A Galadriel and Elrond romance has been teased in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 – here’s their marital history explained according to J.R.R Tolkien’s books. Set thousands of years before Gandalf sends his first hobbit toward certain doom, hardly any characters from The Lord of the Rings are alive when Amazon’s The Rings of Power begins, but Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) and Elrond (Robert Aramayo) are notable exceptions. Galadriel and Elrond describe themselves as friends in The Rings of Power, but some viewers might perceive a different kind of love.

When the couple first reunite in The Rings of Power season 1, Elrond rushes to Galadriel with glee, and the homecoming warrior responds by tenderly stroking his cheek. The face-stroking and lingering looks are all typical for close friends and family members within The Lord of the Rings‘ elf society, which has evolved beyond human borders of intimacy, and become far more comfortable expressing closeness in a Platonic way. For Galadriel and Elrond, there should be nothing beyond close friendship according to Tolkien’s canon. However, their dynamic in Amazon’s The Rings of Power is especially close compared to the source material.

Who Elrond & Galadriel Marry

Celeborn, Galadriel’s Husband, Isn’t In The Rings Of Power

Despite their kiss in The Rings of Power season 2, Galadriel and Elrond never marry.The Lord of the Rings‘ Third Age lore sees Elrond fall in love and marry Galadriel’s daughter. Galadriel meets her husband, Celeborn, in J.R.R. Tolkien’s First Age. They remain in Middle-earth together after Morgoth’s downfall, moving from settlement to settlement until finally laying roots in Lothlórien. Galadriel and Celeborn should certainly be married by the time The Rings of Power begins, but Amazon appears to have retconned its protagonist’s spouse from existence.

This decision was most likely intended to turn Galadriel into a globetrotting lone wolf figure whose sole focus is hunting down evil, not so The Rings of Power can set her up with Elrond. Celeborn actually appears behind his wife during Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy, played by Marton Csokas in The Fellowship of the Ring‘s Lothlórien scenes and The Return of the King‘s Grey Havens farewell.

Galadriel and Celeborn should also have a daughter, Celebrian, during The Rings of Power, and here’s where that Elrond-Galadriel romance idea gets really Game of Thrones. Galadriel’s family move to Rivendell during the mid-Second Age (further down the line from The Rings of Power episodes 1 & 2), and it’s here that Elrond falls in love.

Not acting on their feelings right away, Elrond and Celebrian marry in the Third Age following the Last Alliance of Elves & Men. Given how much closer they are in The Rings of Power, it’s unlikely that Elrond would marry Galadriel’s daughter even if she had one, but with Celeborn nowhere to be found anyway, both will probably stay married to their work instead.

How Fans Feel About A Rings Of Power Elrond & Galadriel Romance

Amazon Are Making Some Risky Changes To Tolkien Lore

While Elrond and Galadriel never had a romantic relationship in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings novels or any of the preceding books, Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power may be teasing stronger feelings than friendship for the two. Elrond and Galadriel kissed in The Rings of Power season 2, episode 7. While this kiss may have been a decoy to hand Galadriel a pin from his cloak without the Orcs holding them captive noticing, it was still a much more intimate gesture than many fans were expecting.

The fact that Celeborn isn’t in The Rings of Power already ruffled a few feathers among The Lord of the Rings fandom, as any changes from the established canon are met with skepticism at best. Celeborn, Galadriel’s husband, was briefly mentioned in episode 7 of season 1, and may yet appear in season 2. However, at the point Elrond and Galadriel kiss, she still believes he’s away fighting in the War of the Jewels and possibly even dead.

While this moment could simply have been an acknowledgment of a mutual attraction, it may also be setting up an Elrond and Galadriel romance in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. This would be a huge change to J.R.R. Tolkien’s established Middle-earth lore, and as with all such deviations from the source material, most fans didn’t seem too pleased with the show’s decision. Elrond and Galadriel having a romantic past would be a massive deviation from Tolkien’s vision, especially with Elrond eventually marrying Galadriel’s daughter, and with Celeborn and Galadriel’s marriage already several centuries in by the time The Rings of Power begins.

While there may be some who feel that having a brief Galadriel Elrond relationship would work for the show, many more feel it goes against the spirit of both Tolkien’s vision of Middle-earth, and who Elrond and Galadriel are as characters. As Elves, the pair should be less inclined to give in to their urges, which is why the Humans of Middle-earth have always viewed them as both wise and aloof. Only time will tell if a fully developed Elrond and Galadriel romance is on the cards in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, but it’ll be an incredibly controversial difference from J.R.R. Tolkien’s books if it does.