Council of Elrond

In The Lord of the Rings, the Council of Elrond is convened by Elrond to discuss the matter of the One Ring. It ends with the decision to form the Fellowship of the Ring and to take the Ring to Mordor and destroy it in the fires of Mount Doom. It is considered a pivotal moment in the history of Middle-earth.

The Book
In the book, this is a council called to determine the course of action for the free peoples of Middle-earth, and to discuss the fate of the One Ring of Power. Attending are:
 * Elrond
 * Erestor, one of Elrond's advisers
 * Gandalf the Grey
 * Aragorn
 * Frodo Baggins
 * Bilbo Baggins
 * Glóin of the Dwarves, representative of Dáin, King under the Mountain.
 * Gimli, son of Glóin
 * Legolas, Elf of Mirkwood and son of Thranduil, King of the Wood-Elves.
 * Glorfindel, a powerful Elf-lord
 * Círdan the Shipwright, a very old Elf-prince, mariner, and one of the few Elves to have a beard.

In this council, many things are discussed that are covered in other scenes (or the film's extended version) or not mentioned outright in the movie. Bilbo and Gandalf relate the full story of the One Ring. Gandalf talks about the betrayal of Saruman and his imprisonment in Orthanc. Boromir relates the dream he and his brother shared, and speaks his own opinion of the Ring of Power. Glóin speaks of evil messengers that came to the Lonely Mountain, promising a great reward for the location of Bilbo Baggins. Legolas speaks of the sad news that Gollum escaped captivity (after Aragorn had gone to great lengths to capture the creature), and by putting the pieces together, they all figure out that Gollum must have spilled his information to the Dark Lord. Also, the decision to cast the Ring into the fires of Mount Doom is made – and the conclusion that Frodo ought to be the one to do it.

The final decision of who should accompany Frodo as the titular Fellowship of the Ring is not made until after the council is over.

Interestingly, Tom Bombadil is mentioned as a possible bearer of the One Ring... but this is decided to be a very bad idea.

The Movie

 * Elrond: Nine companions. So be it. *music crescendo* You shall be the Fellowship of the Ring.
 * Pippin: Great! Where are we going?

In the movie, this is an important scene that occurs right after we learn that Frodo has healed from the wounds he sustained at Weathertop. In it, the audience is introduced to Boromir, Aragorn's true identity, Legolas, and Gimli. Frodo here also volunteers to take the Ring to Mordor. Sam, Merry, and Pippin refuse to let him do it alone.

The tone and spirit of the book is well kept in this scene, but notable is the script itself, which is shamelessly copied, and often original (and terrible) lines are inserted for a Mary Sue's presence rather than simply writing it properly from an original point of view. There is one common line that is especially awful:


 * Aragorn: You have my sword.
 * Legolas: And you have my bow.Figwit.jpeg
 * Gimli: And my ax!
 * Mary Sue: And my magic wand/knives/spear/rapier/gun/vuvuzela!
 * Boromir: *has just gotten cut off*

There are several extras present at the Council set, and most of them are not mentioned by name nor bear any importance other than as background characters. One of them, Figwit, is named and actually maintains cult status as a real, fleshed-out character. Possibly because an Israeli fangirl saw his face in the background and was enraptured by his beauty, much to the amusement of the film staff – who actually gave him a line in a later movie.

In Badfic
Because many Mary Sues (especially Tenth Walker Mary Sues) are inserted in Rivendell so as to join the Fellowship, and because this council forms the Fellowship in the first place, it is not uncommon to see a Mary Sue attending this meeting. This is very peculiar because Frodo's own friend Sam Gamgee was not allowed to attend, yet bears far more importance in the world than a self-insert who does not even come from Middle-earth in the first place. Sometimes, in the case of an Elf Mary Sue, she is 'qualified' to sit in due to her renowned deeds in whatever-she-picked-as-an-excuse. Usually follows the movie version... if not a direct lift from the movie script itself. That is, if the Mary Sue even has the quality to copy and paste.