Eregion?

[Finwe]

After Sauron was driven out of Eriador, and back to Mordor (thanks to Gil-galad and Cirdan's butt-kicking Elves and a navy of Numenoreans with impeccable timing) a council was called, and it was decided that Rivendell (recently founded by Elrond along with the refugees from Eregion) would be the new outpost of the Elves. Galadriel and Celebrian traveled to Rivendell to both see Elrond and Celeborn, and that was where Elrond saw Celebrian and fell in love with her. After that, Celeborn returned to Lothlorien with Galadriel and his daughter (who later married Elrond).

[Galin]

There's some new text from Words, Phrases and Passages (WPP) that might be interesting here.

In the entry for the name Celebrimbor Tolkien notes that Celebrimbor was lord of Eregion, and the ruler of the realm at the time of the forging of the rings -- not much help in deciphering whether or not Celeborn and Galadriel had founded Eregion however, as had been written in the draft text Concerning Galadriel and Celeborn (CG&C)

In this entry Tolkien referred (himself it appears) to Appendix B page 364, but I note this is Appendix B first edition, wherein it was not yet stated that Celebrimbor was lord of Eregion (in the description that appears before the dated entries begin I mean, and that would be page 363 rather). I also note the implied chronology here: in the beginning of the Second Age the Sindar pass eastward and found realms among the Silvan Elves, and Celeborn is noted as establishing a realm in southern Greenwood, and: 'Later some of the Noldor went to Eregion...'

That said, the matter of the founding of Thranduil's realm (which calls in the 'Oropher texts' and a Tolkien-published statement from Legolas) sort of overturns the argument that the realms the reader knows about were necessarily established in this early time. But in any case, for the second edition Tolkien removed this reference to Celeborn. Why?

In part, arguably because he now wants Galadriel and Celeborn in Eregion first -- but does he still consider them founders of Eregion as earlier in CG&C? I tend to doubt that myself, but anyway what Tolkien added to the second edition (description in Appendix B) was simply: '... Celebrimbor was lord of Eregion and the greatest of their craftsmen; he was descended from Feanor.'

I would suggest that Tolkien must be aware of the easy implication here: we still have the statement that later some of the Noldor went to Eregion (and the entry for 750 of course, Eregion founded by the Noldor), and now Celebrimbor the Feanorian was lord. Granted that leaves open the possibility that Celebrimbor was 'ultimately' lord, but no one would really have good reason to think this, as CG&C was at this time but a rough draft that no one had ever seen. Again, Tolkien could hardly have been unaware of how the reader would interpret such a simple reference.

Also, in a late Tolkien-published account -- The Road Goes Ever on -- Tolkien would note that after Galadriel was banned from returning West, she with Celeborn 'went to Eregion'.

Hmm, why not founded if the idea was still in place? It seems a rather notable detail to be leaving out. We know some ideas from CG&C were arguably abandoned later, like Amroth as Galadriel's son for a good example, and I think that with Celebrimbor becoming a Feanorian (he was a jewel-smith in Gondolin as CG&C was first written at least) he also became Aran Eregion, and Galadriel would have to wait for Amroth's death to rule a realm of her own.


If so, Galadriel need not be ousted from power as in CG&C -- which in the earlier story sent her to Lorien before Eregion's fall -- I note this because WPP also notes that Galadriel and Celeborn only retreated thither (to Lorien) after the fall of Eregion.

Another concern that would be eliminated by making Celebrimbor the original lord of Eregion -- the unanswered question that arose in CG&C as to why Galadriel, especially as a ruler of the realm, allowed Sauron to remain in Eregion. In other words, it will now be a Feanorian ruler who was cozened, and even if the discerning Galadriel still doubted Annatar she would no longer be co-founder and co-ruler of the realm in which he was allowed to stay.

Anyway, here's the other 'new' text for consideration from WPP:

'... overthrow of Angband, many of the Noldor and Sindar went eastwards into Eriador and beyond (Galadriel and Celeborn were the chief examples; but originally the settlement at Eregion under Celebrimbor was also very important.'

How do you (anyone) read this?