Celebrimbor: 30-Day Character Study by cloudyhymns

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Fanwork Notes

Crossposted on Dreamwidth.

Fanwork Information

Summary:

Notes and writings on Celebrimbor, following the 30-Day Character Study challenge prompts.

Major Characters: Celebrimbor

Major Relationships:

Genre: General, Nonfiction/Meta

Challenges: 30-Day Character Study, Jubilee

Rating: General

Warnings: Check Notes for Warnings

Chapters: 24 Word Count: 15, 103
Posted on 19 January 2025 Updated on 11 February 2025

This fanwork is a work in progress.

Day 1: Drop Everything and Read, Part One

Notes and thoughts on Celebrimbor's mentions in-text.

(This is my first post on SWG, so please let me know if I can improve my formatting/tagging/etc. Thank you!)

Read Day 1: Drop Everything and Read, Part One

On textual timelines and events as are known: The Nature of Middle Earth, or NoME, indicates that Celebrimbor was a Teler and followed Celeborn across the sea (NoME, 178). If this is true, then Celebrimbor was born to the Teleri; I would therefore assume, although it is not specified, that this was before the Exile. Therefore, Celebrimbor must have been born when Curufin was relatively young, before the killing of Finwë and theft of the Silmarils (Y.T. 1495/V.Y. 4995).1

Celebrimbor's time in Nargothrond is (frustratingly!) not precisely defined. Curufin and Celegorm arrived in Nargothrond from F.A. 455, so it is possible that Celebrimbor arrived with them (The Grey Annals: will update when I have my book unpacked from moving shipment). Celebrimbor stayed with Orodreth in Nargothrond (The Silmarillion, 176), and may have remained there until its destruction in F.A. 495 (The Children of Húrin, 495). One omission of note on Tolkien's part is that Celebrimbor is not listed as part of the company Gwindor took to the Nirnaeth Arnoediad--and he could not have participated at all, since only one member returned (The Silmarillion, 188-189).

Celebrimbor was therefore the only living Fëanorian to not participate in the Union of Maedhros and not fight in the Nirnaeth Arnoediad, and I find this a fascinating aspect of his history as a character. Does this reflect his eventual downfall? Much to think about!

As expected, Celebrimbor's later life is glossed over in The Silmarillion, pages 286-288. He is mentioned a handful of times, largely with respect to his smith-craft.

The Silmarillion, The Nature of Middle Earth, and other works don't go into much detail about Celebrimbor's origins and backstory. I puzzled thorugh the pre-Eregion chronology a bit, but there's a lot that's unclear still. I'm looking forward to going through the rest of HoME over time to pick up more references to him, but I'm not sure how many others there are!

1 Interestingly, Amazon's Rings of Power seems to allude to this with their Celebrimbor. He is portrayed as significantly older than most depictions of Celebrimbor, and often is a foil for RoP's Círdan--I do not think this is a mistake, and I suspect they were going for the "born under the light of the Trees, half-Teleri Celebrimbor" angle that I ran into in my research here.


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Day 2: Down Memory Lane, Part One

Consideration of Celebrimbor's childhood.

Read Day 2: Down Memory Lane, Part One

Very little is shared about Celebrimbor as a whole in the works I have on hand, and there is nothing stated explicitly about his childhood. The lack of information makes today's response more speculative than the previous one, and I'm not entire sure how I feel about that.... Oh well!

The word that comes to mind is lonely.

If Celebrimbor followed Celeborn and other Teleri to Middle-Earth, it is implied that he spent time with them and followed the leadership of the Teleri. He was not mentioned at all during the Oathtaking or Exile, and these combine to make it likely that Celebrimbor spent time away from Curufin even before their sundering at Nargothrond.

Celebrimbor is also the only biological child of the Fëanorians. While he has many uncles and aunts, he was one of the few children of the later generations of Noldor, and I believe he was the only one known to be born in Aman under the Trees (see Day 1's post). As one example, Ereinion Gil-galad is "young" when Fingon becomes High King of the Noldor (The Silmarillion, 154) and is therefore presumably born in Hithlum.

What does this mean for Celebrimbor?

As a child, and as an adult, he is "neither here, nor there." He's not of his father's generation, but he is sundered from Gil-Galad's despite similar parentage, and certainly far from Elrond's and Elros's. Likewise, it seems that as a child, Celebrimbor was neither fully Noldor, nor fully Teler, and instead some combination of the two.

It is very possible that his mother was one of the Teleri, particularly when Celebrimbor being a foil for all of his family line, rather than just Fëanor, is taken into consideration.

Growing up in Aman, Celebrimbor would have been exposed to the great beauty of the Blessed Realm without having crossed first through great peril (as did the first few generations of Elves). If he spent any significant time with Curufin and the Fëanorians, Celebrimbor would have traveled and gone often to the halls of Aulë (The Silmarillion, 62), witnessing both the wilderness and great Art. This also suggests that he would have been familiar, at least at distantly, with the Maiar who served Aulë and toiled under him; while I don't think the timelines work for him to have encountered Mairon pre-Sauron, I do think there could be an aspect of nostalgia in Celebrimbor's eventual seduction.

If Celebrimbor followed his family by blood, his environment would have been constantly changing, but he would have learned much and seen much that would be of future use to him. If Celebrimbor dwelt with the Teleri, however, he could have established roots with far-reaching ramifications--staying with the family of Eärwen and Olwë could have cemented his eventual loyalty to the sons of Finarfin. Just because Celebrimbor followed Celeborn across the sea does not mean that Celebrimbor lived with Celeborn, particularly as a child, and I find the possibility that he was raised under Eärwen's watch, direct or otherwise, fascinating.

I also do not believe the two options are mutually exclusive. I find it most likely that Celebrimbor spent some time with his father, as well as some time away from Curufin.

Since Celebrimbor had no known siblings or similarly-aged Noldor to keep him company, I believe his childhood companions were most likely Teleri who overlapped with him in studies (and living). If living with the Teleri was the Aman-equivalent of "Being Sent to Círdan at the Havens," Celebrimbor would have learned the craft of ship-building and carpentry, which he would presumably have in his arsenal for future works across the mediums. He would have also learned how to tell the weather, predict the tides, tie good knots, and other tasks vital to life by the sea. I'm now wondering if he would have learned how to communicate with, or at least enjoy, seabirds, despite the racket they make!

Celebrimbor's teachers would have been the world and spirits around him in addition to the craftsmen and artisans across Aman and Tol Eressëa. He would have learned as much about life skills as he would have Art, and I find it not only believable but likely that he used skills and techniques learned early on, like ship-building, in his later works. Judging from what I know about his disposition and drive for creating the Rings, even when young, Celebrimbor would have loved creating with his hands, and having others enjoy the fruits of his labor; I don't think he would work solely for parental validation, but instead overlap that with the pursuit of his own designs. It is heavily implied that Celebrimbor has a stubborn streak when it comes to his morals and goals (denouncing his father, anyone?)--even as a child, Celebrimbor would not have let anyone sway him from his craft once he had his mind set on a task, much like Fëanor was famous for.

For frustrations and things young Celebrimbor found frightening, I would say restraint--others shackling him or telling him no because of his age, skill level, or overall lack of maturity. I don't think this varies with age, as the Three do not bind, and freedom of thought, craft, and kingdom remain major themes through Celebrimbor's overall character arc, whether in Nargothrond or in Eregion. Therefore, feeling cast aside wouldn't hurt so much as being limited by being cast away, and I think one of Celebrimbor's main points of pain would be feeling like he lost out if he didn't spend time learning from Curufin, Fëanor, and the many smiths of Aulë and Finwë. I don't think he would waste his time with the Teleri, either, and would likely find his (relative) lack of time Aman frustrating, particularly when he considers what he could have accomplished if he had studied more or crossed paths with a wider variety of artisans.

An additional aspect to Celebrimbor being born in Aman pre-Exile is him knowing Finarfin's children, particularly Finrod and Orodreth. Whether he expressly lived with them does not matter so much as him being able to establish bonds of loyalty and friendship, as well as kinship, early on. I'm not entirely sure what the age difference would be between Celebrimbor and Finarfin's older sons, but I suspect they would be closer in age than some other members of the family, and this would help Celebrimbor establish his connections.

The instability of Celebrimbor's early life and lack of a proper "home" outside of the forge is particularly fascinating to me. Does this resemble his fixation on and blindness to his craft in Eregion, when he does not open his eyes for long enough to see who he is working with? If he grew up with the forge as the most stable point in his home, and overlapped often with the fire spirits who served Aulë, it is simple to see where his camaraderie with Annatar in the Second Age stems from. I'm sure that this is something I'll come back to in the future--but for now, I think I've written enough, and should make sure to get some sleep!


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Day 3: Strong Points, Part One

Three strengths and a short scene.

Read Day 3: Strong Points, Part One

The strengths that immediately come to mind are:

a. Curiosity

- about Arda
- towards others (bridging cultures, establishing connections, and getting to know others)
- ever towards improvement

b. Care

- towards his people
- towards the peoples of Middle-Earth as a whole (focus on preservation and healing?)

c. Craft

- self-explanatory. He's a famous craftsman LOL

[A/N 8:28PM CST 01/21/25: I'll probably update this over time. I'm taking a break for now because I am VV tired but will have more to say in the future. Or I'll work it into another day :P]

[A/N to the A/N: I'm not entire sure how I feel about this scene, but I've sat on it all day, so perhaps it's time to just release it into the world? I feel like it might not be him "really [shining]" at something, like the prompt says? But in a way, that's what drew me to it in the first place--that his real excellence isn't in the works of art that he made, but all the little things he must have woven together over time, thread by thread, to make them and their healing possible. Also, it's hard not to write about black powder without describing how it smells or feels, since those are so distinctive! That was a new challenge, but letting myself do so is for later :3c]


Celebrimbor's boots leave the barest imprint atop the snow, treads biting in familiar patterns. Before him, the people of Eregion, Elven and mortal alike, bustle through the cold in final preparations for the winter.

"Annatar?"

"Here," he says, half a step behind as he always is in public, "my lord."

"Good. The saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal--repeat the tally, please."

"A thousand kilos of saltpeter, my lord, and nine hundred kilos of charcoal set aside for artillery. Sulfur is lower--three hundred."

Celebrimbor clicks his tongue. A dog scampers by. Several of the Gwaith-i-Mírdan pass in front of them, heading to the public entrance to the forges, and Celebrimbor catches one of them by the sleeve.

"Hair up!"

The apprentice is scrambling for her ties before the second word is spoken. "Yes, my lord!"

Annatar bites down a snicker. "Enjoying yourself?"

"Far from it," Celebrimbor grouses, stretching out cold fingers within his gloves. "Blessed be the day I can return to my craft, instead of herding cats inside! Yet half of being a master of a craft is ensuring it lives on."

Fires flicker on high in the hills. Both squint and stare. "Annatar," Celebrimbor says, his name far from a question. "Put aside one-fifth of our blasting powder stock for the Gonnhirrim." The wind picks up; like a squirrel taking stock before the winter, Celebrimbor turns for home. "They may yet have need of it."


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Day 4: Home Sweet Home, Part One

A dive into Eregion and its filming location in The Lord of the Rings and The Rings of Power.

Read Day 4: Home Sweet Home, Part One

Please see below the line for citations.

 

Today's location pick is Eregion/Hollin. Luckily, I agree with Eregion's cinematic depictions in The Lord of the Rings and The Rings of Power, which used the same filming location for its scattered ruins in the Third Age and Ost-in-Edhil in the Second Age. (The Doors of Durin were also filmed there.)

The filming location was Earnslaw Burn in Otago, New Zealand ("A Hobbit's Journey Through New Zealand"). This is a hiking/tramping trail across rugged terrain, cut by ancient glaciers and crowned by the twin peaks of Mt Earnslaw/Pikirakatahi ("Earnslaw Burn Track"). The New Zealand Parks & Recreation considers Earnslaw Burn a difficult hike; as of January 2025, the trail has undergone slides and includes multiple unbridged river crossings ("Earnslaw Burn Track"). Its climate is unpredictable and harsh--winds are high, and the river swells in the rains. Additionally, since it is in an alpine environment, rain elsewhere (such as away on the mountains) causes unpredictable flooding patterns. It includes both forests and terrain too rocky for significant tree coverage; the overall landscape reminds me strongly of Yosemite.

As such, I would consider Eregion to be wondrous but unpredictable. Natural disasters--particularly floods and mud/land/rockslides--would be common. Ost-in-Edhil would be somewhat sheltered by being built towards rocky overhangs, but it would still certainly be on a floodplain, and nothing is ever certain in an alpine environment. The land would be largely exposed outside of the beech forests, posing issues of exposure to elements and enemies. Camouflage would rely heavily on stone and rock, and knowing how to live alongside granite and glaciers would be essential. Truly a realm suited to Celebrimbor!

Local flora and fauna would likely be alpine species. Species endemic to the New Zealand Alps include rock wrens, one species of gecko, and even a parrot (kea) (“Alpine Plants and Animals”) ! Most of the trees on the lower slopes are beech in the Eastern ranges ("Alpine Plants and Animals")--this is the side Earnslaw Burn falls on, and also the side Eregion would fall on (as well as the lee side of the mountains). Earnslaw Burn is known for its tussock grasses ("Earnslaw Burn Track"), which reach into the alpine zone ("Alpine Plants and Animals"). The Encyclopedia of New Zealand also specifies that most native flowers in its alpine zones are white or yellow, attracting insects over birds ("Alpine Plants and Animals").

Based on its alpine location, I suspect Eregion would have similar flora and fauna, particularly insect-pollinated flowers and unique birds. It would likely have species of fauna not present natively in New Zealand, however, such as some sort of goat-esque creature suited for rugged terrain. I am particularly partial to pronghorn myself, and first spotted them in Wyoming (Schaetz, "American Pronghorn"). They are the second-fastest mammal and well suited to endurance. I would love to see a migratory species similar to them roaming the foothills of the Misty Mountains--if one could be tamed and over time domesticated, perhaps they could even make for good messengers!


“A Hobbit’s Journey Through New Zealand.” Tourism New Zealand, www.newzealand.com/us/feature/hobbit-middle-earth-holiday-new-zealand/. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.

“Earnslaw Burn Track.” New Zealand Department of Conservation, The New Zealand Department of Conservation, www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/otago/places/glenorchy-area/things-to-do/earnslaw-burn-track/. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.

“Alpine Plants and Animals.” Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand, 13 July 2012, teara.govt.nz/en/mountains/page-4. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.

Schaetz, Frances. “American Pronghorn - A Species Profile.” Wyoming Game & Fish Department, Wyoming Game & Fish Department, 1 May 2024, wgfd.wyo.gov/wyoming-wildlife/wyoming-wildlife-magazine/american-pronghorn-species-profile.


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Day 5: What’s on the Menu?

Or, the one where I talk about poisonous spices!

Read Day 5: What’s on the Menu?

I’d expect most of the foodstuffs Celebrimbor would stock wouldn’t be too far from what his people would stock, since his money would be spent elsewhere. Therefore, at least in the winter, dry goods with a long shelf life would be the most available—perhaps dried meats, pasta, and sometimes dried fruits? I could see him enjoying cheese, although I have a particular hatred of it myself, and there being many additional dish options open if cheese were included. In terms of meats, I do think veal, lamb, goat, sheep, and small to medium sized game would be available, but I *personally* can’t see Celebrimbor eating either veal or lamb. Not that I’d peg him as a vegetarian—I think he’d feel sorry for the little guys. But he’d probably eat it if Annatar cooked it. I just don’t think he’d have the stomach to prepare it himself, unless he really had to, and I don’t think he’d want any staff making it for him if he had the chance to turn it down.

There is, of course, the cranberry scene that I have down for him in my ongoing Eregion-centric WIP, and for some reason, I also associate him with cinnamon? Likely because he reminds me of winter, and cranberries and cinnamon are winter fare for me. Interestingly, though, cinnamon often contains very high levels of lead, so I feel like there might be something there…. One might say there’s someone hiding in his light and shadow, perhaps?

I think he’d always have staff on hand to cook for him, but I can also see him enjoying cooking and baking on his own. Not all the time, or even most of the time, but as a diversion from his craft that keeps his hands busy. My guess is he would enjoy making biscuits and dishes to accompany tea, since he would certainly be a tea drinker (and they made it canon in RoP. Thanks for that, actually, Amazon!) Black tea, probably, rather than green, though honestly I think he’d be in it for the caffeine.


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Day 6: Artistic Licenses

Notes and discussion on Celebrimbor in fanart versus how I imagine him.

Read Day 6: Artistic Licenses

Content Warning: mentions of past injuries and scars


I'm taking a peek at fanart of Celebrimbor on Twitter/X and Tumblr at the moment. The most common depiction of him is as I expected--long-haired, pointed ears, and usually wearing some sort of circlet plus robes. Aprons seems to be rarer outfits for his fanart, and there's a surprising lack of leather. Most fanart with him wearing aprons and/or other PPE is for RoP.

His hair color is the most variable feature. Black is the most common choice by far, making up roughly 80% of the fanart I looked at, followed by silver, white, and varying shades of light blonde.

I am definitely in the minority over here with how I imagine my Celebrimbor, but that's fine with me! I purposefully do my best to write him As Vaguely As Possible so readers can fill in their own image of him.

Well, that said, how do I imagine him?

As is discussed in both fanon and The Silmarillion, not all Fëanorians are redheads. In our world, the most common way to have red hair is to get one copy of a mutated MC1R gene from each parent (see, for example, the National Library of Medicine's writeup on the MC1R gene). Therefore, using Maedhros as an example, Fëanor AND Nerdanel would have been carriers. If Curufin inherited a copy of MC1R from either parent, and his wife was also a carrier, Celebrimbor could have had red hair. Is this likely? I'm not sure, particularly given Samuel Cook's previous consideration of Teleri hair color in "A Question of Colour: Elven Hair Colourations." But I'd like to think it is so, at least with Celebrimbor.

But why am I a fan of redhead Celebrimbor? I'll start by saying I don't think of him as a blazing ginger or copper, more of an.... apricot? Cinnamon? I think it's cute, it reminds me of more of his family members than any other hair color, and I think it reflects his heritage by being a visual mix of browns, reds, and whites. I'm partial to cinnamon because, to me, that includes a mix of other highlights and lowlights, but maybe that's because I typically see cinnamon paired with other colors in a baked good. So it's that slightly dusted, warm red over light browns look you get when you are looking right at the edges of the cinnamon layers in a cinnamon roll.

In that vein, I would race my elders in a shopping cart race and take out some kneecaps or shins for Celebrimbor with freckles after sun exposure. As my generation says, is that why he doesn't go touch grass?

One aspect of fanon Celebrimbor that I do overlap with is him having grey eyes. That's non-negotiable to me, even if I can't explain precisely why.

When it comes to his history, I will always argue that Celebrimbor needs more scars. Not from battle--he's no fighter--but from learning how to do things the right way by first doing them the, er, harmful way. Like the "Oh, maybe the blasting powder needs to be kept in an underground, locked room so visitors don't catch it on fire by smoking" kind of way. These scars wouldn't always have to be where you'd expect, like on his hands or arms--for example, perhaps he has a few dots here and there on his neck or face from splashes, or a longer burn scar along his leg where something fell before he learned that Yes, When His Father and Grandfather Told Him to Use a Leather Apron, They Actually Meant That! Of course, his hands are still important (look at his name), so they wouldn't be exempt. I like to consider him more prone to knocks and notches in them due to Eregion's cold, dry air (lee side of the mountains); one thing he doesn't skimp on is lotion for them. Not because he particularly cares about the pain of cracked and injured hands, but because he's tired of bleeding on his things and getting chemicals in the cracks! He's smeared too many blueprints with his blood to let it continue on, and it DOES sting when substances get in there!

When it comes to styling and attire: PPE. You cannot tell me Celebrimbor did not use, if not invent, multiple types of PPE. Aspects that come to mind for his work include:

  • Keeping his hair short (see my following discussion)
  • Wearing primarily wool (don't burn easily and can smother), or silks if he's dressing up (also difficult to burn and somewhat self-extinguishing)
  • Wearing leather outer layers (gloves, smithing aprons)
  • Wearing reinforced leather boots* with strong soles
  • Avoiding loose-fitting pieces
  • Avoiding metal accessories, zippers, or jewelry that fall directly against his skin
  • Avoiding jewelry that dangles or goes on his hands (while working, at least)
  • Avoiding laces for fast removal (Annatar approved. For safety, of course.)
  • Using zippers layered over undivided, easy-to-remove clothing layers for a solution to "avoiding laces." He could always invent them, if need be.

I also don't think he'd have huge differentiation between his everyday outfits and his work outfits, but he would certainly have more formal outfits for when those were required.

* I'm of the opinion that most Elves with access to horses would wear heeled boots on most days, or have ready access to them. I don't see Celebrimbor changing often during the day, so he'd probably just wear heeled boots. Of course, he could always safely ride in flats if he rode bareback, but I feel like he'd just make it a general rule to wear heeled boots out and about.

Other items I would consider staples in his wardrobe include:

  • Long robes designed for layering (wool or silk)
  • Riding leathers and riding gloves
  • A circlet for diplomatic or other formal excursions
  • Breeches (various)

With regards to the length of his hair, I personally can't see Celebrimbor keeping it long. Maintaining an updo that will actually *hold* in a hot environment for long hours is difficult, and maintaining braids very time-consuming. I don't think Celebrimbor would like putting so much of his time to "waste" when he can just lop it off and call it a day. That would also allow him to wash his hair more frequently, which.... I mean, I don't think Annatar would particularly mind if he smelled like ashes and iron and burnt black powder, but uh, everybody else might. And he is a leader and diplomat in addition to a craftsman, so cleaning up with regularity would definitely be necessary, even though he's an Elf.

TL;DR: Cinnamon roll Celebrimbor who will not be caught without his hand lotion or his leathers. Yes.


"A Question of Colour: Elven Hair Colourations" - Samuel Cook (Anor 53)


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Day 7: Affiliations, Part One

Thoughts on Celebrimbor and Annatar repeating--or breaking--the ring structure they're in.

Read Day 7: Affiliations, Part One

The obvious choice is Annatar. Therefore, I will not be considering Annatar here....or, I was not going to, until I realized that *not* exploring how Annatar uses Celebrimbor to repeat patterns would be a major oversight on my part.

All of Arda is Morgoth's Ring--and Silvergifting sure embody this! They're, in a way, a twisted circle, with Morgoth and Fëanor included.

  • As Mairon was seduced by Melkor, so too is Celebrimbor seduced by Annatar
    • Both Mairon and Celebrimbor are almost solely defined by their work
          - In *The Silmarillion,* Mairon is only mentioned as one of Aulë's smiths, when he is mentioned at all (and not as Sauron or Annatar). He has no other recorded "life" in Aman, though I find it a little funny to consider if he had some hobby on the side.... knitting, maybe?
    •     - In *The Silmarillion,* *The History of Middle-Earth,* *The Nature of Middle-Earth*, and even *The Lord of the Rings*, Celebrimbor's work is what he is known for, with the exception of his separating from his father (Silm, 176) and him being one of the Teleri who followed Celeborn (NoME, 178). Besides his skill with *mithril,* his rule over the Gwaith-i-Mírdain, his Rings, and his contribution to the Doors of Durin, not much else is said about his life outside of smith-craft and parentage.
  • Where Fëanor shut the door on Melkor, Celebrimbor lets Annatar in. Is this the right decision? While it opens the door to the One Ring and ultimately causes great destruction, it also opens the door to the Three, which heal.
    • Celebrimbor’s success has to come with his death, but in that, too, he closes out what Fëanor could not–instead of “If [the Silmarils] be broken, then broken will be my heart” (*Morgoth’s Ring*, 268), Celebrimbor gives his heart so that the Three remain unbroken.
    • Likewise, Celebrimbor does not repeat Fëanor's practice of refusing all aid and taking no counsel. He works with Annatar, to his destruction, but through their collaboration learns how to make the Three. At risk of repeating myself: unlike the Silmarils, which yield only destruction, the Three heal.

Therefore, through Annatar's use of Celebrimbor to repeat the original seduction, and Celebrimbor's taking in of Annatar (dividing him and his outcome from Fëanor's dismissal of Melkor), the lines of Before and After are distinguished yet closely tied. This is not a case of "history repeating itself," though--Celebrimbor's character is clear in that he strives to do the opposite of his forebearers in many ways, whether renouncing his father where Curufin became oath-bound to Fëanor or choosing to learn from others rather than isolate himself.

I'm sure there's more to investigate here. If I think of anything, I'll add it to the end; right now, I'm just wishing Celebrimbor and Annatar had more in-text references! I've already gone through them! Aargh!


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Day 8: The Mirror Cliche

That is the strangest part of it all--that Celebrimbor walks alone to the Mirrormere, steeled boots biting into tussock grasses and hair flying astray in the wind off the river.

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The Gonhirrim leave him be, and that is the strangest part of it all--that Celebrimbor walks alone to the Mirrormere, steeled boots biting into tussock grasses and hair flying astray in the wind off the river. He crouches down, and there is nothing but the Misty Mountains looming behind him and the grey of his own eyes and the tempered metal and flame of his hair, just like his family line's--

Curufin pulls him tight, like he never did in life, except maybe, just maybe, this is a memory. A memory, or a dream, and Celebrimbor breathes into it, into the strength that's passed down to him and the riddling and the endless, endless drive to his own destruction. And he bites his tongue, just so, enough to dry it but not enough to break it open, so that he is silent and does not cry, not in front of his hosts, not in front of his father, and before him the Walls of the World are thin indeed.

And he pulls himself back from what was never there and counts the peaks behind him--seven crowned mountains, lit white like steam or starlight aflame, like Fingolfin's white flame, like Fingon's white flame, like Gil-Galad's white flame must be--the fall of Kings, that's all there is.

That's all there is.

Nothing more.


Chapter End Notes

Here's to hoping I cringe less at this in the morning! I'm not a huge fan of the mirror trope haha


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Day 9: Weak Points, Part One

Three shortcomings and one short story.

Read Day 9: Weak Points, Part One

Content Warnings: Dead pony! Blood, injury, and mental health and self esteem issues as well.

Three shortcomings that come to mind are:

a. Ambition
- Celebrimbor’s collection of names destine him for greatness—or do they? Surely “Curufinwë” and “Tyelperinquar” are both big shoes to fill.
- In my eyes, he’s ambitious for himself, sure, but also ambitious so that his family line be remembered even beyond his death. He is the last Fëanorian, after all!

b. Empathy
- I know! I said it! But isn’t empathy good? It is good, when one knows where to draw the line. I feel Celebrimbor doesn’t.
- Whether out of a sense of atonement or simply of his own morals, I see Celebrimbor as a bleeding heart, and that’s why Annatar can get so close to him in every verse. Because he welcomes others with open arms, while Fëanor was famous for kicking them out.

c. Focus
- At least the way I write him, Celebrimbor’s primary focus is his interests (Art, primarily), potentially to the neglect of other things. Him becoming the ruler of Eregion was more something that came from his work (and from him wanting to help people), rather than any particular desire to lead. In particular, he falls short on taking time to reflect and see not only what’s going on with this Maia he’s let in, but what part he’s playing in their game. He listens to others well, but I don’t think he listens to himself well, too busy iterating and moving on with his life to notice the changing of his world.

[A/N: I’m sorry, Mr. Pony! And I’m also sorry for any formatting inconsistencies, I’m posting from mobile.]


“I promised I would save him,” Celebrimbor says, Celebrimbor sobs, and it’s all Mairon can do to hold him before he blows apart. “I promised it!”

“You did,” Mairon agrees, distant like the family sheltering inside, hiding their son’s eyes from the viciousness of the world.

“Stupid, stupid,” Celebrimbor curses, clambering out of Mairon’s reach to tear down the lines. “A few more weights and we would’ve had him flipped in time.” He bleeds freely on the ice, uncaring of the metal that bites into him, and he does not scream. Mairon shrinks back before the metallic sounds of his anger as he dismantles the pulley, but Celebrimbor does not strike. He never does.

He never truly yells, either, albeit sometimes when frustration rests its claws at his throat and threatens him, he will threaten himself. Are those your words?  Or were they taught by someone else? Mairon always wishes to ask, yet it seems he can never find the time—some sort of morbid curiousity and fascination with what makes his mind tick, what demons lick at his feet.

“It was a pony, Celebrimbor,” he says, cutting through the winter cold, and looks up to see Celebrimbor’s hands smearing across his face. “That’s all.”

“And what of it! It was a pony, a child’s pony!” Celebrimbor wipes his hands clean on his robes, but his grip slips on his knife when he tries to cut the tail free.

“You’re in no state to speak to him,” Mairon says, as if discussing the weather; Celebrimbor sets down the knife a touch too gently.

And Celebrimbor’s eyes are grey, storm-grey today. “I’ll speak to him myself, thank you very much, and I’ll make him his jewelry.”

There are many things that Mairon could say, but in the end, what comes out is this: “Rest, tonight. With me.”

“So that I won’t make another mistake?” Celebrimbor scoffs, and Mairon’s pride stings, but there is something wild to him and the intensity of what he has to gain that make such disturbances slip under the water.

So Mairon hums, and lets Celebrimbor be the one to come to him and pull him close. “You’re right, Annatar. I’m useless when I cannot see straight.”

There is nothing left to say, save for the rush of frozen grass around them and the gentleness of Celebrimbor’s tears.


Chapter End Notes

Ourgh. I’m sorry if you need therapy c’:


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Day 10: What's in a Name?

Breaking down the origins and meanings of Celebrimbor's name.

Read Day 10: What's in a Name?

The Nature of Middle-Earth (NoME) goes deeply into Celebrimbor's name and its origins, and I'm very thankful that it is one of the few well-documented areas of his lore. "Celebrimbor" is Teleri in origin, a modified version of the Sindarin form "Celebrin-baur" (NoME, 178). The original Teleri is "Telperimpar"--Tolkien draws attention to it because "It was a frequent name among the Teleri, who in addition to navigation and ship-building were also renowned as silver-smiths" (NoME, 178). That the Celebrimbor Tolkien traces in NoME is Celebrimbor of Eregion is explicitly stated in both location of rule and the naming of mithril.

The translation of Celebrimbor is "Silver-fist," and remains generally well-known and unchanged across the various works and derivatives. This, of course, derives from his smith-craft and skill with tools, and I interpret it as hearkening back to his family line. Of greater interest to me is what "Silver-fist" mirrors, and what that means for Celebrimbor.

In terms of sayings, the closest common one is "Ruling with an iron fist." While not the primary meaning of Celebrimbor's name, he is ruler of Eregion and leader of the Gwaith, so there is certainly some truth to the first part of "ruling." The iron fist, however, is very much not Celebrimbor at all! From what we can tell from the literature, he is decisive and stands by his values, but also more welcoming and accepting of strangers than other folk. While there is not textual evidence for it, I personally believe Celebrimbor had high standards, but was not a dictator or severe, harsh ruler--that is the fastest way to squash creativity and drain resources in the name of "expenditures" and "expediency." This is furthered by the experimental works of the Gwaith and Celebrimbor in particular, and their long-lasting impacts on Middle-Earth's society across cultures.

But there is one in Arda's history who has an iron hand--or, rather, an iron crown. I think it no accident that the two main collaborators Sauron has are Morgoth and Celebrimbor, and also no accident that the paths of their relationships are similar yet not perfectly aligned (see Day 7, "Affiliations Part One").

Celebrimbor's fanon name is his father-name: Curufinwë, shared with his father Curufin and his grandfather Fëanor. From what research I have into the texts, I do not see any concrete evidence that this was his father-name, and find that fascinating for two options:

  • 1. That the name was implicit in Celebrimbor's character--that Tolkien did not have to explicitly state it, rather his other names, since they distinguish him from the other Curufinwës.
    2. That whether or not Curufinwë was Celebrimbor's father-name (or any other name that it would be) was his true father-name is not important.
  • - This permits another layer of differentiation of Celebrimbor from the other craftsmen who have come before, and distinguishes his path from the one they walked.

Much of Celebrimbor's character as I interpret it hinges on his conscious decisions to deviate from his forebearers, making choices--and Art--that speak to his own set of morals rather than any obligation or familial tie. I'd love to hear your thoughts!


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Day 11: Drop Everything and Read, Part Two

Notes and thoughts on three works of scholarship on Celebrimbor--two papers and one meta analysis.

Read Day 11: Drop Everything and Read, Part Two

Well, I went down a rabbit hole on this one! For now, I'll focus on three main readings, and will likely stumble upon more or write up notes for the others that I read for today.

Celebrimbor, as I'm sure nobody will be surprised by, is rarely the primary focus of research. Far more is dedicated to Sauron and the Ring-bearers, as they are more directly involved with the Third Age storylines in which The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are told. I ruled out over fifty of the initial papers that I found, as they mentioned Celebrimbor in passing only. I also excluded papers discussing Celebrimbor as he appears in Middle-earth: Shadow of War, since the game is a) not canonical and b) very far outside of the scope of my research. Unfortunate, really, because Shadow of War!Celebrimbor did have some papers on him.

The three writings that I selected are: Ok_Bullfrog_8491's meta analysis "The Many Versions of Celebrimbor," Ricardo Victoria's paper "Celebrimbor: a cautionary tale," and Mercury Natis's paper "Sauron, Seduction, and the Queering Mechanism of the Ring." The latter focuses primarily on Sauron and the Ring-bearers, but Celebrimbor is mentioned with enough consideration that I have chosen--very happily--to include it.

 

1. "The Many Versions of Celebrimbor" - Ok_Bullfrog_8491
I was referred to this meta analysis by perchingpasserine. Thanks, Perching!

In this post to r/tolkienfans, Ok_Bullfrog details many of Celebrimbor's "origin stories," including the Teleri and survivor of Gondolin ones. I won't cover all of those again, as I discussed some of them in my Day 1 post and Ok_Bullfrog does an excellent job (go read the post!), and instead focus on what Ok_Bullfrog takes away from the many crossed plotlines.

Ok_Bullfrog merges the "Descendent of Fëanor" and "Survivor of Gondolin" lines with what is certain--that Celebrimbor lived in Nargothrond--by having him fight in Gwindor's company under Fingon, and somehow survive long enough for Turgon to reach him ("The Many Versions of Celebrimbor"). As Ok_Bullfrog says: "However, I can see a situation where Celebrimbor, who is not an Elf of Nargothrond and might not have ever met Gelmir, wouldn’t join Gwindor in his suicidal charge" ("The Many Versions of Celebrimbor"). Do I find this believable? Yes!

While it's not the direction I'm personally taking with my Celebrimbor, I think it's a very reasonable one, and the logic seems sound. I don't place my Celebrimbor in the Nirnaeth Arnoediad, but if I did, that might be roughly how it'd go.

 
2. "Celebrimbor: a cautionary tale" - Ricardo Victoria

Victoria lists Celebrimbor as present at the Nirnaeth and the Sack of Nargothrond, and I would love to find out where he got that from, because it would really help to clear up his timeline! What stands out to me from his paper is his determination of Celebrimbor's greatest failing: "But it was in this quest that he fell prey of deception because he never stopped to consider one of the fatal flaws of his kin: it is not a question of whether you can do something, it’s a question of whether it is a good idea to do so" (Victoria).

I'd argue the same thing can be asked about Fëanor, and about the creations of both the Rings and the Silmarils. Should Art be created for Art's sake, when it can have very real consequences?

 

3. "Sauron, Seduction, and the Queering Mechanism of the Ring" - Mercury Natis

This is a title that made me stop and stare. I had to read it twice to be sure I was seeing what I thought I was seeing; I was. Shockingly, at least to me, Celebrimbor is given his just deserts! (Well, Natis treats him nicely, I suppose, but also doesn't hesitate to call out his failings, particularly when it comes to Annatar.) As Natis says, "Yet even as Sauron plays the feminine role, Sauron does not balance the masculine in others but uses his own femininity to consume their masculinity to his own ends. Celebrimbor and Ar-Pharazôn are seduced by a masculine character playing the feminine role in their relationship dynamics not as a genuine position of femininity, which would balance, but as a tool for their destruction with power as the driving motivation for these manipulations" (Natis, 5-6). This destruction is more than physical--it is largely psychological, with Sauron's victims unable to separate themselves from what Natis calls his "lie": "This inability to reintegrate is founded on the same seductive mechanism as Celebrimbor and Ar-Pharazôn’s falls: the lie that without Sauron, they are nothing and they are no one. Celebrimbor is just the last in a failed line of Fëanorians" (Natis, 11). And isn't that something?

If Natis's line of reasoning is followed, the lie spreads into "All Celebrimbor accomplished with creation of the Rings of Power, with his smith-craft rivaled only by his grandfather's, is nothing without the one who guided him," which I personally believe he would find far more world-shattering than any character assassination. Because Celebrimbor's work is his character, just as the Ring is Sauron's in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and he cannot be separated from it while still being Celebrimbor.

That's a topic for another day, I think, that he would be so strongly defined by his work that he could consider himself nothing without it--I'm not sure I have the emotional strength to handle that tonight! Tyelpë, why?? Emotional damage!

Anyways, I strongly recommend that you go read that post and those papers, since I quite enjoyed all of them, and there's never enough suffering Celebrimbor in the world. :P

[A/N 8:57pm January 29, 2025: Only Natis provided a preferred citation style, so that paper is the one with a full citation; I'll update the others from links to full citations when I'm not at the edge of a medical crisis LOL. Could be a bit before I get around to it. For now, the links are all over here, and I can send them to you should you like them directly.]


Ok_Bullfrog_8491: "The Many Versions of Celebrimbor" https://www.reddit.com/r/tolkienfans/comments/129jpo6/the_many_versions_of_celebrimbor/?rdt=58580

Victoria, Ricardo: "Celebrimbor: a cautionary tale" https://ricardovictoriau.com/2021/10/21/celebrimbor-a-cautionary-tale/

Natis, Mercury (2024) "Sauron, Seduction, and the Queering Mechanism of the Ring," Mythopoeic Society Seminar Proceedings: Vol. 2024: Iss. 1, Article 6. Available at: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythpro/vol2024/iss1/6


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Day 12: Down Memory Lane, Part Two

Four of Celebrimbor's rites-of-passage and many smaller moments.

Read Day 12: Down Memory Lane, Part Two

Rites of passage are, for Celebrimbor, less clearly defined than they would be for others. While it's unclear how old he was when he left for Middle-Earth, there is little doubt that the bulk of the First and Second Ages were unpredictable and violent--unsurprisingly, Tolkien does not indicate that Celebrimbor ever married or raised a child, as Elves (with admittedly a few exceptions) did so in times of peace. Likewise, we don't hear much about the little things, and hear much more about the big ones--but don't worry, we'll get to them! That just means I get to be a bit creative.

Celebrimbor's rites of passage in the texts are primarily ones where he makes the decisions about who he will be and commits fully to the path he sets out to walk. They are as follows:

1. Leaving Aman for Middle-Earth
  
Did he follow Curufin? I don't believe he did at first. But he almost certainly left his mother behind (I believe this is explicitly stated in The Unfinished Tales, but I don't have those in front of me at this moment.)
  
Why, then, would Celebrimbor go across the sea? If I had to guess, it would be out of a mix of loyalty and the desire to learn, rather than any desire to rule or have lands of his own. He knew that to leave would be to be as an Exile, yet did so. It is, of course, still possible that he was taken across the sea by Curufin quite young--but that would be a startling omission on Tolkien's part, particularly because we know in great detail the fates of the rest of the Fëanorians. Celebrimbor does not end up extra crispy, and neither is he killed in the first Kinslaying--so perhaps he was elsewhere, particularly if we are considering half-Teleri Celebrimbor who lived for a time with Celeborn. 
  
Therefore, let us consider that Celebrimbor went to Middle-Earth as an Exile of his own accord. I cannot help but wonder if he was aware of the death of Fëanor at the time--my suspicion would be no, and he could have been motivated by the desire to learn more from him. I am also curious if Celebrimbor would have been interested in exploring Middle-Earth, particularly in its darkened state--having roamed Valinor with his kin and seen much of what it had to offer, Middle-Earth's natural world have seemed vast and varied, with many metals and stones unique to it in particular. Why is that? From the breaking and re-shaping of the Earth itself, from crust to mantle, under the hands of the Valar and Maiar.
  
Another option which I haven't seen considered before would be putting his skills to the test. Celebrimbor strikes me as someone who likes to work hands-on, and never seems content to let others do the work for him when he could learn by experiencing it himself. All the survival and wilderness skills he would have learned from his Fëanorian family would be put to good use on the difficult journey and on the ground in Middle-Earth. Additionally, if Celebrimbor spent time at the Havens, it is likely that he learned from the craftsmen and shipwrights of the Teleri, and I strongly suspect that he would want to sail in a boat he helped make himself. (Note that his name, as discussed on Day 10, is listed in NoME as being a common one amongst the shipwrights of the Teleri.) While this is just my headcanon, I find it a suiting one.
  
2. Sundering Himself from his Kin
  
After reconnecting with his father and them overlapping in Nargothrond for a time, Celebrimbor disavows him (and Celegorm) and gives his loyalty to Orodreth instead. Once again, this is Celebrimbor setting out into the unknown; while a portion of Curufin and Celegorm's people who entered Nargothrond after the Bragollach would have presumably stayed after the princes were run out, Celebrimbor's behavior was certainly an outlier. As discussed in Day 1, he is not known to have answered the summons to the Siege on Angband, and is not listed amongst those who fought in the Nirnaeth Arnoediad--so he was most likely *not* bound by the Oath and made his own decision not to fight.
  
In fact, we don't hear about Celebrimbor fighting--we hear about Celebrimbor surviving. Except for, well, you know, Eregion in the Second Age--but that's a tale for another time, isn't it?

The following two rites are commonly discussed in fanon and canon, and I won't be touching on them quite as much so I still have time to touch on the little rites-of-passage, too.
  
3. Establishing Groundbreaking Relations
  
By contrast, the next life-changing event Celebrimbor is known for is becoming a silver-smith amongst all the Elves, equal to the Dwarves with whom he collaborates and learns from/teaches in turn.
  
Celebrimbor's name has begun to come true here--if it's a mother-name of prophecy or foresight, he is forging it in Moria-silver. He settles into his own in Eregion, beholden to High King Gil-Galad, but relatively separate from Lindon's oversight. He's adaptable and amiable, capable of establishing close relationships even as an outside and in hostile situations like those between the Fëanorians and the Elves of Nargothrond, and even the contentious interactions between Elves and Dwarves. (Note that the survivors of his people, the Gwaith-i-Mírdain, later follow Elrond and go on to become the first Elves of Rivendell; therefore, I think it reasonable to assume that Celebrimbor, even as a ruler, is rather chill, found of the arts, and very fond of a party.)

4. Forging the Rings of Power
  
This time, Celebrimbor's rite of passage is rivaling the craft of Fëanor and breaking the familiar patterns (see Day 7). He both repeats some of the shortcomings of his family line (putting art above all else, for one, and pride, for another), while changing others (building community, welcoming others, healing, etc.), and both parts are essential. Of course, Celebrimbor cannot survive this--but, at least for one moment, I'd like to think that he fully broke the lingering evil of the Oath, despite never being under it himself.

Some smaller rites-of-passage that I associate with him include:

  • Cuddling Huan for the first time (he's a dog person forever after that)
  • Sleeping out in the open while traveling with his father and uncles for the first time (very young)
  • Hunting for the first time (He refuses to shoot squirrels. Celegorm has to teach him to shoot birds instead, even though those are much harder LOL.)
  • Sailing for the first time
  • Watching the smiths in the halls of Aüle for the first time
  • Seeing some of Fëanor's works for the first time
  • Attending his first Festival where the Valar are present (with his mother, presumably?)
  • Learning that his great-grandfather was just straight up murdered (and the Silmarils stolen) while attending one of them and then never being able to stop thinking about how Mandos KNEW
        - If he was in attendance, how would he have avoided the Oath?
        - Urgh.... more thinking to do here!
  • Watching a boat he helped build make way on her maiden voyage

That's a wrap for today! There are so many other rites-of-passage that I have in mind for him, but they don't quite fit.... maybe next time!


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Day 13: Home Sweet Home, Part Two

One home studio to rule them all?

Read Day 13: Home Sweet Home, Part Two

Thank you for all of the sweet comments, I'm sitting down to reply to them this weekend over a pot of tea!


If Ost-in-Edhil is on a floodplain between rivers and the mountains, I suspect its inhabitants would have to build vertically to escape the waters. Given the instability of silt, unless they were going straight into bedrock, I don't think they would build down, although this was likely different where the city met stone. As the ruler, Celebrimbor's home would likely be amongst the tallest of the buildings, although I sincerely doubt he would want anything particularly fancy. In fact, I suspect it would be connected to his forge, further reducing the work-life separation in every way they tell you not to do.

Vertical building was not uncommon, even during the Bronze Age--look at the site of Hisarlik if you're curious--so it certainly would have been an option for the Elves of Eregion. The city of Ost-in-Edhil as a whole would likely be raised above the floodplain, whether by fill or by fortuitous natural design, to prevent issues with sanitation and pestilence in the summers. Given that lead is known to be worked in Middle-Earth, I think it reasonable that Ost-in-Edhil would have some sort of pipe and aqueduct system like that of Rome, especially given lead's history as a byproduct of silver smelting (the ancient Romans gathered much of their silver from lead ore).

And now I'm wondering if Elves are subject to heavy metal poisoning. We know that they are subject to poisoning of other forms, so why not the metals? But how would the Gwaith have survived their work while maintaining reasonable lucidity for hundreds of years?

I'm getting off topic--let's just say there's reasonable sanitation and Celebrimbor can sleep without getting covered in river water. What else is important? Keeping his materials safe, and keeping his people safe from his materials. With regards to material safety, they would need to be kept dry to maintain their integrity, indicating the need for either underground or elevated storage bunkers or chambers. Since many materials he might use are highly flammable or malleable at low heat, they would do best kept away from the forge, so the layers of his building or tower would require insulation and stopgaps in case of fire. Additionally, if the storerooms were up high and there were a fire, any sort of discharge could spray flaming debris all over the city--which all of the Gwaith would likely wish to avoid. So: the storerooms are likely separate from the forge and living quarters, and perhaps sealing doors could be designed with low-melting-point metals to slam shut in case of heating by fire? I have no idea about the practicality of that, but to me, it sounds intriguing.

Ventilation is also required; Celebrimbor would, of course, have windows, but I suspect he would want to have a large chimney or the like to funnel smoke out of the workshop. He would also likely want to limit open flame apart from the furnaces and rely heavily on natural light, so I wouldn't be surprised if he had some notable contraption that moved very large window panes back and forth for work during the day. I could even see him using steam to accomplish such a task.

I won't get into the structure of the forges now, since I know that is a rabbit hole that I won't crawl back out of, but I will say I wouldn't be surprised if Celebrimbor followed the Golden Ratio in the construction of his chambers. I picture him as the kind of character to have a very fancy spiral staircase, too, almost like something you'd see when climbing up to a church's belltower or through the records hall in Gondor. Something about Celebrimbor strikes me as very old-fashioned, despite all the progress he makes in changing times, so perhaps that's why I associate him with them.

When it comes to furniture, I believe Celebrimbor would favor wood as a side-hobby. He would certainly know carpentry, and I could see him loving rich and colorful woods like cherry and red walnut, using them to add spots of brightness to enclosed spaces. The native trees would be, I believe, beech (see Day 4), and their furniture more similar to Rivendell's, but I also wouldn't put it past Celebrimbor to wait for as long as it takes to get the right material to accomplish his vision. While I don't picture Celebrimbor cooking often, I can picture him being well-stocked with a kettle and plenty of pottery, and enjoying supporting the other local artisans of Eregion. If he had dyed fabrics, my bet would be on reds or greens to mesh the colors of his family line and those of nature--and also because I find red woods and green cloths a gorgeous combination. While he's fond of tapestries and hangings, I can't help but picture Celebrimbor as slightly afraid of fire, and therefore cautious with what he places about his quarters. His living arrangements would be connected to his workshop and forge, after all, and stranger things have happened in the night.

I don't think Celebrimbor would often host guests who would stay the night, but if he did, he would probably have a daybed or the Middle-Earth equivalent of a Murphy bed for them. He's certainly handy enough to construct those, don't you think? Still, I suspect his bed and a personal study would take up most of his space, since his priorities are clear, and those are not exactly downtime. He would most likely house designs and records in his study, along with some administrative work from the city--unless, of course, he found it best suited to feed to the fires downstairs.

As discussed on previous days, I believe Celebrimbor would lean towards fire-resistant fabrics like silk and cotton when planning his spaces--besides, those always feel quite luxurious! Tyelpë can feel spoiled while avoiding becoming extra crispy.

We don't hear much about pets in Middle-Earth, presumably because animals are more often from working lines with jobs to complete rather than purely for entertainment. That said, I could picture Celebrimbor having a dog or cat to Rubber Duck with, talking his way through problems as he spins his wheels in the back of his mind or keeping his hands busy until a solution presents itself. I do think Annatar would be quite jealous, though, so maybe I hope Celebrimbor doesn't have a pet!


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Day 14: Big Ideas, Part One

A quick list of big ideas regarding Celebrimbor!

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This one is short, I’m out at a friend’s place right now ^^


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Day 15: Big Ideas, Part Two

A new short fanfic/character study on history and ways of mending.

Read Day 15: Big Ideas, Part Two

Not beta read and a combo of the big ideas, so a bit of a twisting of the day's prompt. (Sorry!) Might turn it into something longer in the future ^^

 

Epoxy, for joining. Celebrimbor mixes it with long threads of glass, draws it about the joints with gloved fingers; it grows warm under his touch. About him, the sounds of the city grow--it will not be long now before someone seeks him out for "more pressing matters."

So Celebrimbor works the epoxy until it moves no longer, pushing it back and forth to give himself space to turn ideas about in his head. Polishing, almost, until their true nature is revealed.

They will ask for him to aid them again--he has survived, he has always been good at that, and that is what the refugees need to do. But what is he in someone else's halls, anyway? In a way, that is all Celebrimbor has ever known--the Road underneath his feet and the call of the Sea in his ears.

"Should we shut the gates, my lord?"

Celebrimbor tilts his head. "No," he says, firm yet soft even if his mind wanders far away. "No, let them in."

And the minister bites her mouth but does his bidding.

Strange, that, too, how forever and always, he has been drawn to speak for a group of people. But he is only one Elf, in the end, one of many Telperimpar who have come before, and Celebrimbor sees them in the city as it rises above the plain.

White stone, and white ships, and white mountains; not so far removed from Tirion as the lengths between them. Celebrimbor sinks his fingers into the holly, lets it bite him back, soft leaves turned harsh by biting winters and berries red as a warning.

He fires the pipes by wood, malleable under low heat, and carves the city's wooden ships by hand. Fire, and water, and salvation; one cannot be had without the other, as Celebrimbor cannot cut his Noldor father and Teleri mother free so much as remove a hand. Around him, the Gwaith gather. Not by any formal accord, or by any force of arms--no, Celebrimbor blinks, and each time he looks away from his work, there are more. Noldor, of course, but some sons of Men, and they will be the first to lose their way under the smokes and vapors of fire-gilding and silver-working.

No fault of theirs--it never has been--but nothing appeases Celebrimbor less when he places them in their graves.

Perhaps that is what draws Annatar to him and him to Annatar--the dance with irreversible change, just shy of the melting point. What is most beautiful is most deadly in their line of work, and this, Celebrimbor should know, but instead, he breathes it in. Fire gilds him with mercury and silver and gold, and Celebrimbor lets it happen--his hands were always meant to be silver. Weren't they? Who's to say it wasn't meant to be this way?

Maybe it was. Maybe it wasn't; Celebrimbor concedes. But metal has to be removed with heat, and all the heat in Eregion answers to Him, and glass pricks his fingers.

Just as always, he is late. He has never been on time, especially with his words. What more he could have said, what more he should have said--Celebrimbor puts the valve he tinkers with to the side and shuts his eyes against the bright red of his uncle's hair. His regret is not shame, but it is deep and drowning just the same, sticky-sweet like honey.

That was the last time he saw any of them, wasn't it? It's all begun to blur in the years, but Celebrimbor still knows--the one he said goodbye to was Maedhros. It was never his father, and it was never going to be.

So he twists the metal of history and fate in tighter about himself and sets to building, for that is what he knows how to do without fighting what he is.


Chapter End Notes

Sooo I had plans for this today, and then I got Very Derailed. But hopefully it was enjoyable, even if it's short!


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Day 16: Down Memory Lane, Part Three

A [written] box of mementoes that Celebrimbor carries.

Read Day 16: Down Memory Lane, Part Three

String, to mend his clothes—from an auntie, he assumes, although all their faces begin to blur together now. A lost chunk of Huan’s fur, now threaded into his scarf. It smells of wet dog in the rain. Whistles and tunes and jaunts and the press of petals and leaves alongside the thrum of a bowstring through his body—these are gifts from Celegorm, and they follow Celebrimbor wherever he leads. A plum branch, flowers long since passed, from the King, and bark of a willow from Maedhros. Celebrimbor traces their names, not the ones he says—the ones meant for behind closed doors, amongst friends and family, and remembers how they used to say: Tyelpë.

His father’s ladle, and his father’s awl; two different implements for two different people, or so it always seemed. The spare bow on the wall, gifts from the Hunters, and a stringed instrument made solely of steel, a gift from Maglor. It cries like a living thing would, open and wide and full of a sorrow that is sweet. Jamming recipes and jar-lids squirreled away still from Caranthir—each year, he re-boils them and brings new flavors to life. Caranthir always had new dishes to try from the Men he traveled with. A ribbon for his hair, back when he wore it long, Dwarven-twine from Nargothrond, from the hand of Finrod. A circlet of pearl, once from Círdan but given by Orodreth.

And gifts from no-one, with noone who now remember their names. His first carving knife, whale-sharp and tooth white—oh, how it tangled in the kelp from below. Green leaves for tea, from a traveler; they sheltered side-by-side in the rain, never to again cross paths. His first oar, which he yet uses yearly to paddle down the rivers, afloat on the stream of Song. And what he holds closest—his box of records, of Memory, sharp because he keeps it so, paper and pen-nib and ink over many designs. There is only so much one can hold, so Celebrimbor lets it carry the weight for him.


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Day 17: Affiliations, Part Two

Investigation into the Gwaith-í-Mirdain.

Read Day 17: Affiliations, Part Two

Today's pick are, likely as expected, the Gwaith-í-Mirdain. Not much is known about them as a group, but I find them all the more fascinating for it. We know they were Elves (at least primarily--see Day 15 for a quick headcanon), were lead by Celebrimbor, collaborated with the Dwarves, and had some survivors from the fall of Eregion, but little else is explicitly stated. The survivors joined Elrond in the founding of Rivendell, and likely their Art and craftsmanship continued there, in diminished form.

Since there isn't much about them in the canon, I'll go ahead and list some of my thoughts and headcanons regarding them instead.

On the nature of their work
While they are called Jewel-smiths, the Gwaith are also familiar with the more menial repairs of daily life, such as repairing lead pipes. They don't necessarily make those repairs themselves, but given their roles in Ost-in-Edhil city leadership, often consider them in the grand scheme of things.

They are interested in fire-gilding with mithril in particular, even more than regular silver.

They are a mix of Noldor and Teleri--many of their jewel-working crafts come from generations of knowledge from the Noldor, and many of their silver-working skills come directly from the Teleri.
(This also means they are home to more than one Telperimpar!)

There are other pockets of Gwaith outside of Ost-in-Edhil; every major settlement has its own guild. Ost-in-Edhil has the most, however, and is considered the most prestigious.

The Gwaith used to accept Men, but they died within a few decades from heavy metal poisoning. Celebrimbor cannot bring himself to allow any more apprentices who are Men for the foreseeable future. Elves and Dwarves are (for the most part) immune.... or are they?

On their daily lives
They have a rivalry with the shipwrights of Eregion. (Side note: swan motifs are NOT banned. Anyone who burns ships is severely punished.)

The Gwaith in Ost-in-Edhil are somewhat like the 1930's-40's UC Berkeley Physics Department.

They have a four day work week but tend to be productive. They work in the forges and workshop under daylight and work on designs when it's dark.

They have a strict no hair down policy. Some of them wear theirs short, if they aren't willing to put in the time out of their days to deal with making and tying/pinning braids. Celebrimbor is known to personally dismiss apprentices who don't follow this rule; perhaps, if he were a survivor of Gondolin, this would be a clear cause and effect!

The Gwaith also really know how to throw a party. (Thanks, Ouroboros, for the headcanon, because now I can never get it out!) In the future, their survivors are 100% on Elrond's planning committee.

On historical inspirations
Definitely Ancient Rome. They were particularly advanced in their glassblowing and metalworking, and some of their infrastructure still stands today. (I've discussed this on previous days, so I'm leaving it at that.)

The Late Bronze Age city of Hissarlik/Troy is situated on a historical floodplain, and Ost-in-Edhil likely shares its tiering strategy.


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Day 18: Fan Art/Fancast/Fanmix

A Celebrimbor-based spacemodeling design.

Read Day 18: Fan Art/Fancast/Fanmix

So. I saw today's prompt and started sweating because visual arts and I do not mix! But one thing I can do is build and design spacemodels/model rockets, so I figured that was.... in the spirit enough for a Celebrimbor study.

I'll go through the notes before I subject you to my initial sketch. I have RockSim modeling of it on the backburner for now until I have the time to dedicate to it, but if it works out, I'm more than happy to share the kit files after I've flown it and verified its behavior.

It's an effort to teach crafting techniques in a Tyelpë-themed design, highlighting holly-shaped fins and gem-like weights for the nosecone. If painted with enamel, it could resemble the Doors of Durin, complete with glow-in-the-dark mithril accents. Plus, it has some limited onboard data collection for recording trials in the field.

Basic concept:

  • Approachable, lightweight spacemodel intended for Low-Power use. (Potentially scalable?)
  • Overall focus on teaching crafting techniques used in High-Power in an approachable but visually quirky kit.
  • Unique fin shape makes it easily recognizable at the pad.
  • Ebay introduces electronics components that become essential in High-Power and/or competition flight.
  • Flyable with parachute or streamer recovery system.
  • Night-launch compatible.

Design specifics:

  • Small and easily portable
  • Lightweight plastic, metal-free design with 3D-printing options
  • Through-the-wall mounted fins
  • Retainer ring on motor mount
  • Night-launch compatible: LEDs on all separable pieces
  • Weighted nosecone
  • Microcontroller or microprocesser enabled

I would include:

  • Enamel paint--black base, glow-in-the-dark designs. May be purchased custom-mixed at an automotive paint shop.
  • For chute recovery, printed Fëanorian star on the fabric.
  • Option to compare your data to other models flown, to learn from the experience of the group.
  • Nosecone with transparent shoulder so the weighting is visible--weights would be pretty marbles or something resemblant of gemstones.

Considerations:

  • Fin shape may lead to unexpected airflow behavior, but this is Low-Power, so I'm not terribly concerned. If there are issues, could always make the leading edge convex.
  • Fin shape could be difficult to 3D-print with uniform results.
  • Needs extra weight at the nose to compensate for large fins.
  • May not qualify for specialized events.

Scuffed sketch incoming:

Side-facing sketch of basic rocket design with nosecone, electronics bay, and body tube. Fins would be custom-designed for the project to look like holly leaves.

Art teachers fear me!


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Day 19: Strong Points, Part Two

Yes, Tyelpë, honing and teaching your craft in the dead of night can be disruptive to others.

Read Day 19: Strong Points, Part Two

My three strengths for Prompt 4 were Curiosity, Care, and Craft.

I think I've tortured him enough recently, so here's a less angsty "trouble."


The tower shakes. Annatar jolts awake and stumbles for the hall--the stones groan around him. "Tyelpë! That is enough!"

Through the night, Song comes to life.

"Tyelpë! Can you not hear me?"

Louder than any furnace, greater than any creation of the Children, the building sings under Celebrimbor's touch. There is little question of Celebrimbor's answer--Annatar cannot even hear himself think, with how it rattles through him every measure. One of Celebrimbor's retainers smacks off of his chest as Annatar storms up the spiral stair, no doubt used to navigating by sound in the dark, but nothing will stop the incoming clouds.

At the bench, Celebrimbor sits--and at his side is one of his smiths. This is the one with the voice like tower bells, Annatar remembers, though he cannot quite recall his name. Celebrimbor steps the pattern on the petals and his apprentice mirrors him, studying basic footwork as Celebrimbor handles the pistons. Resonance builds, air swells, and strands familiar from the beginning split the long dark of the winter night.

The clouds break against a wall of living sound. For the first time in living memory, Annatar's own Song falls short.

It is something that should never happen--in front of a stumbling apprentice, nonetheless! The child can hardly play! But their hands dance and their shoes slide and, little by little, the pipe organ of the Noldor bolsters the resistance of the Gwaith-í-Mirdain.

By the time the apprentice has finished his study and receives Celebrimbor's pat on the head in goodnight, Annatar is nowhere to be seen. His forge and bed remain conspicuously empty.

Perhaps he somehow inconvenienced Annatar? A question for when he is here. There are greater worries on his mind; Celebrimbor shrugs and returns to surveying what can be salvaged from the latest shipment of poor-quality ore. It will be long before he finds rest.


Chapter End Notes

Written 02/06/2025, posted slightly after midnight 02/07/2025--counting it for 02/06.

Shoutout to that one great-grandparent (or great-great-grandparent?) of mine who had a (complete!) pipe organ in his HOUSE. Top 100 Most Iconic Neighbors of All Time.


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Day 20: Who Are You?

Psychoanalyzing this guy with the power of MBTI and Enneagrams.

Read Day 20: Who Are You?

(My interpretation of) Celebrimbor got ENFP on the 16 Personalities MBTI test, which was a surprise! I was expecting ENTP. However, the character traits listed for ENFP align well with ones I picked for Celebrimbor: Perfectionism, Ambition, Motivation, and Desire to Lead. While I'm not so sure about the latter, the first three are exactly traits I considered for him. Likewise, the suggested strengths and weaknesses align well: Creative Problem-Solving, Inspiring Energy, Adaptability, and Building Connections, with Dislike of Routine, Easily Distracted, Resisting Structure, and Acting Without Thinking.

Once again, I'm not sure about the latter, but I do think Celebrimbor shares the general Fëanorian tendency to leap without looking. So perhaps it does apply.

Out of curiosity, I went ahead and took the Enneagram test for Celebrimbor as well. Celebrimbor got Type 3: The Achiever. As the Enneagram Institute puts it, "[Threes] are people of action and achievement. It is as if they 'put their feelings in a box' so they can get ahead with what they want to achieve" (Enneagram Institute, Type 3).

One defining characteristic of Type 3 is desiring success for the lack of worthless it seemingly provides, rather than for money or power, and if that isn't Celebrimbor, I don't know what is. The Enneagram Institute lists Type 3's key motivations as "[The] want to be affirmed, to distinguish themselves from others, to have attention, to be admired, and to impress others" (Enneagram Institute, Type 3). While "admired" brings Annatar to mind, Celebrimbor precisely fits the bill.

An additional line from the Enneagram Institute that stood out to me was: "Healthy Threes embody the best in a culture, and others are able to see their hopes and dreams mirrored in them." To me, this describes why Celebrimbor becomes the leader of the Gwaith-í-Mirdain and thereby the ruler of Eregion--because he is the peak of their craft and the one to unite them and the other races.

Tests and Links

MBTI Test

Enneagram Test

Enneagram Institute: Type Three


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Day 21: In Dreams

Tracking the nature of Celebrimbor's dreams while in Eregion.

Read Day 21: In Dreams

All in Arda is linked, even as it is severed from Aman; likewise, Celebrimbor swims in circles. The visions of the day sink in deep in his memory, and what he sees are patterns, beads strung along a bracelet to make the matter of the world. This is not to say that he does not dream, or does not see scenes--rather, that their meaning is that his mind is turning in the blankness, examining and parsing and turning his suppositions every which way.

It is rare when Celebrimbor wakes rested, although he tends towards chipper, but even the grinding of his mind against problems and questions is vastly preferable to what chased him from Nargothrond. The nightmares have become rare, especially when he does not live alone, fading as new works and new troubles come to pester his day to day. Time may not heal, but it leaves him room to.

The best nights are the ones he can remember no dream at all, for then he wakes as a fresh slate, and can turn to any project that calls.


Chapter End Notes

Attempting to get to bed instead of staying up to write, so it's a short one tonight. Hope you have a lovely rest of your day or night!


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Day 22: What Do They Think About You, Part One

Thoughts on Celebrimbor from Elrond, Narvi, Curufin, and Celegorm.

Read Day 22: What Do They Think About You, Part One

Elrond
Complicated, to say the least. Celebrimbor is someone who Elrond looked up to, and also the one whose people Elrond inherits--Celebrimbor's people, and their pains. I'd like to think that Elrond inherited some of Celebrimbor's love for knowledge and the act of recording that knowing, and that Elrond sees him in every letter or rune that he makes.

Elrond sees beauty and pain, for him the two are forever intrinsically linked, for what is beautiful is beautiful because there is another state to compare it with. Absence, or corruption, or lack. He will forever see Celebrimbor as beautiful--not, in my eyes, in a romantic way, but as someone and something flawed and uncertain and proud and ambitious and all the more beautiful for the layers.

Narvi
I'm not sure how their ages compare, but I could see her having an auntie or older coworker sort of feel to her. She sees Celebrimbor as fundamentally closer to her kind as the others, not by any nature of his heritage or craft, but because he *listens* and knows how to keep his mouth shut. While Celebrimbor is sociable and eager to learn, teach, and share, he does not speak of the Stone-Tongue or disclose more than he is told he may, even to the Gwaith.

It is for this reason that the Dwarves of Khazad-dum are so willing to work with him. If he were a lower smith among the Gwaith, they would have chosen him, too.

Narvi also sees Celebrimbor as quite punny and enjoys his dad jokes, even if they also drive her crazy.

Curufin
I'd like to say that Curufin is proud of Celebrimbor, or at least, I'd like to think that. His memory of Celebrimbor will forever be tinged with regret, but as soon as he may, Curufin leaves the halls and watches his son from afar, sees the Art he has wrought and the bridge he has mended and marinades in his sorrow that Celebrimbor does not see himself the same way.

There is nothing that Curufin can now do to fix the holes he has left in Celebrimbor, the ones he should have helped form solid and strong when Tyelpë was young, and now he has to watch as Celebrimbor's mix of pride and uncertainty tears him apart at the seams, as Annatar has his way with him and utterly destroys him.

And all Curufin can think, but never quite say, is that it should have been *him,* not this overly-gentle son, who bears the price of the creation of the Rings.

Celegorm
Is the only one not to blame Celebrimbor for falling for Annatar. He, of all the Noldor, would know what it is to be loved by one, the creation and destruction and loss of humanity in the face of the divine.

He still considers Celebrimbor overly soft, however, and often remarks to Curufin that his son would be better off bludgeoning his opponents with the flat of his sword rather than crossing their blades. But this disapproval of Celebrimbor is less of his physical toughness--rather, that Celebrimbor does not know when letting go would be a mercy, and so will let wounds drag on that should have been laid to rest many years ago.


Chapter End Notes

Ouch, this one hurt :c


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Day 23: Drop Everything and Read, Part Three

Researching Celebrimbor's Ao3 tags and a subset of six fics from them.

Read Day 23: Drop Everything and Read, Part Three

Let's take a look at Ao3, shall we? Note that these numbers were current as of 19:00 on February 10, 2025, CST (UTC-6), and might be slightly different now.

 

Character Tags

The most common is Celebrimbor | Telperinquar at 2760 works. This is a synonym of his canon tag, which is fascinating. It also favors the Sindarin version of his Teleri name, as opposed to the Quenya "Tyelperinquar" that I more often see--particularly because everyone enjoys calling him Tyelpë for short c:

Celebrimbor's canon Legendarium character tag is Celebrimbor (Tolkien) at 1006 works. This is as expected and exactly as it says on the tin. This canon character tag is home to all the other ones under it--its synonyms--all 4 pages and 173 of them!

I have to say that I'm surprised Celebrimbor has so many CHARACTER tags on Ao3 alone--I'm really not used to liking such popular (by my standards) characters!

My favorite single-use character tag has to be Celebrimbor [brief bloody cameo] because it's been wrangled so seriously as a synonym. Lol!

 

Relationship Tags

When it comes to Celebrimbor's relationship tags, there are 1,001 Archive-distinguished relationship tags. The most common relationship tag is Celebrimbor | Telperinquar/Sauron | Mairon with 589 works, followed by Annatar/Celebrimbor | Telperinquar with 386 works. Neither of those tags are canon tags, either! The two *canon* tags for that relationship are Annatar/Celebrimbor (Tolkien) with 233 works and Celebrimbor/Sauron (Tolkien) with 188 works respectively. As a short aside, I reached out to the Archive recently asking them to make Annatar/Celebrimbor (Tolkien) and Celebrimbor/Sauron (Tolkien) into a canon tag and a synonym tag rather than two separate canon tags, since it's affecting their sorting and searching algorithms, and some fics are missing depending on which name you use for Annatar/Sauron. I haven't heard back from them yet, but they've had much bigger fish to fry, so I'll have to keep y'all posted on that one.... And yes, Celebrimbor/Sauron is another tag, missing the (Tolkien) specification. It has 108 works. For the Rings of Power fans out there, Celebrimbor (Tolkien)/Halbrand (The Rings of Power) is a separate and canon tag, but Celebrimbor (Tolkien)/Annatar (Rings of Power) is not, and neither is Celebrimbor (Rings of Power)/Annatar (Rings of Power), since Celebrimbor (Rings of Power) apparently falls into Celebrimbor (Tolkien), as does Annatar (Rings of Power) with Annatar (Tolkien), but Halbrand is not considered part of the Tolkien-related fandoms. Yes, I'm giggling over this.

The next most common relationship tag is actually Celebrimbor | Telperinquar/Narvi, with 148 works, a canon tag--Celebrimbor/Narvi (Tolkien), 36 works--and even a third tag Celebrimbor/Narvi with 34 works! Who knew? Go, Narvi, go!

After those two is Celebrimbor | Telperinquar/Maeglin | Lómion (112 works), Celebrimbor/Erenion Gil-galad (66 works), Celebrimbor | Telperinquar/Talion (Shadow of Mordor) (65 works), and Celebrimbor | Telperinquar/Elrond Peredhel (32 works).

The most common platonic relationship tag is Celebrimbor | Telperinquar & Curufin | Curufinwë at 160 works, but that is once again not the canon version of that tag. The canon version is lower than several other platonic relationships at 52 works for Celebrimbor & Curufin (Tolkien).

Other major platonic tags are Celebrimbor | Telperinquar & Sauron | Mairon (78 works), Celebrimbor | Telperinquar & Elrond Peredhel (75 works), Celebrimbor | Telperinquar & Narvi (63 works), Annatar & Celebrimbor | Telperinquar (56 works), and a variety of variations thereof.

My favorite platonic tag is Celebrimbor | Telperinquar & Sons of Fëanor (25 works), solely because it makes me smile. [A/N: upon actually READING a fic from this tag, I can say it made me cry into my tea and I have no regrets. Yes, I am a known softie, but also, it hurts so good.... new favorite tag on Ao3?]

So we've covered the major Character and Relationship tags; up next are the Freeforms.

 

Freeform Tags

Out of a total of 585, the top 10 most common freeform tags for Celebrimbor are:

  1. Poor Celebrimbor (62) vs. Poor Celebrimbor (Tolkien) (6)
  2. POV Celebrimbor (Tolkien) (38)
  3. Celebrimbor Has Issues (35) vs. Celebrimbor Has Issues (Tolkien) (7)
  4. Celebrimbor Lives (Tolkien) (35)
  5. Celebrimbor Makes Bad Life Choices (27) vs. Celebrimbor Makes Bad Life Choices (Tolkien) (7)
  6. Celebrimbor Lives (26) [A/N: Just realized I counted this one twice as two different tags, like Ao3 does. Sorry about that!!]
  7. Celebrimbor in Gondolin (24)
  8. Celebrimbor Needs A Hug (Tolkien) (21)
  9. Celebrimbor Has Daddy Issues (16)
  10. Female Celebrimbor (14)

Bold and italicized tags are Ao3 canon tags.

[A/N: I also just realized I forgot to search based on Tyelpë/Tyelpe Freeform tags, too. Well, that's for next time, but I have to say I'm curious what sort of chaos is going on there.]

Two honorary mentions that weren't in the top ten are BAMF Celebrimbor (Tolkien) (4) + BAMF Celebrimbor (3) and Autistic Celebrimbor (3).

Well, that was a wild ride, and that was only the Ao3 side! I'm not sure I'm brave enough to explore the SWG Celebrimbor tag, given how the Ao3 ones went--I will get there, eventually, when I'm less daunted by learning a new archive system.

 

What does this mean for fanfic about Celebrimbor?

Most of the Celebrimbor recommendations I've been given--and most of the Celebrimbor fanfics that I've read--have been for Silvergifting. Quite a few have been recommended to me more than once, namely Chtonion's Your shadow rising to meet you series. But it's on the my reading list for right now due to being over 420,000 words long.... I cannot wait to read it, but simply do not have the time to sit down and binge read it yet.

I did finish reading (and partially beta-reading) 0ur_Ouroboros's Love's Secret Domain series, and absolutely adored it as a study into the devolution of Celebrimbor's relationship with Annatar before the forging of the Rings. Deliciously fascinating and painful in the best way.

That said, I'm pretty sure today's post is supposed to center fics I read for it, so I went ahead and read several fics under my personal favorite tags that I listed above. I have never read any fics with these tags before!

The tags I selected are:

I'm not going to go through each fic I read in detail, since I don't have their authors' permissions to, but I highly recommend each of them! I am working through leaving comments on each of them as well.

That's it for today, though there's still more to be done on Tyelpë tags, for one! Legendarium tags are a bit scattered, so it's like digging in an endless sandbox, and I simultaneously love it and want nothing more than to clean it all up. Hey, Ao3, if you're looking for somebody to wrangle your Tolkien tags for you, I volunteer! I love archives and databases!

There's only a week left in my 30-Day Character Study--next Monday should be my post for Day 30. I don't know what I'll do when I'm done! It's hard to believe it's only been 23 days of coming home and spending my evenings learning and writing about this silly little Elf. At this point, I feel like I get through the door, put the kettle on, and go "Tyelpë, I'm home!!" as all the Tyelpë plot bunnies flee in fear, knowing I'm going to snag one of them.

All of this to say--if you're here and reading today's entry, thank you for taking this wild ride into lore rabbit holes with me. Please let me know if there's something you would like to see before the end, or in the future, since I'll have to figure out what to do with my writing nights once I'm no longer terrorizing poor Celebrimbor.


Chapter End Notes

Please tell me if any of the links do not work. I've gone through and checked them, but I've also had to convert from plain text to Markdown and back to html/plain text, so it's possible I've made a mistake somewhere.


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Day 24: Weak Points, Part Two

A scene on using weaknesses to help another with similar ones.

Read Day 24: Weak Points, Part Two

A/N: Chapter-specific content warning: Mentions of being followed.

I wish I could say "This totally wasn't brought to you by me taking a walk for inspiration/brainstorming and getting followed," but it totally was. I'm fine (I think) but it's a hard writing day now with nerves from that c':

The three shortcomings I picked on Day 9 were Ambition, Empathy, and Focus. Each can also be strengths; the complicated, multi-layered parts of Celebrimbor are what drew me to him as a character in the first place, and hopefully that comes through here.


The silence of sleep falls over Ost-in-Edhil, unperturbed by the stumbling of party-goers and the laughing, joyful feasters of the king's retinue. Celebrimbor sees them off at the door, pointing them the correct way down the cobblestone street and giving them gentle nudges when they threaten to sleep on the stoop for their drunkenness.

The High King retires; his Herald stays behind, tracing the wood grain of Celebrimbor's bookshelves. "There's a day bed," Celebrimbor offers, and Elrond's eyes crinkle about the corners. "If you do not wish to pull yourself from your reading, that is."

Elrond tilts his head--his smile is sweet, but his words are halting. "Thank you, then, for your hospitality." There's something not quite there in his eyes, and Celebrimbor pauses mid-step.

"Wait one moment, it should be around here--" he redirects to his scaled-down workbench and rummages through the scrolls. "Aha!" He presents a fresh sheet to Elrond like the mightiest of gifts and offers Elrond his choice of inks.

Out of all his relatives, Elrond is most <i>unlikely</i> to ruin one of Celebrimbor's fountain pens. Out of all his relatives, Elrond is the <i>only</i> who receives the honor of using one of Celebrimbor's fountain pens.

Elrond folds the paper into a flat surface and awaits further questioning. "You know me too well, I fear," Celebrimbor sighs, and Elrond squints at him. "Oh, come now, I speak enough for the both of us." Then: "What happened along the way?"

Silence, then, as in the kind of sleep like death. Elrond's fingers tremor against the pen.

Tailed.

"By whom?"

Uruks.

The scratch of pen-nib against page never fails to make Celebrimbor's hair stand on end. Elrond keeps writing.

I start to wonder whether the King hunts them, or whether they hunt the King.

Celebrimbor hums, rich in the lull. "And I ask of you. Did they harm you?"

No.

Elrond's penmanship begins to tilt, a ship slowly lilting as she takes on water. "Mm. Not physically, then, I'm glad." And Celebrimbor's hands are warm when the hover just above Elrond's--Elrond does not look at him, not directly, but the movement of the air is clear enough to tell him when Celebrimbor's proximity changes. Then: "Have you eaten?"

A nod.

"Cleaned up?"

Another nod.

"Made water?"

Elrond stares at him, and Celebrimbor shrugs. "I often forget once I cross the doors of the smithy."

Done, Elrond writes onto the back of Celebrimbor's hand with the back of his pen, rounded and soft rather than sharp into his skin.

And Celebrimbor smiles. It sets all the alarm bells in Elrond to ringing. "Rested?"

Elrond's scrawl peters out. "Enough," he says out loud, and Celebrimbor raises a brow. "Enough. I have precious little time between the King's requests."

"I cannot discourage you from how you spend it," Celebrimbor begins, and Elrond's gaze flickers away, "but I do have a day bed for when separating from my studies is harder than separating ice." Elrond is opening his mouth to speak when Celebrimbor cuts in once more: "Likewise, you do not need to speak with me. I can read your hand just fine."

This is much faster, Elrond writes, and Celebrimbor grumbles an agreement.

 

The tower should ring with emptiness, but its guests are not yet asleep; the candles burn low, and Celebrimbor smothers them after he tucks the throw tight about Elrond's shoulders.

The two of them are shockingly alike, Celebrimbor thinks, despite vastly different areas of expertise. He looks at the runes Elrond has been improving and squints at the nuances of faint line-angle shifts, only to stumble into the corner of the wall as he attempts a closer view.

Sending Elrond to get some sleep is one thing; sending himself to get some is another. He will turn in when the next watch sounds, surely that will be the one.... perhaps, before then, he can reach a breakthrough in his latest blades. While none of the Gwaith have been able to recreate the blue blades of Gondolin, new fire ignites beneath his feet.... and Celebrimbor slumps over his drawings.

Like Elrond, he chooses his battles, and for once he yields to sleep.


Chapter End Notes

Fun fact: this particular Elrond is responsible for three or four different fics now, but only one of them is his.


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....Itarillë might be the only other named child in The Silmarillion who was born in Aman and brought over to Beleriand with the exiles. As Turukáno canonically (I think) didn't like or trust the Fëanorians, especially after losing his wife on the Helcaraxë, Idril may not have interacted with Celebrimbor at all after Finwë's death. But I do agree that it feels like Celebrimbor never had a home, other than the forge. 

What an impressive work! Some very interesting observations, and a nice headcanon about him being red-headed. I especially liked the little scene with the poor dead pony.

Wow those character tags are so complicated, I can’t believe there are so many to describe the Silvergifting ship alone. 

I think it’s interesting how they spell versions of his Quenya name too.

I wonder if it might be argued that “Celebrimbor/Sauron” is a useful distinction between “Celebrimbor/Annatar.” Though from looking at various fics it doesn’t seem that it’s used to make a precise distinction in the way it probably could. 

Fascinating research! 

Wow those character tags are so complicated, I can’t believe there are so many to describe the Silvergifting ship alone. 

I think it’s interesting how they spell versions of his Quenya name too.

I wonder if it might be argued that “Celebrimbor/Sauron” is a useful distinction between “Celebrimbor/Annatar.” Though from looking at various fics it doesn’t seem that it’s used to make a precise distinction in the way it probably could. 

Fascinating research!