To reiterate Kalimac's point about courtly love: Gimli's initial death-threat to Eomer regarding the beauty of Galadriel, and an insistence that he admit she is 'the fairest of them all' is a classic example of a knight defending the honour of his lady under the chivalric system. And yes, it is rather endearing to think of a dwarf as knight errant:
Quote:
He rose clumsily and bowed in dwarf-fashion, saying: ‘Yet more fair is the
living land of Lorien, and the Lady Galadriel is above all the jewels that lie
beneath the earth!
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There was never any question of consummation or what we would call a relationship, with courtly love. Adoration is the right word, I think, and yes, I think that the worship of the Virgin Mary is a similar phenomenon.