Calculating the ages of the immortal races in Lord of the Rings is complicated since Tolkien’s fictional universe is at least 70,000 years old. The legendary author detailed much of this timeline with canon events, including the births of characters like Galadriel, Elrond, Celebrimbor, and more. Each of these characters lived for centuries, and they were well past 1,000 by the events of The Rings of Power. However, Galadriel was among the oldest of them, born before there was even a sun in the sky to count the years by—so how old is she really?
How Old Galadriel Is In The Rings Of Power
Galadriel Is Between 3,412 and 5,353
In the official timeline, Galadriel was born in 1362 during the Years of Trees, which lasted until YT 1500. Because there was no sun during the Years of the Trees, these are not solar years but Valian years (making all this even more complicated). Tolkien indicated that 1 Valian year was equivalent to 9.582 solar years. So, by YT 1500, Galadriel was 1,322 solar years old. After the Years of the Trees came the Years of the Sun and the Second and Third Ages, which are all, thankfully, counted in solar years. This makes Galadriel’s age a little easier to calculate from this point forward.
Tolkien later said that a Valian year was equivalent to 144 years, but he never reconstructed his timeline to fit with this change. So, the 9.582 exchange rate is more commonly used to calculate the solar years of the Years of the Trees.
The Years of the Sun ended when Morgoth was defeated in YS 590. This means that when Sauron first went into hiding (as mentioned in The Rings of Power), Galadriel was about 1,912 years old. This begins the Second Age when Rings of Power is predominantly set. Though the Prime Video series has condensed the Second Age timeline, we can assume that the bulk of the story is set around SA 1500, when the titular Rings of Power were forged. This would make Galadriel approximately 3,412 years old in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
Of course, Rings of Power condensing the Second Age Timeline makes this all complicated all over again. While Celebrimbor’s rings were forged in SA 1500, Isildur was born in Numenor in SA 3209, thousands of years later. The Prime Video series sees Gondor’s future king alive at the same time as the birth of the Rings of Power, which indicates that the events of Rings of Power season 1 and the Last Alliance of Elves and Men (the battle that ends the Second Age) will happen within a handful of years from one another. So, Galadriel could also be considered about 5,353 years old (at least by the end of Rings of Power, anyway).
How Old Galadriel Is In Lord Of The Rings
Galadriel Is 8,372 When She Meets Frodo
The Lord of the Rings is set near the end of the Third Age of Middle-earth. Frodo set out from the Shire in the fall of TA 3018 and arrived at Lothlórien in February of TA 3019. So, based on Galadriel’s age at the end of the Second Age, she would have been about 8,372 years old when she resisted Frodo’s offer to take Sauron’s One Ring. Some years later, in TA 3021, Galadriel left Middle-earth (with Frodo, Bilbo, and Gandalf, among others) to return to Valinor, where she was born. She would have been approximately 8,374 years old.
How Old Galadriel Is Compared To Other Major Elf Characters
Galadriel Is One Of The Oldest Elves In Rings Of Power
Galadriel is among the oldest Elves in The Lord of the Rings, among the few born in Valinor during the Years of the Trees. Elrond, for example, was born near the end of the First Age (FA 532), making him only 1,558 years old when the Rings of Power were created in SA 1500 (and 6,517 when the Fellowship of the Ring was formed in The Lord of the Rings). Even Rigns of Power‘s High King Gil-galad was considerably younger than Galadriel, born around FA 450 (1,640 years old in SA 1500).
Even Rigns of Power’s High King Gil-galad was considerably younger than Galadriel, born around FA 450 (1,640 years old in SA 1500).
Celebrimbor was likely a little younger than Galadriel, though he was also born during the Years of the Trees (his exact birth year is unknown). The only Elf character in Rings of Power that is most definitely older than Galadriel is Círdan, introduced in season 2, who was born around YT 1050. This makes him 352 Valian years older than the Lady of Lothlorien—about 3,373 solar years. Regardless of the various age differences, it’s easy enough just to say that all the Elves of The Rings of Power are very old. Of course, none are quite as old as the villainous Sauron himself.
