Mae Govannen! Today I’ll be discussing the famous elf from both LotR and the Silmarillion, Glorfindel. Sadly, this amazing character was cut from the Jackson films and was replaced by Arwen, so… if you haven’t read the books (go read them), this may be of no interest to you.
The main point of contention is: are Glorfindel, Chief of the House of the Golden Flower, warrior of Gondolin, and Glorfindel of Rivendell, the same person, or different individuals altogether? Until fairly recently, nobody could definitively give an answer to this question. With the publication of HoM XII, we know that Glorfindel of Gondolin sacrificed himself to defeat a (wingless) Balrog, saving Idril, Tuor, Eärendil, and many of the other Gondolindrim. His fëa (spirit) came to the Halls of Mandos, as happens with fallen Elves, and was rehoused, but was then sent back to Middle-Earth, in the Second or Third Age, and dwelt in Rivendell before departing into the west during the War of the Ring with the rest of the Eldar.
Glorfindel is a fascinating character, both from a lore perspective and as a writer. Tolkien didn’t expect the Silmarillion to be published, so he merely ‘reused’ Glorfindel’s character. This, of course, did not satisfy him, so he united the two strands into one character for everyone to puzzle over.
When I first read the Silmarillion, I came across his name, and wrote a note on my Kindle: ‘Same Glorfindel as in LotR?’. Then when he died, I wrote ‘I guess not, haha.’ Now here I am, several years later, saying that yes, I was right the first time.