SAMWISE'S PHIAL

'Your quest is known to us,' said Galadriel, looking at Frodo. `But we will not here speak of it more openly. Yet not in vain will it prove, maybe, that you came to this land seeking aid, as Gandalf himself plainly purposed. For the Lord of the Galadhrim is accounted the wisest of the Elves of Middle-earth, and a giver of gifts beyond the power of kings.'

‘The Mirror of Galadriel’, The Fellowship of the Ring

The Lord and Lady of the Golden Wood strolled together in a secluded grove. Preparations for the supplies Aragorn and his companions would need upon their departure from Lothlórien were going smoothly, and Galadriel now consulted with Celeborn as to what gifts might benefit each member of the Company. She nodded in agreement at each suggestion until he spoke of Frodo’s servant.

“Husband, you suggest that I gift Samwise a quantity of earth?” Galadriel asked in amusement. “Truly, I question this. How will such a thing help him to protect the Ring-bearer, or see him through the dark lands that lie ahead?”

“It won’t,” Celeborn said, “but I have given this much consideration, and wish to share my thoughts.” He drew her down to sit beside him upon a soft, grassy mound. “Of all who will set out with Frodo to seek the mountain of Doom, the one person I sense has the best chance of returning to his home is Samwise.” He sighed. “If Gondor falls, Aragorn and Boromir will fall with it. The Dwarf and Legolas will defend one another to the death, although neither yet knows it. The younger hobbits... much peril lies ahead of them, and I do not know by what means they may come through it all unscathed.”

“I share your vision,” Galadriel said. “But... the earth for Samwise?” she reminded him gently.

Celeborn took his wife’s hand and felt Nenya warm and potent beneath his fingers. 

“Beloved, if the Enemy’s ring is unmade, it is prophesied that you will lose the power to keep this land a refuge safe from the decay of time. The race of Men will flourish, their towns and villages spreading out to at last encompass even these woods.” His eyes grew sad. “And if Frodo fails, and the Enemy regains power beyond imagining, what then? We will make a last stand somewhere, you and I, before Darkness covers all, and all that we have labored to save will be consumed.” 

Galadriel’s eyes blazed in defiance. 

“We have set many events in motion to attempt to prevent the worst from happening.”

“We have,” Celeborn agreed. “I speak only to remind you that, whatever happens, this land we love will most likely never again pulse with such energy as it does now. I know your heart; if you hope to shift Lothlórien’s potency elsewhere in Middle-earth, in the care of someone who will treasure and nurture it, the time is now. The bearer is Samwise.” He closed his eyes for a moment. “I am unable to envision his death in darkness. His fondest wish is to protect his master, and see him safely home. As you know, equally as strong is the wish in his heart to see the Shire again, lovely and fair, and return to the simple life he left behind.”

“I know,” Galadriel said.

“The phial you are preparing for Frodo is but a vessel,” Celeborn continued, “capturing the light of a gem unmarred, of untapped potential. Fashion also a container for Samwise, something small and humble, which will be a vessel to hold the essence and energy of this land into which you have for so long infused preservation and protection. Should he survive, it will serve him, at need, as Frodo’s phial will serve.”

Galadriel nodded as she caught the full vision behind his words. Such different gifts for the Ring-bearer and his servant, and yet, at their heart, they were the same. Both a light in dark places, one to cleave Mordor’s dark and poisoned air, the other to take root in the Shire’s rich soil.

“Husband,” she said with reverence, “your wisdom grows even keener with the years. But I will add something more to this vessel of earth... a fruit from our land that will, should Samwise indeed see his home once more, sprout into a symbol of beauty and hope. Perhaps it will even remind all who see it of we who loved Arda deeply, and strove to preserve the best of it.”

“Perhaps,” Celeborn said softly. “And so we offer the most enduring qualities of Arda to anchor two hobbits on their journey – starlight and water for Frodo, and earth and that which is nurtured within it for Samwise.”

Galadriel turned to Celeborn with a smile of agreement, and the light emanating from her eyes stirred his fëa as it always had. He took her in his arms, and for a time all thoughts of Darkness were extinguished, and their hearts blazed with a fragile hope.

*~*~*~*~*

Altogether 1420 in the Shire was a marvellous year. Not only was there wonderful sunshine and delicious rain, in due times and perfect measure, but there seemed something more: an air of richness and growth, and a gleam of a beauty beyond that of mortal summers that flicker and pass upon this Middle-earth.

‘The Grey Havens’, The Return of the King