Have Elrond and Galadriel ever spoken to each other in person?

Question

I find it interesting that throughout the LotR trilogy and Hobbit, Elrond and Galadriel never talked to each other. They were in the same places as each other but I don't recall them ever speaking to one another except for that telepathic scene in the Two Towers.

Answer 1

In the books:

I can't remember any scenes in which Galadriel and Elrond are in the same place and we read their dialogue in either The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, or Silmarillion¹, but we do know that there were strong ties between them:

1. Both were members of the White Councils:

The first White Council was held in 1701 of the Second Age, and included Galadriel and Elrond:

At this time the first Council was held, 10 and it was there determined that an Elvish stronghold in the east of Eriador should be maintained at Imladris rather than in Eregion. At that time also Gil-galad gave Vilya, the Blue Ring, to Elrond, and appointed him to be his vice-regent in Eriador; but the Red Ring he kept, until he gave it to Círdan when he set out from Lindon in the days of the Last Alliance... It was while Galadriel was in Imladris that the Council... was held.

• Unfinished Tales; "The History of Galadriel and Celeborn", Concerning Galadriel and Celeborn

They were both also in the second White Council, which convened a few times in the Third Age:

But at length the Shadow returned and its power increased; and in that time was first made the Council of the Wise that is called the White Council, and therein were Elrond and Galadriel and Círdan, and other lords of the Eldar, and with them were Mithrandir and Curunír. And Curunír (that was Saruman the White) was chosen to be their chief, for he had most studied the devices of Sauron of old. Galadriel indeed had wished that Mithrandir should be the Lead of the Council, and Saruman begrudged them that, for his pride and desire of mastery was grown great; but Mithrandir refused the office, since he would have no ties and no allegiance, save to those who sent him, and he would abide in no place nor be subject to any summons. But Saruman now began to study the lore of the Rings of Power, their making and their history...

[...]

Then the White Council was summoned; and Mithrandir urged them to swift deeds, but Curunír spoke against him, and counselled them to wait yet and to watch.

‘For I believe not,’ said he, ‘that the One will ever be found again in Middle-earth. Into Anduin it fell, and long ago, I deem, it was rolled to the Sea. There it shall lie until the end, when all this world is broken and the deeps are removed.'

Therefore naught was done at that time, though Elrond's heart misgave him, and he said to Mithrandir:

'Nonetheless I forbode that the One will yet be found, and then war will arise again, and in that war this Age will be ended. Indeed in a second darkness it will end, unless some strange chance deliver us that my eyes cannot see.’ 'Many are the strange chances of fee world,’ said Mithrandir, 'and help oft shall come from the hands of the weak when the Wise falter.'

• The Silmarillion; Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age

2. Both wore rings of power:

Of the Three Rings that the Elves had preserved unsullied no open word was ever spoken among the Wise, and few even of the Eldar knew where they were bestowed. Yet after the fall of Sauron their power was ever at work, and where they abode there mirth also dwelt and all things were unstained by the griefs of time. Therefore ere the Third Age was ended the Elves perceived that the Ring of Sapphire was with Elrond, in the fair valley of Rivendell, upon whose house the stars of heaven most brightly shone; whereas the Ring of Adamant was in the Land of Lórien where dwelt the Lady Galadriel. A queen she was of the woodland Elves, the wife of Celeborn of Doriath, yet she herself was of the Noldor and remembered the Day before days in Valinor, and she was the mightiest and fairest of all the Elves that remained in Middle-earth. But the Red Ring remained hidden until the end, and none save Elrond and Galadriel and Círdan knew to whom it had been committed.

• The Silmarillion; Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age

And:

Even as the first shadows were felt in Mirkwood there appeared in the west of Middle-earth the Istari, whom Men called the Wizards. None knew at that time whence they were, save Círdan of the Havens, and only to Elrond and to Galadriel did he reveal that they came over the Sea.

• ibid

3. They are frequently together in The Return of the King:

As father and grandmother of the bride, they are both present for Arwen and Aragorn's wedding:

Upon the very Eve of Midsummer, when the sky was blue as sapphire and white stars opened in the East, but the West was still golden, and the air was cool and fragrant, the riders came down the North-way to the gates of Minas Tirith. First rode Elrohir and Elladan with a banner of silver, and then came Glorfindel and Erestor and all the household of Rivendell, and after them came the Lady Galadriel and Celeborn, Lord of Lothlórien, riding upon white steeds and with them many fair folk of their land, grey-cloaked with white gems in their hair; and last came Master Elrond, mighty among Elves and Men, bearing the sceptre of Annúminas, and beside him upon a grey palfrey rode Arwen his daughter, Evenstar of her people.

• The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, "The Steward and the King"

They ride together from Minas Tirith after Aragorn and Arwen's wedding:

In that riding went also Queen Arwen, and Celeborn and Galadriel with their folk, and Elrond and his sons; and the princes of Dol Amroth and of Ithilien, and many captains and knights. Never had any king of the Mark such company upon the road as went with Théoden Thengel’s son to the land of his home.

• The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, "Many Partings"

Later along this journey, we read that Elrond, Galadriel, and Gandalf have telepathic conversations late at night, but although we are given some idea as to what they're talking about, we don't see their actual words:

Here now for seven days they tarried, for the time was at hand for another parting which they were loth to make. Soon Celeborn and Galadriel and their folk would turn eastward, and so pass by the Redhorn Gate and down the Dimrill Stair to the Silverlode and to their own country. They had journeyed thus far by the west-ways, for they had much to speak of with Elrond and with Gandalf, and here they lingered still in converse with their friends. Often long after the hobbits were wrapped in sleep they would sit together under the stars, recalling the ages that were gone and all their joys and labours in the world, or holding council, concerning the days to come. If any wanderer had chanced to pass, little would he have seen or heard, and it would have seemed to him only that he saw grey figures, carved in stone, memorials of forgotten things now lost in unpeopled lands. For they did not move or speak with mouth, looking from mind to mind; and only their shining eyes stirred and kindled as their thoughts went to and fro.

But at length all was said, and they parted again for a while, until it was time for the Three Rings to pass away. Quickly fading into the stones and the shadows the grey-cloaked people of Lórien rode towards the mountains; and those who were going to Rivendell sat on the hill and watched, until there came out of the gathering mist a flash; and then they saw no more. Frodo knew that Galadriel had held aloft her ring in token of farewell.

• ibid

Frodo and Sam are riding together when a group of elves up the road - including Elrond and Galadriel - sing to them:

And as if in answer, from down below, coming up the road out of the valley, voices sang:

A! Elbereth Gilthoniel!
silivren penna míriel
o menel aglar elenath,
Gilthoniel, A! Elbereth!

We still remember, we who dwell
In this far land beneath the trees
The starlight on the Western Seas.

Frodo and Sam halted and sat silent in the soft shadows, until they saw a shimmer as the travellers came towards them.

There was Gildor and many fair Elven folk; and there to Sam’s wonder rode Elrond and Galadriel. Elrond wore a mantle of grey and had a star upon his forehead, and a silver harp was in his hand, and upon his finger was a ring of gold with a great blue stone, Vilya, mightiest of the Three. But Galadriel sat upon a white palfrey and was robed all in glimmering white, like clouds about the Moon; for she herself seemed to shine with a soft light. On her finger was Nenya, the ring wrought of mithril, that bore a single white stone flickering like a frosty star. Riding slowly behind on a small grey pony, and seeming to nod in his sleep, was Bilbo himself.

Elrond greeted them gravely and graciously, and Galadriel smiled upon them. ‘Well, Master Samwise,’ she said. ‘I hear and see that you have used my gift well. The Shire shall now be more than ever blessed and beloved.’ Sam bowed, but found nothing to say. He had forgotten how beautiful the Lady was.

• The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, "The Grey Havens"

If we assume that Elrond and Galadriel took part in the song, this may not exactly be "speaking to each other", but it comes close - singing with each other. In any case, we certainly see Galadriel speaking in Elrond's presence.

Then Elrond and Galadriel rode on; for the Third Age was over, and the Days of the Rings were passed, and an end was come of the story and song of those times. With them went many Elves of the High Kindred who would no longer stay in Middle-earth; and among them, filled with a sadness that was yet blessed and without bitterness, rode Sam, and Frodo, and Bilbo, and the Elves delighted to honour them.

• ibid

4. They were related in several ways:

• Galadriel was first cousin of Elrond’s great-grandfather (Turgon, King of Gondolin). Elrond was the great-great-grandson of Fingolfin, brother of Finarfin, Galadriel's father. Thus, they are first cousins thrice removed.

• Galadriel’s grandfather (Olwë of Alqualondë) and Elrond’s great-great-grandfather (King Elwë Thingol of Doriath) were brothers. Thus, they are second cousins twice removed.

• Elrond was married to Galadriel’s daughter, Celebrían (which also makes Galadriel the grandmother of Arwen, obviously). Thus, Galadriel is Elrond's mother-in-law.

This last point - that Galadriel was Elrond's mother-in-law - is important:

Marriage, save for rare ill chances or strange fates, was the natural course of life for all the Eldar. It took place in this way. Those who would afterwards become wedded might choose one another early in youth, even as children (and indeed this happened often in days of peace); but unless they desired soon to be married and were of fitting age, the betrothal awaited the judgement of the parents of either party.

In due time the betrothal was announced at a meeting of the two houses concerned, and the betrothed gave silver rings one to another. According to the laws of the Eldar this betrothal was bound then to stand for one year at least, and it often stood for longer. During this time it could be revoked by a public return of the rings, the rings then being molten and not again used for a betrothal.

• The History of Middle-earth: Morgoth's Ring, "Part Three. The Later Quenta Silmarillion: (II) The Second Phase: Laws and Customs among the Eldar"

Thus, Elrond needed Galadriel and Celeborn's permission to marry their daughter. It is hard to imagine him getting such permission without speaking to Galadriel.²

After the betrothal it was the part of the betrothed to appoint the time of their wedding, when at least one year had passed. Then at a feast, again shared by the two houses, the marriage was celebrated. At the end of the feast the betrothed stood forth, and the mother of the bride and the father of the bridegroom joined the hands of the pair and blessed them. For this blessing there was a solemn form, but no mortal has heard it; though the Eldar say that Varda was named in witness by the mother and Manwe by the father; and moreover that the name of Eru was spoken (as was seldom done at any other time). The betrothed then received back one from the other their silver rings (and treasured them); but they gave in exchange slender rings of gold, which were worn upon the index of the right hand.

Among the Noldor also it was a custom that the bride's mother should give to the bridegroom a jewel upon a chain or collar; and the bridegroom's father should give a like gift to the bride. These gifts were sometimes given before the feast. (Thus the gift of Galadriel to Aragorn, since she was in place of Arwen's mother, was in part a bridal gift and earnest of the wedding that was later accomplished).

• ibid

According to this passage, then, not only would Galadriel have been expected to speak to Elrond at his wedding to Celebrían - she also would have given him a gift.³

5. They lived together at Imladris (Rivendell):

Galadriel and Celeborn were with Celebrían in Imladris when Elrond and Celebrían first met:

[Galadriel] committed Lórinand to Amroth, and passing again through Moria with Celebrían she came to Imladris, seeking Celeborn. There (it seems) she found him, and there they dwelt together for a long time; and it was then that Elrond first saw Celebrían, and loved her, though he said nothing of it. It was while Galadriel was in Imladris that the Council referred to above [the first White Council] was held.

• Unfinished Tales "The History of Galadriel and Celeborn", Concerning Galadriel and Celeborn

She and Celeborn left Imladris with Celebrían some time later. At some point, they must have gone back there, which is when Celebrían married Elrond. Galadriel and Celeborn left again, and returned much, much later:

Therefore after long journeys of enquiry in Rhovanion, from Gondor and the borders of Mordor to Thranduil in the north, Celeborn and Galadriel passed over the mountains to Imladris, and there dwelt for many years; for Elrond was their kinsman, since he had early in the Third Age [in the year 109, according to the Tale of Years] wedded their daughter Celebrían.

• ibid

6. They spent eternity together in Valinor:

We have heard tell that Legolas took Gimli Glóin’s son with him because of their great friendship, greater than any that has been between Elf and Dwarf. If this is true, then it is strange indeed: that a Dwarf should be willing to leave Middle-earth for any love, or that the Eldar should receive him, or that the Lords of the West should permit it. But it is said that Gimli went also out of desire to see again the beauty of Galadriel; and it may be that she, being mighty among the Eldar, obtained this grace for him. More cannot be said of this matter.

• The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King; Appendices

And:

When the Great Ring was unmade and the Three were shorn of their power, then Elrond grew weary at last and forsook Middle-earth, never to return.

• ibid

Verdict from the books:

They may have sung together, and they definitely had telepathic conversations in person. As for actual face-to-face, verbal speech, we can assume that they either did speak to each other, or they spent several millennia in Middle-earth, and eternity in Valinor, enduring an endless series of highly uncomfortable silences.

---

In the movies:

The Lord of the Rings:

No conversations in person, only one long-distance telepathic conversation.

The Hobbit:

Here, the answer is an emphatic "Yes!". Elrond and Galadriel both served on the White Council; they were involved in the same conversations, and even fought together:

The exchanges between Galadriel and Elrond, from the script of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey:

[Elrond:] “Gandalf, for four hundred years, we have lived in peace. A hard­won, watchful peace.”

[Gandalf:] “Are we? Are we at peace? Trolls have come down from the mountains. They are raiding villages, destroying farms. Orcs have attacked us on the road.”

[Elrond:] “Hardly a prelude to war.”

[Saruman:] “Always you must meddle, looking for trouble where none exists.”

[Galadriel:] “Let him speak.”

And:

[Galadriel, telepathically:] “You carry something. It came to you from Radagast. He found it in Dol Guldur.”

[Gandalf, telepathically:] “Yes.”

[Galadriel, telepathically:] “Show me.”

[Gandalf lifts Radagast’s package, which he had in his lap, and places it on the table. It lets out a dull thud.]

[Elrond:] “What is that?”

[Galadriel:] “A relic of Mordor.”

[Elrond, who was reaching out to unwrap the package, draws his hand back. He then reaches for it again and opens it, revealing the sword Radagast took from the spirit in Dol Guldur. The White Council members look upon it in shock.]

[Elrond:] “A Morgul blade.”

[Galadriel:] “Made for the Witch­king of Angmar, and buried with him. When Angmar fell, men of the North took his body and all that he possessed and sealed it within the High­Fells of Rhudaur. Deep within the rock they buried them, in a tomb so dark it would never come to light.”

[Elrond:] “This is not possible. A powerful spells lies upon those tombs; they cannot be opened.”

Verdict from the movies:

There's only a long-distance telepathic chat in Lord of the Rings, but there is a genuine conversation in person in The Hobbit.

---

Conclusion:

• The Lord of the Rings movies: Their only conversation is conducted telepathically and at a great distance.

• The Hobbit movies: They have a couple of conversations in person.

• The Lord of the Rings books: They may sing together once, but their only conversation in person is conducted through telepathy; however, they are related to one another and spend a good deal of time together.

• Unfinished Tales and The History of Middle Earth: They are never explicitly said to have had a conversation, but there are many indications that not only would they have been required to speak to one another at several points, they were also good friends and relatives, and it would be bizarre to think that they had never spoken.

---

Notes:

¹ I'm digging through my books to find some more examples, and will update this answer if I find anything else.

² Before Elrond and Celebrían married in the Third Age, she was not able to get permission from Elrond's parents Eärendil and Elwing, because they had been forced to move to Valinor in the First Age.

³ Again, the role appointed to the father of the groom (in this case, Eärendil) was either omitted or fulfilled by someone else, because Eärendil wasn't available.

Answer 2

Have Elrond and Galadriel spoken to each other?

There doesn't seem to be any canon instance in the text of the two characters literally exchanging words. However, it would be very weird if they hadn't done so at some point, because ...

Have they spent long periods of time in each other's company?

Yes: in The Return of the King they're often found riding together, and must certainly have spoken to each other during this time. As fellow Elven Ring-bearers and among the most ancient beings in Middle-Earth, they would have had much to discuss which they could not speak of with many others.

They arrive at Minas Tirith together for the wedding of Aragorn and Arwen, and presumably travelled together all the way from Lothlórien:

Upon the very Eve of Midsummer, when the sky was blue as sapphire and white stars opened in the East, but the West was still golden, and the air was cool and fragrant, the riders came down the North-way to the gates of Minas Tirith. First rode Elrohir and Elladan with a banner of silver, and then came Glorfindel and Erestor and all the household of Rivendell, and after them came the Lady Galadriel and Celeborn, Lord of Lothlórien, riding upon white steeds and with them many fair folk of their land, grey-cloaked with white gems in their hair; and last came Master Elrond, mighty among Elves and Men, bearing the sceptre of Annúminas, and beside him upon a grey palfrey rode Arwen his daughter, Evenstar of her people.

_{--The Return of the King, Book VI, Chapter V: The Steward and the King (emphasis mine)}

They also arrive together at the Grey Havens to take ship across the western ocean:

There was Gildor and many fair Elven folk; and there to Sam’s wonder rode Elrond and Galadriel. Elrond wore a mantle of grey and had a star upon his forehead, and a silver harp was in his hand, and upon his finger was a ring of gold with a great blue stone, Vilya, mightiest of the Three. But Galadriel sat upon a white palfrey and was robed all in glimmering white, like clouds about the Moon; for she herself seemed to shine with a soft light. On her finger was Nenya, the ring wrought of mithril, that bore a single white stone flickering like a frosty star. Riding slowly behind on a small grey pony, and seeming to nod in his sleep, was Bilbo himself. Elrond greeted them gravely and graciously, and Galadriel smiled upon them.

[...]

Then Elrond and Galadriel rode on; for the Third Age was over and the Days of the Rings were passed and an end was come of the story and song of those times.

_{--The Return of the King, Book VI, Chapter IX: The Grey Havens (emphasis mine)}

Answer 3

Funnily enough, I'm just up to this scene in Return of the King. As the company was returning from Gondor to Rivendell, we are told that during the nights, Galadriel, Gandalf and Elrond were in deep counsel with one another. Although technically they weren't speaking to one another (it implies they were communicating through some form of telepathy), they were communicating in person:

Soon Celeborn and Galadriel and their folk would turn eastward, and so pass by the Redhorn Gate and down the Dimrill Stair to the Silverlode and to their own country. They had journeyed thus far by the west-ways, for they had much to speak of with Elrond and with Gandalf, and here they lingered still in converse with their friends. Often long after the hobbits were wrapped in sleep they would sit together under the stars, recalling the ages that were gone and all their joys and labours in the world, or holding council, concerning the days to come. If any wanderer had chanced to pass, little would he have seen or heard, and it would have seemed to him only that he saw grey figures, carved in stone, memorials of forgotten things now lost in unpeopled lands. For they did not move or speak with mouth, looking from mind to mind; and only their shining eyes stirred and kindled as their thoughts went to and fro.

Quote courtesy of @Rand al'Thor and @Michael Borgwardt's answer here