The Prop Cate Blanchett Kept From The Lord Of The Rings Set

Australian actress Cate Blanchett portrayed Galadriel, one of the most prominent "Lord of the Rings" characters in Peter Jackson's adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's sweeping, sprawling fantasy novels. Galadriel was a crucial figure in Second Age Middle-earth, the "Lady" of the woods of Lothlórien, who ruled over the Elven realm with her husband, Celeborn. One of the great elves from Middle-earth, Galadriel's knowledge, power, and beauty surpassed many others.

Galadriel's costume was created to reflect her affinity with the realm of Lothlórien, and she is one of the only elves to wear an Elven circlet. The silver headdress is a prominent piece of jewelry associated with her character, and it's designed to look like the branches of trees intertwined with golden leaves. Covered in these gorgeouns Elven accessories, Blanchett effortlessly captured the timeless beauty and physicality of Galadriel's character — a mighty elf who bore Nenya, the Ring of Water, one of the three Elven rings of power.

Director Peter Jackson enjoyed working with Blanchett so much — he made sure the actress reprised her role in "The Hobbit," nearly a decade after the original trilogy, despite the character not having a key role in the book it's based on. After being part of a franchise for so long, most actors take home a prop from the sets as a keepsake, having spent considerable time with their character. At her husband's request, Cate Blanchett brought home a prop he treasured from her time working in the fantasy films — not the One Ring or her glorious crown – but the prosthetic elf ears she wore as the elf Queen.

After filming "The Hobbit" trilogy, Cate Blanchett revealed to the Daily Telegraph (via Metro UK) that she had been gifted a box of her prosthetic elf ears after someone discovered that her husband, Andrew Upton, was very fond of them.

"Someone got to hear that my husband has a bit of a thing for my ears and presented us with mine...They're not full ears either – they're little prosthetic tips that fit on the top of your ears to make the point. But they're cute – and a bit weird. They were all beautifully housed in a wooden box with a little section for each ear. It was kind of like a box of chocolates but with ears!"

Blanchett hasn't reprised her role since the 2014 film "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies," but Tolkien fans can rest easy because a younger version of her character will appear in the upcoming "Lord of the Rings" Amazon TV series. 

Amazon's "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" is set thousands of years before "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings." It will cover all major events from the Second Age of Middle-earth — from the forging of the Rings of Power to the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron and the last alliance between Elves and Men. Since Galadriel was a significant player in the drama surrounding the creation of the Rings and one of its bearers, we can expect to learn more about the character's background and history, but it will be Welsh actress Morfydd Clark playing Young Galadriel. Hopefully she'll get to keep her own elf ears too.