Círdan the Shipwright by oshun

Part 1

Círdan the Shipwright is one of Tolkien's few important characters who plays a substantial role throughout the entire history of the Elves in Middle-earth. His story begins upon the shores of Cuiviénen. Following Elwë and Olwë, he assumes leadership of a significant portion of his people on the great trek from the mountains to the sea. At the advent of the First Age, his people may be found on the west coast of Beleriand, where he ruled as Lord of the Elves of the Falas, establishing settlements and engaging in shipbuilding and sailing.¹ Círdan is also a party to the struggle against Sauron in the Second Age, holding, for a time, one of the three great Elven rings. And, after the triumph of the free peoples of Middle-earth at the end of the Third Age, he captains the last ship which leaves from the Grey Havens to sail to Elvenhome. (Although the date and circumstances of said "last ship" are not clearly stated anywhere, it would almost certainly would have left no earlier than a few years into the Fourth Age.")

Círdan 'The Shipwright'; Telerin Elf, lord of the Falas (coasts of West Beleriand); at the destruction of the Havens after the Nirnaeth Arnoediad escaped with Gil-galad to the Isle of Balar; during the Second and Third Ages keeper of the Grey Havens in the Gulf of Lhûn; at the coming of Mithrandir entrusted to him Narya, the Ring of Fire.²

Some of the most detailed and explicit information relating to Círdan, his origins, and his significance among the early leaders of the Eldar, is contained within in the section entitled "Círdan" in the "The Last Writings," which encompasses some of Tolkien's latest notes added to his legendarium published by Christopher Tolkien in The Peoples of Middle-Earth.

The very first mention of Círdan in Tolkien's published works is in The Fellowship of the Ring, in one of those precious allusions within The Lord of the Rings to the depth and breadth of history of Tolkien's created world. Therein, a reference is made to him and his realm when listing those in attendance at the Council of Elrond: "and with him was Galdor, an Elf from the Grey Havens who had come on an errand from Círdan the Shipwright."³ Again, later in that same chapter, when Elrond tells the story of Isildur and the Ring, we learn that Círdan was right at the side of Gil-galad when he fell. He joined then with Elrond in counseling Isildur to destroy the Ring.

But few marked what Isildur did. He alone stood by his father in that last mortal contest; and by Gil-galad only Círdan stood, and I. But Isildur would not listen to our counsel.⁴

One also learns in "The Council of Elrond" chapter that Círdan is counted among the great Elven powers remaining in Middle-earth at the end of the Third Age. Galdor raises the question of whom, if anyone, in Middle-earth might hold power enough to stand up to or destroy Sauron.

What power still remains lies with us, here in Imladris, or with Círdan at the Havens, or in Lórien. But have they the strength, have we here the strength to withstand the Enemy, the coming of Sauron at the last, when all else is overthrown?⁵

Most readers of The Lord of the Rings, however, remember encountering Círdan most clearly in the final pages of The Return of the King, where he is introduced as an actual speaking character and receives a clear physical description.

As they came to the gates Círdan the Shipwright came forth to greet them. Very tall he was, and his beard was long, and he was grey and old, save that his eyes were keen as stars; and he looked at them and bowed, and said 'All is now ready.'⁶

Sadly, one must address the beard

Over the years, Círdan's beard has been raised within some of those unsatisfyingly circular discussions that periodically surface on the internet, all too often peppered with remarks like, "I think recall reading somewhere that …" So, we might as well cover it here and get it out of the way. First, one does not find in The Lord of the Rings any statement that Elves are beardless. The most frequently cited and easily accessible reference to the fact that Elves are easily physically distinguished from mortal Men is the passage describing Legolas' observation of an Elvish strain apparent in the appearance of Prince Imrahil of Dol Amroth.

At length they came to the Prince Imrahil, and Legolas looked at him and bowed low; for he saw that here indeed was one who had elven-blood in his veins. 'Hail, lord!' he said. ⁷

But there is no mention of beards herein. One must refer to The Unfinished Tales for that particular bit of information.

. . . among the last writings of my father's on the subject of Middle-earth, there is a discussion of the Elvish strain in Men, as to its being observable in the beardlessness of those who were so descended (it was a characteristic of all Elves to be beardless); and it is here noted in connection with the princely house of Dol Amroth that "this line had a special Elvish strain, according to its own legends" (with a reference to the speeches between Legolas and Imrahil in The Return of the King V 9, cited above).⁸

Michael Martinez pinpoints another direct reference in his essay, "Why Does Círdan Have a Beard?"

How is it that Elves are beardless if Círdan has a beard? . . . the Elvish Linguistic Fellowship published a text in Vinyar Tengwar issue 41 (July 2000) which seems to settle the issue. Christopher Tolkien published the majority of a text in The Peoples of Middle-earth which he titled "The Shibboleth of Fëanor" . . . . Vinyar Tengwar Issue 41 included other [my emphasis] parts of the "Shibboleth", among which was an editorial comment that reads:

The following etymological note pertains to the name Russandol in the discussion of the name Maitimo in the numbered list of names of the seven sons of Fëanor (XII:352-52). A marginal note against that discussion provides the detail that Nerdanel "herself had brown hair and a ruddy complexion". A note elsewhere in the papers associated with this essay reads: "Elves did not have beards until they entered their third cycle of life. Nerdanel's father [Cf. XII:365-66 n.61] was exceptional, being only early in his second."⁹

Círdan is very old, easily old enough to have reached that "third cycle of life." We know from material cited in various sources, which will be detailed later in this essay, that Círdan is the oldest of the named surviving Elves in Middle-earth. He is far older than those who are perceived as the old-timers mentioned in The Lord of the Rings, like Elrond or, even more so, Galadriel and Celeborn, who impress the Fellowship by their venerability, their aura of having endured long years and vast experience:

. . . but no sign of age was upon them, unless it were in the depths of their eyes; for these were keen as lances in the starlight, and yet profound, the wells of deep memory."¹⁰

We have no idea of an exact age for Celeborn, although one might assume he is significantly older than Galadriel. We do, however, know that Círdan was acknowledged as one of the eldest of the Elders of his race, while Galadriel was still in pigtails skipping around her parents' halls in Tirion. Elrond, of course, is three generations younger than Galadriel. We find no record in the texts of whether Círdan awakened at Cuiviénen or was born later, but there are kinship references which might imply shared family members (see more on this below).

Círdan's history before the return of the Noldor to Middle-earth

In the case of Círdan, Tolkien has provided late additions to his background, which provide important insights into the history of this significant character. Círdan is mentioned often in the texts without embellishment. Further details may be found within Christopher Tolkien's compilation, which he entitles "Last Writings."¹¹ The particular segment focusing upon Círdan was written in the 1970s on the reverse side of a sheet of Tolkien's notes relating to Glorfindel¹² and is rich in facts which can be found nowhere else. Christopher Tolkien describes with succinct eloquence the notes on Círdan in the "Last Writings" thusly:

This text is remarkable in that on the one hand nothing is said of the history and importance of Círdan as it appears elsewhere, while on the other hand almost everything that is told here is unique.¹³

Tolkien states therein that the name Círdan is Sindarin for "shipwright."¹⁴ It is this connection to shipbuilding and to the sea that persists throughout the entire narrative connected to this character and predates the major events of the period immediately preceding the First Age and shortly thereafter.

Before ever they came to Beleriand the Teleri had developed a craft of boat-making; first as rafts, and soon as light boats with paddles made in imitation of the water-birds upon the lakes near their first homes, and later on the Great Journey in crossing rivers, or especially during their long tarrying on the shores of the 'Sea of Rhûn', where their ships became larger and stronger. But in all this work Círdan had ever been the foremost and most inventive and skilful.¹⁵

Reference is made also in a footnote to the "Last Writings" to an earlier, ancient name for Círdan: "Pengolodh alone mentions a tradition among the Sindar of Doriath that it was in archaic form Nowë, the original meaning of which was uncertain."¹⁶

One learns that Círdan takes leadership of those early Quendi who

. . . loved water, and before the Separation never moved far from the lake and waterfall of Cuiviénen, and those that moved into the West became enamoured of the Sea.¹⁷

Círdan is also identified as kin of Elwë, who will become known as Thingol King of the Sindar, the representative of the Telerin people chosen to accompany the Vala Oromë to Aman to see the light of the Trees, and his brother Olwë, later to become King of the Teleri in Aman. (In this context it is unclear whether the term "kin" is intended to mean a close blood relation or merely indicating a clan or tribal relationship to one another as members of the Telerin division of the initial three groupings of the Quendi.) In the article "Quendi and the Eldar," a closer blood relationship seems to be implied when Tolkien digresses on the use of the word sindë for the hue "grey, pale or silvery grey,"¹⁸ remarking that

Elwë himself had indeed long and beautiful hair of silver hue, but this does not seem to have been a common feature of the Sindar, though it was found among them occasionally, especially in the nearer or remoter kin of Elwë (as in the case of Círdan).¹⁹

Círdan is nonetheless clearly one of the three principal leaders of his people. When Elwë goes missing on the long trek to the sea, it is Círdan and his followers who continue longest in the searching for their acknowledged leader. Tolkien describes this act of loyalty as resulting in a poignant loss for Círdan (the postponement of a wish that he would not finally fulfill in its entirety for long Ages into the future).

Thus he forfeited the fulfilment of his greatest desire: to see the Blessed Realm and find again there Olwë and his own nearest kin. Alas, he did not reach the shores until nearly all the Teleri of Olwë's following had departed. Then, it is said, he stood forlorn looking out to sea, and it was night, but far away he could see a glimmer of light upon Eressëa ere it vanished into the West. Then he cried aloud: 'I will follow that light, alone if none will come with me, for the ship that I have been building is now almost ready.' But even as he said this he received in his heart a message, which he knew to come from the Valar, though in his mind it was remembered as a voice speaking in his own tongue. And the voice warned him not to attempt this peril; for his strength and skill would not be able to build any ship able to dare the winds and waves of the Great Sea for many long years yet. 'Abide now that time, for when it comes then will your work be of utmost worth, and it will be remembered in song for many ages after.'²⁰

This passage is a prophetic one which points to his assistance to both Elves and Men during the First through Fourth Ages of Arda. Círdan is noted, therefore, to have received a prophetic message as well as being one who possesses the gift of foresight (more on that below).

The role of Círdan in the early years of First Age Beleriand

The account in The Silmarillion of the First Battle of the Wars of Beleriand, fought before the arrival of the Noldor in Middle-earth, describes how Círdan led his Elves of the Falas as active combatants in an attempt to support Thingol. When Melkor's Orcs drove a wedge between Thingol and Círdan's people, the Telerin leader led an attack against the flank of the Orcish forces from the west. But Círdan was successfully driven back all the way to the sea.²¹ However, he did manage to withdraw with his people into their own fortified cities, holding off a complete rout of the Elves of the Falas. The upshot of that First Battle was a disproportionate loss of lives on the part of Denethor's Green-elves, whom Thingol had recruited as backup for his forces.

For those of Ossiriand were light-armed, and no match for the Orcs, who were shod with iron and iron-shielded and bore great spears with broad blades; and Denethor was cut off and surrounded upon the hill of Amon Ereb. There he fell and all his nearest kin about him, before the host of Thingol could come to his aid. Bitterly though his fall was avenged, when Thingol came upon the rear of the Orcs and slew them in heaps, his people lamented him ever after and took no king again.²²

The mitigated victory of Thingol against the forces of Morgoth left the Grey-elves of the area of Doriath cut off from Círdan and the Teleri. Thingol withdrew to Doriath, which Melian the Maia then encircled with girdle of enchantment. Thingol had lost the ability to forge any new defensive alliances with the people who had followed Denethor in the past. And, most significantly, Thingol's retreat into his protected enclave left the people of his most loyal supporter, Círdan, isolated and under siege in the Havens of the Falas.

This is the Beleriand into which the first forces of the returning Noldor march. This picture could inspire a thoughtful reader to understand why Círdan, in all of his wisdom and even with forebodings of dark secrets, chose to maintain far better relations with the exiled Noldor than Thingol ever did. It also gives teeth to Maedhros' famous reaction to Thingol's message to the newly arrived Noldor that he considers himself to be the only Eldarin King in Beleriand.²³ Maedhros, recalling the state of Beleriand upon their arrival, says:

A king is he that can hold his own or else his title is vain. Thingol does but grant us lands where his power does not run. Indeed Doriath alone would be his realm this day but for the coming of the Noldor. Therefore in Doriath let him reign and be glad that he has the sons of Finwë for his neighbours not the Orcs of Morgoth that we found.²⁴

Círdan's besiegement is only broken by the arrival of that first wave of the exiled Noldor, the Fëanorians, who, attacked by Melkor's forces, engage them in battle and effectively wipe them out. The Dagor-nuin-Giliath (Battle-under-Stars) is the second battle of the Wars of Beleriand and the first test of the military capability of the Noldor, which, enhanced by residual Amanyarin magic, overshadows that of the courageous and doughty Sindarin warriors.

The Noldor, outnumbered and taken at unawares [by Morgoth's Orcs], were yet swiftly victorious; for the light of Aman was not yet dimmed in their eyes, and they were strong and swift, and deadly in anger, and their swords were long and terrible.²⁵

The Orcs of Angband were no match for these exiled rebels still freshly self-righteous and undefeated, led by Fëanor, who, as might be expected, is "consumed by the flame of his own wrath."²⁶

The Orcs fled before them, and they were driven forth from Mithrim with great slaughter, and hunted over the Mountains of Shadow into the great plain of Ard-galen, that lay northward of Dorthonion. There the armies of Morgoth that had passed south into the Vale of Sirion and beleaguered Círdan in the Havens of the Falas came up to their aid, and were caught in their ruin.²⁷

The result of this battle is that the Círdan's Havens are free again and the balance of power has shifted in Beleriand, most notably for Melkor and for Thingol.

Seeing that a watchful peace has been established in Beleriand and looking forward with optimism to building new realms and expanding the areas of security and prosperity into those areas, Fingolfin calls for a gathering of the Eldar, the Mereth Aderthad or Feast of Reuniting. An impressive collection of the widely dispersed Elven peoples attend this convocation.

. . . there came also great numbers of the Grey-elves, wanderers of the woods of Beleriand and folk of the Havens, with Círdan their lord. There came even Green-elves from Ossiriand, the Land of Seven Rivers, far off under the walls of the Blue Mountains; but out of Doriath there came but two messengers, Mablung and Daeron, bearing greetings from the King.²⁸

Thingol's refusal to attend and to send only two representatives may be contrasted with Círdan the lord of the Falas personally leading a substantial contingent of Falathrim. While Thingol holds himself aloof in Doriath, Círdan engages with not only the newly arrived Noldor but with the other Elven peoples who have lately been separated from Thingol and Círdan by distance, cultural differences, and danger.

---

Works Cited

1. The Silmarillion, "Of Beleriand and its Realms."
2. The Silmarillion, "Index of Names."
3. The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, "The Council of Elrond."
4. Ibid.
5. The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, "The Council of Elrond."
6. The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "The Grey Havens."
7. The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "The Last Debate."
8. Unfinished Tales, The History of Galadriel and Celeborn. Notes at the end of that section by Christopher Tolkien.
9. Why Does Círdan Have a Beard? by Michael Martinez. Jan 13, 2012.
10. The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, "The Mirror of Galadriel."
11. The Peoples of Middle-earth, "Last Writings." Círdan section.
12. Ibid.
13. Ibid.
14. Ibid.
15. The Peoples of Middle-earth, "Last Writings." Footnote 29.
16. The Peoples of Middle-earth, "Last Writings." Footnote 30.
17. The War of the Jewels, "Quendi and the Eldar."
18. Ibid.
19. Ibid. Celeborn is another so-called kin of Elwë with the unusual silver hair.
20. The Peoples of Middle-earth, "Last Writings."
21. The Silmarillion, "Of the Sindar."
22. Ibid.
23. "I am the Lord of Beleriand, and all who seek to dwell there shall hear my word." The Silmarillion, "Of the Return of the Noldor."
24. The Silmarillion, "Of the Return of the Noldor."
25. Ibid.
26. Ibid.
27. Ibid.
28. Ibid.

Part 2

Círdan Exposes Secrets of the Exiled Noldor

Despite having manifested more openness to the Noldor than Thingol, Círdan does not relinquish sensible caution in his assessment of the unanticipated return to Middle-earth of their long-sundered kin. As noted earlier above, it is Fëanor’s Noldor who rescue Círdan and the Falathrim from their encirclement by Melkor’s forces in the Dagor-nuin-Giliath (Battle-under-Stars). Círdan’s relief must have been tremendous and unexpected. Celegorm’s troops find themselves "in a position to bear down victoriously on the flank of an Orc-host that previously had laid siege to the Havens of the Falas"¹ and obliterate Melkor’s hordes, at last freeing Círdan’s people.

Celegorm receives news of an Orc force approaching the Fëanorian army from the west and waylays them

with a part of the Elven-host, and coming down upon them out of the hills near Eithel Sirion drove them into the Fen of Serech. Evil indeed were the tidings that came at last to Angband, and Morgoth was dismayed. Ten days that battle lasted, and from it returned of all the hosts that he had prepared for the conquest of Beleriand no more than a handful of leaves.²

Círdan’s gratitude and need, however, never override his loyalty to Thingol nor his deductive reasoning, which tells him there are missing details surrounding the Noldor’s flight from Aman. He remains alert and observant of his new neighbors.

It was not long before whispered tales began to pass among the Sindar concerning the deeds of the Noldor ere they came to Beleriand. Certain it is whence they came, and the evil truth was enhanced and poisoned by lies; but the Sindar were yet unwary and trustful of words, and (as may well be thought) Morgoth chose them for this first assault of his malice, for they knew him not.³

This plan composed of lies and half-truths is reminiscent of the treacherous tactics of Morgoth in Valinor when he fanned the flames of smoldering resentments and differences within the Noldor into a major conflagration, which, until the point of his intervention, had been relatively petty and manageable.

And Círdan, hearing these dark tales, was troubled; for he was wise, and perceived swiftly that true or false they were put about at this time through malice, though the malice he deemed was that of the princes of the Noldor, because of the jealousy of their houses. Therefore he sent messengers to Thingol to tell all that he had heard.⁴

Thingol, naturally, reacts strongly. He turns to his own kinsmen Finrod, Galadriel, and Angrod, visiting in Doriath at the time, for confirmation or denial. Finrod, deeply troubled, still refuses to accuse his cousins and reveals nothing. His brother Angrod, however, tells all: "Then Angrod spoke bitterly against the sons of Fëanor, telling of the blood at Alqualondë, and the Doom of Mandos, and the burning of the ships at Losgar."⁵ It is impossible to imagine that the dirty secrets of the Noldor’s flight would have not come out at some point, and it is doubly impossible to fault Círdan for his revelation to Thingol and Melian of the rumors being circulated. However, the result long-term will be devastating for the Elves in their drawn-out battle against Morgoth. The division between Thingol and the Noldor becomes a lasting one. And when the Noldor and their allies most need Thingol’s support, they will not receive it.

The Relationship of Círdan to Finrod and Fingon

In The Silmarillion, one reads of the particular relationships that develop between Círdan and Finrod Felagund and Fingon the Valiant. First, Finrod, among all of the princes of the Noldor, ruled the geographically largest realm, if not one of the most populous. It touched the lands under the control of Círdan and stretched from Sirion to the sea, excluding the Falas.

There [in the Falas] dwelt those of the Sindar who still loved ships, and Círdan the shipbuilder was their lord; but between Círdan and Finrod there was friendship and alliance, and with the aid of the Noldor the havens of Brithombar and Eglarest were built anew. Behind their great walls they became fair towns and harbours with quays and piers of stone. Upon the cape west of Eglarest Finrod raised the tower of Barad Nimras to watch the western sea, though needlessly, as it proved; for at no time ever did Morgoth essay to build ships or to make war by sea.⁶

There is some question in alternate texts as to whether Círdan ever consider Felagund as his lord.

The concluding sentence 'But they acknowledged the high-kingship of Thingol, and Círdan never took the title of king' differs from the Annals, where Círdan either acknowledged Felagund of Nargothrond as overlord, or else was (as it seems) an independent Lord of the Falas 'yet ever close in friendship with Nargothrond' (GA §85, and commentary p. 117).⁷

In the Battle of Sudden Flame or Dagor Bragollach, Morgoth breaks the Siege of Angband that held for a period of approximately 400 years of uneasy peace. With the death of his father, Fingon the Valiant becomes High King of the Noldor. Fearing for the safety of his young son and heir, Fingon sends him into what he hopes will be relative safety to be fostered by Círdan at the Havens of the Falas.

Great was the lamentation in Hithlum when the fall of Fingolfin became known, and Fingon in sorrow took the lordship of the house of Fingolfin and the kingdom of the Noldor; but his young son Ereinion (who was after named Gil-galad) he sent to the Havens.⁸

Unnumbered Tears

In collaboration with his spouse Melian the Maia, Elu Thingol has basically a single strategy against Morgoth after the First Battle of Beleriand fought before the arrival of the Noldor (for further details on that tenuous victory won at a terrible cost see the first part of this biography ). Thingol retreats into his cave city of Menegroth in Doriath. Melian constructs a magical barrier protecting their underground fortress city and the lands immediately surrounding it. Already wary and mistrustful of the arrogant and energetic Noldor who return with such an aggressive flourish to Middle-earth before he knows anything bad about them, Thingol hardens into an intractable isolationist stance after he learns of the Kinslaying in Alqualondë. He refuses to join in the strongest and most widespread alliance organized by the Noldor in the First Age in their ongoing struggle against Morgoth.

Thingol grants reluctant permission to his two chief captains and marchwardens Beleg and Mablung, as individuals, to join the alliance of the free peoples of Middle-earth in the Nirnaeth Arnoediad (Battle of Unnumbered Tears). They are the only two Elves from Doriath to participate.⁹ Thingol refuses to send troops. Actual military support from Doriath (or Nargothrond) might have turned the tide of that war; instead Unnumbered Tears goes down in the history of Arda as the most heartbreaking of examples of a potential victory turned into a horrific defeat by betrayal from within the forces of Maedhros and the alienation of potential supporters.

Many songs are yet sung and many tales are yet told by the Elves of the Nirnaeth Arnoediad , the Battle of Unnumbered Tears, in which Fingon fell and the flower of the Eldar withered. If all were now retold a man’s life would not suffice for the hearing.¹⁰

Círdan, however, as the leader of the Falathrim Sindar, while recognizing Thingol as his King, rules almost entirely autonomously in the Havens of the Falas.

But Círdan and his people remained in many ways distinct from the rest of the Sindar. They retained the old name Teleri . . . and remained in many ways a separate folk, speaking even in later days a more archaic language. The Noldor called them the Falmari, 'wave-folk', and the other Sindar Falathrim 'people of the foaming shore'. [Internal footnotes redacted.]¹¹

Michael Martinez’s "Life in an Elven Fishing Town" is an interesting article containing speculation upon Círdan’s people and their settlements at the end of the First Age and throughout the Second Age. Therein he observes that

In many ways, Círdan seems like the first Viking: he is tall, bearded, a warrior, and a mariner. And his people fought with great axes as well as swords, much like Vikings. After the Falathrim were driven from their homes to Balar, Círdan’s mariners ranged up and down the western coasts of Beleriand, raiding the Orcs and disturbing Morgoth’s outposts. Círdan even allied himself with Hithlum during the Wars of Beleriand, an act no doubt born of necessity since his people could not be protected by Melian’s Girdle.¹²

A cautionary note on the purpose and orientation of Martinez’s creative interpretations of his impressive knowledge of the texts is that his intent is to summarize and extrapolate for a target audience of gamers and role-players not overly concerned with citations. By contrast, one might note that these monthly biographies are directed toward, although not limited to, committed readers of Tolkien and writers of fanfiction who have an expressed interest in being pointed to the primary sources upon which any speculative remarks are based, a subtle perhaps but significant difference.

Returning to the account of the Battle of Unnumbered Tears, the Lord of the Falas does not stand down from the great alliance against Morgoth, which is organized by the Union of Maedhros and Fingon, by then High King of the Noldor.

Under the standard of Fingon, Círdan’s mariners, shipwrights, and fisher-folk join ranks with the Noldor of Hithlum, the Men of Dor-lómin and of the House of Hador, the much reduced number of Elves from Nargothrond who insist in participating despite Orodreth’s refusal to commit significant forces, and the small grouping of the folk of Haleth, not to mention, of course Turgon’s glittering and well-equipped troops from Gondolin. So, Fingon’s tremendous force of Elves from throughout Hithlum and his "great strength of Men"¹³ in the final count includes a not insignificant number of Círdan’s people ("to them were gathered many Elves of the Falas"¹⁴).

Círdan’s coastal peoples’ actions in these histories prove them to have none of the isolationist impulses of their Doriathrim kin living under Thingol. This is doubtless due both to the leadership of Círdan and his people’s vulnerability. They do not confine themselves to a narrow land bordering the sea. Instead, they march to Eithel Sirion where Fingon’s forces were "arrayed in the valleys and woods upon the east of Ered Wethrin."¹⁵

After Fingon is killed in battle, the majority of the brave forces of his alliance, so recently filled with such optimism, are smashed and scattered, and their future hope all but destroyed. Círdan rescues large numbers of survivors and refugees fleeing in the wake of the devastation of that defeat. Even his Havens of Falas are not safe, however, and he removes all that he is able to save to the Isle of Balar in the south.¹⁶

After rampaging throughout the north, Morgoth finally turns his eye upon the Falas.

Morgoth sent great strength over Hithlum and Nevrast, and they came down the rivers Brithon and Nenning and ravaged all the Falas, and besieged the walls of Brithombar and Eglarest. Smiths and miners and masters of fire they brought with them, and they set up great engines; and valiantly though they were resisted they broke the walls at last. Then the Havens were laid in ruin, and the tower of Barad Nimras cast down; and the most part of Círdan’s people were slain or enslaved.¹⁷

The last possible sanctuary of many of those refugees of war lies with Círdan and he does what he can with his limited remaining forces.

But some went aboard ship and escaped by sea; and among them was Ereinion Gil-galad, the son of Fingon, whom his father had sent to the Havens after the Dagor Bragollach. This remnant sailed with Círdan south to the Isle of Balar, and they made a refuge for all that could come thither; for they kept a foothold also at the Mouths of Sirion, and there many light and swift ships lay hid in the creeks and waters where the reeds were dense as a forest.¹⁸

The urge is absolutely irresistible to point out that there is in fact a version of canon in which even Maedhros and Maglor are among the refugees that Círdan shelters on the Isle of Balar.

Maidros and Maglor, sons of Fëanor, dwelt in hiding in the south of Eastern Beleriand, about Amon Ereb, the Lonely Hill, that stands solitary amid the wide plain. But Morgoth sent against them, and they fled to the Isle of Balar. Now Morgoth’s triumph was complete, and all that land was in his hold, and none were left there, Elves or Men, save such as were his thralls."¹⁹

The inarguable fact of the final result of the Battle of Unnumbered Tears is that it is an utter and devastating defeat for the grand alliances that Maedhros and Fingon had built upon their dream of a final victory over Morgoth. And, long after many of the surviving participants have disengaged, Círdan still presses forward in his work to save his own people and any refugees who fall within his geographic reach.

Turgon, having assumed the High Kingship of the Noldor and retreated to Gondolin, then decides the time has come to seek outside help and appeals to Círdan also.

At the bidding of Turgon Círdan built seven swift ships, and they sailed out into the West; but no tidings of them came ever back to Balar, save of one, and the last. The mariners of that ship toiled long in the sea, and returning at last in despair they foundered in a great storm within sight of the coasts of Middle-earth; but one of them was saved by Ulmo from the wrath of Ossë, and the waves bore him up, and cast him ashore in Nevrast. His name was Voronwë; and he was one of those that Turgon sent forth as messengers from Gondolin.²⁰

There will be no help coming in response to Turgon’s desperate attempts to appeal to the Amanyarin Eldar and the Valar. The fate of the exiled Noldor grinds inexorably toward the fulfillment of the Doom of Mandos. In those dark days, all that is left of the vast lands and fortresses of the lords of the Noldor are the secret cities of Gondolin and Nargothrond. The future High King of the Noldor, Ereinion Gil-galad, is for the moment still safe under Círdan’s care and tutelage.

Círdan Warns Orodreth of the Imminent Threat to Nargothrond

Chronologically, the next major world-changing event in which Círdan plays a role concerns a warning from Ulmo the Lord of the Waters, who is the Vala most concerned about the welfare of the Elves and Men in Middle-earth throughout the period when the Valar in Aman appear to have all but forgotten them. Círdan sends a messenger to Nargothrond conveying a serious warning from Ulmo. The messenger, one Gelmir, arrives with his message for Orodreth, King of Nargothrond following the death of Finrod Felagund.

The always ill-fated Túrin, in close counsel to Orodreth at this time, is present when the warning is received. He rudely tells Gelmir, "‘Your news is stale. If the message of Círdan was to any purpose, it should have come sooner.’"²¹ But Gelmir will not be silenced:

‘At least, lord, you shall hear the message now,’ said Gelmir to Orodreth. ‘Hear then the words of the Lord of Waters! Thus he spoke to Círdan: "The Evil of the North has defiled the springs of Sirion, and my power withdraws from the fingers of the flowing waters. But a worse thing is yet to come forth. Say therefore to the Lord of Nargothrond: Shut the doors of the fortress, and go not abroad. Cast the stones of your pride into the loud river, that the creeping evil may not find the gate."’ These words seemed dark to Orodreth, and he turned as ever to Túrin for counsel.²²

Arrogant, scornful, and mistrustful of the messenger, Túrin counsels Orodreth to dismiss the warning, saying, "‘What does Círdan know of our wars, who dwell nigh to the Enemy? Let the mariner look to his ships! But if in truth the Lord of Waters would send us counsel, let him speak more plainly."²³ Has there ever been a worse adviser? Nargothrond falls as a result of Orodreth’s failure to heed the warning from Círdan.

After the fall of Nargothrond and the fall of Gondolin, the center of the story of the Elves in Middle-earth has shifted to Gil-galad as the last High King of the Noldor, where he governs from the refuge founded by Círdan upon Balar. It is of no small significance that not only was Gil-galad fostered by Círdan, but Eärendil looks to Círdan as a mentor as well, and it is through his relentless seafaring that eventually he reaches Aman and convinces the Valar to come to the aid of the struggling remnants of the free peoples of Middle-earth.

After the War of Wrath and the destruction of Beleriand, Gil-galad, in close collaboration with Círdan, founds the settlements of Lindon between the Blue Mountains and the Sea and the havens of Forlond, Harlond, and Mithlond.²⁴

The Wisest of the Wise

The wisdom of Círdan is not only spoken of throughout the texts, but demonstrated graphically in his deeds. One needs to recognize that a wise man by our modern definition usually refers to some indefinable characteristic involving astuteness and good judgment grounded in life experience. In The Shibboleth of Fëanor, wisdom is described as: "‘Knowledge’ would be nearer, or ‘Philosophy’ in its older applications which included Science."²⁵ Elven wisdom as referenced therein is closer to philosophy in the Greek sense of the term, which included science and mathematics and incorporated everything the philosophers knew, believed, or inferred about the universe.

In Tolkien’s subcreation, the Noldor are famous for their Kurwë (Curwë) or ‘technical skill and invention.²⁶ Círdan is no Noldo, but he has no shortage of scientific knowledge and technical skill as a shipbuilder and mariner of unequaled skill and inventive intelligence. Aficionados of Tolkien who enjoy a "scientifictious" approach will likely imagine that Círdan has mastered all manner of skills and science related to the business of keeping a ship afloat on a large body of water and its navigation—an understanding of geography, winds, weather, and the stars—as well as the tools required to build a ship and sail one.

Another frequently referenced form of Elven wisdom is Ñolmë which combines science and philosophy.

The stem appeared in Quenya (in which it was most used) in forms developed from Common Eldarin ňgol-, ňgōlo-, with or without syllabic ň: as in *Ñgolodō > Quenya Ñoldo (Telerin golodo, Sindarin goloÐ) - the Ñoldor had been from the earliest times most eminent in and concerned with this kind of ‘wisdom’; ňolmë a department of wisdom (science etc.); Ingolë (ňgōlē) Science/Philosophy as a whole; ňolmo a wise person; ingólemo one with very great knowledge, a ‘wizard’. . . The wizards of the Third Age - emissaries from the Valar - were called Istari ‘those who know.’²⁷

This Ñolmë may be applied to Círdan as well. Not only is he a master of practical matters and highly skilled in the art and science of sailing, but he has shown himself to be sage and patient in a political sense, able to see into the hearts of Elves, Men, and Maiar with an additional gift of insight into the future, stretching as far as instances of actual foresight or prophetic visions. He is a warrior and a political leader as well, a teacher, and a mentor. There are numerous references above and below to his skills as a leader in peace and war.

During the onset of the events which culminate in the fall of Ost-in-Edhil, the center of an Eldarin renaissance of arts and sciences in the Second Age, Celebrimbor seeks to distribute the three major Elven rings of power. Knowing that he must hide them from Sauron, he chooses to give them to those among the Elves whom he believes to be most trustworthy and powerful. Without going into great detail, Tolkien mentions in a letter that Sauron upon realizing that the Elves have discovered his identity

. . . came against them with open war, demanding that all the rings should be delivered to him, since the Elven-smiths could not have attained to their making without his lore and counsel. But the Elves fled from him; and three of their rings they saved, and bore them away, and hid them.²⁸

There are a few minor variations relating to the chain possession of the ring of fire Narya which ends up in the hands of Círdan. In the Appendices to The Lord of the Rings, it is said:

Throughout the Third Age the guardianship of the Three Rings was known only to those who possessed them. But at the end it became known that they had been held at first by the three greatest of the Eldar: Gil-galad, Galadriel and Círdan. Gil-galad before he died gave his ring to Elrond; Círdan later surrendered his to Mithrandir.²⁹

Interestingly, Círdan’s choice of Gandalf to best use and safeguard Narya is another example of his prescience and/or ability to look into the hearts and minds of others and know them. He recognized that Gandalf was the strongest of these wizards who arrive from across the sea—once again his power of foresight comes to the fore. Others, even Galadriel or perhaps Gandalf himself, looked to Saruman as the paramount among the wizards sent from the West. Círdan, however, holds the ring until their arrival the Third Age, chooses to present it to Gandalf, not Saruman, saying,

"Take this ring, Master, for your labours will be heavy; but it will support you in the weariness that you have taken upon yourself. For this is the Ring of Fire, and with it you may rekindle hearts in a world that grows chill."³⁰

The Role of Círdan among the Númenóreans and Dúnedain in Middle-earth

Before jumping into accounts of somewhat obscure wars in the dark days of the northern Dúnedain after the kingdom of Arnor had split into three, it is useful to examine Círdan’s relationship with Aldarion and the early Númenórean mariners.

For nearly 600 years in the early Second Age, the men of Númenor confine themselves to their idyllic isle. But like people throughout the history of our real world, being surrounded by the sea, they are drawn to explore first their own island homeland and later much farther shores. Vëantur, the grandfather of the first of the great Sea-Kings of Númenor Tar-Aldarion, introduces his gifted grandson to the sea. Vëantur was the first Númenórean mariner to make his way back to Middle-earth.³¹

When Aldarion reaches the age of twenty-five, Vëantur, nearing the end of his sailing days, desires to take him across the sea to Middle-earth with him. This voyage will have a great effect upon both the future of Númenor and Middle-earth.

. . . once more at least I would ride the Great Sea and face the North wind and the East. This year you shall come with me, and we will go to Mithlond and see the tall blue mountains of Middle-earth and the green land of the Eldar at their feet. Good welcome you will find from Círdan the Shipwright and from King Gil-galad.’³²

Aldarion is to make many voyages to Middle-earth. He looks to Círdan, as he had to his grandfather before him, as a mentor in the craft of ship-building and voyaging, much to the consternation of his father initially. Gil-galad also involves Aldarion in the concerns of Middle-earth. The connection between the island of Númenor and Middle-earth is never again to be severed.

After Elendil and Gil-galad perished defeating Sauron at the end of the War of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men, it is Círdan who stands by Elrond when he attempts to convince Isildur to destroy the One Ring.

The Ruling Ring passed out of the knowledge even of the Wise in that age; yet it was not unmade. For Isildur would not surrender it to Elrond and Círdan who stood by. They counselled him to cast it into the fire of Orodruin nigh at hand, in which it had been forged, so that it should perish, and the power of Sauron be forever diminished, and he should remain only as a shadow of malice in the wilderness. But Isildur refused this counsel . . . .³³

Círdan in the Third Age

The next series of encounters with Círdan chronologically, before we read of him in the narrative of the events of The Lord of the Rings and the aftermath of the Ring War, are recounted in the historical texts to be found in the final volume of that work in the Appendices to The Return of the King.

There we learn that in the early Third Age the northern kingdom of the Dúnedain of Arnor has been divided into three parts. Círdan assists the kings of Arthedain in a long drawn-out attempt to destroy the Witch-king of Angmar. In the year 1409 of the Third Age, Círdan assists the valiant young Araphor son of King Arveleg in repelling the enemy from Fornost and the North Downs.³⁴

Generations later, with the menace of the Witch-king continuing, Círdan hears that King Arvedui of Arthedain is trapped on the shore of the Icebay of Forochel in the Blue Mountains, where the Snowmen are attempting to feed and shelter him and his men. Círdan sends a ship to rescue them. However, that ship and all of its crew and passengers are lost when it founders and sinks during a blizzard. Thus, ends the reign of the last of the Kings of the Dúnedain of the north based in Arthedain, who had preserved the line of Isildur son of Elendil, which will continue to survive and will one day produce Aragorn.³⁵

Círdan also assists the Dúnedain of the North in finally achieving a victory against the Witch-king, ending the power of Angmar in the Battle of Fornost.

"Then Círdan summoned all who would come to him, from Lindon or Arnor, and when all was ready the host crossed the Lune and marched north to challenge the Witch-king of Angmar."³⁶

The Battle of Fornost is where Glorfindel delivered his famous prophecy: "Do not pursue him! He will not return to this land. Far off yet is his doom, and not by the hand of man will he fall."³⁷

According to the article on the palantíri in Unfinished Tales, Círdan took possession of the abandoned Elendil Stone on Emyn Beraid, with which one could see across the sea into Elvenhome, but which had no connection to any of the other palantíri.³⁸

Following the construction by Círdan and Gil-galad of their cluster of coastal cities after the flooding of Beleriand, Círdan is always to be found at the Havens, wise and able, with the intent to assist, shelter, or advise those who require him. He is turned to as a comrade in war. He is one of the members of the White Council of Elven lords and wizards who come together to address the mystery of the growing power of Dol Guldur. And it is Círdan who continues to ferry across the great sea those of the Eldar who would return to Elvenhome.

At the Grey Havens dwelt Círdan the Shipwright, and some say he dwells there still, until the Last Ship sets sail into the West. In the days of the Kings most of the High Elves that still lingered in Middle-earth dwelt with Círdan or in the seaward lands of Lindon. If any now remain they are few.³⁹

Conclusion

In the section on Círdan in The Peoples of Middle-earth, there is a moving paragraph, which describes Círdan’s first sight of the Sea at end of the long trek of the Eldar from Cuiviénen across Middle-earth and after his long search for Elu Thingol. He has missed, to his great dismay, the opportunity to travel with the last of the Teleri to be ferried to the West. Sorely disappointed and eager to reach this land of light, he determines to make the trip in his own ship to the Undying Lands. But he is warned he has not yet the skill, although he someday will have. But, more importantly, that he has tasks in Middle-earth which no one else can fulfill.

. . . it seemed to him that he saw (in a vision maybe) a shape like a white boat, shining above him, that sailed west through the air, and as it dwindled in the distance it looked like a star of so great a brilliance that it cast a shadow of Círdan upon the strand where he stood. As we now perceive, this was a foretelling of the ship which after apprenticeship to Círdan, and ever with his advice and help, Eärendil built, and in which at last he reached the shores of Valinor. From that night onwards Círdan received a foresight touching all matters of importance, beyond the measure of all other Elves upon Middle-earth.⁴⁰

It is easy upon first glance at the material to overlook the importance of Círdan and his unique role in Middle-earth. Tolkien’s Silmarillion is filled with more flamboyant heroes and anti-heroes among the Eldar. However, upon more in-depth reading and attention to his history and his accomplishments, his steadfastness and the depth of his wisdom, it becomes well-nigh impossible to overrate Círdan’s significance.

Perhaps this explains why Tolkien returned to add additional details to his history of Círdan. The Telerin leader, while present in so many significant events or struggles from Cuiviénen until the sailing of the last ship to the West, played the consistently vital roles of nurturing, advising, mentoring, and serving as a wellspring of wisdom and perspective, while showing few of the faults of self-interest, narrowness, or short-sightedness one finds to a greater or lesser degree in nearly all of the more dramatically described Eldar who dominate the narrative of the First Age.

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Author’s Note: I would like to thank, in addition to Dawn Felagund for her usual copy check under time pressure, my friend Ignoble Bard for graciously reading through this essay late on a weekend night.

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Works Cited

1. J. E. A. Tyler. The Complete Tolkien Companion. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2012.
2. The Silmarillion, "Of the Return of the Noldor."
3. The Silmarillion, "Of the Noldor in Beleriand."
4. Ibid.
5. Ibid.
6. The Silmarillion, "Of Beleriand and its Realms."
7. The War of the Jewels, Quendi and Eldar, footnote 10.
8. The Silmarillion, "Of the Ruin of Beleriand and the Fall of Fingolfin."
9. The Silmarillion, "Of the Fifth Battle: Nirnaeth Arnoediad."
10. The Children of Hurin, "The Battle of Unnumbered Tears."
11. The Peoples of Middle-earth, The Last Writings, "Círdan."
12. Michael Martinez, Life in an Elven Fishing Town, June 6, 2012.
13. The Children of Húrin, "The Battle of Unnumbered Tears."
14. Ibid.
15. The Silmarillion, "Of the Fifth Battle: Nirnaeth Arnoediad," and The Children of Húrin, "The Battle of Unnumbered Tears."
16. The Children of Húrin, "List of Names in the Tale of the Children of Húrin."
17. The Silmarillion, "Of the Fifth Battle: Nirnaeth Arnoediad."
18. Ibid.
19. The Lost Road and Other Writings, Part Two: Valinor and Middle-earth before The Lord of the Ring, The Later Annals of Beleriand.
20. The Silmarillion, "Of the Fifth Battle: Nirnaeth Arnoediad."
21. The Children of Húrin, "The Fall of Nargothrond."
22. Ibid.
23. Ibid.
24. The Silmarillion, "Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age."
25. The Peoples of Middle-earth, The Shibboleth of Fëanor.
26. Ibid.
27. The Peoples of Middle-earth, The Shibboleth of Fëanor.
28. The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien, 153 to Peter Hastings.
29. The Return of the King, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B: "The Tale of Years."
30. Ibid.
31. Unfinished Tales, "A Description of the Island of Númenor."
32. Unfinished Tales, "Aldarion and Erendis."
33. The Silmarillion, "Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age."
34. The Return of the King, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, (iii) "The Númenórean Kings," "The North-kingdom and the Dúnedain."
35. Ibid.
36. The Return of the King, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, (iii) "The Númenórean Kings," "Gondor and the Heirs of Anárion."
37. Ibid.
38. Unfinished Tales, "The Palantíri."
39. The Return of the King, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, (iii) "The Númenórean Kings," "Eriador, Arnor, and the Heirs of Isildur."
40. The Peoples of Middle-Earth, The Last Writings, "Círdan."