Celebrimbor: 30-Day Character Study by cloudyhymns

Day 10: What's in a Name?

Breaking down the origins and meanings of Celebrimbor's 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!