Alatariel

Galadriel was originally named Artanis (Q. 'ar'=noble, 'nis'=woman, a name common to royal women of the Elves, most prominently as in the form Arwen, Galadriel's granddaughter), and Nerwen (Q. 'ner'=man, 'wen'=maiden, hence manly maiden), referring to her height and strength; Galadriel is the Sindarinized version of Telerin Quenya Alatáriel (Q. 'alatá'=radiance, 'riel'=maiden crowned with a garland), a name given her by Celeborn, referring to her silver-golden hair.

As the ruler of Lothlórien, she was referred to by a variety of titles, including "Lady of Lórien", "Lady of the Wood", and (by Gimli) "Queen Galadriel" — although, according to Tolkien's account in Unfinished Tales, neither she nor Celeborn took royal titles themselves, as they considered they were but guardians of Lórien. She was also referred to as "Lady of Light" (the translation of Galadriel) or as the "White Lady", as her fair skin and white cloaks made her seem to shine.


Illustration by Alan Lee