Círdan the Shipwright is a familiar figure to those invested in The Lord of the Rings lore and the world of J.R.R. Tolkien’s legendarium. But those who are more casually acquainted with the franchise and its many nuances and materials might not be as aware of him. But now that Círdan has appeared in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season two, it’s time to get to know the oldest elf in Middle-earth.
Like many of Tolkien’s characters, Círdan has a long and winding history. And so, here, we’ll touch on the parts of it that are most relevant to his appearance in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
Jump to: Who Is Círdan the Shipwright? // Círdan as The Lord of the Grey Havens // How Old Is Círdan the Shipwright? Círdan’s Origins // Círdan’s Power as an Elf: Wisdom and Foresight // Círdan as a Ring Bearer in The Lord of Rings‘ Lore and His Connection to Gandalf // Círdan in The Lord of the Rings Movies // Círdan the Shipwright’s Beard (As Seen in The Rings of Power)
Jump to: Círdan the Shipwright in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
Who Is Círdan the Shipwright? Círdan’s The Lord of the Rings History as it Pertains to The Rings of Power
In short, Círdan the Shipwright is the oldest known elf to remain in Middle-earth during the time of the Second Age, the period when The Rings of Power takes place. Given that elves are immortal beings, this is really saying something about Círdan. We’ll discuss just how old he is in upcoming sections and what that means for his power as an elf.
Over the years, Círdan has honed the craft of shipbuilding, motivated by his desire to one day sail to the elven Undying Lands of Valinor. And this, of course, earned him the title of Círdan the Shipwright. “Círdan” actually means “shipwright” in Sindarin elvish, so the title of Círdan the Shipwright is a bit redundant. But we guess it just underscores the point that no one builds better ships than Círdan. For The Lord of the Rings‘ Círdan, however, building ships is more than just a hobby; it’s one of the main thematic points of his story.
Círdan as The Lord of the Grey Havens
One of the most salient aspects of Círdan’s story lies in his shipbuilding, an art we see him engaging with in The Rings of Power season two. Círdan was meant to sail to Valinor, the revered realm of the elves, when the elves first set sail for it, before the ages of Middle-earth even began. But through a series of different circumstances, he ended up not undertaking the journey the first time or second time, and remained instead in Middle-earth, honing his shipbuilding craft.
At first, Círdan intended to use his skills in order to sail to Valinor himself, the light of it calling to him from the distance. But, as described in The Peoples of Middle-earth, a compilation of Tolkien’s writings, the Valar (or gods) sent him a vision that told him he could not yet embark on such a journey. Despite his great yearning to see realm of the elves, Círdan forewent the fulfillment of his greatest wish for an incredibly long time. The Lord of the Rings‘ texts note that Círdan’s “love of his kin and allegiance” lead him “forfeit the fulfilment of his greatest desire: to see the Blessed Realm.”
Instead, Círdan remained in Middle-earth to facilitate the building of such ships as the one Earendil, Elrond’s father, used to sail to Valinor in order to convince the Valar to help defeat Morgoth, Sauron’s predecessor, during the War of Wrath. Additionally, Círdan would become the Lord of the Grey Havens, helping to design the ships that could carry his fellow elves from the Havens to Valinor. Without Círdan’s knowledge, no elves could reach Valinor. Thus, while Círdan facilitated the connection to the lands, he, himself, could not sail over until the last days of the elves on Middle-earth. And, indeed, he was one of the last elves to leave Middle-earth.
How Old Is Círdan the Shipwright? Círdan’s Origins
We know that Círdan the Shipwright is the oldest elf in Middle-earth during its Second Age. But how old does that make him during the time of The Rings of Power? The truth is that Tolkien does not fully clarify Círdan’s age in his The Lord of the Rings writings. There is much discussion of whether Círdan, originally known as Nowë, awoke in Cuiviénen among the first elves ever created, but ultimately, Tolkien was not clear on this point. It seems some lean toward the idea that he was born in Cuiviénen, though he did not awaken there, while others believe that he did awaken with the first elves.
Regardless, as mentioned above, we do know that Círdan was a part of the “Great Journey” in The Lord of the Rings world. This refers to the journey the elves took from the place they first awakened, Cuiviénen, to the lands of Valinor. That journey took place on 1105th Year of the Trees, so Círdan must have been born before then.
In English, that means that Círdan would be upward of around 10,000 years old during the events of The Lord of the Rings and somewhere around 7,000 years old during the events of The Rings of Power, which take place about 3,000 years before the Fellowship of the Ring forms.
Jump to: Who Is Círdan the Shipwright? // Círdan as The Lord of the Grey Havens // How Old Is Círdan the Shipwright? Círdan’s Origins // Círdan’s Power as an Elf: Wisdom and Foresight // Círdan as a Ring Bearer in The Lord of Rings‘ Lore and His Connection to Gandalf // Círdan in The Lord of the Rings Movies // Círdan the Shipwright’s Beard (As Seen in The Rings of Power)
Jump to: Círdan the Shipwright in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
Círdan’s Power as an Elf: Wisdom and Foresight
Of course, as such an old elf, Círdan is known to be one of the wisest and most respected elves around. Galadriel notes this of Círdan in The Rings of Power season two’s first episodes, saying that even High King Gil-galad would be forced to respect his opinions. But in addition to this, Tolkien seems to imply that Círdan was blessed by the Valar with special powers of foresight. Tolkien writes that after the Valar gave Círdan the vision not to sail to Valinor, and to remain in Middle-earth; “From that night onwards Círdan received a foresight touching all matters of importance, beyond the measure of all other Elves upon Middle-earth.”
Additionally, Tolkien writes, “Círdan is said in the Annals of the Third Age (c.1000) to have seen further and deeper into the future than anyone else in Middle-earth.(31) This does not include the Istari (who came from Valinor), but must include even Elrond, Galadriel, and Celeborn.”
Círdan as a Ring Bearer in The Lord of Rings‘ Lore and His Connection to Gandalf
Tolkien also reveals that Círdan was one of the original bearers of the Elven Rings of Power. As we see in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Círdan was the first to wear the elven ring Narya, the Ring of Fire.
In The Lord of the Rings lore, Círdan spoke out against the creation of the Rings before they were made and was suspicious of Sauron. But, of course, in The Rings of Power, he did not know about the creation of the rings until they were already made. In The Lord of the Ring‘s books, he also accompanies Elrond and Isildur into the heart of Mount Doom after Sauron’s initial defeat at the end of the Second Age. There, he and Elrond urge Isildur to throw the One Ring into the fire and destroy it (and Sauron) once and for all. Isildur, of course, does not do that.
Círdan and Gandalf
But Círdan makes one very important decision with his Ring. Although it is a precious possession to him, he gives it to Gandalf during the Third Age of Middle-earth as the threat of Sauron begins to grow again. Tolkien writes in The Lord of the Rings’ Appendix B, that Círdan said to Gandalf. “Take this ring, Master… for your labours will be heavy; but it will support you in the weariness that you have taken upon yourself. For this is the Ring of Fire, and with it, you may rekindle hearts in a world that grows chill. But as for me, my heart is with the Sea, and I will dwell by the grey shores until the last ship sails. I will await you.”
It was his great powers of foresight that allowed Círdan to know how crucial it would be for Gandalf to bear the Ring of Power. But with The Rings of Power hinting that The Stranger might very well be Gandalf, we may see this Ring of Power leave Círdan’s hands earlier than planned.
Jump to: Who Is Círdan the Shipwright? // Círdan as The Lord of the Grey Havens // How Old Is Círdan the Shipwright? Círdan’s Origins // Círdan’s Power as an Elf: Wisdom and Foresight // Círdan as a Ring Bearer in The Lord of Rings‘ Lore and His Connection to Gandalf // Círdan in The Lord of the Rings Movies // Círdan the Shipwright’s Beard (As Seen in The Rings of Power)
Jump to: Círdan the Shipwright in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
Círdan in The Lord of the Rings Movies
But is Círdan in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings movies? Yes, but only very briefly. In the movies, we see Círdan twice. First, we see him in the prologue of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring; he is behind Galadriel admiring his ring. Second, we see him at the end of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, standing behind Galadriel, Elrond, and Celeborn in the Grey Havens as they finally prepare to depart for Valinor. Notably, Círdan does not appear in the scene where Elrond tries to convince Isildur to destroy the One Ring. However, perhaps The Rings of Power will take the chance to give Círdan back this important role.
In The Lord of the Rings movies, Michael Elsworth plays Círdan.
Círdan the Shipwright’s Beard (As Seen in The Rings of Power)
Yes, Círdan is an elf with a beard. Tolkien only mentions Círdan’s beard once, in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, when Círdan is preparing to finally leave Middle-earth and sail West with Elrond and Galadriel. Tolkien writes, “As they came to the gates, Círdan the Shipwright came forth to greet them. Very tall he was, and his beard was long, and he was grey and old, save that his eyes were keen as stars; and he looked at them and bowed, and said: ‘All is now ready.’”
Why does Círdan have a beard when no other elves do? We assume it’s because he is just that old. Although we meet Círdan with his beard in The Rings of Power, he shaves it off in episode three. We feel curious to know how long it might take an elf to grow his beard back.
Círdan the Shipwright in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
Círdan is a lot younger in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power than he will be when he finally sails west to Valinor. But as mentioned, The Rings of Power already gives Círdan his beard in the Second Age, if only for an episode or two. But, hey, he’s already pretty old. In The Rings of Power, Círdan is played by Ben Daniels.
We first meet the series’ version of Círdan in The Rings of Power season two’s first episode. Elrond turns to him for counsel on the Rings of Power. Recall that Círdan knew Elrond’s father. At first, Círdan is on board to destroy the Rings, even if it means that all elves must leave Middle-earth to its fate. Círdan trusts Elrond’s instincts and refuses to even examine the Rings of Power for fear of how they might sway him. But when fate intervenes to knock one into his hands, he too falls under their spell. Ultimately, Círdan brings the rings back to High King Gil-galad in Lindon. He, Gil-galad, and Galadriel put on the elven Rings of Power and, in doing so, restore the light of the Valar to Middle-earth.
Círdan seems to think the elves can harness the Rings of Power for good and that “beauty born in evil is no less beautiful.” He tells Elrond in episode three of The Rings of Power, “We do not yet fully understand these rings, but look at the power they exert over every form of life. In Sauron’s hands, they could work an evil beyond reckoning, dominating the minds and wills of all. This is why they must remain in the hands of Elves. You are wise to fear this power… but do not let that fear blind you to the ways it can be used for good.”
We’ll have to wait and see what journey Círdan undertakes in The Rings of Power‘s second season and beyond.
