Celeborn

Maybe Galadriel told Celeborn she needed some space... How long had these two been married? A few millenia? Sometimes married couples need some time apart; the reuniting is all the sweeter... OTOH maybe Celeborn was tired of her sniping at him...

:lol: ....Eruve, that's a good one!

I thought that Celeborn was never considered one of the High Elves, in that he had never made the original journey to Valinor. Perhaps, since ME was all he had ever known(if I am remembering correctly), he had no great desire to leave it and go to Valinor.

Poor Celeborn is bored out of his wits with Galadriel gone. It's really very poignant. First he moves out of Lorien and into Mirkwood, and then to Rivendell, and finally to the Havens and over the sea. Celeborn suddenly (and I mean suddenly) gets very antsy (remember, this guy had been living at the same address since the end of the First Age).

I like Fat Middle's interpretation. Celeborn obviously has some important business to attend to when Galadriel goes, otherwise he'd have sailed off on the very next boat. As the last Prince of the House of Elwe, Celeborn is sort of obligated to gather and bring across the remnant of the Sindarin Teleri. That was Elwe's job originally, and it falls upon the surviving members of his house to complete the task in the same way that it falls upon Aragorn to mend Isildur's fault.

But there's one other thing too -- call it the "Horatio" function. Horatio is the guy in _Hamlet_ who sees everybody croak, and -- overcome with grief -- wants to die too. But Hamlet says to him: "If thou didst ever hold me in thy heart / Absent thee from felicity awhile, / And in this harsh world draw thy breath in pain / To tell my story."

Celeborn is the last living memory of the Elder Days left in Middle Earth when all the others departs. With Elrond and Galadriel gone, he takes up residence in Rivendell, the old center of lore and storytelling, and assists in the composition of the Tale of Years. In short, Celeborn in the Fourth Age becomes a singular repository of information about ancient days and when he goes over the sea the trials of the elves in the early ages of the world cease to be lived experience and become legend instead.

Like Horatio, Celeborn forsakes "felicity awhile," to make sure that a tragic and yet heroic story is put down accurately for the edification of later generations.

I hope you don't think I'm picking on you, easygreen... But it's not true that Celeborn lived at the same address since the end of the first age. He and Galadriel actually moved around a bit before settling in Lorien. There is a note in Unfinished Tales to the effect that many commentators have assumed G&C were in Lorien from the latter part of the second age onward since there is no statement to the contrary in LOTR. According to The History of Galadriel and Celeborn found in UT, they lived by Lake Nenuial, then went eastward and helped establish Eregion. They were in and out of Lorien during the second age as well. They didn't take up their government of Lorien as portrayed in LOTR until around TA 1981.

It's also interesting to note that Celeborn and Galadriel separated from each other for a time during the second age. After Eregion was destroyed, Celeborn went to Imladris for a while and Galadriel went to Lorien.

The story behind this couple is a complicated one. JRRT changed it several times. At one point Amroth was supposed to be their son, but then Amroth was later said to be of Sindarin origin, the son of Amdir, King of Lorien. JRRT also changed his mind about Celeborn's origins. According to Sil, he would have been born in Doriath, but later in his life, JRRT considered changing the story and having Celeborn be born in Aman. Celeborn would have come back to Middle-earth with Galadriel but not as part of Feanor's revolt.

Yep, obvious error. The evidence in LOTR is in appendix B on The Second Age: "In Lindon south of the Lune dwelt for a time Celeborn, kinsman of Thingol; his wife was Galadriel, greatest of Elven women."

LOTR doesn't put them anywhere definite again until The War of the Ring, when they are of course in Lorien. The story of Celeborn and Galadriel not finalized apparently, and no early entries in the chronology given so Tolkien had plenty of elbow room with respect to these two characters. Even The Silmarillion doesn't say a heck of a lot.

I'd be curious to know more about the late model Celeborn you mention. Since LOTR already established that Celeborn was a kinsman of Thingol, would an Aman-born Celeborn have been one of Olwe's folk of Alqualonde? And if so, why would he have gone to ME with a woman of the Noldor after the kinslaying?

You are right that the story of Galadriel and Celeborn seems to have undergone considerable revision throughout Tolkien's life. I have never been entirely sure which version is the correct one. Still, if Celeborn is assumed to have come from Aman with Galadriel after the kinslaying, perhaps it was for love, since that seems to be a common vein throughout. Still, I believe that the Silmarilion states that, as far as Galadriel was concerned:
...Galadriel, the only woman of the Noldor to stand that day tall and valiant among the contending princes, was eager to be gone. No oaths she swore, but the words of Feanor concerning Middle-earth had kindled in her heart, for she yearned to see the wide unguarded lands and to rule there a realm at her own will." Furthermore, I will swear that I remember reading somewhere (perhaps in Unfinished Tales?) that Galadriel had taken no part in the Kinslaying by virtue of a relation to the Teleri. I wish I could find the reference now, but I will have to look for it. Anyway, perhaps by virtue of this, Celeborn would have harbored no ill will toward Galadriel.

I found that reference I was looking for. It was indeed in Unfinished Tales, the History of Galadriel and Celeborn. Here is the quotation:
"Pondering what she might do Galadriel's thoughts turned to the ships of the Teleri, and she went for a while to dwell with her mother's kindred in Alqualonde. There she met Celeborn, who is here again a Telerin prince, the grandson of Olwe of Alqualonde and thus her close kinsman (but let's not dwell too much on THOSE implications-hahaha). Together they planned to build a ship and sail in it to Middle-earth; and they were about to seek leave from the Valar for their venture when Melkor fled from Valmar and returning with Ungoliant destroyed the light of the Trees. In feanor's revolt that followed the Darkening of Valinor Galadriel had no part: indeed she with Celeborn fought heroically in defence of Alqualonde against the assault of the Noldor, and Celeborn's ship was saved from them. Galadriel, despairing now of Valinor and horrified by the violence and cruelty of Feanor, set sail into the darkness without waiting for Manwe's leave, which would undoubtedly have been withheld in that hour, however legitimate her desire in itself. It was thus that she came under the ban set upon all departure, and Valinor was shut against her return. But together with Celeborn she reached Middle-earth somewhat sooner than Feanor, and sailed into the haven where Cirdan was lord. There they were welcomed with joy, as being the kin of Elwe(Thingol)."
Perhaps in light of this view, Celeborn would have been tremendously impressed that Galadriel would have been willing to defend the Teleri against her own Noldorin kin, blood relation aside. I think that would be the explanation for the two of them to come together, if one accepts the view that Celeborn had been to Aman.

wow, i had overlooked the last posts of this thread. i must thank you all for i have learnt a lot of the story of Celeborn.

especially i love easygreen´s conjecture about the role of Celeborn as last living memory and his parallel with Horatio. BTW, thaks for visiting Illyria