The majority of characters depicted in The Lord of the Rings and in Middle-earth overall are male. This is especially true when it comes to power and strength, even outside of the Valar, who are all-powerful gods and therefore not included on this list. From famous Maiar like Gandalf, to the protagonists like Frodo and Bilbo, to the villain Sauron, it seems like men are the body of the story. But the women Tolkien does depict are typically fierce, powerful, and strong in their own right, no matter their race.
These women are the backbone and soul of Middle-earth. Their stories are formidable in their own right, with great adventures and perils being faced. But, many are also mothers who give birth to further powerful beings (even if some are far, far down the line of ancestry). It is clear that strength lives on in blood, and that the impact these women had on the story molded it just as much as any of the male characters did.
Haleth Is the Strongest Female Human in the Franchise
The strongest human woman on this list, and one of the strongest humans in Middle-earth overall, Lady Haleth was the chief of the Second House of the Edain. At a young age and after immense grief, she had to step into power and lead her people in rallying against an Orc raid that had already devastated most of their forces and supplies. This worked, and Elven aid came. But when the Elven lord offered her a deal of land for allegiance to him, she harshly rebuked him, citing the need for independence as paramount to her people. She then led them to a land of their own after great hardship, and her people kept their freedom.
Lacking the immortality and foresight of the elves, the divine power of the Maiar, or the inhuman strength of a primordial being, Haleth instead harnessed great physical strength, even described by Tolkien as a “renowned Amazon,” and was well-versed in fighting, weaponry, and warfare. Survival was paramount to her, as was the longevity and happiness of her people, and she would do anything to achieve that. Even the elves, who often looked at humans as mere children, spoke of her with deep respect.
Idril Has Immense Foresight
Somewhat of an underrated elven figure in Middle-earth, Idril is known not for her magical prowess or physical strength, but rather for her strength in foresight and her quick, thoughtful mind. Brought up as a princess, she received an extensive education and was noted for her wisdom and talent for politics. But it was her gift of foresight that saved her people, as she was able to perceive the ruin of Gondolin and created a secret passageway for her people to escape.
She’s also known for her lineage, as princess of the Noldor and a descendant of Finwë on her father’s side, alongside being a descendant of the Vanyar through her mother (known as the first elves). Then, she was part of one of the few elven-human marriages to exist in Middle-earth (the most famous being Arwen and Aragorn, of course). Ironically, her marriage to the human Tuor made her the grandmother to Elrond, and therefore the great-grandmother to Arwen herself (she’s also technically related to Aragorn, but fans try not to look into that too much).
Galadriel Is One of the Last Elves To Have Seen the Two Trees of Valinor
By the time of Frodo and the Ring, Galadriel is the strongest elf in all of Middle-earth. In fact, she is one of the strongest characters in Middle-earth overall at that point, ranking just below the Maiar and a few other primordial beings. As the owner of one of the uncorrupted rings of power, in addition to being of a royal (and gifted) lineage, Galadriel was taught by Melian herself and is one of the last remaining elves to have seen the Two Trees of Valinor before Ungoliant polluted them.
Her eyes are described in the books as “wells of deep memory,” and the films show them as shining with a silver light to reflect the Two Trees, but this goes beyond mere visuals. Being able to see these trees means that she was gifted with wisdom and strength beyond those who haven’t seen them, and her lineage as a Noldor gifts her with foresight. All of these together, her lineage, the ring, seeing the Two Trees, and the teachings of Melian, mean that she is able to look into Sauron’s mind if she wishes (with great effort), but she can also prevent him from seeing her or Lothlórien.
Lúthien Ensnares With the Power of Her Voice
Being the daughter of a Maiar has some perks, one of which is great power and strength. Lúthien was half elven and half Maiar, born from Thingol and Melian, giving her immense power both magically and politically. Strong in enchantments, Lúthien was able to bring down Tol-in-Gaurhoth with her efforts and could bend reality with the power of her voice alone.
Similarly to her mother, Lúthien was a songstress, and her voice was able to subdue both Morgoth and Sauron at different times in her life. But the power of her voice goes further than that, as the sorrow in her song after losing her lover convinced Eru Ilúvatar to bring him back to life. Again, similarly to her mother, Lúthien had fallen for a man not within her race, and she gave up her immortality to join him in the mortal world when he was brought back to life.
Melian Is a Divine Being
The Maiar are often spoken about in Tolkien’s works, but conversations around them usually revolve around the five wizards (Gandalf and Sauron among them). Fewer speak of Melian, the Maiar who came to earth and fell in love with an elf. From her lineage come many great heroes, both elven and human alike, but her own adventures and strength were equally, if not more, impressive.
A great beauty and songstress, Melian was known to be one of the wisest beings in Middle-earth. With divine power and the gift of foresight, she ruled the kingdom of Doriath with her husband and created the magical boundary called the Girdle of Melian to protect it. This barrier was so powerful that it even repelled Ungoliant at full strength, and her wisdom later influenced the famous Lady Galadriel, who used what she was taught in terms of foresight and magical barriers to protect her own realm of Lothlórien.
Ungoliant Only Gets Stronger and Stronger
The ancestor of the more-famous (but far less powerful) giant spider Shelob, seen in The Return of the King, Ungoliant is one of the most powerful beings to exist in Tolkien’s universe outside of the Valar. A dark spirit that takes the form of a massive spider, Ungoliant helped Morgoth destroy the Two Trees of Valinor by drinking their sap and letting her venom poison them. By doing this, she absorbed their power and became even stronger.
Possessing a power called “unlight,” Morgoth could weave a spell of darkness that concealed her and overtook any light it touched – but it could not be seen or perceived by anyone other than her, as even the Valar were blind to it. At full strength, her power was just shy of the Valar themselves, and she was even able to overpower the Dark Lord Morgoth (one of the Valar) while he was in a weakened state. During this time, if he had not used the Balrogs to drive her away, the continued absorption of his strength could have put her power level far above that of the Valar. This means her growth could potentially know no limit, a truly terrifying thought when regarding an entity of limitless hunger and darkness.
- Video Game(s)
-
LEGO Lord of the Rings, The Lord of the Rings Online, The Lord Of The Rings: Gollum, The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The Lord of the Rings: War in the North, The Lord Of The Rings: Battle For Middle-Earth, The Lord of The Rings: Battle For Middle-Earth 2, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
- First Film
-
The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
- Cast
-
Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Orlando Bloom, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Sean Bean, Ian McKellen, Andy Serkis, Hugo Weaving, Liv Tyler, Miranda Otto, Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Martin Freeman, Morfydd Clark, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Charlie Vickers, Richard Armitage
- Latest Film
-
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies