Galadrial's Mirror

[jammi567]

Having just watched the totally kick-ass first movie on TV, it got me thinking about something. How does the Mirror work? I don't remember it ever being explained in any of the books, not even in the notes.

[Valandil]

Elven "magic" - which we humans just don't understand, and which the Elves would not consider "magic" at all - just them doing what they can naturally do. Whether "Elven magic" from Galadriel's own ability, or due in part to her Elven Ring.

Nope - not explained. The Hobbits didn't understand it, so how could they pass the explanation along to us? :)

[Lefty Scaevola]

I would suspect it is something similar to but perhaps more limited than the Palantiri that Feanor wrought. Recall that even in back in Aman Galadriel was a rival in power to Feanor, and she has had a few thousand additional years to perfect her crafts.

[Alcuin]

Galadriel was practicing what we would call hydromancy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydromancy). Nostradamus also claimed to have practice hydromancy; whether Tolkien was aware of that factoid or not, I do not know. But it has a long (if questionable) reputation in the real world, and he was clearly aware of its history.

But Valandil is right: the Elves in general, and the Eldar in particular, did not understand the failure of mere mortals to comprehend what they did, nor mortals’ failure to distinguish their arts from those of Sauron and his followers.

[the insane one]

Valadil is right, its not for us to understand, us mere mortals should just gasp in awe. Although I suspect its like one of those really bad so called phycic tricks, where they are just told what they should think and the hobbits already had those images in their minds. the mirror just shows what you want it to show