Lord Of The Rings: Elrond’s 10 Best Quotes, Ranked

Elrond (whose name translates to “Elf of the Cave” because, as a baby, he was discovered left in a cave) is an aged Elf leader, the Lord of Rivendell, and Aragorn’s adoptive father. He’s one of the most important characters in Peter Jackson’s film franchises The Hobbit and TheLord of the Rings, which are both based on books written by fantasy author J.R.R. Tolkien. The Matrix actor Hugo Weaving’s amazing line delivery makes his appearances just that much better.

The character has plenty of great quotes, ranging from poignant to epic – these ten are arguably some of the best.

10 “You Should Have Stayed Dead!”

While confronting the Necromancer of Dol Guldur in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, Elrond utters this famous line.

It’s a reference to how the guardians of Middle-Earth believed Sauron (the Necromancer’s true identity) to be forever conquered – until Radagast and Gandalf begin to catch traces of the Dark Lord’s presence once more.

9 “Our List Of Allies Grows Thin.”

While forming a council at the ancient city of Rivendell in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring, Gandalf tells Elrond that Saruman has betrayed them and become a servant of the Dark Lord.

With the looming threat becoming ever greater, Elrond realizes that, to destroy the Ring, they’re going to need a lot more power than they currently have.

8 “I Was There The Day The Strength Of Men Failed.”

Elrond makes a point of not trusting the race of Men to carry out the destruction of the ring, and he has a somewhat viable reason to.

Nearly 3,000 years ago, he witnessed first-hand a Man, Aragorn’s ancestor Isildur, fall victim to the tempting powers of the ring and fail in his quest to destroy the weapon of evil forever.

7 “Cast It Into The Fire! Destroy It!”

As Elrond relives his painful, millenniums-old memory of seeing the strength of Men fail, we see a flashback to him confronting Isildur on Mount Doom, as the latter walks up to the fires and seems ready to destroy the Ring.

Elrond encourages his once-friend, telling him to rid the world of the Ring’s great evil once and for all, but Isildur is too far gone; he turns to Elrond and simply tells him, “No.”

6 “You Have Only One Choice. The Ring Must Be Destroyed.”

Elrond knows by now of how there is no good in the Ring; whoever uses it, even if their intentions are pure, can only bring about evil by their actions.

Therefore, he assembles a council representing the various peoples of Middle-Earth and immediately gives them an ultimatum by telling them that the Ring must be destroyed.

5 “It Is Hardly Possible To Separate You, Even When He Is Summoned To A Secret Council And You Are Not.”

Since he was the one who had the Ring in the first place, Frodo is, of course, summoned to the Council of Elrond. Others were invited, including Gandalf, Legolas, and Aragorn, but one character who was not invited was Sam, who continues his habit of eavesdropping by listening in on the fervent conversation.

When the council members propose the idea of forming a fellowship to travel to Mordor and destroy the Ring, Sam refuses to let himself be left out, revealing that he intends to travel with Frodo. Elrond responds somewhat sarcastically, but there seems to be a genuine smile behind his repartee.

4 “You Shall Be The Fellowship Of The Ring!”

Roll credits! In this defining moment from the first film in the Lord of the Rings saga, Elrond announces the name he intends to give the nine companions who have been brought together to accomplish a singular goal.

As they are the main focus of the movie, the film is named after the name he gives them – “The Fellowship of the Ring.”

3 “There Is Nothing For You Here – Only Death.”

Confronting his daughter Arwen about her love for Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Elrond insists that she travel to the Grey Havens and depart across the sea like many other elves are doing, but Arwen refuses to be deterred.

Elrond is convinced as to the coming fate of Middle-Earth, but Arwen still believes in Aragorn and the power of good over evil – a clash of wills if there ever was one.

2 “Become Who You Were Born To Be.”

Elrond finally decides it’s time to support Aragorn in the series’ third chapter, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, and therefore gives him a handy implement: Isildur’s sword, which can be used to summon the Army of the Dead.

Elrond tells Aragorn that, as the heir to Gondor, he needs to ditch his ranger persona – and confront both his past and his future head-on –  if he wants to be successful in his mission.

1 “The Sea Calls Us Home.”

At the end of the Third Age, Sauron has been defeated, and the last of the great Elves – Elrond, Galadriel, and Celeborn – are finally leaving for the Grey Havens.

Elrond offers his friends a final farewell before he climbs aboard the massive Elven ship and sails away to the Undying Lands.

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