Tauriel

The made-up character of Tauriel has come under pretty heavy fire. As a person who usually argues that the books are better than the movies, and is a bit of a purist when it comes to Tolkien, I was quite surprised to find that, upon seeing the Hobbit Trilogy, I did not have a problem with the added character of Tauriel. In fact, I even liked her.

This did not make sense to me. But, after thinking about it and discussing it at length with other Tolkien fans, I think I can break down a little bit of why I don’t mind the addition of Tauriel to the movies.

1. She adds character depth to the elven race.

Tauriel is able to cast some additional light on why the elves are the way they are, and what makes them so different and set apart from humans and dwarves. Her character helps highlight the age gap that exists between these three races. The elves may seem aloof and cold, but it is only because their lives are so long in comparison. She helps the audience make an emotional connection with a race of beings that can live so long as to remember the FIRST war of the rings (2,000 years ago).

She also helps shed illumination on a few of the traditions and customs of the elven people. Her conversation with Kili about the stars, for instance, is a good example of a place where we get to see a little bit more of why the elves value the stars so highly. (No, I don’t think it was appropriate to begin this conversation with the crude innuendo that the writers inserted into the dialogue. But the rest of the conversation was actually quite beautiful).

I also like the contrast between her and Arwen.

2. She foreshadows both the events of Gimli and Legolas’ friendship, as well as Gimli’s infatuation with Galadriel.

Legolas and Gimli are the unlikeliest of friends. Their races are enemies. They have practically nothing in common. And yet, they become best friends, and they bring out the best in each other. Tauriel foreshadows that possibility.

Despite all common sense and reason, Gimli adores Galadriel. It’s not a romantic love, it is an admiration, an appreciation for her beauty and strength, and a desire for renewed friendship between dwarves and elves.  I believe the relationship between Kili and Tauriel foreshadows this as well. And I appreciate a well-written foreshadowing. (For a very interesting take on the backstory to Galadriel's gift to Gimli, see THIS POST).

Also, one of my favorite quotations from the books, this conversation between Eomer and Gimli discussing who the most beautiful woman in the world is:

"Alas!" said Éomer. "I will not say that she is the fairest lady that lives.""Then I must go for my axe," said Gimli."But first I will plead this excuse," said Éomer. "Had I seen her in other company, I would have said all that you could wish. But now I will put Queen Arwen Evenstar first, and I am ready to do battle on my own part with any who deny me. Shall I call for my sword?" Then Gimli bowed low. "Nay, you are excused for my part, lord," he said. "You have chosen the Evening; but my love is given to the Morning."

I liked how Tauriel fit into the story through her conversation with Kili about the stars. It is possible to interpret Gimli and Eomer's conversation as comparing Arwen to the moon and Galadriel to the sun. So, it made me smile to think that the script-writers were throwing Tauriel into the mix as the stars, despite being a Silvan elf (a lower class of elf than Arwen or Galadriel).

Also, having read the book, I knew Kili was going to die. So I knew from the outset that this love story wasn't going to go very far, which is probably part of why I didn't have a problem with it.

I also appreciated this whole plot trail as a sort of nod to Beren and Luthien, as well as to Arwen and Aragorn.

3. She foreshadows Eowyn.

Some have said that Tauriel’s existence undermines Eowyn’s strength and struggle. I disagree. To be fair (speaking from the books) until she meets Faramir, Eowyn is pretty much a glory-hound. She's obedient to her role because she's never been offered another opportunity, but she is terrified of dying in obscurity. She throws herself at Aragorn (in the book), not because she's in love with him, but because she recognizes that he will be the King of Gondor, and that marrying him would make her the Queen. Her decision to ride off into battle doesn't come from a deep-seated need to protect her people, it is her grabbing onto the only chance she sees of attaining any sort of glory, even if it is only glory in death. (And it wasn’t completely unheard of for a female to participate in battle, Eowyn refers to herself as a “Shield Maiden” - a traditional role for women of Rohan, though one not actually utilized in several hundred years). Her true strength doesn’t come from her role on the battlefield, but from her decision to cast that aside and become a healer, and her decision to allow herself to love and be loved, regardless of what position or honor it might bring her.

It is that decision that makes me love Eowyn. I love her strength on the battle-field, her devotion to her father and her people, her warrior's heart. But I also love that she eventually allows herself to heal. I've always loved Eowyn, because hers is a subtle, deep, easy-to-miss sort of strength and character-development and story. It would be easy to just see her as the girl who defeated the Witch King. But she is so very much more than that.

As a side note: add to that the fact that Rohan is pretty far removed geographically from pretty much all elves (okay, they're near to Lorien, but Fangorn is between them, and the elves of Lorien keep to themselves so much that they are just rumors and legends to most men), and that the elves don't mix with humans very often, Tauriel being a female warrior elf in no way detracts from Eowyn being a warrior princess.

4. Evangeline Lilly did a phenomenal job.

The acting of this character is just done so very well. The actress truly embraced the character and made me believe in her.

5. I like the character.

You know how you’re just drawn to some characters more than others? I think that in spite of all the reasons above, everything simply boils down to this: I just like Tauriel for herself. I like her sort of rebellious streak. I like her decision to stand up for what she believes is right, and not care about the consequences of that decision. I like her inability to take anything at face value, her need to discover the truth for herself, and to challenge others to do the same. I liked her nobility and her courage. I liked that she was graceful and also a warrior. I liked that she felt a need to protect those who could not protect themselves. These are all character attributes I admire and hopefully would strive to emulate. How then could I hate this character or write her off simply because she wasn’t a part of Tolkien’s canon?

Tauriel doesn’t detract from the Hobbit. The movies can’t make the book any less than it already was. The book exists, will continue to exist, as one of my favorite stories of all time. The movies cannot track that, not with a thousand bloodhounds, and they cannot break it, not with a thousand swords, and when I say that.... ooops, sorry, got a little carried away there and veered off course into a totally different story!

Anyway, that is why I liked Tauriel. In spite of the fact that she’s a “made-up” character. I’m not going to change anyone else’s mind on this, and I’m honestly not trying to. Some things are just taste preferences, and it really doesn’t matter if we agree or not, and sometimes it’s kind of fun if we don’t... because that’s how fun, nerdy, fascinating conversations get started.

So, how about you, dear Reader? What did you think of Tauriel and why?