Belladonna Took... I forgot about her completely! She seems to be less important in herself than as part of the very important notions of hobbit kinship.. she's mentioned first of all as "one of the three remarkable daughters of the Old Took" (the others are Donnamira and Mirabella, the grandmother of Frodo!), so her parentage is as important as her status as a parent. But of course hobbit kinship in itself would lend a great importance to mothers (and fathers).
The Gilraen/Miriel connection is an interesting one, and I like your point about the use of energy. With my mania for connecting things, the line about Aragorn feeling heavy-hearted as he left Gilraen reminds me more a line in The Lays of Beleriand (which I've just started) about Turin feeling heavy-hearted as he left Morwen... Morwen, at some points anyway, seems to be the opposite of Gilraen and Miriel. After sending Turin to Doriath, she refuses to join him, because she will not leave Hurin's house. Her energy is focused on her husband rather than her children, and her exhaustion is useless... is this part of what leads to Turin's tragedy? This brings up another question... what's a mother's responsibility in ME? Gilraen seems to have succeeded, in spite of the end of her relationship with Aragorn, but is Turin's failure Morwen's as well? What role did Miriel's abscence play in Feanor's life? Could she have done anything? Should she have? I really like Estelyn's analysis of Gilraen's role, that of leaving Aragorn's decisions up to him while still providing him with the information she has.
I really like Child's and Nar's comments on Galadriel... the crazy/brilliant description and the connection of Frodo and Sam add much to this topic, I think. Her continued influence on them as they trek across Mordor is, I think, quite a statement about the strength of her presence.
Quote:
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A mother's good advice is stereotypically ignored, ignore Galadriel's advice at your ultimate peril!
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This reminds me of her messages to the Three Hunters, in which advice and prophecy meet... perhaps combining the roles of sage and mother?
Sorry if this post is a little jumbled....
--Belin Ibaimendi