Q: Who in Rivendell Had Power Against the Nazgul?
ANSWER: When Glorfindel meets Aragorn and the Hobbits on the Road leading to Rivendell, he tells them: “…There are few even in Rivendell that can ride openly against the Nine; but such as there were, Elrond sent out north, west, and south. It was thought that you might turn far aside to avoid pursuit, and become lost in the Wilderness.” Many readers wonder who the other Elves of Rivendell might be whom Elrond could have sent out with some hope of facing the Nazgul.
In the Ralph Bakshi movie Glorfindel and Legolas are treated as one character. In the Peter Jackson movies Arwen elects to take the Road in search of Aragorn. As a princess of royal blood and undoubtedly a student of both Celebrian and Galadriel the literary Arwen may very well have had the power to face the Nazgul but Tolkien never suggests she would have undertaken such a dangerous task.
Besides Glorfindel the only other members of Elrond’s household who are known to undertake perilous tasks against Sauron’s servants are Elrond’s sons Elladan and Elrohir, whom Legolas admires on more than one occasion for their princely qualities. The chief Eldar — the princes of their great houses — appear to have wielded the greatest power among the Elves.
That said, it is conceivable that other Elven lords living with Elrond — perhaps including the mysterious Erestor (who only appears at the Council of Elrond) — may have been capable of riding openly against the Nazgul. But given that Glorfindel never mentions anyone by name it is impossible to define a list of the most powerful members of Elrond’s household. Elrond himself must have been capable of confronting the Nazgul but as a Keeper of one of the Three Rings it seems unlikely he would have risked betraying its presence to the Nazgul.
Although he does not seem to have been in Rivendell at the time, Gildor Inglorion may also have been able to face the Nazgul. I suggest this only because the lone Nazgul who was tracking Frodo, Sam, and Pippin through the Shire withdrew when Gildor’s company of Elves came along. Obviously with so many Elves present one Ringwraith would have been at a disadvantage but Gildor seems not to have been dismayed by the threat of the Nazgul.
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