Sam’s transformation of the Shire begins in Lothlórien on his way to Mount Doom, when Galadriel gives each of the members of the Fellowship a gift as they prepare to leave. In the scene depicting this in the extended edition of Peter Jackson’s adaptation, Sam is given a coil of Elven rope. But while the Hobbit does get his hands on some in the source material, that isn’t his gift from Galadriel. No, Sam’s gift is very different and utterly unique.
In the “Fellowship of the Ring” book, the exchange starts with the Lady of Lórien saying, “For you little gardener and lover of trees, I have only a small gift.” She then gives Sam a tiny box of plain gray wood with a single “G” rune on its lid, which she says cleverly stands for both “Galadriel” and “garden.”
Telling the Hobbit hero what’s inside, she continues, “In this box there is earth from my orchard, and such blessing as Galadriel has still to bestow is upon it. It will not keep you on your road, nor defend you against any peril; but if you keep it and see your home again at last, then perhaps it may reward you.”
She adds that Sam can expect big botanical things to happen, teasing, “Though you should find all barren and laid waste, there will be few gardens in Middle-earth that will bloom like your garden, if you sprinkle this earth there. Then you may remember Galadriel, and catch a glimpse far off of Lórien, that you have seen only in our winter.”
