One of the wisest characters in the Lord of the Rings is Faramir, who utters the quote “I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend.” This shows how the weapon should not determine the man who wields it, but the other way around, for the person should know when to be just and forgiving, and when to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves.
This trait is also embedded in Galadriel’s character during the Rings of Power series, as she tries to carry on her brother’s legacy after mourning his body and vanquish the evil of Sauron that still lingers in the land. Throughout her journey during the first series, she never goes anywhere without Finrod’s dagger, because it symbolizes everything that she longs for in the world, including honoring those she has loved and lost, completing her mission to protect Middle Earth, and also a reminder of hope, bearing a physical element of the lands of Valinor where she once dwelled in peace before the darkness came.
Unfortunately, the Rings of Power also demonstrates that the darkness, anger, and hatred that exists within all beings can be fueled and misdirected into a weapon, that can actually do more harm than good. For example, the power shard that Theo discovers calls to him throughout the series, and there are several moments when he looks as though he is on the verge of turning toward the enemy as he is tempted by the terrible power he could wield through the weapon.
But likewise, when Galadriel entrusts him with one of her swords after Mordor is brought to Middle Earth, Theo begins to learn and understand the consequences of his actions, and the concept that “true courage lies in knowing not when to take a life, but when to spare one” as Gandalf later teaches Bilbo in The Hobbit. This very same lesson, of fighting for peace instead of war, and acting upon what is in your heart rather than what is in the quickness of a moment, is all summed up for Galadriel in Finrod’s dagger, which reminds her of her promise to her brother, not to avenge his death or chase Sauron to the ends of the earth, but to learn which ‘lights to follow’, meaning the difference between good and evil.
This is why, just as Galadriel is about to go back to Valinor on the elven ship in te sundering seas, she looks at Finrod’s dagger before the light touches her, she hears his voice in her head, and she knows that she ‘must first touch the darkness’ before she can find her way back to peace. The rest of her journey throughout the series is guided by this dagger, which can be both the biggest reminder of her rage and her loss, but also of her brother’s goodness, and his death for the sake of love and bravery, rather than to perpetuate the darkness in the world. It is her way of respecting him, and paying tribute to his sacrifice for all he cared for. He too, as Faramir suggests, died for the things that the weapon defended, rather than for the honor or glory of the weapon itself.
But the dagger does not only have this metaphorical symbolism of Galadriel’s connection to her brother, and indeed her connection to herself, to who she was before the death and the anger and the need for revenge marred her life. It also has a very important physical symbolism for her people. In the race to gather enough Mithril to heal the Lindon leaves that are growing increasingly sick and poisonous, Celebrimbor (heavily influenced by Halbrand) settles upon the concept of forging the 3 elven rings of power that will later change and define elven magic in their world.
Where the other 17 rings of power are is yet to be revealed, but the 3 that are created by the end of the 8th episode of the series are only able to exist because of Finrod’s dagger. When trying to bind the shard of Mithril with other metals in order to have enough to forge 3 rings, Celebrimbor explains that the ‘purity of the lesser ores is crucial. I need gold and silver of the most exquisite quality. I need gold and silver from Valinor.”
Gold and Silver from Valinor, like Finrod’s dagger is made from, are said to contain the light of the trees of Valinor, which were grown by Yavanna in the elven sacred heaven of the Undying Lands. This pure light is so strong that it can heal their maladies, and help them forge these powers that will ultimately protect them from Sauron’s evil. The dagger itself is a beautiful woven mixture of gold (representing Laurelin) and silver (representing Telperion) which looks like the branches of these ancient trees, and presents not only hope to Galadriel that the world can be put to rights, but also now a physical hope for her people to survive as it is melted down into the 3 rings.