Editing Celebrimbor (section)

== Middle-earth narrative ==

{| class="wikitable floatright"
|+ Timeline
|-
! Epoch !! History of Celebrimbor and [[Rings of Power|the Rings]]
|-
| [[First Age]] || 
* Celebrimbor, grandson of [[Fëanor]] and son of Curufin, is born (''[[The Silmarillion]]'')
|-
| [[Second Age]] || 
* Celebrimbor becomes lord of [[Eregion]]
* Under the instruction of "[[Annatar]]" (Sauron), Celebrimbor and the Elves begin crafting Rings of Power
* The Elves craft the Three Rings without Sauron's involvement
* Sauron makes the [[One Ring]] to rule the world; Celebrimbor perceives that Sauron has betrayed the Elves
* Sauron destroys Eregion; Celebrimbor dies
* Elves and Men make war on Sauron
* Sauron is defeated; [[Isildur]] cuts the One Ring from Sauron's hand
|-
| [[Third Age]] ||
* Isildur loses the One Ring, is killed
* [[Bilbo Baggins]] finds the One Ring
* Sauron re-enters Mordor
* The One Ring is destroyed at Mount Doom; Sauron is utterly vanquished
|}

Celebrimbor was the son of Curufin, one of the sons of [[Fëanor]] and Nerdanel; he was Fëanor's only known grandchild. Fëanor was the most skilful craftsman of the [[First Age]], forging the three [[Silmaril]]s to [[Christianity in Middle-earth#Light|capture some of the light]] of the [[Two Trees of Valinor]]. Celebrimbor followed his father and grandfather to Middle-earth, leaving his mother behind in Aman with [[Finarfin]]'s people. He repudiated his father when Celegorm and Curufin were driven out of [[Nargothrond]].<ref name="Of Dwarves and Men" group=T/> During the [[Second Age]], Celebrimbor lived in the [[Elf (Middle-earth)|Elvish]] realm of [[Eregion]] and founded a brotherhood of jewel-smiths.<ref name="Journey in the Dark" group=T/>

=== Dwarf-friend ===

From the early days of Eregion, Celebrimbor fostered the relationship with [[Khazad-dûm]] (Moria), the neighbouring [[Dwarf (Middle-earth)|Dwarf]]-kingdom. He became friends with Narvi,<ref name="Galadriel and Celeborn" group=T/> a great Dwarf-craftsman, and together they made the West-gate of Khazad-dûm. Celebrimbor's special contribution was the inscriptions on the gateway.<ref name="Journey in the Dark" group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1954a|loc=book 2, ch. 4 "A Journey in the Dark"}}</ref>

=== Ring-maker ===

{{Rings of Power|upright=2|caption=[[Sauron]], in disguise, deceived Celebrimbor and the smiths of Eregion into making [[Rings of Power]], and then secretly made the [[One Ring]] to gain control over all the others, and so dominate [[Middle-earth]].<ref group="T" name="Of the Rings of Power" /> Diagram has clickable links.}}

Later, someone naming himself ''Annatar'' arrived in [[Eregion]]. He appeared to be an Elf, and claimed he has been sent by the [[Valar]] to share his wisdom and skills in ring-craft and jewelry for the benefit of all Middle-earth; but in fact he was the Dark Lord [[Sauron]] in disguise. Annatar provided valuable and seemingly benevolent guidance and instruction to Celebrimbor and the smiths of Eregion, and they began making the [[Rings of Power]] for the rulers of Middle-earth—seven for the [[Dwarf (Middle-earth)|Dwarf-lords]] and [[The Nine (Middle-Earth)|nine for Men]]. Secretly, without Sauron's knowledge, Celebrimbor also forged [[three Rings]] for the Elves, the greatest and fairest of the Rings of Power. The three Rings were thus free of Sauron's corrupting influence.<ref name="Of the Rings of Power" group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1977|loc="Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age"}}</ref>

At the same time, Sauron secretly forged a ring: the [[One Ring]] which would enable him to rule Middle-earth. Later Sauron reassumed his role as the Dark Lord and placed the One Ring on his finger, claiming dominion over all the Rings of Power and their bearers. Before this, Celebrimbor believed Sauron to be what he had claimed to be, but realising the truth he and the Elves of Eregion defied Sauron by withholding the other rings from him. He had already sent the three Rings away for safekeeping.<ref name="Of the Rings of Power" group=T/>

With his scheme exposed to the Elves, Sauron retaliated by attacking Eregion, initiating the War of the Elves and Sauron, and laying waste to the realm. Celebrimbor was captured in the sack of Eregion, and was forced under torture to disclose where the Nine and the Seven were held, but he would not reveal the whereabouts of the three Elvish Rings. Sauron captured the lesser rings and used them as instruments of evil in later years, particularly against Men. Celebrimbor died from his torment; his body, shot with arrows, was then hung upon a pole and used by Sauron's forces like a banner on the battlefield.<ref name="Galadriel and Celeborn" group=T/>

=== Alternative backgrounds ===

Like [[Galadriel]] and Gil-galad, Celebrimbor first appeared as a character in ''The Lord of the Rings'' and then had to be inserted into ''[[The Silmarillion]]'', leading to multiple changes to his descent. In a c. 1968 version of the story, included in the essay ''Eldarin Hands, Fingers and Numerals'',<ref group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|2005}}</ref> Celebrimbor was one of the [[Teleri]] of Aman, one of the three companions of Galadriel and [[Celeborn]] (here made into a Telerin prince ''Teleporno'' or ''Telporno''). [[Christopher Tolkien]] noted that his father had mentioned Celebrimbor's descent from Fëanor in the appendices to ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', and had underlined it in one of his personal copies, writing in the margin a note stating that Celebrimbor was Curufin's son, and that if he had remembered this he would have felt bound to retain that version. A different version, in the late essay ''Of Dwarves and Men'', has Celebrimbor as one of the [[Sindar]] who claimed descent from Daeron,<ref name="Of Dwarves and Men" group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1996|loc=ch. 4 "Of Dwarves and Men"}}</ref> and at one point, Celebrimbor was also one of the [[Noldor]] of [[Gondolin]].<ref name="Galadriel and Celeborn" group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1980|loc=part 2, ch. 4 "The History of Galadriel and Celeborn"}}</ref>