as fair in face as an elf lord, as strong as a warrior, as wise as a wizard, as venerable as a king of dwarves and as kind as summer.” (The Hobbit, Chapter 3 “A Short Rest”)
My own impression of Elrond Peredhel within these main two stories certainly matches this idea. His position, I think, is partially why I not only respect him, but also find comfort in his scenes. He is meant to be someone we can all trust.
In these works, however, Elrond is the “finished product” of a character for the most part. He has already gone through the vast majority of his personal growth and character arc. What remains of his story doesn’t reach the scale of Bilbo’s or Frodo’s, who are focal protagonists in these works. Instead, the Elrond here is similar to Gandalf. He is a wise figure who we know has seen a lot. For the most part, his character simply serves to guide our focal protagonists.
Of course, in some of Tolkien’s wider Legendarium, and a few details in the main texts, we get hints of his backstory. We know things about his father and mother (Eӓrendil and Elwing), brother (Elros), and wife (Celebrían, who is also Galadriel’s daughter). We know a bit about Elrond’s trauma linked to what happened to them. Additionally, we read a little bit about how Gil-galad eventually entrusted Elrond with Vilya, one of the three Elven rings.
Despite this information, we do not get the same level of insight on the page into Elrond’s character and his growth arc, as we do with characters like Sam and Frodo.
This is by no means a bad thing. As I mentioned before, Elrond is not, after all, a focal protagonist. I simply wanted to point this out because I suspect it is a major reason why, while Elrond has been one of my favourite characters in Tolkien for quite some time, I have never forged this deep of a bond with him before, the way I have now.
The Rings of Power: Elrond in Progress
This bond has begun because we are now seeing an “unfinished” version of Elrond Peredhel in The Rings of Power. He has, of course, already been through some trauma. One of the major ones being the loss of his father, mother, and what went down with the Silmarils. I would also include his brother’s decision to be “counted among Men and become mortal” in this.
In season one of The Rings of Power, we saw how other elves would exclude him from meetings, citing “elf lords only”. Elrond Peredhel specifically means Elrond Half-elven. This, from my knowledge of the lore, positions him as almost “less than” in the eyes of many elves. He is not, at this time, an elf lord.
During this season, I also find Elrond shows a significant amount of naïveté and innocence. This depicts a stark contrast to how we see him during The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. He is simply a young herald for High King Gil-galad. There is also a certain blindness to time, which plays up a similar almost inexperienced aspect to his character. I am speaking, of course, about his friendship with Durin IV, the dwarven prince.
At the tail end of season one and the start of season two, I found his character growth really starting to kick off. His relationship with Durin IV, for instance, grew significantly by the end of season one. Additionally, I personally feel his past trauma is informing his initial distrust of the three rings for the elves. I’m also seeing his transition from a rather innocent poet/politician to a warrior and leader.
The transition, I might add, is one thrust upon him. I don’t believe he ever expected, even for a second, that he would have to step into a warrior or leader role akin to Galadriel’s. This transformation really begins when Gil-galad gives him command of a small party to lead to Eregion to connect with Celebrimbor.
Elrond’s transformation from poet to warrior culminates in episode seven, when our sword-wielding hero leads an army at the Siege of Eregion. However, by using his strategic mind to ask Durin IV for help, conceal information from Adar, and pass Galadriel a pin, he also stays true to himself. I love him and the growth he is displaying.
Robert Aramayo as Elrond
Robert Aramayo’s portrayal of Elrond Peredhel has been stunning from the beginning to our current point. I assume he will continue down this route until the series finale of The Rings of Power, wherever that leaves Elrond’s story. From the first scene, I saw the kindness in his eyes. The wonder. As many have pointed out, I immediately saw the piece about “kind as summer” (The Hobbit, Chapter 3 “A Short Rest”) reflected in Rob Aramayo’s performance from that first scene.
As we watch Elrond grow and Rob add new elements to his performance, I expect we will also see the other pieces of that description of Elrond throughout the rest of The Rings of Power. By the end, I believe we will have the Elrond we see throughout The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.
In fact, I think we are already seeing “as strong as a warrior” (The Hobbit, Chapter 3 “A Short Rest”). It is starting to poke through with the events in the latter half of season two. I don’t know if Rob is specifically thinking of this description of Elrond. That said, I love how it is coming through bit by bit and it elevates his performance to another level.
I mentioned Elrond’s transformation from poet to warrior – throughout episode eight, I think it goes even further. It adds in additional strife and we see incredible grief in Elrond, particularly with the burning of Celebrimbor’s scrolls. In addition, from when Gil-galad, Arondir, and Elrond find Galadriel, I think see see yet another part of Elrond’s growth. He is not just a warrior here. He is well on his way to becoming a leader.
And oh, dear reader, my feelings regarding Elrond Peredhel and seeing him in the valley that will become Imladris (Rivendell). It offered me another layer of the bond that’s been building between me and him. This layer came at a degree I didn’t think was going to happen in a single episode.
Uncovering My Bond with Elrond Peredhel
Dear reader, I wrote too much — here’s the second part of this piece on Elrond Peredhel and the bond I have formed with him.
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