Celeborn

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Lord Celeborn (pronounced with a hard C as in Cake) is the Elven husband of Galadriel, Lord of the Galadhrim, and co-ruler along with Galadriel of Lothlórien. He was known in the Third Age as the Lord of Lórien. He was the father of Celebrían, the wife of Elrond, making him the grandfather of Arwen Evenstar. He was also a kinsman of the First Age Elven King Thingol.

In the Fellowship of the Ring, Celeborn has a minor role. The main focus is on his wife.

He could be referred to as The Lord of Lórien, The Lord of the Galadhrim, or The Lord of the Wood interchangably. Within the realm of Lothlórien, he was referred to as simply Lord Celeborn or The Lord (he was more often named with Galadriel as The Lord and Lady).

Celeborn's ancestry is not exactly certain. Celeborn first appeared in The Lord of the Rings, and he did not appear at all in Tolkien's (at the time unpublished) existing legends of the First Age, The Silmarillion. Tolkien felt that for an Elf of Celeborn's importance he had to have a good ancestry, and spent several years trying to resolve Celeborn's origins.

Most existing writings portray Celeborn as a Sindarin Elf from Doriath, the kingdom of Thingol. Celeborn is described as a "kinsman" of Thingol. That Celeborn and Thingol are remotely related is further alluded to by the fact they both had silver hair, a haircolour which is never mentioned outside of the royal house of the Sindar. This origin was adopted by Christopher Tolkien and Guy Kay for the Silmarillion when it was decided to publish this book after Tolkien's death, and a new paragraph about Celeborn's marriage to Galadriel was inserted. Exactly how Celeborn could have been a kinsman of Thingol was not mentioned.

File:Celeborn from PJ's LotR.jpg

Celeborn from Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings.

According to one speculative text written by Tolkien, published as part of the Unfinished Tales, Celeborn was the grandson of Thingol's younger brother Elmo (who never appears elsewhere). Elmo was also linked to Círdan, making Círdan another member of the Sindarin royal house.

This simple origin Celeborn was however changed: in Tolkien's last writings Celeborn was a Telerin Elf from Valinor, then named Teleporno in Telerin Quenya. He met Galadriel when she was living in the Telerin city Alqualondë, before the rebellion of the Ñoldor. They decided to travel together to Middle-earth, without asking permission from the Valar to do so. While not involved with the rebellion of the Ñoldor at all, because they left at the same time and without permission (which would certainly not have been granted at that time), Celeborn and Galadriel were caught under the same Ban that prevented them from returning. The name Teleporno was "Sindarized" as Celeborn: Telerin telep ("silver") (Ñoldorin Quenya tyelep) was translated to Sindarin keleb. In order to be counted as a kinsman of the Sindarin king Thingol, Celeborn must have been part of the family of the Telerin king Olwë, likely one of his sons or grandsons.

This altered origin was not adopted into the published Silmarillion, primarily because it would have necessitated a major rewrite of the earlier parts to account for a separate departure of Galadriel. A further problem was that this descent would have made Celeborn Galadriel's first or second cousin, and Elves never married close kin.

It is unfortunately not known what Tolkien's "final word" on Celeborn's origin was, as he never returned to the question. While it is likely the Aman origin of Teleporno was the final intent, it is equally likely Celeborn would have been portrayed in the eventual "author's Silmarillion" as related more distantly to Thingol—the relationship could have been through other family members not mentioned. (See Daughters of Finwë for an example of significant family members not named in The Silmarillion.)

Celeborn's further history is as shady as his past: at one point during the Second Age, Celeborn apparently ruled over Elves in Lindon, but it is not certain if he fell under the overlordship of Gil-galad, or ruled (together with Galadriel?) as an independent lord.

Celeborn and Galadriel later ruled over the Elves of Eregion (at least in some accounts), before settling in Lothlórien.

Celeborn remained behind after Galadriel left Middle-earth, but eventually, some time during the Fourth Age, left for Valinor. It is said with him passed the last memory of the Elder Days from Middle-earth.