#celedriel

[velvet4510]

I don’t think any of us should ever overlook Celeborn’s love for Galadriel, because it’s really something.

Usually in Tolkien’s texts, it’s the girl following the guy. Lúthien followed Beren to Tol-in-Gaurhoth and Angband and later into death itself, Níniel followed Turambar to Cabed-en-Aras, Elwing followed Eärendil to Valinor, Éowyn followed Faramir to Ithilien, Arwen followed Aragorn to Gondor and later into death itself, etc. Not that this is a bad thing, not at all. (It should never be deemed disempowering for a woman to follow a man she loves and who loves her and treats her right, if that is her choice.) But overall, considering the wide variety of couples in Middle-earth, it does get repetitive sometimes.

Yet with these two, it’s the opposite. Celeborn always followed Galadriel.

When Galadriel departed Doriath, Celeborn went with her. He left all his kin behind to be with her. We don’t know for sure how his kin reacted to his relationship with a Noldo, but it could very well be that they eloped. She was just that important to him.

Then for the next 2 ages, they endured all sorts of trials and tribulations together across Middle-earth and eventually settled down in Lothlórien. There, Celeborn never tried to make Galadriel subservient to him. She had as much say in how things were run as he himself did. They were true co-rulers, equals in every way.

Then finally, Celeborn temporarily let Galadriel go. He was alright with her leaving on the White Ship to see their daughter and her parents and brothers again, while he stayed behind to finish what needed to be finished. He didn’t force her to stay with him when he himself could not (yet) leave. He didn’t hold her back from reuniting with people she loved and had lost so long ago.

And ultimately, Celeborn followed Galadriel once again. Though he was a Sinda born and bred, and never before had any desire to cross the Sea, he left his own homeland behind forever to reunite with her in her homeland. She still was just that important to him.

This guy was down bad for this girl. He lived his whole life drunk on wifeguy juice. Respect Celeborn.

[marybeatriceofmodena]

"Celeborn will be a calming influence on Galadriel" You fools. YOU ABSOLUTE FOOLS. YOU HAVE MISREAD THE WIFEGUY MANUAL. HE WILL BE 10/10 DOWN FOR THE UNHINGINESS. HE WILL BE GIL-GALAD'S SECOND HEADACHE. PREPARE FOR THE LESLIE KNOPE AND BEN WYATT OF MIDDLE-EARTH.

[cheesy-cryptid]

“The war seemed so very far away then”

[serregon]

“how could you like Galadriel with Celeborn he’s such a boring guy compared to her” you absolute buffoon you will not survive the winter. Celeborn being boring compared to his eldritch angel wife is the whole appeal. it’s elf Connecticut Clark x Malvina

you’re invited to dinner at casa Lothlorien and you ask Galadriel to pass the butter and she looks you dead in the eyes and tells you the exact time and place of your death. and Celeborn is just like “isn’t my wife smart 😃”

“what do you see in that guy” “he makes me laugh” a la Jessica Rabbit, but Galadriel’s laugh is absolutely terrifying. Celeborn tells a shitty pun straight out of some dollar store joke book and Galadriel lets out this classic Disney villain laugh, and the sky quakes and you hear fear in the language of the leaves and Celeborn is just like “I’m glad you liked that one ☺️”

[balrogballs]

celeborn appreciation post for absolutely no reason except that he exists

look at him in his cute little outfit. apologising to gimli for being mean the minute he’s called out for it. staying behind in middle earth for a bit longer because boy does he love his silly little trees. my guy really had a treehouse as an elfling and used that as an architectural model for one of the last elven strongholds of middle earth. looks adorable in literally everything he wears.

immense golden retriever energy. i know full well elladan and elrohir ran circles around him in the fourth age but he tries his best to keep them in line. man has a resting scared-face. he’s too quiet? good because literally every other elf doesn’t shut the fuck up.

i hc him as being completely obsessed with galadriel yes but also galadriel being equally obsessed with him. she gives him silly woodlandy nicknames. she calls him her squirrel. when they argue she calls him a damned monkey. he teaches himself to draw and spends the fourth age running around arwen and her kids trying to draw little portraits of them to take back to valinor when he sails so elrond and celebrían can see.

tldr: in a world of elrond “recites you the entirety of the noldolante as exposition when you ask him what he did last weekend” peredhel and thranduil “remember when we were three years old and you stole my rubber duck” the elvenking and legolas “probably leads orcs to the fellowship every morning by belting out aa elbereth gilthoniel while taking a shit in the woods” greenleaf, be a celeborn.

[mhevarujta]

It's funny how Celeborn is being called boring and his relationship with Galadriel is being hated upon by people who claim that they're all about Galadriel being valued, because this is literally what this dynamic is all about.

In a world where many people treasure gold and jewels, Celeborn's treasure is Galadriel. Yet he never treats her as an object. He never handles her as something fragile to be put aside and to be protected and marveled at. They fight the long defeat together. They find a place to call home. They realize their ambitions and rule their lands together. When the time comes, she follows her path to go West and diminish, thus passing her final test, and he is allowed to linger to the place that has been his second love, knowing that he and Galadriel will meet again. Even so, it still hurts him that he has to let her go despite it being temporary.

There's so much talk about people LOVING the concept of a guy being absolutely in love with and in awe of his wife, but when it actually happens (and Tolkien was admirably ahead of his time in writing such a ship and in making Galadriel the most important of the two, and possibly the most important among his elves as he kept editing) it's not enough.

I also love this one version of Galadriel choosing this specific name, which was given to her by Celeborn, because it was the most beautiful of her names. In Tolkien names have meaning and importance, and many characters gain names that they either do or don't want through the way they are seen by others. There's something so special to me about Galadriel feeling so seen and understood and seeing such beauty in the name that Celeborn gave her, that she chooses this upon all the other names given to her by family and since much earlier. And everyone around her falls in line because on the one hand they probably saw how fitting it was and on the other she has THAT kind of power to those around her. She has the will and strength to shape who she is and how she wants to be perceived.

[melkor-did-nothing-wrong]

[celedrielarchive]

pity those who only watched the trilogy and based their impression of Galadriel and Celeborn solely on it. In the wider legendarium they have several versions of their meeting and story and all of them are extremely romantic and beautiful.

I love them falling in love in Doriath, and Galadriel leaving everything and everyone behind and staying there and even in Middle-earth first and foremost to be with him, and him later leaving everyone and everything he knows behind to travel with her.

I adore the version where they met in Valinor too, i think this one would make for an amazing on-screen adaptation. Elvendom in Valinor is in a crisis and falling apart, Galadriel of the Noldor is ready to push back against Feanorians, and suddenly she comes across a Telerin prince Celeborn who shares her convictions wholeheartedly. They fall in love and become a team, fighting together, then deciding to leave for Middle-earth together. Celeborn builds her a boat and they both sail to Middle-earth not caring for anything they left behind, or if the Valar would disapprove of their departure. And again, since then they are a team, a united front, and a constant for each other amidst the ever-changing world around them, “fighting the long defeat” together.

Can’t wait for Rings of Power to bring this beautiful dynamic to life on screen once Celeborn makes his debut at last!

[valar-did-me-wrong]

My pinterest is on fire these days I can't help it xDxD

Part: 94/?

[peachy-tokki]

I can't believe 2 years have gone by, and we still don't have a new actor to replace Marton Csokas for Celeborn memes. I need to complete this!

[velvet4510]

Yeah, Frodo & Sam are a couple, and that’s all there is to it.

[hailturinturambar]

“My husband.. Celeborn was his name. We met in a glade of flowers. I was dancing he saw me there. The war seemed so very far away then. When he went to it I chided him. His armor didn't fit properly. I called him a silver clam. I never saw him again after that.”

Galadriel talking about Celeborn in The Rings of Power S1.E7: The Eye.

[jhelenivarsimae]

Celedriel Week IS Happening!!!

Here's the link to the official tumblr blog (currently under construction.) https://www.tumblr.com/celedrielweek?source=share

Artists who want to volunteer their art/make art for the banners and the backgrounds, please reach out to me! Proper credit will be given. I will be making a masterpost thanking and linking to all artists who have given permission to use their art for this event.

Thank you to everyone who voted on the poll! Please follow the official blog for updates.

[polutrope]

Some Celeborn/Galadriel Headcanons

Wrote these as part of the 30-Character Study I'm doing for the @silmarillionwritersguild Jubilee Challenge on my Dreamwidth

Celeborn's Early Life and His Courtship of Artanis

Celeborn, second son of Galadhon, was born on the Great Journey by the mouths of the Anduin near Greenwood (then a much larger forest).

His mother was among those who forsook the journey with Lenwë before the crossing of the Misty Mountains. Celeborn followed his father and brother Galathil onwards, being kin of Elwë, but he never forgot the place of his birth where his family was divided. Regretting somewhat his choice, there was no question for Celeborn that he would remain in Beleriand after Elwë went missing.

Celeborn’s father Prince Galadhon was Thingol’s chief counsellor. While his elder brother Galathil took to a private, woodland life after the First Battle with his wife and their daughter Nimloth, Celeborn followed in his father’s footsteps, gaining much respect and influence in the court of Doriath.

He was sensitive to the needs and thoughts of others and had a gentle manner that put people at ease. For this reason, he often acted as an intermediary between Thingol and the Sindar outside Doriath who still called him King. Celeborn was highly respected among the Sindar, even those who dwelt in the north and did not acknowledge Thingol’s overlordship.

He enjoyed spending time with his brother’s family and being an uncle to Nimloth (and she loved him dearly), but Celeborn had no strong desire to marry or start a family of his own. While he had a few lovers over the years, he was very private about his romantic life and never led his lovers to believe he was interested in marriage.

With his approachable yet regal manner, grace, and handsome appearance, there was no shortage of people in Doriath and beyond its borders interested in marrying him. But he politely declined all such advances.

This all changed when he went with Angrod, who had just visited Doriath for the first time, back to Lake Mithrim as an emissary of Doriath. There he set eyes on Artanis for the first time and was struck dumb by her formidable intelligence and beauty. Literally, he did not say a word to her the whole time he was there. (He did manage to learn some things about her from Angrod, who promptly broke his confidence and told Artanis about the massive crush the Prince of Doriath had on her; but Artanis’ heart at that time was still heavy with grief and her thoughts could not have been further from matters of romance and she didn’t give Celeborn a second thought.)

When, some years (decades) later, Celeborn heard that Artanis would be visiting Menegroth, he got his act together. He would at least talk to her this time.

And he did! They had an enchanting couple of walks through the halls of Menegroth and in the surrounding forest, connecting over all sorts of matters of philosophy and politics, and found they shared the same witty sense of humour.

But it was not to last…. For almost as soon as she’d arrived in Doriath, Artanis made a connection with Queen Melian, spending all her time walking in the forests or locked away in a distant chamber of Menegroth, studying some secret arts. Soon, it was an open secret that the sister of Finrod had become the Queen’s lover. Well, Celeborn couldn’t compete with Melian.

When Artanis decided to dwell in Doriath for a time, Celeborn’s hope was renewed. Eventually, she stopped spending every waking moment with Melian. Celeborn would run into her in Menegroth’s library or in the gardens now and then, and they would talk for long hours and a friendship blossomed.

When the truth about the kinslaying at Alqualondë came out, Artanis became quite isolated for a time. There were those in Menegroth who did not conceal their distrust of her and hatred of her kin, even if she remained in the good graces of Melian and Thingol. Celeborn often visited her during this time and was a great source of comfort.

One day, Artanis confided to Celeborn that she had ended her physical relationship with the Queen. (At which Celeborn was astonished: she had ended it?) She had realised desire was interfering with her ability to enjoy the deeper emotional and intellectual aspects of the relationship. But she needed to take some time away from Menegroth to move on… so she was going to stay with her brother in the newly-completed Nargothrond for a time.

So Celeborn was once again left longing for Artanis’ affection, having made no progress towards confessing this longing to her — even though it was plain to most of Menegroth by then that he was smitten. They kept up correspondence by letters in the time she was away.

To Celeborn’s great relief, Artanis returned to dwell in Doriath after only a few years. Celeborn was terribly nervous about confessing his feelings for her, especially since he had grown to cherish their friendship and did not wish to lose it. But he would be a poor friend to continue to keep the truth from her: that he loved her.

So, not long after she’d returned to Menegroth, he invited her to walk to the top of the hill under which the city’s caves were delved. The trees were thinner there and the stars could be clearly seen. He asked her about her time in Nargothrond, and Artanis shared with him how she’d found it odd to be among the Noldor again; she no longer felt she belonged among them, but less did she feel that she belonged among the Sindar, even though Doriath felt more like home to her than any other place she had lived.

Now, Celeborn had only intended to confide his feelings to Artanis that night, but hearing this he was possessed with boldness and eagerness and told Artanis that, while she was already welcome among the Sindar, if she really wanted to feel she belonged she could marry him.

Artanis laughed at this. And laughed, and laughed, while Celeborn blustered through dozens of apologies. But it was not malicious laughter. When she finally collected herself, Artanis simply took his hands in hers and said, “I thought you’d never ask.”

[Things that are actually canon here: the Teleri pausing their journey near Greenwood; Lenwe forsaking the March; Celeborn's kinship with Elwe and his familial relationships; Angrod being the first of the Exiles to come to Doriath; Galadriel staying in Doriath for love of Melian (though Christopher altered the text for the published Silm to say she stayed for Celeborn); Galadriel dwelling for a time in Nargothrond.]

[woodlandrealm]

i'm just saying that y'all need to show celeborn more respect

[flying-mochis]

I just finished the Silmarillion so now it's time for me to loose my mind trying to discern the timeline changes in Rings of Power

mostly I was trying to figure out which "war" it was that Celeborn went missing in

but first I wanted to ground myself by figuring out when Finrod died- except that also isn't clear...

This is a very long, unedited stream of consciousness post, so I'll put it under Keep Reading. I also didn't really fact check any of this just going off my recent memory of just reading the Silmarillion so- If I got stuff wrong...woops

TLDR: Though Finrod originally dies in the Silmarillian during the Beren and Luthien, I think the RoP writers have changed his death to be sometime after the defeat of Morgoth as he's hunting Sauron. I think Celeborn went missing sometime before Finrod died, either in the Nirnaeth Arnoediad (before the Fall of Doriath) or in the War of Wrath (the final defeat of Morgoth). Ultimately who knows but I'm excited to see what they do :)

In the Silmarillian, Finrod dies around late year 400 in the 1st Age protecting Beren in Of Beren and Luthien. He is killed by Sauron, as Sauron throws them in like a pit of death thingy.

but in Rings of Power, when Galadriel is giving exposition in the beginning, she basically says 'Then Morgoth was drafted, but Sauron continued to cause problems, and my brother vowed to hunt him down, then he died.' So it sounds like RoP Finrod survived the War of Wrath against Morgoth, but then died hunting Sauron afterwards.

This change would call into question how the events of Beren and Luthien played out in the RoP timeline- I guess it's not necessary for Finrod to die into order for that story to still have worked? Like maybe Luthien saved both of them or maybe Finrod never went with them. But...Part of the fall of Doriath in Hurin getting Finrods fancy necklace from Mim the dwarf after he's taken over Finrod's Kingdome in his absence- so if Finrod survived up to the fall of Doriath and past that- how would that work? I'm sure it could, there are ways to work around it so the story can still play out with those changes- or maybe they changed more major parts of the story like the fall of Doriath! That would be bold but not out of the question.

Maybe it's also possible that Finrod did still die during the Beren and Luthien story but that just happened after the defeat of Morgoth? IDK if that makes sense, because then how would Thingol have gotten the silmarill that leads to the fall of Doriath and all that stuff with Earendil and Elwing-? that has a lot more continuity changes so less likely.

Ok, moving on from Finrod. His death is at least canon from the Silmarillion, but Celeborn going missing is not. Or at least, it isn't mentioned. But one thing about Galadriel and Celeborn is that they were retconned into the story after most of the Silmarillion was written, so their presence it is extremely spotty and sometime inconsistent. It's basically mentioned that they fall in love when Galadriel and her brothers go to Doriath and she stays with him in Doriath while Finrod finds his kingdom, Nargothrond. Then she's mentioned talking to Melian like once after that right before the Dagor Bragollach (one time Morgoth surprise attacks a bunch of elf cities) and then...They basically disappear for the rest of the book until it starts talking about the rings of power in the 2nd Age-

So...There's already a lot of missing spots in there story. That's one of the reasons I think it's cool they made Galadriel a protagonist in RoP, because what she's doing in those times is very vague, though more so in the 1st Age than the 2nd- but her character could still shed some light on what she was doing then- Especially when Celeborn is introduced, cuz that's gonna require some background explanations.

So that's all just to provide the context that there is barely any context for what those two were doing before RoP takes place.

Another note about possible timelines for Celeborn going missing is its relation to Finrod's death. This is not confirmed, but I've always worked with the assumption that Celeborn went missing before Finrod died. This is based on some factors- such as Galadriel's seemingly more cheery nature when she calls him a "silver clam" before he goes off to battle---This doesn't sound like the traumatized, hardened Galadriel we know from her response to Finrod's death. Also, as other's have pointed out, if Finrod had died before Celeborn went to war and Galadriel had already become a warrior, why wouldn't she have gone to war with Celeborn? It's possible they were just going to different locations, but I don't think she would chide him to not join the fight is she was also doing so.

Running with that assumption- If Finrod did die saving Beren as he did in the Silmarillion, that means Celeborn would've gone missing in some battle before then, maybe the Dagor Bagollach. This would mean he would have missed out all everything with Beren and Luthien, everything with Turin, and everything else with the fall of Doriath at the hands of dwarfs and elves. Which I think would be a shame. There is still conflict in having missed out on a significant tragedy, but I think having him witness all those tragedies would be more interesting- and his bitterness towards dwarfs would be more understandable if he was physically there to witness their betrayal and slaughter of his people.

As I've said, its possible and probably likely that they'll change it so Finrod died much later, and this is another one for my reasons for thinking that. Aside from the other plot holes that creates, Finrod dying after the defeat of Morgoth opens up to possibilities for which battle Celeborn went missing in, so I'll continue with that assumption.

So, let's start with what Rings of Power canon we know. Not a lot, but in Celeborn's one mention in season 1, Galadriel says "When he went to [the War], I chided him." So he didn't go missing on some personal quest or whatever, he specifically went off to fight in "the war". One issue this raises is that Celeborn is from Doriath, and Doriath doesn't give a fuck. Doriath does not send any of its people off to any battles in the Silmarillion until it starts falling apart. The closest we get to Doriath elves fighting is when they hunt down the dwarves that killed Thingol and then defend themselves from the dwarves and the sons of Feanor.

One way to get around this could be making it so Celeborn and Galadriel left Doriath at some point to operate on their own. Maybe they went to live with Finrod in Nargothrond (I think it is mentioned that Galadriel stayed with Finrod there for a while, but Celeborn isn't mentioned? And I don't remember if that's in the Silmarillion or one of the unfinished tales- which are more subject to flexible canon). In which case, Celeborn could've gone off with Finrod to one of the battles- This is an interesting idea as it could show Galadriel and Celeborn being more independent and maybe dissenting from Thingol after his sus decisions with Beren and Luthien. The next battle after that story would be the Nirnaeth Arnoediad, the unsuccessful battle with Morgoth right before the Fall of Doriath. The problem with him going missing in that battle, again, would be him missing out on all the drama of the Fall of Doriath.

The second explanation for Celeborn going to war would be that he goes to fight after the Fall of Doriath. It makes sense that he would be more willing to fight after seeing the destruction of his people, even if that wasn't directly at the hands of Morgoth. Galadriel's joking disposition may not make as much sense in a setting after her husband home was destroyed and his family was slaughtered- but maybe everything still felt lighter back then as long as they were together. The most likely battle he went missing in after that would then be the War of Wrath itself, the final defeat of Morgoth.

Another possibility is he went missing during the Fall of Doriath, but that wasn't much of war as it was a siege, and I feel like Galadriel would have at least tried to help out in some way in those circumstances.

Overall, the two most likely battles I see him going missing in are the Nirnaeth Arnoediad (the 2nd to last attack on Morgoth) or the War of Wrath (the final defeat of Morgoth). The Nirnaeth Arnoediad, or some earlier battle, may make more sense for Galadriel to not go Celeborn as they hadn't experienced the tragic loss of Doriath yet, but I guess the same could be said for her not going with Finrod later.

I think I prefer him at least surviving up to the War of Wrath, as that means he was around to see the Fall of Doriath, and experience all the ~fun~ trauma of that, which is one of the things that could make him more unique as a character.

There is also the question of if Celebrian is even born yet and if so, where she is. As Galadriel and Celeborn's lives are so vague in the first two ages, so is Celebrian, their daughter. I don't think we know for sure when she was born, but I believe it is mentioned in Unfinished Tales that Celebrian was alive and with them by the time they first went to Eregion. Obviously much has changed as neither Celeborn nor Celebrian were present for the fall of Eregion in Rings of Power.

Personally, I don't believe Celebrian is even born yet in RoP. As other have pointed out, Galadriel starts the series as one who has lost everything, one who has no ties and nothing left to lose. This is fundamental to her hunt of Sauron and her eventual fall to the manipulation of Sauron. It doesn't track that she would be doing all this while she has a living and present daughter to worry about or keep her grounded. It's possible both Celeborn and Celebrian are missing. I feel like should would have mentioned that to Theo when she told him about Celeborn, but she's also managed to only mention her supposedly dead husband once in 16 episodes, so clearly she's a master at putting those particular traumas in boxes to never be spoken of. I feel like having both of them be missing to show up later would be a bit too cluttered and it'd be smoother to just say she isn't born yet, but anything's possible.

I'm pretty sure the "canon" about Celebrian being born before the fall of Eregion is from Unfinished Tales anyway? Which I think of as more like a draft of Tolkien's ideas for the family, not canon in the sense of the SIlmarillion or the published stories.

Lots of "canon" falls apart around Galadriel and her family as they were added in so late and Tolkien seemed to die before writing his "final" story for them. And this is an adaptation, they aren't meant to follow "canon" like the gospel anyway, as we've seen. As I've said, the very lack of solid story around Galadriel and her families experiences through the first two ages is more exciting than anything, as it leaves so much room for the writers to get creative them and write a thrilling story that we haven't seen before. This is a chance to shine light on characters that fall under the status of "unfinished" in Tolkien ever-changing world, such as Celeborn. The only "canon" (Silmarillion) information we have on Celeborn for the 1st and 2nd Age is that he lived in Doriath during the 1st Age, he was somehow related to Thingol and later Nimloth, and he and Galadriel were in love. There's other supplementary, unpublished notes that either expand on these traits or straight up contradict them.

Based on letters nearing his death, Tolkien was clearly still thinking of how Galadriel's families story could go, but as he never "finished" with them, if such a thing is even possible, we'll never get that "canon" story from him. So it's up to us- or, in this case, it's up to the writers of the Rings of Power. So we'll see!

Wow, that was a long-winded way to say "I dunno"