Departure of the Galadhrim

[Mnemosyne]

Originally Posted by Gorthaur the Cruel

But why could the Galadhrim not simply revert back to their old ways, rather than desert Lórien. They were ruled by Amroth even before Galadriel and Celeborn. And Amroth did not posses an elven ring to halt decay, yet they were content and happy.

Could perhaps Nenya have actually rendered Lorien unsustainable as a homeland without its power? I suppose you could take this environmentally, but even in a more spiritual sense--that much unchanging for so much time would have been devastating when change actually happened. Compare with when a dam bursts--yes, the land and the people living there seem to have done well before the dam was built, but the sheer destructive force that the dam's absence creates makes it much, much more difficult to go back to the way things were. When an entire society becomes dependent on one thing, and that thing is lost, the society doesn't survive too long--compare with how Doriath fared after the departure of Melian and her girdle.