Rings Of Power Rumor Has A Major New Character Appearing Right Away In Season 2
J.R.R. Tolkien's world is filled with fascinating personalities. One of these is Círdan, an ancient Elf who is unique in the fact that he steadily pops up throughout nearly every era of Middle-earth history, even though he's never a primary hero and is rarely at the center of the action.
Círdan plays an important role throughout the Second Age when Amazon Studios' "The Rings of Power" series is set. And yet, he was nowhere to be seen in Season 1 of that show. Fortunately, Time reported before that season even aired that while Círdan wasn't there yet, he would be showing up at some point in Season 2. (The actor playing the Elven Lord still hasn't been confirmed as of this writing.)
Now, fan site Fellowship of Fans has released an exclusive scoop claiming that Círdan won't just be in Season 2. He'll be there right from the jump. The leak reads, "Excl: Círdan the Shipwright will appear in episode 1 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2." If the rumor is true, it could mean we'll be diving into the Círdan storyline before we know it — which is great news. Despite being a side character, this guy has the potential to leave his fingerprints all over showrunners J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay's story.
For one thing, he's the only Elf on record with a beard. That's right. "The Return of the King" describes him as follows, "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 read.'" Not your typical Elf. And that's just scratching the surface with this wild Elven leader.
Who is Círdan?
Starting from the top, Círdan is a really old Elf. Like really old, guys. He's old, even compared to most of the other Elves. He's there when his people begin their history, and he's literally the final note when it ends (more on that in a bit).
While he doesn't get a lot of attention in the primary stories, Círdan does get a few interesting notes in the book "The Peoples of Middle-earth." He's described as a high and noble member of the Sindar, a subset of the Elves who don't migrate to the Blessed Realm away in the East, instead opting to live out their lives in Middle-earth. Along with his inherent nobility, Círdan is also described with the ability "to have seen further and deeper into the future than anyone else in Middle-earth." To be fair, it's clarified that this doesn't include the Wizards. But that does make him more farsighted than some big-shot counselors in J.R.R. Tolkien's legendarium, like Elrond, Galadriel, and Celeborn.
As is typically the case with Tolkien's most important Elvish characters, Círdan is kin to royalty. He also ends up leading his own subset of Elves who dwell on the shores of the sea in the most western portions of the Middle-earth continent. Here, various groups of Elves, often including refugees, come together to form the evolving body politic that Círdan rules. The group grows and shrinks at various times depending on the events that surround them, but they preserve their own distinct version of Elvish culture at all times. They're given nicknames like the "wave-folk" and "people of the foaming shore," and for all their unique traits, they're always focused on one thing above all else: ship-building.
Círdan builds ships
Círdan is known as "the Shipwright" and becomes renowned in Middle-earth legend as a masterful ship-builder. Along with building his own ships, he trains others to do so. Some of Tolkien's texts even say that he is the one who instructs the author's most famous First Age hero, Eärendil. This is the character who ends up saving both Elves and Men alike (both of whom he's related to) by sailing West to recruit overwhelming reinforcements to defeat Sauron's original master, Morgoth.
While he equips Eärendil with the tools he needs for his singular voyage, Círdan's primary sea-related task is a bit more under the radar. He oversees the slow-burn evacuation of Middle-earth by the Elves for centuries during the Second Age, Third Age, and the beginning of the Fourth Age.
Along with building ships that can make the tremendously long voyage across the Western sea to the Blessed Realm, Círdan's seashore havens repeatedly play critical roles in the history of Middle-earth itself. At various points, the Shipwright's vessels and people sail along the shore delivering key messages, evacuating those who are in danger, and even occasionally providing seaborne military muscle. At one point in the First Age, Círdan also saves the life of Gil-galad (Benjamin Walker on "The Rings of Power") when he is a young Elf. This is the same Elven royal who eventually comes to lead the powerful Kingdom of Lindon, which plays an absolutely critical part from the beginning to the end of the show's storyline.
Throughout the Third Age, Círdan continues to do his duty, ruling from the Grey Havens (which are the leftovers of the then-defeated Lindon). From there, his ships continue to ferry Elves across the seas, and he occasionally helps the surrounding Elves and Men fight off their enemies.
Círdan is a Ring-bearer
One of Círdan's biggest roles in the multi-millennia fight against Sauron is as a ring-bearer — and not just any ring-bearer. He wields one of the Three Elven Rings. These are the most powerful of all the Rings of Power, save the One Ring itself, and the only pure ones that are unsullied by Sauron.
When the Elven smith Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards on the show) realizes that Sauron is coming for the Rings, he gifts these to different Elven allies. Depending on the version you read, he either gives one of them straight to Círdan or to Gil-galad, who then gives it to Círdan. Either way, the shipmaster is so important that he's one of a handful of Elves in all of Middle-earth considered worthy of possessing and guarding such an incredible treasure.
Círdan is given the ring called Narya. "The Silmarillion" describes this ring as the "Ring of Fire" and says that it is set with a ruby. This is arguably the most important of the three Elven rings — or at least the most powerful. At the end of "The Return of the King" book, it describes this same ring on Gandalf's hand, saying, "Gandalf now wore openly on his hand the Third Ring, Narya the Great, and the stone upon it was red as fire."
Why is Gandalf sporting the Ring at this point? Early in the Third Age, Círdan gives this greatest of Elven rings directly to the Wizard himself when he arrives on the shores of Middle-earth to start his labors against the Dark Lord. While he does many other things in the following centuries to resist Sauron, this is arguably his most important act in that era.
Círdan's actions surrounding The Lord of the Rings
The appendices of "The Return of the King" give us a brief summary of the interaction when Círdan gives his overpowered Ring to Gandalf, relaying the Shipwright's words that went with the gift thusly, "'Take this ring, Master,' he said, '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.'" This presumably gives Gandalf a critical (though largely undefined by Tolkien) source of strength during his long labors.
But Círdan's role doesn't stop there. On the contrary, he's right there when the age starts, too. Literally, he's one of the few people who witnessed Isildur cut the One Ring from Sauron's hand. In "The Fellowship of the Ring" book, Elrond describes the witnesses of that deadly duel, saying, "But few marked what Isildur did. He alone stood by his father in that last mortal contest; and by Gil-galad, only Círdan stood, and I."
So, Círdan is right there at the moment the Third Age starts (after Sauron loses his ring). From there, his seaside people continue to serve as an important crossroads, ferrying messages and sending help when necessary over the centuries that follow. Even after the War of the Ring, Círdan continues to show up and show out by providing transportation to the Blessed Realm for several important people, including Elrond, Galadriel, Gandalf, Frodo, and Bilbo.
Círdan at the end of the Third Age and the beginning of the Fourth
At the very end of "The Return of the King" book, when Frodo and company arrive at the Grey Havens, Círdan makes his only appearance in the main trilogy. The text says, "As they came to the gates Círdan the Shipwright came forth to greet them." After describing the ancient Elf, it adds, "Then Círdan led them to the Havens."
Even then, he doesn't leave Middle-earth. Not yet. He continues to wait for the few remaining Elves who live in Middle-earth and want to eventually travel to the Blessed Realm in the West. In the appendices of "The Return of the King," we get the curious statement that Círdan the Shipwright dwelt at the Grey Havens "and some say he dwells there still, until the Last Ship sets sail into the West."
Piecing things together, the Prologue of "The Fellowship of the Ring" tells us that Círdan's relative, Galadriel's hubby Celeborn, lingers in Middle-earth after his wife leaves. The text adds that at an unknown date decades after "The Lord of the Rings" ended, "[Celeborn] sought the Grey Havens, and with him went the last living memory of the Elder Days in Middle-earth." Since Círdan also shares those ancient memories, it's presumed that he also went with Celeborn and that their ship was the fabled "Last Ship" to sail West. That means, along with being one of the first Elves to ever enter the Middle-earth historical record, Círdan literally closes the door on that same immortal chapter when he hoists sale and heads out to sea with Celeborn — who also happens to be a character rumored to make his debut in Season 2 of "The Rings of Power." Looks like we have some exciting developments ahead.