Círdan

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Character from Tolkien's Legendarium
Name	Círdan the Shipwright
Titles	Lord
Race	Elves
Culture	Teleri
Date of birth	around 1050 Age of Trees
Date of death	none mentioned
Realm	Falas (FA), Lindon (SA—)
Book(s)	The Silmarillion, The Return of the King

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details about The Silmarillion follow.

In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, Círdan ('ship-maker' in Sindarin) the Shipwright is a Teleri Elf, a great mariner and shipwright, lord of the Falas during much of the First Age. He was the bearer of the Great Ring Narya, which he in turn gave to Gandalf.

He had a beard, which is rare for Elves; but he was of great age at the time of the War of the Ring: (15,000 years estimated) Being perhaps the oldest of all the Elves remaining in Middle-earth, and one of the few (if any) prominent Eldar who survived from the great journey to the blessed realm (the First Age) to the present. Círdan had grey (silver) hair in the third age of Middle-earth, like his overlord and kinsman Thingol.

His original name was probably Nowë. 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."^[1]

1 The First Age
2 The Second Age
3 The Third Age
4 The Fourth Age
5 In the movie
6 External links
7 Notes

[edit] The First Age

The first of the Children of Eru did not wake when first they were conceived in the mind of Ilúvatar, rather they slept, slept in the east in a realm that was later called Cuiviénen, the Waters of Awakening. When at last the first of the elves awoke, they did so under the shadow of the Orocarni, the Red Mountains that lay in the distance. When at last they woke, the year was 1050 of the Valian Years of the Trees. There they would dwell for over fifty years in that land, before Oromë, the Huntsman of the Valar, came forth and learned that they had woken.

[Note: He is most likely one of the Longest Lived Elves in Middle-earth, save Elrond and Galadriel. He is also one of the two elves in Middle-earth, to have a beard. Since Elves were not known for facial hair, they must have "seen many summers" to acquire a beard.]

Among them were many elves who went on to become great kings of elves throughout Arda. Ingwë was among them, he who would become known as the High King of Elves and dwell beneath Manwë's halls upon Taniquetil with his people, the Vanyar. Finwë was also among them, Finwë who would birth three sons who in turn would shape the future in ways yet untold by even the wisest of prophets. There was too Elwë, who his kin would name Singollo and more oft Thingol, and he who would play a great part in all things yet to come. Lenwë dwelt in that land also, he who would one day lead the second sundering of the elves and form the Nandor. Olwë dwelt there with his brothers, Elwë and Elmo, and they three were born in the years in which the elves still lived in Cuiviénen. And there was Nowë, who was of them all perhaps the most wise, and also the most cautious. When his three kindred returned from their role as ambassadors in Valinor, they spoke of the glory of Aman, and counselled their people to come forth from Cuiviénen, the only home yet known to them, and fare to that distant land of the Valar.

So from the shadow of the Orocarni they left, and travelled north to avoid the Sea of Helcar. From there they fared west, through lands that would only ages later be given the names that most now know them by. What would later be Rhûn they crossed through, then through Rovannion until they came upon the Anduin, the great river that ran through Middle-earth. There it was that Lenwë, who was well-favoured among many of the Teleri, broke from the Great Journey and settled along those eastern banks, and his folk became the Nandor and founded realms in that land. Others of the Telerin elves fell away from the journey as well, and settled in the woodlands east of the Mountains. These were the Silvan Elves, and their kind would one day build Lórien and Greenwood the Great.

The Vanyar and the Noldor remained faithful however, and many others as well. Elwë, Olwë and Elmo continued on their journey, and likewise did Nowë, with many of the Teleri behind them. Twenty years after they first left Cuiviénen, they crossed the Ered Luin and entered Beleriand. They were behind the other two kins by several leagues, for the Vanyar and the Noldor were already nearing the western shore of Beleriand. On their way, they passed through Nan Elmoth, where met Elwë and Melian, a Maia of Vána and of Estë. Their tale tells of their falling in love, and of Elwë's founding the realm of Doriath, and there Melian was his queen for many years. After Elwë fell away from the Journey, his brother Olwë led the remaining Teleri now, though fewer than there were when they had left from the shadow of the Orocarni, for the people of Lenwë and Elwë had stayed among their lords, and not continued toward Valinor.

Nowë was with Olwë throughout, and together they came to the shores of Beleriand, and there their people built ships, for the Noldor and the Vanyar had left these shores three years prior, and by device of Ulmo. Ossë and Uinen befriended the Teleri when they reached those shores, and they aided them as best they could. At last the ships were built and they readied themselves to set sail. In a final attempt to find Elwë, who had been lost unto them since he had entered the woods of Doriath, Nowë and a small band of elves sought him a final time, and many in this quest chose instead to abide upon the shores of Beleriand, rather than cross unto the sea. Yet Nowë was insistent on travelling to Aman, even if it was himself alone. Some few chose to go with him, and Nowë set about the task of building a vessel to fare them hence. On the night before their departure, Nowë had a dream in which he received a message from the Valar.

And the voice warned him not to attempt this peril; for his strength and skill would not be able to build any ship able to dare the winds and waves of the Great Sea for many long years yet. "Abide now that time, for when it comes then will your work be of utmost worth, and it will be remembered in song for many ages after." "I obey," Círdan answered, and then it seemed to him that he saw (in a vision maybe) a shape like a white boat, shining above him, that sailed west through the air, and as it dwindled in the distance it looked like a star of so great a brilliance that it cast a shadow of Círdan upon the strand where he stood.

The History of Middle-earth, vol. XII, The Peoples of Middle-earth: "Last Writings - Círdan," p. 386

Nowë indeed obeyed, and did not try to pursue Olwë further. Ossë had persuaded others of the Teleri to remain in Middle-earth while Ulmo drew all who were willing across the Belegaer for the second time. Yet Nowë lived among the Teleri who remained upon the shores, and became their lord. In Falas they were, and in Falas they would stay. They called themselves Eglath, the Forsaken People and became known in Middle-earth as the Falathrim. There at the South-Western shores of Beleriand began the building of the great havens of Eglarest and Brithombar. Nowë was their lord in this, and to mark this new life, he took the name Círdan, meaning Shipwright. Perhaps he took this name in defiance of the message of the Valar, or perhaps in honour of it. In Falas they dwelt in peace for many years, and in time Círdan regained contact with Thingol, whose kingdom of Doriath was now well-known in Beleriand. The Lord of the Falathrim was a kind leader, and the lives of his people were simple and peaceful, and at all times in tune with the sea. Mariners were they mostly, though some were weavers and minstrels and shipwrights.

The Falathrim lived beneath the stars for many years, until Morgoth began to wage war upon Beleriand. Weapons, they built; swords and bows and arrows. The elven folk of Doriath and Ossiriand joined their defence against Morgoth, with the aid of Aulë's dwarves, and thus occurred the Dagor-nuin-Giliath, in which Finwë's son Fëanor was slain. Three war-filled years later, the first sunrise filled the sky, and with it came the Host of the Noldor, led by Fingolfin, Finwë's second son.

Círdan's warriors fought at the Dagor Bragollach, though they did not make up any part of the Siege of Angband that held Morgoth in check for close to four hundred years. When at last that siege was broken, Morgoth's armies took Maglor's Gap and the Dorthonion, thus granting his armies pass into the rest of Beleriand. When rumour reached Círdan, he marched with his warriors to the aid of Himring, a fortress held by Fëanor's eldest son, Maedhros. During that battle, Fingolfin was slain in single combat against Morgoth, who was himself wounded in the duel.

After that, Beleriand was pushed onto the defensive by the onslaught of Morgoth's armies. Fingon, one of the sons of Fingolfin, was besieged at his fortress of Barad Eithel, and it was only by the fleets of Círdan that the enemy was defeated. Thus the battles continued, but in Doriath another tale was underway. The Lay of Leithian, the tale of Beren and Lúthien, is a well known one and shall not be recalled here in whole, for it is of great length and much of it is of little consequence. Yet this tale tells of Beren's love for Lúthien, Thingol's daughter, and of his quest to retrieve a Silmaril from Morgoth's iron crown as an appeasement for the elven king. Beren was ultimately successful in this, though the full tale tells of the peril that both lovers underwent to meet this end, and a sort of hope was restored across Beleriand, for these deeds seemed to prove that Morgoth was not unconquerable.

In the spirit of this new-found hope, Maedhros created the Union of Maedhros, a union of elves and men and even dwarves against the power of Morgoth. Círdan supported this union, and pledged his Falathrim warriors to this cause. The Union gathered support across Beleriand, and at last Maedhros and his allies made war against their enemy, purposing to overthrow the Dark Lord. Yet with the betrayal of Ulfang, the Easterling lord who marched under the banners of the Sons of Fëanor yet betrayed them upon the battlefield. Bór however, who was an Easterling chieftain himself, stayed loyal to the Union and aided them in what little victory they attained that day. Though they were ultimately defeated, many survived and fled to the havens of Eglarest and Brithombar. Among these refugees were the folk of Tuor and Eärendil, and Círdan taught that people the craft of ship building.

Meanwhile, the mariners of the Falathrim had a different task. With their swift boats they attacked the coasts held by the enemy and crushed them in small raids before returning to the safety of their ships. With his other enemies defeated or driven back, Morgoth turned his attention to Círdan's havens. In the year 473 of the first age, Morgoth...

"...Ravaged all the Falas, and besieged the walls of Brithombar and Eglarest. Smiths and miners and masters of fire they brought with them, and they set up great machines; and valiantly though they were resisted, they broke the walls at last. Then the Havens were laid in ruin, and the tower of Barad Nimras cast down;"

-The Simarillion. Second Edition. Of the Fifth Battle. p. 196

The remnant of Círdan's folk were forced to flee by ship to the Isle of Balar, where they created a refuge and maintained a small fleet there. As time passed, Círdan regained control over the lands around the Mouth of Sirion, and moved his fleet there. Gil-galad, having been named the High King of the Noldor, journeyed to the Isle of Balar and dwelt there for a time, being himself in exile due to the enemy's control over most of Beleriand.

Soon thereafter, Gemlir and Arminas travelled from the Isle of Balar to their home at Nargothrond. Upon their return, they approached Ordoreth, the King of Nargothrond with an urgent message. While on the Isle of Balar, Ulmo visited Círdan the Shipwright with a message,

"Say therefore to the Lord of Nargothrond: Shut the doors of the fortress and go not abroad. Cast the stones of your pride down into the loud river, that the creeping evil may not find the gate."

-The Silmarillion. Second Edition. Of Túrin Turuambar p. 212

Ordoreth was greatly troubled by this dark message but Túrin, who could command as he pleased, refused to destroy the bridge leading to Nargothrond's gates. Within that year, the host of Angbad lead by Glaurung, took the plains of Tumhalad and by use of the great bridge, they besieged Nargothrond and threw it down.

Other elves fled to Círdan's refuge, those from Gondolin and Nargothrond, from Doriath and Ossiriand. However, in the year 532, the remaining four Sons of Fëanor, still bound to their terrible Oath, assaulted the havens at the Mouth of Sirion, seeking the Silmaril in Elwing's possession. The havens were defeated, for the forces of Círdan and Gil-galad came too late to save their stronghold. Many had escaped by ship, but still their numbers were fewer after this Third Kinslaying.

At last Eärendil made his voyage across the sea, in hopes of gaining aid from the Valar against the Enemy. His voyage, unlike many that the elven kings had sent before him, was successful, and thus the War of Wrath was set into motion. Gladly did the Falathrim aid the host of the Vanyar and the Noldor, and the Maiar who sailed with them upon the ships of the Falmari, those elves of Olwë who dwelt in Aman. Men and elves alike drew swords against the enemy in this, though it was Eönwë and the Valar who in the end were the great victors of the battle. In the course of this battle the enemy was defeated, and Morgoth cast into the Void, yet such was the power that the Valar wielded against the Dark Lord that in the end Beleriand was sundered and sank beneath the sea, though through the vigilance of Círdan's mariners, many survived and sailed out of the ruins of Beleriand onto the shores of Middle-earth, where they would come to form the havens of Lindon and Mithlond.

[edit] The Second Age

Thus began the Second Age of the Sun, with the foundation of the elven havens of Gil-galad and Círdan. The Edain, those men who had remained faithful to the cause of the Valar, were granted the island of Elenna, which was known to those men as Númenor. When first these men required passage to that island, it was Círdan's elves who made their ships, and taught them the craft, so that these Númenóreans might make their own ships and become mariners in their own right. Indeed, these men came to be great shipwright and mariners, and none save the Famari in Aman and the Falathrim in Middle-earth could rival their craft.

For many years, little was heard from Númenor, indeed for close to six hundred years naught was seen of these men who had fought alongside them in the battles of Beleriand many years before. In the year 600 of the Second Age, a mariner by the name of Veantur landed in the Grey Havens, and Círdan welcomed him as a friend and ally. Over a century later, for indeed these men had been gifted by the Valar with long lives, Veantur returned, this time with his grandson Aldarion, who would one day become the King of Númenor. Círdan befriended this man and taught him much about ships, of the building and sailing of them. In the years that followed, mariners continued to visit Círdan's havens, and Círdan welcomed them all as friends and allies, much as he had Veantur, the first of their folk to land in Mithlond.

In addition to befriending the men of Númenor, he also was closely allied with Amdír of Lórien and Celebrimbor in Eregion. When the latter was visited by a mysterious being named Annatar who spoke of magic rings, Círdan counselled against creating such. Yet his words were ignored, and the three elven rings were forged. Celebrimbor kept Nenya, the Ring of Water, for himself, but gifted Gil-galad with Vilya, the Ring of Wind, and Narya, the Ring of Fire. The latter of these was gifted to Círdan. When Morgoth's greatest servant Sauron revealed himself to have been Annatar, Celebrimbor went to fight against him and was utterly defeated. Celebrimbor himself was slain, and Nenya passed to the only daughter of Fingolfin, Galadriel.

Sauron had created a ruling Ring, one that could control all of the others, for indeed he had made others and gifted them to the Dwarves and to Men. These rings were far more dangerous than the three elven rings, and while the dwarves were not enslaved by them, the nine men gifted with rings were corrupted, and became the Nazgûl, or Ringwraiths. Sauron grew powerful and attempted to invade Eriador, and indeed drove them as far as Lindon, where the new Dark Lord purposed to regain the elven rings. However mariners from Númenor arrived by ship and drove Sauron back across the Misty Mountains.

After many devastating battles against Sauron, many of which had ended in defeat for Círdan and his allies, an unforeseen defeat shook them all. Sauron had corrupted Númenor's king, Ar-Pharazôn, and had convinced him to go against the Ban of the Valar, which forbade men from setting foot upon Valinor. Ar-Pharazôn sailed against the island of the gods and as retribution, Númenor was cast beneath the oceans. Elendil however escaped, with his sons Isildur and Anárion, and many others, and they landed in Mithlond and were received by Gil-galad and Círdan. The survivors of the Downfall of Númenor, led by Elendil went on to form Arnor in the northwest of Middle-earth, neighbouring Lindon and the newly founded realm of Imladris, or Rivendell.

Others went south, journeying across the Misty Mountains and founded Gondor. War began between Gondor and Mordor, and after victories and defeats on both sides, Gil-galad proposed an alliance, much like the Union of Maedhros an age before. The Last Alliance, as it was called, was led by Gil-galad and Elendil, though Elrond of Imladris, Amdír of Lórien, Oropher of Greenwood, and Círdan of Mithlond all fought alongside them. A great war it fought, marching across the entirety of Middle-earth to do battle with Sauron. In Gondor it gained the aid of Isildur and Anárion, Elendil's sons, who had been defending Gondor valiantly.

Oropher, King of Greenwood, rushed forth with reckless abandon, not heading the advice of Gil-galad, and his host was separated from the main armies, and they were slain, and the battlefield on which they fell became known as the Dead Marshes. His son, Thranduil, remained behind with Gil-galad, and took command of his father's remaining forces. When at last the main host marched to battle, they were for a time held back at the Morannon, the Black Gate that guarded the entrance to Mordor. At last they were victorious, and overthrew their enemy in a battle known as the Dagor Dagorlad. The host pressed on, across the plains of the Gorgoroth, fighting the enemy every step of the way there, until at last they reached Sauron's dark tower, Barad-dûr.

There they besieged the enemy for seven years, until at last Sauron himself entered battle and forced the Last Alliance back several leagues, so that in the end they did battle not outside Barad-dûr, but on the slopes of Orodruin, where Sauron's ring had been forged. In this battle, the Nazgûl stood with Sauron, and Isildur with Elendil, and Elrond and Círdan with Gil-galad. Gil-galad, despite the skill of the warrior and his prowess with his spear, Aiglos, was slain in battle.

Elendil sought to do battle with Sauron, and was slain, and his sword Narsil shattered by the great mace of Sauron. Isildur went to defend his father's dying body, and was attacked by Sauron. In a moment of desperation, Isildur took up the hilt of his father's sword, with only a shard of the great sword still attached, and swung it at Sauron's approaching form. The stroke was a fortunate one, for it severed the Dark Lord's ring-finger from his hand, and such was the power that Sauron had poured into the forging of that Ring that he was all but slain without it. His spirit was cast from his body, and his thralls were scattered and fled, and the Nazgûl fled too, they into the east and were not heard from for many years.

Thus Isildur son of Elendil took up the Ring that he had cut from the Dark Lord's finger, and chose to keep it, for such was the power in the Ring that it had a will of its own, and within that will it had the power to corrupt. Círdan and Elrond counselled that the Ring should be cast into Orodruin, and thus such things ended, yet Isildur heeded them not, and kept the Ring, and made to return to Arnor in victory.

[edit] The Third Age

In the first days of the Third Age, that man planted the first seedlings that would yield the White Tree of Gondor, then made to travel on by way of the Gladden Fields. Here it was that he was slain, for orcs remained in the lands around Mordor, scattered and leaderless, yet still savage and dangerous. Isildur there was slain by the betrayal of the Ring, and that foul weapon was for a time lost in the River Anduin that ran alongside where he fell.

The Disaster of the Gladden Fields, as it came to be known as, was the last any heard of the Ring for many years, though the wise knew in their hearts that the Ring existed still, and therefore so did Sauron, though in a weakened form. Sauron's fate was bound to that Ring, and its to him, and so long as one survived, the other would as well. Yet the years passed in relative peace, at least for the elves of Lindon, now under sole lordship of Círdan.

With the first stirrings of evil once again touching the land, the Valar sent emissaries to help rally the people of Middle-earth to fight against Sauron and overthrow him for good. A council was held among the Valar, and there they conceived to send three of the Maiar as these emissaries, to carry out the task the Valar set for them. The Valar decreed these three must hide themselves in flesh to win the trust of Elves and Men, and they knew that this would also endanger them, and that it would diminish their power and even perhaps their wisdom, and worse yet it would bring upon them fear, and the care and weariness that came of flesh. In body these three emissaries would go about in the guise of old men, and they were warned not to use their power to intimidate nor inspire, simply to offer counsel and to plant the seeds of wisdom that the people of Middle-earth would then be left to tend and grow.

Aulë sent forth Curumo as one, and Oromë sent forth Alatar, and from Manwë's halls came Olórin. Yavanna entreated them to take a fourth, one who would remember her creations in nature when it came to the wars ahead, and knew not to imperil them. Aiwendil was chosen for this task, and in the end a fifth was chosen, also of Oromë's folk, and his name was Pallando. These five went forth to Middle-earth and upon those shores they were received by Círdan, who alone knew their purpose and task in this land, and confided this to few. Although Curumo was by design their leader, Círdan perceived that Olórin was of the five most wise and powerful, and gifted him in secret with Narya, the fire ring, and this he spake to Olórin:

"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."

-Appendix B: "The Tale of Years," p. 366

Thus equipped, Olórin, who from then on was known as Gandalf and shall be called such, left Mithlond, as did his kin. Three hundred years after the coming of the Istari, a new shadow threatened the borders of Lindon and Arnor. The Lord of the Nazgûl built Angmar, a new stronghold in the north of the Misty Mountains, and from here made unceasing war upon the Dúnedain. Although Círdan's elves played a small role in the first years of the battles that took place between the Witch-king and the Dúnedain, in 1409 of the Third Age, Círdan's forces in Mithlond and Lindon to help defeat the armies of Angmar which had been besieging Fornost after their victory at Amon Sûl. The enemy was defeated, and no more battle was seen in Araphor's reign.

Yet in the years that followed, many more battles were fought, and at last Arthedain, the last standing providence of Arnor, was overthrown. Its king, Arvedui, fled north, and Círdan sent ships to rescue him. Though the ships found Arvedui, they were lost at sea during a mighty storm, loosing both the king and the two palantíri that he had escaped with. Arvedui's son, Aranarth, became the first Chieftain of the Dúnedain, the leader of a broken race.

However, for all that the Witch-king had triumphed over the Dúnedain, it was Aranarth's reign that would see the end of Angmar. The defeat would come from Mithlond, from an army of ships sent by Eärnur from Gondor. These Gondorians, along with elves of Círdan's folk and the Dúnedain, rode out to meet the Witch-king in what would come to be known as the Battle of Fornost. There they were joined by the elf warrior Glorfindel of Rivendell, who commanded his own small army as well. There they defeated the Witch-king, and drove him away, and there it was that Glorfindel made his prophecy concerning that fell creature.

“Do not pursue him! He will not return to this land. Far off yet is his doom, and not by the hand of man will he fall.”

Círdan perceived this counsel to be wise, and agreed, and returned to Mithlond in victory. Meanwhile, Sauron's Nazgûl were growing stronger in Mordor, and many elves feared that the Dark Lord's return was imminent. Those who had grown world-weary chose to travel to Mithlond, where Círdan maintained ships that could sail them safely to Tol Eressëa and Valinor. Of them, only one ship never left harbour. That ship was a great ship, perhaps larger than any other he had built, and made entirely of fine white wood. This ship he maintained with the purpose of upholding the promise he had made to Gandalf upon the shores at his arrival.

After the fall of the Dúnedain, Círdan was entrusted with the palantír of Elostirion, the west-looking stone that could see not into the other six stones around Middle-earth, but instead to Tol Eressëa and the Master Stone in the Tower of Avallone. From there perhaps Círdan gained much knowledge from the elves that could see into all of the palantíri, and knew much of the enemy's movements.

With the threat of the Necromancer in Dol Guldur, the Council of the Wise was formed, led by Saruman who was Curumo to the elven folk, and also came Gandalf, and Galadriel and her spouse Celeborn, who were Lord and Lady of Lórien. Also there was Elrond, with Erestor and Glorfindel, his counsellors and advisors in both peace and war. Círdan was among them too, with the elf Galdor at his side. Thranduil was perhaps among them, though none say with any certainty, or perhaps his son Legolas Greenleaf.

The White Council purposed the expulsion of this Necromancer, who they thought to be of the Nazgûl, but who Gandalf learned to be Sauron himself. They succeeded in driving him away, and the Dark Lord fled to Mordor, and for a time the Council was victorious. It is thought that the Council was broken after Gandalf's discovery of Saruman's treason, though the council members remained in frequent contact throughout the War of the Ring.

In the year 3018, a council was held in Imladris, to which came emissaries and representatives from every realm of the free folk. Círdan himself did not attend, but he sent his counsellor, Galdor, to speak on behalf of the Falathrim. Galdor's wisdom there was crucial in the formation of the Ringbearer's quest, for he counselled wisely that even Tom Bombadil could not keep this Ring from the enemy, though he was immune to its effects. Also, he warned, the Ring could not be sent into the West, nor cast into the Sea, for Sauron no doubt would be watching that road closely.

Though Círdan played no part in the battles of the War of the Ring, it is possible he sent elves to join the Captains of the West under the command of Elrohir and Elladan. When at last the Ringbearer's task was carried out, and all of the Ringbearers arrived in Mithlond, Círdan was there to meet them. Elrond was among them, as was Galadriel and Gandalf, and indeed Bilbo Baggins and his nephew Frodo, the last of whom was in deed the saviour of Middle-earth in the Third Age. Thus bringing an end to the age of elves. As the last of the Ringbearers boarded the ship, Círdan recalled the promise he made to Gandalf over two thousand years earlier.

In the year 1000 T.A. Círdan had said to Gandalf, "I will await you." And waited he had, and now Gandalf, with the others, passed across the sea, where all the burdens of the Rings of Power were lifted from them, and Olórin was praised in Valinor for alone remaining true to his task as appointed by the Valar.

[edit] The Fourth Age

The final two Ring-bearers had yet to pass across the sea, but in the sixty-second year of the Fourth Age of the Sun, Samwise Gamgee, faithful companion of Frodo Baggins, arrived in Mithlond, and he and Círdan sailed away on the last of the ships built by that great shipwright upon those shores. And so in the end, the words of Ulmo were proved truthful as well, for that Vala had warned Círdan not to fare over the sea then, but instead to wait and work upon the shores of Beleriand and Middle-earth, and he had obeyed through all those long years, though kin and friend had passed before him, even though the longing for the sea and the undying lands had engulfed his heart those long years.

For Ulmo had said unto him in a dream, "Abide now that time, for when it comes then will your work be of utmost worth, and it will be remembered in song for many ages after." And Círdan had sworn to obey, though his kin sailed ahead of him, and he had wished to follow. Yet in return, Ulmo's words had been the truth, for none shall forget the Shipwright and his deeds upon these shores, not while others still live to remember him and tell the tales of his greatest deeds.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] In the movie

In the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy by Peter Jackson, Círdan briefly appears in two of the films. His role as lieutenant of Gil-galad is given to Elrond instead (Elrond was Gil-galad's herald in the books) in the first movie. Also, Círdan is supposed to be in the scene where Elrond councils Isildur to cast the ring into the fire, but he is not. He does, however, appear very briefly in Galadriel's Monologue at the start of the first movie, in the very brief shot of the three elven ringbearers, and at the end of the third movie when Frodo, Galadriel, Elrond, Gandalf and Bilbo board the ship at the Grey Havens. Círdan (who is inaccurately portrayed as beardless) can be seen standing in the background.

House of Círdan Cadet Branch of the House of the Sindar Born: 1050 YT Died: Doesn't Die YT
Preceded by None; Realm established	Lord of Falas	Succeeded by None; Beleriand Destroyed
Preceded by Gil-galad, High King of the Noldor	Lord of Lindon	Succeeded by None; Realm Abandoned