Genuine, but the evidence is in the Silmarillion, IIRC. Galadriel took part in the march across the deadly Grinding Ice with the other Noldor who were abandoned by Feanor, but did not return to Valinor.

She did this, at least in part, because she desired lordship, to rule a realm according to her own liking. Take note that she was co-ruler of Lorien, and part of senior leadership, if not a co-ruler of of Eregion (Hollin) at the time of the forging of the Three.

We also know that Elrond came by Vilya by way of Gil-Galad, and Gandalf was given Narya by the Lord of the Grey Havens, but I can't recall Galadriel inheriting Nenya from a ruler who previously held it. Maybe Celebrimbor had it, but I can't place the event, if it occurred. My take is that she was its keeper from the beginning, which would put in in the ruler class of elves. Even if I'm not recalling that correctly, of the secondary keepers, only Gandalf was not a ruler.

The offer of the One would have been a real temptation, the pinnacle of her reason for going to and staying in Middle-Earth, rather than returning to Valinor. By rejecting the Ring, she finally gives up on her ambitions, accepts that her power will diminish, and that she will return to Valinor as an elf, not an elf-lord. By extension, she humbles herself to the rule of the Valar.

In short, she gives up on the ambition that she held onto for all of the Third Age and most of the Second Age. She risked death in her pursuit of her ambition, and in more ways than one.

Abandoning one's life-ambition after such a long time, even by elven standards, is a choice of considerable impact, not least because the fulfillment of her ambition was not only in her grasp, but freely offered, as well.

Realizing you cannot fulfill an ambition is not as big a deal as giving it up, when you are on the verge of achieving it. That's about as serious a test as I can imagine.

Genuine, but the evidence is in The Silmarillion, IIRC. Galadriel took part in the march across the deadly Grinding Ice with the other Noldor who were abandoned by Fëanor, but did not return to Valinor.

She did this, at least in part, because she desired lordship, to rule a realm according to her own liking. Take note that she was co-ruler of Lórien, and part of senior leadership, if not a co-ruler of of Eregion (Hollin) at the time of the forging of the Three.

We also know that Elrond came by Vilya by way of Gil-galad, and Gandalf was given Narya by the Lord of the Grey Havens, but I can't recall Galadriel inheriting Nenya from a ruler who previously held it. Maybe Celebrimbor had it, but I can't place the event, if it occurred. My take is that she was its keeper from the beginning, which would put in in the ruler class of elves. Even if I'm not recalling that correctly, of the secondary keepers, only Gandalf was not a ruler.

The offer of the One would have been a real temptation, the pinnacle of her reason for going to and staying in Middle-earth, rather than returning to Valinor. By rejecting the Ring, she finally gives up on her ambitions, accepts that her power will diminish, and that she will return to Valinor as an elf, not an elf-lord. By extension, she humbles herself to the rule of the Valar.

In short, she gives up on the ambition that she held onto for all of the Third Age and most of the Second Age. She risked death in her pursuit of her ambition, and in more ways than one.

Abandoning one's life-ambition after such a long time, even by elven standards, is a choice of considerable impact, not least because the fulfillment of her ambition was not only in her grasp, but freely offered, as well.

Realizing you cannot fulfill an ambition is not as big a deal as giving it up, when you are on the verge of achieving it. That's about as serious a test as I can imagine.