Cirdan (also known as Nowë) or Cirdan the Shipwright, was a Teler Elf - one of the wisest princes of Teleri - and was the great lord of Falas (an area on the west coast of Beleriand, south of Nevrast) and later in the First Age, lord of Balar (The Isle may have been, according to legend, the northern tip of Tol Eressëa which had broken off when Ulmo ferried the Eldar to Aman). He was kin to both Elwë and Olwë. He may have also been related to Elmo, the lesser known brother of Elwë. However, Tolkien never defined exactly how the Círdan and Thingol were related. In the First Age, Círdan was a ruler of a host of the Teleri under Elwë, and during the long wait in Beleriand he fell in love with the sea. When Ulmo returned for the Teleri, Círdan and his followers remained behind, partially because of their love for Belegaer, and partially because of his kinship with Elwë, who was lost. After Elwë returned and became King Thingol, Círdan ruled the Falathrim of the havens of Eglarest and Brithombar, although he seemed to have accepted Thingols overlordship. Later he became an advisor and friend of Finrod Felagund, Lord of Nargothrond, although the Falas remained independent. Círdan was early on warned by Ulmo not to attempt a crossing to Valinor, and his mariners restricted their work to the coasts of Middle-earth. However, at the request of King Turgon of Gondolin, he later built several messenger ships to sail to Valinor to request help from the Valar against Morgoth. All these missions failed, and only one survivor ever returned. After the havens of the Falas were destroyed by FA 474, Círdan was instrumental in setting up the refuges at the Mouths of Sirion and the Isle of Balar, to which he retired for the remainder of the age. It was on this isle that he built the great ship Vingilot for Eärendil. In the Second Age, Círdan stayed behind when the Elves were summoned to Valinor, and set up the havens of Forlond, Harlond and Mithlond in the destroyed land of Lindon (anciently Ossiriand). Círdans exact status during that time is unknown, but it seems certain he served as lieutenant of Gil-galad, the last High King of the Ñoldor of Middle-earth. Círdan is mentioned as receiving the ships of the Númenóreans as they returned to the north of Middle-earth, and also as being one of the only two elves (along with Elrond) who stood beside Gil-Galad during his last battle with Sauron. From the Third Age after the fall of Gil-galad and the beginning of the Age of Men, Círdan remained at the Grey Havens of Mithlond where he was lord, and built ships which ferried the departing Elves to Valinor. Círdan had possession of the Great Ring Narya, but when the Wizards or Istari arrived in the early Third Age he recognised Olórins wisdom, and gave him his ring. Círdan remained active behind the scenes, sending counsellors to the White Council at Rivendell, but following the War of the Ring he was seen to have prepared the ship that ferried across the other Ring-bearers: Gandalf, Elrond, Galadriel, Bilbo, and Frodo in the last year of the Third Age. It is uncertain whether he left Middle-earth himself on the same ship: he is not mentioned as boarding, and later letters by Tolkien imply he remained behind. There are contradictory references to the Fate of the Elves of Middle-earth scattered throughout Tolkiens works, and it may be that Círdans role as a facilitator for elves returning to the Blessed Realm continued for some time. There is one line that says that Círdan would remain until the last ship set sail for the west. Círdan had a beard, which is rare for Elves; but he was of great age at the time of the War of the Ring: perhaps the oldest Teleri Elf, or indeed the oldest of all the elves remaining in Middle-earth, because he may have been one of the elves who woke up near Cuiviénen and therefore had no father. Círdan had silver hair, like his overlord and kinsman Thingol. Círdan was a Sindarin word that meant Ship-maker. His original name was probably Nowë and the Quenya form of his name is Ciryatan. This name is not Sindarin and probably an archaic form of it, or possibly Common Telerin, with uncertain meaning. It may be related to the term nowo meaning think, form idea, imagine. In the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy by Peter Jackson, Círdan briefly appears in the first and third movies, played by Michael Elsworth. His role as lieutenant of Gil-galad is given to Elrond instead (Elrond was Gil-galads herald in the books) in the first movie. He does, however, appear very briefly in Galadriels Monologue at the start of the first movie, in the very brief shot of the three elven ring bearers, and at the end of the third movie when Frodo, Galadriel, Elrond, Gandalf and Bilbo board the ship at the Grey Havens and Círdan (beardless in this adaptation) can be seen standing in the background.
Posted on: Mon, 22 Dec 2014 20:14:21 +0000