The majority of her powers come from her Ring of Power, Nenya, the Ring of Water. The ring, also known by the names the White Ring and the Ring of Adamant, is one of the three Rings of Power given to the Elves of Middle-earth in the Second Age.
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.
Galadriel Is Way Stronger Than Elrond In Lord Of The Rings
Galadriel is much older than Elrond, and her experienes give her a great deal of wisdom that he, while knowledgeable in other areas, does not possess. They both carry Rings of Power, which imbue them with power beyond that of an ordinary elf.
Tolkien describes Galadriel as "the mightiest and fairest of all the Elves that remained in Middle-earth" (after the death of Gil-galad) and the "greatest of elven women".
In The Lord of the Rings, it is said that had Galadriel chosen to use her powers for evil instead of good, she would have been even more destructive and terrifying than Sauron himself. Galadriel was the greatest and most powerful of all Elves in Middle Earth in the Third Age.
Why Was Galadriel so Powerful? Middle-earth Explained
Was Sauron afraid of Galadriel?
In his notes, Tolkien remarks that Sauron saw Galadriel as his equal. Add that to the fact that she's untrusting of Sauron (yes, even when he's in his Annatar guise) and an unwavering, single-minded force, and it's more likely than not that Sauron feared Galadriel — or the potential she held to upend his plans.
Still, she wasn't the most powerful of J.R.R. Tolkien's characters. Strong characters like Legolas, Aragorn, and Gimli might have held their own for a couple of swings if they had ever put themselves against the Lady Galadriel, but it's unlikely they would have lived to tell the tale.
She tells Gil-galad that, "Evil does not sleep; it waits." In The Rings of Power, Galadriel's conviction came across as arrogance and anger. In Lord of the Rings, Galadriel was not shown as a warrior, which makes the comparison with the character depicted in The Rings of Power jarring and difficult to reconcile.
Galadriel's powers were so vast that it's said that other powerful beings like Saruman or even Elrond could not fully comprehend them. The powers she did have were used for good, of course, such as protecting Lothlórien and even toppling Dol Guldur, a fortress that was enhanced by Sauron's magic.
Being one of the chief leaders of the Noldorin rebellion, Galadriel was not allowed to return and a ban was set upon her, to which she replied that she had no wish to do so.
Contrary to assumptions that Sauron would likely be the one to offer Galadriel the biggest challenge, Clark instead revealed that she felt that the High Elf Glorfindel would be the only one capable of beating her.
While Glorfindel already one of the greatest of all elves as Ecthelion and Glorfindel are Gondolins greatest captains. So in the first age Feanor is the most powerful elf. In the second age it's Galadriel. In the Third age it's reincarnated Glorfindel.
For those that haven't read Tolkien's work, it's easy to see why many audiences suspect Gandalf and Galadriel are in love. After all, many of their interactions in The Hobbit trilogy practically scream romance. However, their relationship remains purely platonic in Tolkien's source material.
Though neither is someone you'd wish to annoy, Galadriel is generally considered more powerful than Elrond in Lord of the Rings. Not only is she older than her Rivendell counterpart, but Galadriel witnessed the light from Valinor's Two Trees, giving her a mystic quality.
Rather than cast magic at Sauron, Galadriel opts to challenge him on the spiritual plane; she resorts to her Wrath form to penetrate Sauron's mind and break his will. She obviously succeeds, as Sauron audibly cries aloud as he flees.
Thus, Galadriel's dark form in Jackson's The Lord of the Rings personified what would have occurred had the Lady of Lothlorien given in to temptation and taken the One Ring for herself. She would have succumbed to evil because the Ring was indomitable, even with her power.
Galadriel with the Ring would be a child to Morgoth. This is the Satanic figure of Middle-earth we're speaking here, the Dark Lord of Arda. Morgoth is an Ex. Vala, mightier than Sauron or any evil force of that matter.
The majority of her powers come from her Ring of Power, Nenya, the Ring of Water. The ring, also known by the names the White Ring and the Ring of Adamant, is one of the three Rings of Power given to the Elves of Middle-earth in the Second Age.
There's no question that Sauron is among the strongest beings in Middle-earth, so powerful that even when defeated, he lay dormant and gathered strength in non-corporeal form. Sauron poured his power and will into the One Ring so that as long as it existed, he could never be truly defeated.
Galadriel's possession of the ring would have made her a powerful evil force, as her desire to be adored would corrupt her. Despite her power, Galadriel couldn't match Sauron's ability to wield the One Ring, and it would have ultimately turned against her.
But when it becomes clear to Galadriel that Halbrand/Sauron cannot tell the difference between “saving” and “ruling” Middle-earth, she rejects his proposal. Sauron enchants Galadriel, and when she awakes, he has disappeared. We see him briefly hiking toward Mount Doom—likely to marshal the orcs and claim his throne.
The outcome was that Galadriel was able to penetrate Sauron's mind and issues a single command "Go back to the void from whence you came!" Unable to resist her any longer, Sauron screamed and fled, but Galadriel was rendered weak after their strife and fell back, Elrond rushing in to support her.
"So I think in his pitch to Galadriel, it cannot mean that he loves her or that there's any kind of romantic relationship. There should be no ambiguity around the fact that Sauron is evil — he's terrible, and he's using Galadriel to enhance his power."
Elrond is also well-known for his great wisdom and foresight. Additionally, he has many powers that stem from Vilya, the Ring of Air, which Gil-galad gifted to him. Elrond's Ring gives him the ability to enchant rivers, which helps him save Frodo during his journey with the One Ring.
Galadriel, by a long, long way. She's essentially the most powerful non-angelic being in the setting by the end of the Third-age. About the only feats we have that are comparable between them (they have very, very different skillsets, so far as we see) both come in Return of the King/Appendices.
