Of Celebrian
Having a lifetime love of Elrond means that, of course, I have a keen interest in the characters around him. Perhaps the easiest character to love, simply because of the lack of textual evidence of her and so as a reader your imagination can go wild, is Celebrian.
I have gathered all mentions of her in Tolkien’s works and they will all be undercut, with any additional information, in the hope that it will be a resource for all fans of Elrond, Celebrian, or any other character that she may have come into contact with. Please reblog if you have found it helpful, and let me know if you would like further posts like this for other characters.
This should be all you ever need to know about her all in one place!
If you have found any errors please message me. If there is any missing information please message me.
Lineage:
Celebrian is the daughter of Galadriel who is the daughter of Earwen and Finarfin (daugher of Olwe and son of Finwe), and of Celeborn the grandson of Elmo (brother to Thingol).
Through her parents she is of the Sindar, (1/2) the Noldor (1/8), the Vanyar (1/8) and the Teleri (1/4). Her extended family includes the kings of the above races. She is the great granddaughter of the first High King of the Noldor (Finwe) and the granddaughter of the remaining High King in Valinor (Finarfin). Thingol King of Doriath is her great-great uncle.
Name and appearance:
Her name means ‘Silver’ [Celeb] ‘Queen’ [Rian] in Sindarin.
No physical description of her is given. Her mother id described as taller than all other female elves in the Silmarillion, and in the Fellowship of the Ring her father is described as the same height.
In the Silmarillion Galadriel’s hair is described as having silver and gold tones almost like the Light of the Two Trees (leading to Feanor asking for strands of it) and in the Fellowship, Celeborn’s is described as silver.
The Unfinished Tales: The History of Galadriel and Celeborn
The earliest mention (in the timeline of Middle Earth) of Celebrian is found in The Unfinished Tales in the chapter called The History of Galadriel and Celeborn. In part of this telling, Amroth (later King of Lorien) is the son of Galadriel and Celeborn, however in every other telling (and even later in that chapter) he is written as the son of Amdir and is of no relation to the House of Thingol. It is also mentioned in this telling that Celeborn was actually a Telerian prince and Galadriel’s first cousin. However Christopher Tolkien points out that this contracdicts the telling of Celeborn found in the Silmarillion and the Lord of the Rings. This telling (where we find the rather comical Quenya name of Teleporno) is discounted by most because it is in direct contrast to the above publications. Christopher Tolkien points out in the text that JRR Tolkien revised this telling of Galadriel and Celeborn in the last months of his life.
In this text it states that Galadriel and Celeborn were pushed out of power in Eregion by Sauron (under the disguise of Annatar who was working closely with the powerful master smiths known as the Mirdain) between 1350-1400 Second age.
“Galadriel thereupon left Eregion and passed through Khazad-dum to Lorinand, taking with her Amroth and Celebrian; but Celeborn would not enter the mansions of the Dwarves and he remained behind in Eregion, disregarded by Celebrimbor. In Lorinand Galadriel took up rule and defence against Sauron.”
There’s a lot to unpack here, mostly regarding Celeborn. If we accept Celeborn as the kinsman of Thingol, the anti-dwarf sentiment has more context due to the role some dwarves from Nogrod played in the death of Thingol and the fall of Doriath. That’s a very long story that is described in the Silmarillion but you can get the gist of it on the Tolkien Gateway page of Doriath. Celeborn didn’t like dwarves (we see this very clearly in Fellowship as well) but Galadriel was a friend of those in Moria at this time.
The next we hear of Celebrian is in around 1800 Second Age by which time Sauron has control of Eriador save for the stronghold of Imladris on the western face of the Misty Mountains. This place was founded by Elrond, Gil Galad’s friend and herald. Gil Galad is cited in the Silmarillion as the last living son of the House of Finwe in Middle Earth being the son of Fingon, son of Fingolfin. Celeborn may have also played a role in the founding of Rivendell but, as with most things about Celeborn, it is never stated or implied, we can only infer from where he was at any given time what he actually did.
“The army that was besieging Imladris was caught between Elrond [holding Imladris] and Gil Galad [an army coming from the west], and utterly destroyed. Eriador was cleared of the enemy, but lay largely in ruins. At this time the first Council was held, and it was there determined that an Elvish stronghold in the east of Eriador should be maintained at Imladris rather than in Eregion. At that time also Gil Galad gave Vilya, the Blue Ring [the Ring of Air] to Elrond, and appointed him to be his vice-regent in Eriador [...] In its concluding passage the narrative returns to Galadriel, telling that the sea-longing grew so strong in her that she determined to leave Lorinand and to dwell near the sea. She committed Lorinand to Amroth, and passing again through Moria with Celebrian she came to Imladris. There she found him, and there they dwelt together for a long time; and it was then that Elrond first saw Celebrian, and loved her, though he said nothing of it. It was while Galadriel was in Imladris that the Council referred to above was held. But some time later Galadriel and Celeborn together with Celebrian departed from Imladris and went to the little-inhabited lands between the mouth of Gwathlo and Ethir Anduin. There they dwelt in Belfalas at the place that was afterwards called Dol Amroth; there their son Amroth at times visited them, and their company was swelled by Nandorian elves from Lorinand. It was not until far on in the Third Age, when Amroth was lost and Lorinand was in peril that Galadriel returned there in the year 1981 Third Age.”
The History of Galadriel and Celeborn tells us that Celebrian and Elrond wedded at last in 109 Third Age.
It also dates the birth of Elladan and Elrohir of 130 Third Age, and of Arwen Undomiel in 241 Third Age.
The Elessar
The History of Galadriel and Celeborn in the Unfinished Tales also tells us of the Elessar and how it came to be in Arwen’s possession. Two tellings of the Elessar there are and described below.
The Elessar was first crafted in Gondolin by an elf smith named Enerdhil. He made a green jewel within which the light of the sun was captured when the sun was still young. It was set in the shape of an eagle with outstretched wings. He gave it to Idril the daughter of Turgon the king, and she wore it with delight. IT carried the power of healing and prosperity and she then gave it to Earendil the Mariner her son. He eventually left his home of Sirion and passed into the West. The full story of his life is told in the Silmarillion, and you can get an overview of it here. Earendil is the father of Elrond and Elros. When Olorin (Gandalf) came to Middle Earth in the Third Age, he brought it with him from the West. It is told that Yavanna gave it to him as a sign to those in Middle Earth that the Valar had not forsaken them. He took it to Galadriel who was in Thranduil’s kingdom of Mirkwood at that time and gave it to her for safekeeping. He told her:
“It is not for you to posses. You shall hand it on when the time comes. For before you grow weary, and at last forsake Middle Earth one shall come who is to receive it, and his name shall be that of the stone; Elessar he shall be called.”
And so in this telling it passed from Idril to Earendil to Gandalf, and in the Third Age to Galadriel and then to Aragorn who fulfilled the prophecy. In this telling it bypassed Celebrian.
The second telling agrees that the Elessar was first made by Enerdhil and ended up in Earendil’s possession and thus left Middle Earth. This one, however, states that a second one was created by Celebrimbor in Eregion before he made the Three Rings. Celebrimbor made it for Galadriel as Galadriel was distressed by the swift passing of life in Middle Earth and the decaying of living things so quickly and she wished to prolong life and help it thrive. She wanted a land of her own where life lasted longer and flourished. Celebrimbor told her:
“You know that I love you, though you turned to Celeborn of the trees and for that love I will do what I can, if haply by my art your grief can be lessened.”
Celebrimbor knew Enerdhil in the old days and knew of the Elessar, and so set about creating a gem to echo it. He too made a jewel of green and in it captured the light of the sun, so that it emitted light as if the sun was shining through the leaves of the trees. It was set again in the shape of an eagle with outstretched wings. It, like the first, had the power of healing and prolonging good life and Galadriel used it and “all things grew fair” about her. It was the greatest of Celebrimbor’s work, surpassed only by the Three Rings. When he gave to her Nenya one of the Three, Galadriel had no further need for the Elessar and she gave it to Celebrian at that time. This was after Celebrimbor had discovered that Sauron had forged the one ring in 1600 Second Age, and he had travelled to Lorinand [later know as Lothlorien] to seek her council. At this time we know Celebrian was with her, and so it was then that Galadriel was given Nenya and Celebrian was given the Elessar. Celebrian would have had it the first time she arrived in Rivendell.
In Fellowship we learn that Celebrian passed it onto Arwen at some point, but that it came back to Galadriel’s possession.
It is worth noting that in The History of Middle Earth we learn that it is customary for the family of the bride to give the groom a jewel prior to a wedding, and so the passing of it to Aragorn by Galadriel is not just fulfilling Gandalf’s prophecy but also a prophecy in itself of the marriage of Arwen and Aragorn. Galadriel gave it in Celebrian’s absence.
Lord of the Rings
Outside of the appendices Celebrian is rarely mentioned.
“Long had [Arwen] been in the land of her mother’s kin, in Lorien beyond the mountains.” - Many Meetings, Fellowship of the Ring
“Elladan and Elrohir were out upon errantry; for they rode often far afield with the Rangers of the North, never forgetting their mother’s torment in the den of the orcs.” - Many Meetings, Fellowship of the Ring
“Then [Galadriel] lifted from her lap a great stone of clear green, set in a silver brooch that was wrought in the likeness of an eagle with outspread wings; and as she held it up the gem flashed like the sun shining through the leaves of spring. ‘This stone I gave to Celebrian my daughter, and she to hers; and now it comes to you as a token of hope. In this hour take the name that was foretold for you, Elessar, the Elfstone of the House of Elendil!’” - Farewell to Lorien, Fellowship of the Ring
The appendices list Celebrian’s capture of orcs as 2509 Third Age at the Redhorn Pass on the southern side of Caradhras in the Misty Mountains (this is the pass that the Fellowship attempted to take to cross the mountains). She was journeying to visit her parents in Lorien who were at this time formally Lord and Lady of Lothlorien after the disappearance of Amroth. Her company was scattered and she was given a poisoned wound. In the orcs’ captivity she suffered ‘torment’ and was saved by her twin sons Elladan and Elrohir, and they brought her back to Imladris. There, Elrond healed her in body but she lost ‘all delight’ in Middle Earth and sailed West a year later in 2510 Third Age (cited in Lord of the Rings and Unfinished Tales).
The History of Middle Earth
In early notes by Tolkien the marriage of Elrond and Celebrian was 2500 Third Age by which time her mother is described as Galadriel of Lorien. Tolkien originally planned to have Celebrian travel to Lothlorien in 2600 Third Age when she was actually killed, a mere hundred years after her marriage to Elrond. This timeline was quickly altered and in all other publications the marriage takes place much earlier and Celebrian is not killed.
Another passage dates their wedding as 2300 Third Age, during the Watchful Peace:
“Elrond, who had remained unwed through all his long years, now took to wife Celebrian, daughter of Galadriel and Celeborn of Lorien. His children were twin brethren, Elladan and Elrohir, and Arwen Undomiel, the fairest of all maidens of the Third Age, in whom the likeness of Luthien her foremother returned to Middle Earth. These children were three parts of Elven-race, but the doom spoken at their birth was that they should live even as the Elves so long as their father remained in Middle Earth, but if he departed they should have then the choice either to pass over the sea with him, or to become mortal, if they remained behind.”
Other mentions include Elrond saving Celebrian:
“Celebrian, wife of Elrond, journeys to Lorien to visit Galadriel her mother; but she is taken by orcs in the passes of the mountains. She is rescued by Elrond and his sons, but after fear and torment she is no longer willing to remain in Middle Earth, and she departs to the Grey Havens and sails over the Sea in 2509 Third Age.”
Of the twins:
“From that time forth, [Elladan and Elrohir] never cease from war with the orcs because of Celebrian.”
“Now the sons of Elrond did not hunt wild beasts, but they pursued the Orcs wherever they might find them, and this they did because of Celebrian their mother.”
Of Elrond sailing:
“For after the destruction of the Ruling Ring the Three Rings of the Eldar lost their virtue. Then Elrond prepared at last to depart from Middle Earth and follow Celebrian.”
“For when the Great Ring was unmade the Three Rings of the Elves failed also, and Elrond was weary of Middle Earth at last and departed seeking Celebrian.”
Letters
In Letter 345 dated 30 November 1972 to a ‘Mrs Thurston’, Tolkien confirms that Celebrian means ‘Silver Queen’.
Other major works
Celebrian is not mentioned in any of the other major or minor works, including The Hobbit or The Silmarillion.
Of the Fates of her family
Regarding the fates of her family, we know some answers and some we do not. Elrond and Galadriel sailed along with the other Ring-Bearers in 3021 Third Age and it was this that marked the end of the Third Age. Arwen we know chose mortality and lived out her days as Queen of Elves and Men, Queen of Gondor once the War of the Ring had been won. She had two daughters and one son, Eldarion (meaning Son of Elves) who became king after Arwen died. After the death of Aragorn, Arwen went to live out the last year of her life in Lothlorien.
There, we do not know if she saw her brothers and maternal grandfather, as their fates are unknown. After the War, Celeborn expanded territory into Mirkwood and established East Lorien, coming to an agreement with Thranduil, but he grew weary without Galadriel and he retired at last to Rivendell where his grandsons still dwelt. Celeborn did not take the White Ship with Galadriel and Elrond and in the Fellowship of the Ring but he did sail eventually with Cirdan on the last ship to Valinor, and they were the last of the high elves to sail in the Fourth Age. There is no mention of Elladan and Elrohir or their fates.
Given what is said about the fate of the children of Elrond and the choice they had to make, it may be that the twins chose mortality as they did not sail with the father or grandfather. However, their departure may have just been unremarked upon given their minor character status. Their fates remain open-ended.
