The Lord of the Rings series is filled with powerful beings. Besides the main protagonists, the Hobbits, everyone else is extremely powerful, particularly the Elves. All of the Elves that fans meet in the Lord of the Rings series are powerful and wise people. However, Galadriel may be the most powerful and wise Elf in Middle Earth, at least in the Third Age. Why is this? What makes the Lady of Lothlorien so powerful and intelligent?
At the time of the Lord of the Rings, she is rather old and has therefore had a long time to grow in her power and intelligence. But is there more to the story? Is there a deeper reason why Galadriel is so mighty and wise? To understand the answers to these questions, it is crucial to understand both Galadriel as a character and how she fits into the broader story of Lord of the Rings.
Galadriel is the Lady of Lothlórien and rules that realm alongside her husband, Celeborn. She is a beloved leader and aids the Fellowship of the Ring while they stay there. She also gives them all gifts before they leave. Yet her story begins a long time before fans meet her in Lord of the Rings. Galadriel was born in the Undying Lands, also known as Valinor. She was born before the First Age of Middle Earth. Galadriel wanted to see Middle Earth at a young age, having heard of it from her uncle Fëanor. Not only did she want to see Middle Earth, but she wanted to rule a land of her own. She and her family eventually crossed over a patch of ice into Middle Earth. During the First Age of Middle Earth, Galadriel lived with one of her brothers but spent a lot of time at the court of Thingol and Melian in Menegroth.
Thingol was an Elven king, while Melian was one of the Maiar. The Maiar were spirits that helped the Valar create the world. So Melian was, therefore, very powerful and wise herself. She became friends with Galadriel and asked her to explain the reason for the exile of the Ñoldor. Galadriel told her some of the stories but left out more difficult details, such as the demise of Finwë, the Kinslaying at Alqualondë, and the burning of the ships at Losgar. Due to her friendship with Melian and her presence at the court of Thingol, she meets her husband, Celeborn, in Doriath. She did not participate in any of the wars of the First Age since she believed that defeating Morgoth was beyond the capabilities of the Elves. When Morgoth is defeated by the Valar coming to Middle Earth, they offer to bring her back to Valinor. Galadriel, however, decides to stay in Middle Earth instead. During the Second Age, she and Celeborn move around a lot, finally settling in Lothlórien.
It is also during the Second Age that Sauron disguises himself as Annatar, the Lord of Gifts, and assists the Elves in creating Rings of Power. Galadriel distrusts this Annatar from the beginning, and she advises Celebrimbor to hide the Rings. She is entrusted with one of the Three Rings of the Elves, Nenya, the Ring of Water, or the Ring of Adamant. During the Third Age, Galadriel and Celeborn's daughter, Celebrían, marries Elrond. Galadriel did a lot to oppose Sauron in the Third Age, including helping Eorl the Young and the Éothéod by providing a white mist to protect them from Sauron and the sight of their enemies. This group would become the Rohirrim, and despite her help, they were afraid of her and her realm. She assists in forming the White Council, though her advice to put Gandalf in charge is not taken. Of course, Galadriel also aids the Fellowship of the Ring during the Third Age. She refuses to take the One Ring from Frodo, therefore passing her test. She gives gifts to the members of the Fellowship and accepts that she will have to leave Middle Earth for the Undying Lands or Valinor.
Galadriel is clearly a wise and powerful being. Yet what is it that makes her so intelligent and mighty? The answer might lie in her relationships with other mighty and intelligent beings such as Melian. She likely learned a lot from her friend, and of course, Galadriel was also born in the Undying Lands. There are a lot of wise and powerful beings there. Galadriel learned from them as well, especially the Valar Yavanna and Aulë. There's also the fact that she had a long, long time to gain her power and intelligence. Yet, the fact that she was born in the Undying Lands/Valinor and learned from the Valar and the Maia Melian are likely the most critical factors. After all, Valinor is home to many other immortal beings as well as Elves. And Melian was able to protect her kingdom from evil, much like Galadriel protected Lothlórien from Sauron.
The Maia are powerful beings, spirits who helped the Valar create the world in the Lord of the Rings series. For Galadriel to befriend one, she would have had to already be quite powerful and wise in her own right. The same is true about the fact that Galadriel learned from the Valar. Of course, not every Lord of the Rings fan will agree with this assessment on why Galadriel is so intelligent and powerful. That's okay; everyone sees the story differently. Yet it seems that Galadriel is very wise and powerful, even among the other Elves in Middle Earth during the Third Age. And while a lot of her power is likely due to her intelligence and willingness to learn as well as her age, the fact that she had very wise and powerful beings to learn from probably helped.