Frodo, Sam, Pippin & Merry, Gimli, Legolis, Boromir and Aragon

Haldir, a tree Elf

Lord Celeborn the Wise, the leader of the Elves (Lord of the Galadhrim)

Lady Galadriel

Haldir takes the Company to the City of Trees, where they meet Celeborn ad Galadriel, leaders of the Elves.

Galadriel shows Frodo and Sam the Mirror of Galadriel - a basin of water that "shows things that were, and things that are, and things that yet may be."

Frodo sees a large eye that seems to be searching for him. He also sees one of the three elvin rings on Galdriel's finger.

Galadriel indicates that if Sauron obtains the One ring, then he will have mastery over all, but if Frodo succeeds, then Lothlorien will fade and sweep it away.

The description of the City of the Trees is almost magical. It is indeed a fairy land.

This is another opportunity for the Company to rest in safety and to reflect on their journey.

The choices facing the Elves are all negative, yet there is a strong sense of the importance of good triumphing over evil.

"I will not give you counsel, saying do this, or do that. For not in doing or contriving, nor in choosing between this course and another, can I avail; but only in knowing what was and is, and in part also what shall be. But this I will say to you: your Quest stand upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little and it will fail, to the ruin of all. Yet hope remains while all the Company is true." [Celeborn] [p. 348]

"And I reckon there's Elves and Elves. They're all elvish enough, but they're not all the same. ... Whether they've made the land, or the land's made them, it's hard to say." [Sam] [p. 351]

"It's the job that 's never started as takes the longest to finish." [Sam] [p. 352]

"The love of the Elves for their land and their works is deeper than the deeps of the sea, and their regret is undying and cannot ever be wholly be aussaged. Yet they will cast all way rather than submit to Sauron." [Galadriel] [p. 356]