User:Mord/Of the Departure of Celeborn: Difference between revisions

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==Evidence==
==Evidence & Analysis==
*[[Appendix B]], ''The Third Age'': "I [Círdan] will dwell by the grey shores until the last ship sails."
===Passengers of the "Last" Ship===
*[[Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age]]: "I [Círdan] will dwell by the grey shores, guarding the Havens until the last ship sails."
{{blockquote|I [Círdan] will dwell by the grey shores until the last ship sails.|{{App|B2}}}}
::''Around TA 1000, Círdan stated his intent to remain in Mithlond until no remaining Elves wished to depart Middle-earth.''
{{blockquote|I [Círdan] will dwell by the grey shores, guarding the Havens until the last ship sails.|{{S|Rings}}}}
*[[Appendix B]], ''The Great Years'': "But after the passing of Galadriel in a few years Celeborn grew weary of his realm [East Lórien] and went to Imladris to dwell with the sons of Elrond."
{{blockquote|There is no record of the day when at last he [Celeborn] sought the Grey Havens, and with him went the last living memory of the Elder Days in Middle-earth.|{{FR|Records}}}}
::''"A few years" after FoA 1, Celeborn left East Lórien for Rivendell to live with Elladan and Elrohir.''
{{blockquote|Then [after the Passing of King Elessar] Legolas built a grey ship in Ithilien, and sailed down Anduin and so over Sea.|{{App|B5}}}}
*[[Appendix A]], ''(iii) Eriador, Arnor, and the heirs of Isildur'': "At the Grey Havens dwelt Círdan the Shipwright, and some say he dwells there still, until the Last Ship sets sail into the West. In the days of the Kings most of the High Elves that still lingered in Middle-earth dwelt with Círdan or in the seaward lands of Lindon. If any now remain they are few."
If Celeborn took "the last living memory of the Elder Days" with him and Círdan departed on the "last ship," the two would necessarily have left on the same ship, the last to leave Mithlond. This much is beyond any reasonable doubt.
::''We can tell this passage was written by a Hobbit scholar, owing to a reference to "years before '''we''' came to the Shire" earlier in the paragraph. It is likely that this passage would have been part of the Thain's Book composed in FoA 63, because there is no reason for later additions made in Gondor and first included in Findegil's copy of FoA 171 to have been written in the authorial voice of a Hobbit. "Now" must refer to FoA 63, meaning that at that time, the Hobbit scholar was unsure if any High Elves remained in Lindon at all, but he did believe Círdan remained in Middle-earth.''
*[[The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen]]: "We [Aragorn and Arwen] met under the white birches in the garden of Elrond where none now walk. [...] The uttermost choice is before you [Arwen]: to repent and go to the Havens and bear away into the West the memory of our days together that shall there be evergreen but never more than memory; or else to abide the Doom of Men."
::''As of 1 March FoA 120, Aragorn believed that either Rivendell generally or the garden of Elrond specifically were abandoned. Rivendell is often described as the "house of Elrond," so it is likely that "the garden of Elrond" is a metonymy for Rivendell; there is no reason for the sons (and father-in-law) of Elrond, and the Elves in general, to decline to walk in Elrond's garden if they still dwelled in Rivendell. Aragorn also believed that there was at least one ship in the Grey Havens, meaning Círdan must not yet have left Middle-earth.''
*[[Appendix B]], ''Later Events Concerning the Members of the Fellowship of the Ring'': "[After the Passing of King Elessar] Legolas built a grey ship in Ithilien, and sailed down Anduin and so over Sea."
::''Before the end of FoA 120, Legolas left Middle-earth. He departed from Ithilien, not Mithlond.''
*[[The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen]]: "[Arwen] went out from the city of Minas Tirith and passed away to the land of Lórien, and dwelt there alone under the fading trees until winter came. Galadriel had passed away and Celeborn also was gone, and the land was silent."
::''Galadriel had "passed away" while Celeborn was "gone," suggesting the possibility that he had not yet left Middle-earth. This passage could refer to any time after 1 March FoA 120 and before the (nebulously defined) beginning of Spring FoA 121.''
*[[Note on the Shire Records]]: "There [in Rivendell], though Elrond had departed, his sons long remained, together with some of the High-elven folk. It is said that Celeborn went to dwell there after the departure of Galadriel; but there is no record of the day when at last he sought the Grey Havens, and with him went the last living memory of the Elder Days in Middle-earth."
::''This section is about Findegil's copy of FoA 171, so as of that year, either Celeborn had not yet left Middle-earth, he had done so but there were no witnesses, or he had done so and there were witnesses but their account never reached Findegil. The past tense of the last clauses - "he sought," "with him went" - suggests that the departure may have already taken place.''
*[[The History of Galadriel and Celeborn]], ''Amroth and Nimrodel'': "The light Elven-ship was torn from its moorings and driven into the wild waters towards the coasts of Umbar. No tidings of it were ever heard in Middle-earth; but the Elven-ships made for this journey did not founder, and doubtless it left the Circles of the World and came at last to Eressëa."
::''Tolkien's language in the previous passage is reminiscent of his description of the voyage of the last Elven ship from Edhellond in TA 1981.''


==Analysis==
We have reason to doubt the literal truth of the statement that Celeborn took "the last living memory of the Elder Days" with him: as far as we have any reason to believe, Treebeard and Bombadil would have lived into the Fourth Age. It is likely that the phrase is meant to be intepreted figuratively, perhaps as "the last living memory of the Elder Days ''among the Children of Ilúvatar''." Even if Treebeard and Bombadil are not considered to possess "living memories" for this purpose, there is no reasonable interpretation that allows Celeborn to leave Middle-earth while Círdan remains behind.
If Celeborn took "the last living memory of the Elder Days" with him and Círdan departed on the "last ship," the two would necessarily have left on the same ship, the last to leave Mithlond. This much is beyond any reasonable doubt. However, there are ambiguities that allow for the possibility that this was not the last ship to leave Middle-earth.


We have reason to doubt the literal truth of the statement that Celeborn took "the last living memory of the Elder Days" with him: as far as we have any reason to believe, Treebeard still lived, as did Bombadil. It is likely that the phrase is meant to be intepreted figuratively, as "the last living memory of the Elder Days ''among the Children of Ilúvatar''." Even if Treebeard and Bombadil are not considered to possess "living memories" for this purpose, there is no reasonable interpretation that allows Celeborn to leave Middle-earth while Círdan remains behind.
As with "the last living memory," it's possible that Círdan's "last ship" is also the subject of figurative language and not literally the last ship to leave Middle-earth. Círdan's "last ship" may have been meant as the "last ship ''from Mithlond''." His description of his mission given in the ''The Silmarillion'' explicitly refers to "guarding the Havens," which gives some credence to this interpetation.<Ref group=note name=StoryAndSong>However, the account of the end of the Third Age in the ''The Silmarillion'' contradicts that of ''The Lord of the Rings''. ''The Silmarillion'' implies that Círdan's "last ship" was identical with the White Ship and states that when the bearers of the Three Rings departed on it, "an end was come for the Eldar of story and of song." In ''The Lord of the Rings'', Círdan did not take the White Ship. For both accounts to be true, Círdan must not be counted among "the Eldar of story and of song," which is impossible given his role in the tale of Eärendil.</ref> (If Círdan's were only the last ship from Mithlond, he may have left just after the Passing of King Elessar, leaving Legolas with no choice but to build his own ship.)


Similar figurative language may also apply regarding Círdan's "last ship." It is remarkable that Legolas would choose to build his own ship rather than depart from Mithlond. Perhaps Legolas' decision was influenced by his long life among the Elves east of the Misty Mountains, who maintained their own haven in Edhellond until TA 1981 and may have had their own traditions regarding departures.  
Moreover, Legolas could build his own ship, so we know that Círdan was not alone in having the knowledge and skill required to build a ship to withstand the voyage West. We know of no reason that other Elves could not do the same later in the Fourth Age (though no remaining Elves seem likely to have done so; e.g. Thranduil and his people, who desired to return to the days before the Elves became involved with the Valar).


Implicitly, if Legolas could build his own ship, other Elves could do the same. One possibility is that Legolas' grey ship on the Anduin was the only one of its kind in the Fourth Age, and all the Elves who dwelled near the Anduin (in Ithilien, the Woodland Realm, East Lórien, and Lórien) who were of a mind to depart rather than fade in Middle-earth were aboard.
===The last Ringbearer===
{{blockquote|[S.R.] 1482 [Fo.A. 61] [...] Among them [the Fairbairns] the tradition is handed down from Elanor that Samwise passed the Towers, and went to the Grey Havens, and passed over Sea, last of the Ring-bearers.|{{App|B5}}}}
If indeed Samwise was permitted to pass into the West per the tradition, there must have been a ship in the Havens to take him there.  


Another possibility is that Legolas' grey ship was ''not'' the only one of its kind, and Círdan's "last ship" was meant as the "last ship ''from Mithlond''." His description of his mission given in the ''The Silmarillion'' explicitly refers to "guarding the Havens," which gives some credence to this interpetation. However, the account of the end of the Third Age in the ''The Silmarillion'' contradicts that of ''The Lord of the Rings'', so too much weight cannot be given to it.<Ref group=note name=StoryAndSong>''The Silmarillion'' implies that Círdan's "last ship" was identical with the White Ship and states that when the bearers of the Three Rings departed on it, "an end was come for the Eldar of story and of song." In ''The Lord of the Rings'', Círdan did not take the White Ship. For both accounts to be true, Círdan must not be counted among "the Eldar of story and of song," which is impossible given his role in the tale of Eärendil.</ref> If it is taken as literally true that Círdan did indeed leave on the last ship, and also taken as true that other Elves chose to build their own ships in the manner of Legolas, it is necessary that the last of these other Elves departed prior to Celeborn.
===Where none now walk===
{{blockquote|But after the passing of Galadriel in a few years Celeborn grew weary of his realm [East Lórien] and went to Imladris to dwell with the sons of Elrond.|{{App|B3}}}}
{{blockquote|It is probable that Meriadoc obtained assistance and information from Rivendell, which he visited more than once. There, though Elrond had departed, his sons long remained, together with some of the High-elven folk. It is said that Celeborn went to dwell there after the departure of Galadriel.|{{FR|Records}}}}
{{blockquote|We [Aragorn and Arwen] met under the white birches in the garden of Elrond where none now walk.|{{App|A1v}}}}
Rivendell was still populated with Elves during the lifetime of Meriadoc Brandybuck, who left the Shire in Fo.A. 63. On 1 March Fo.A. 120, Aragorn believed that "the garden of Elrond" was abandoned.


The phrasing of the description of Lórien in FoA 120-121 ("Galadriel had passed away and Celeborn also was gone") may lend credence to Aragorn's belief that Mithlond was not abandoned as of FoA 120. Tolkien chose specifically to describe Galadriel and Celeborn's absences from the land differently, implying that they were qualitatively different in some way. Galadriel had gone into the West by this time, so the most obvious possible difference would be that Celeborn had not yet done so. If it is taken as true that Celeborn had not yet left Middle-earth as of the arrival of Arwen in Lórien, he must have been in Rivendell or Mithlond at least until March of FoA 120 (and, if he stayed until the death of Arwen, perhaps as late as the coming of Spring in FoA 121).
Rivendell is often described as "the house of Elrond;" the "the garden of Elrond" is likely also a metonymy for Rivendell. Even taken literally, there is no apparent reason for the sons (and father-in-law) of Elrond, and the Elves in general, to decline to walk in Elrond's garden if they still dwelled in Rivendell.  


Perhaps Aragorn was incorrect and Mithlond was already abandoned at the time of his death. This is unlikely, because there are few who would have better reason to be informed of goings-on in Mithlond than the King of Arnor in the midst of an attempt to repopulate the nearby cities of Annúminas and Fornost. (Mithlond, once abandoned by the Elves, could become an incredibly valuable port for commerce between Gondor and a renascent Arnor.) If Mithlond ''were'' abandoned at that time, Círdan could not have departed on the literal "last ship," because Legolas had yet to depart.
As for where the folk of Rivendell went, some may have dispersed into the remaining Elven settlements in Lindon, Eryn Lasgalen and Ithilien. As for Celeborn himself, his motivation to stay in Rivendell in the first place was to spend time with his grandsons – if the family were to stay together, why leave their home in Rivendell only to change venues within Middle-earth? If the family were to part ways, where would Celeborn have any reason to go but the Havens?


===Lower Bound===
===Never more than memory===
If it is not taken as literally true that Círdan left on the last ship (and undue emphasis is not placed on Tolkien's use of "gone" versus "passed away"), then depending on whose ignorance is assumed, the lower bound for Círdan's departure can be reckoned at several points.  
{{blockquote|The uttermost choice is before you [Arwen]: to repent and go to the Havens and bear away into the West the memory of our days together that shall there be evergreen but never more than memory; or else to abide the Doom of Men.|{{App|A1v}}}}
*If neither the Hobbit scholar nor Aragorn are correct, Celeborn may well have left Middle-earth at any time following the departure of the White Ship, allowing at a minimum "a few years" for him to grow weary of his realm in East Lórien and make a brief stop in Rivendell to bid farewell to his grandsons.  
{{blockquote|At marriage Arwen became “mortal”: she would then join her husband’s scale of “expectation of life”.|{{NM|P1xviii}}}}
*If the Hobbit scholar is correct, Círdan could not have left before FoA 63.
On 1 March Fo.A. 120, Aragorn believed that there was at least one ship left in the Grey Havens. If true, Círdan must not yet have left Middle-earth. Unfortunately, Arwen's choice had been made long ago and the physical availability of ships was irrelevant, so her reply gives us no insight into the presence or absence of ships in Mithlond.
*If Aragorn is correct, Círdan could not have left before FoA 120.  
If Cirdan's ship was literally the last one, he could not have left before FoA 121.


===Upper Bound===
The example of the White Ship and its passengers suggests that Elves did not tarry long at the Havens before setting sail. Indeed, each Elf who makes the free choice to go West has necessarily resolved to end their time in Middle-earth. By the time they arrive at the Havens, their affairs should already be settled and their farewells made – further delay seems needless and uncharacteristic of the serious-minded and decisive Eldar. As such, it seems unlikely that Celeborn (and perhaps one or both of Elladan and Elrohir) would desire to linger in Mithlond for any longer than necessary to gather the other passengers of the Last Ship.
Setting an upper bound for the date of departure requires that Findegil was correct in his use of the past tense in FoA 171. The ''Unfinished Tales'' description of the ship that nearly bore away Amroth - "No tidings of it were ever heard in Middle-earth" - gives credence to this, as it sets a precedent for Elven ships departing without those who remain in Middle-earth seeing them go. Amroth's ship left no witnesses because it bore away the last residents of Edhellond; perhaps Celeborn's ship left no witnesses because it bore away the last residents of Mithlond. If this interpretation is accepted as true, then the upper limit for Celeborn and Círdan's departure from Middle-earth is FoA 171. Otherwise, we cannot set an upper bound.
 
Even so, we know of no reason that an Elf would be prevented from remaining in Mithlond or the environs for any length of time prior to their departure.
 
==="Passed away" and "gone"===
{{blockquote|She [Arwen] went out from the city of Minas Tirith and passed away to the land of Lórien, and dwelt there alone under the fading trees until winter came. Galadriel had passed away and Celeborn also was gone, and the land was silent. There at last when the mallorn-leaves were falling, but spring had not yet come, she laid herself to rest upon Cerin Amroth.|{{App|A1v}}}}
{{blockquote|Aragorn resigned on
the day of his birth, March 1, 4A 120. Arwen apparently “resigned” life and died on Cerin Amroth on March 1 in the following year|{{NM|P1xviii}}, p. 151}}
Tolkien's differing descriptions of Galadriel and Celeborn's absences from Lórien during Arwen's sojourn there could have been meant to imply that their absences were qualitatively different in some way. Galadriel had gone West, so the most obvious possible difference would be that Celeborn had not yet done so. (This concurs with Aragorn's deathbed belief that at least one ship remained in Mithlond.)
 
However, in this same passage, Arwen is described as having "passed away" to Lórien, casting doubt on whether there is any special significance to the description of Galadriel as having "passed away."
 
The specific point in time to which these descriptions apply is unclear – they are most proximate in the text to the coming of winter Fo.A. 120, but it is equally plausible that they could apply to any time during her sojourn. Arwen entered the realm sometime after 1 March Fo.A. 120 and died on 1 March Fo.A. 121.
 
===What the Tooks knew===
{{blockquote|Concerning the sources for most of the matter contained in the following Appendices, especially A to D, see the note at the end of the Prologue.
[...]
Actual extracts from longer annals and tales are placed within quotation marks. [...] Notes within quotation marks are found in the sources.|{{App|A}}}}
{{blockquote|Since Meriadoc and Peregrin became the heads of their great families, and at the same time kept up their connexions with Rohan and Gondor, the libraries at Bucklebury and Tuckborough contained much that did not appear in the Red Book.
[...]
At Great Smials the books were of less interest to Shire-folk, though more important for larger history. None of them was written by Peregrin, but he and his successors collected many manuscripts written by scribes of Gondor: mainly copies or summaries of histories or legends relating to Elendil and his heirs. Only here in the Shire were to be found extensive materials for the history of Númenor and the arising of Sauron. It was probably at Great Smials that ''The Tale of Years*''  was put together, with the assistance of material collected by Meriadoc.
(* Represented in much reduced form in Appendix B as far as the end of the Third Age.)|{{FR|Records}}}}
{{blockquote|‘Here ends this tale, as it has come to us from the South; and with the passing of Evenstar no more is said in this book of the days of old.’|{{App|A1v}}}}
The tale of the death of Arwen on 1 March Fo.A. 121 "[came] to us from the South," and is the last historical event attested in "this book." This must mean that the speaker is a Hobbit, since ''The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen'' was appended to the Thain's Book in Minas Tirith and sent north to the Shire as part of Findegil's copy. Being that this comment appears in quotation marks, this must be a note inserted into the source: certainly by a Hobbit, probably by a Tookish scholar in Great Smials, necessarily during or after Fo.A. 171.
 
"This book" refers to whatever volume at the Great Smials contained the ''Tale'' and the Tooks' commentary thereon (either a Tookish copy of Findegil's copy, or the Tooks annotated Findegil's original manuscript with their comments).
 
===If any now remain===
{{blockquote|‘[... Dwarves] were accustomed to pass east along the Great Road, as they had done for long years before we came to the Shire. At the Grey Havens dwelt Círdan the Shipwright, and some say he dwells there still, until the Last Ship sets sail into the West. In the days of the Kings most of the High Elves that still lingered in Middle-earth dwelt with Círdan or in the seaward lands of Lindon. If any now remain they are few.|{{App|A1iii}}}}
This passage must have been written by a Hobbit, due to the use of "we;" again, likely a Tookish scholar in Great Smials. It is unambiguous that the writer is describing a shift in the population patterns of High Elves over time, but there are various ambiguities that make it difficult to draw conclusions.
 
As for the timing of "now," this is the most straightforward: the section in which this passage appears concludes with the death of Aragorn in Fo.A. 120 described in the past tense, meaning it can be dated no earlier than Fo.A. 120. Going further, Appendix A as a whole, including ''The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen'', reads as a coherent document. The Tookish reference to "this book" at the conclusion of the ''Tale'' allows the possibility that the entire text of Appendix A was assembled into a single volume at some time following the receipt of Findegil's copy by the Tooks after Fo.A. 171, meaning "now" is after Fo.A. 171.
 
The first ambiguity is which Kings' days are here referred to: those of of Arthedain and those of the Reunited Kingdom are both plausible (those being the only Kings with whom the Shire-folk had ever had dealings).
 
The note that the majority of High Elves dwelt in Lindon during the "days of the Kings" is of little value in determining the identities of the Kings, because the majority of High Elves in Middle-earth may well have dwelt in Lindon from the dawn of the Second Age and continuing into the Fourth. Lindon was the core of Gil-galad's realm and we have no basis on which to gauge the relative populations of High Elves in Lindon, Rivendell, Lórien, or elsewhere in Middle-earth at any time thereafter.
 
The juxtaposition of the "days of the Kings" with "now" implies that the "days of the Kings" were in the past, in contrast to the situation "now." If this is the intended reading, the Kings in question must have been those of Arthedain, since Aragorn's heirs ruled into the Fourth Age. The use of "days of the Kings" to refer to those of Arthedain may be of the same origin as the Shire-proverb "When the King comes back" recounted elsewhere in Appendix A, which definitely refers to the Kings of Arthedain. The broader context of this passage, describing the ancient realm of Arnor, also lends credence to this interpretation.
 
However, if one understands the Tookish scholar's choice of words to refer to Gandalf's blessing at the coronation of Elessar – "now come the days of the King" – then the "Kings" in question must be those of the Reunited Kingdom, at this time (certainly after Fo.A. 120) consisting of Aragorn and Eldarion. In this case, the word "now" must represent a shift in perspective from earlier days of the Reunited Kingdom to the time of the writing of the passage.
 
The second key ambiguity in the passage relates to those High Elves who "remain." The writer expresses certainty that "during the days of the Kings" (however recent those were), Círdan dwelt at Mithlond, but is unsure "now" if any High Elves "remain" and, if so, whether Círdan is among them.
 
===Metatextuality===
{{blockquote|There [in Rivendell], though Elrond had departed, his sons long remained, together with some of the High-elven folk. It is said that Celeborn went to dwell there after the departure of Galadriel; but there is no record of the day when at last he sought the Grey Havens, and with him went the last living memory of the Elder Days in Middle-earth.|{{FR|Records}}}}
This passage is in the context of the description of Meriadoc's visits to Rivendell to collect historical information, which necessarily concluded before Fo.A. 63 (when he departed the Shire).
{{blockquote|By the end of the first century of the Fourth Age there were already to be found in the Shire several libraries that contained many historical books and records.<br>
The largest of these collections were probably at Undertowers, at Great Smials, and at Brandy Hall. This account of the end of the Third Age is drawn mainly from the Red Book of Westmarch.|{{FR|Records}}}}
{{blockquote|The legends, histories, and lore to be found in the sources are very extensive. Only selections from them, in most places much abridged, are here presented.|{{App|A}}}}
The ''Note on the Shire Records'' and introduction to Appendix A are written in the voice of the fictional J.R.R. Tolkien, translator and transcriber of the Red Book and related materials that had been stored in these Hobbit libraries. This "Pseudo-Tolkien" can be assumed to have access to all surviving records, and it is he who informs us there is no record of Celeborn's departure.
 
Records from Meriadoc's visits to Rivendell, combined with Tookish materials compiled at Great Smials and Findegil's copy of the Red Book, make up the Appendices. Findegil's copy of the Red Book definitively contains no reference to any historical event which took place after 1 March Fo.A. 121, per the comment by a Tookish scholar that dates from no earlier than Fo.A. 171. None of the Shire material included in ''The Lord of the Rings'' refers to any event later than 1 March Fo.A. 121 either, but Pseudo-Tolkien explicitly states he has exercised editorial oversight in presenting the materials at his disposal, so there is no reason to believe that the Shire-histories end in Fo.A. 121. (Indeed, the death of [[Harding of the Hill]] in Fo.A. 185 is attested in draft material.)
 
As such, neither the ''Note on the Shire Records'' nor the Appendices, literally interpreted, can narrow down "the day when at last Celeborn sought the Grey Havens." Either it was before or it was after Fo.A. 121; if before, neither the Hobbits nor Findegil were aware of it, and if after, the Hobbits were not aware of it. (Of course, there is the possibility that Findegil and/or the Hobbits ''were'' aware of the date, but the records did not survive to reach Pseudo-Tolkien.)
{{blockquote|The light Elven-ship was torn from its moorings and driven into the wild waters towards the coasts of Umbar. No tidings of it were ever heard in Middle-earth; but the Elven-ships made for this journey did not founder, and doubtless it left the Circles of the World and came at last to Eressëa.|{{UT|Amroth}}}}
Pseudo-Tolkien's language in the previous passage from the ''Note'' is reminiscent of J.R.R. Tolkien's description of the voyage of the last Elven ship from Edhellond in T.A. 1981.
 
The potential connection here is necessarily metatextual in nature. One may well consider the same Pseudo-Tolkien to be the translator behind ''The Lord of the Rings'' as well as the ''Unfinished Tales'', including ''Amroth and Nimrodel''. This is relevant because the narrator of that tale speaks authoritatively of the drowning of Amroth and the voyage of his ship, despite these events explicitly having no witnesses in Middle-earth. This sets the precedents that Pseudo-Tolkien may recount stories in which Elven ships depart without any who remain seeing them go, and that he has the authority to speak of them as having done so at a particular time.
 
We may grant to Pseudo-Tolkien the same authority in the ''Note'' as we do in ''Amroth and Nimrodel'' if only for the sake of consistency. Thus we may consider his description of the departure of Celeborn in the ''Note'' in light of his description of the departure of Amroth's ship in ''Amroth and Nimrodel'', to which it bears a clear and striking resemblance.
 
==Boundary dates==
===Lower bound===
A "lower bound" is a date '''before''' which we know Celeborn must '''not''' have departed Middle-earth.
 
A lower bound for Círdan's departure can be reckoned at several points depending on whether we accept certain statements of fact by various characters at face value.
 
If the Last Ship is understood to be merely the last out of Mithlond:
*'''"A few years" into the Fourth Age:''' If Samwise did not go West and Aragorn was incorrect in his deathbed assertion to Arwen about the availability of a ship in Mithlond, Celeborn could have left at effectively any time after the departure of the White Ship (allowing "a few years" for him to grow weary of his realm in East Lórien, and enough time in Rivendell to be described as having "dwelt" there).
*'''After Fo.A. 61:''' If Samwise went West, Celeborn could not have left before him.
*'''After 1 March Fo.A. 120:''' If Aragorn's deathbed assertion was true, Celeborn could not have left before Aragorn's death.
 
If the Last Ship is understood to be the last out of Middle-earth:
 
*'''After Legolas' departure (between 2 March and 1 Yule Fo.A. 120):''' If Legolas was the only Elf outside of Mithlond to build his own ship, Círdan could not have left before Legolas.
*'''Undefinable:''' If Elves other than Legolas also built their own ships outside of Mithlond, we cannot define any lower bound because we cannot say when the last of those anonymous Elves may have left.
 
In either case:
*'''After Arwen's arrival in Lórien (after 1 March and before the beginning of winter Fo.A. 120):''' If Tolkien's use of "gone" versus "passed away" is meant to signify Celeborn's absence from the forest but not from Middle-earth, Círdan could not have left before Arwen arrived in Lórien.
*'''After the compiling of Appendix A in Great Smials (probably Fo.A. 171):''' If the rumors reported by the Tookish scholar ("some say [Círdan] dwells [in Mithlond] still") are accurate, then Celeborn was still in Middle-earth at the time the commentary on Appendix A was written.
 
===Upper bound===
An "upper bound" is a date '''after''' which we know Celeborn '''must''' have departed Middle-earth.
 
If one accepts the following statements:
* Celeborn would not depart Rivendell except to pass into the West
* Celeborn would not tarry in Mithlond overlong
* Aragorn's deathbed statement means Rivendell was abandoned
* Aragorn was correct in his assertion that there was still a ship in Mithlond
We can establish that 1 March Fo.A. 120 was within the brief window of time between the Elves' departure from Rivendell and the Last Ship's departure from Middle-earth. At that time, either they were still on the journey from Rivendell to Mithlond, or they had arrived in Mithlond and were not yet ready to depart. In either case, it seems unlikely they would still be there more than a year later. Thus, their departure can plausibly be dated to sometime after 1 March Fo.A. 120 but not too late in Fo.A. 121.
 
XXX WEAK XXX
The passage in ''Amroth and Nimrodel'' is Pseudo-Tolkien's way of drawing a close to that story, while the passage in the ''Note'' serves the same purpose to its own. Being that the ''Note'' is the story of Findegil's copy of the Red Book and its descent from the original, we may surmise that Pseudo-Tolkien's choice to conclude it with a reference to the departure of Celeborn indicates that the voyage was at the latest contemporaneous with Findegil's work. If one accepts this reasoning, this would place an upper bound somewhere in the year Fo.A. 171 between 25 March and 1 Yule (since the year is stated to be S.R. 1592 but Fo.A. 172 by the New Reckoning).
XXX WEAK XXX
 
==Conclusions==
Tolkien typically does not ascribe false statements to his wise and virtuous characters, except deliberately and with specific reason. It seems most reasonable to take at face value all statements of fact from a trustworthy character such as Aragorn.
 
It's narratively appropriate for the last great lords of the Sindar to leave Middle-earth shortly after the death of King Elessar: after Elessar the kingship passed to Eldarion, "scion of the Eldar," whose very name reflects that "the Eldar of story and song" had become no more than a legacy to be inherited by Men.
 
I believe it's most likely that Celeborn departed Middle-earth on or around 1 March Fo.A. 121, contemporaneous with the death of Arwen. This would retain the significance of Tolkien's differing descriptions of Galadriel and Celeborn's absences from Lórien at the time of Arwen's brief sojourn there. This also means Celeborn was long gone from the circles of the world by the time of Findegil's writing, respecting the metatextual implications of the comment in the ''Note''.


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Latest revision as of 06:32, 13 June 2023

Evidence & Analysis[edit | edit source]

Passengers of the "Last" Ship[edit | edit source]

I [Círdan] will dwell by the grey shores until the last ship sails.
J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, "The Third Age"

I [Círdan] will dwell by the grey shores, guarding the Havens until the last ship sails.
J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age"

There is no record of the day when at last he [Celeborn] sought the Grey Havens, and with him went the last living memory of the Elder Days in Middle-earth.
J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, "Prologue", "Note on the Shire Records"

Then [after the Passing of King Elessar] Legolas built a grey ship in Ithilien, and sailed down Anduin and so over Sea.
J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, "Later Events Concerning the Members of the Fellowship of the Ring"

If Celeborn took "the last living memory of the Elder Days" with him and Círdan departed on the "last ship," the two would necessarily have left on the same ship, the last to leave Mithlond. This much is beyond any reasonable doubt.

We have reason to doubt the literal truth of the statement that Celeborn took "the last living memory of the Elder Days" with him: as far as we have any reason to believe, Treebeard and Bombadil would have lived into the Fourth Age. It is likely that the phrase is meant to be intepreted figuratively, perhaps as "the last living memory of the Elder Days among the Children of Ilúvatar." Even if Treebeard and Bombadil are not considered to possess "living memories" for this purpose, there is no reasonable interpretation that allows Celeborn to leave Middle-earth while Círdan remains behind.

As with "the last living memory," it's possible that Círdan's "last ship" is also the subject of figurative language and not literally the last ship to leave Middle-earth. Círdan's "last ship" may have been meant as the "last ship from Mithlond." His description of his mission given in the The Silmarillion explicitly refers to "guarding the Havens," which gives some credence to this interpetation.[note 1] (If Círdan's were only the last ship from Mithlond, he may have left just after the Passing of King Elessar, leaving Legolas with no choice but to build his own ship.)

Moreover, Legolas could build his own ship, so we know that Círdan was not alone in having the knowledge and skill required to build a ship to withstand the voyage West. We know of no reason that other Elves could not do the same later in the Fourth Age (though no remaining Elves seem likely to have done so; e.g. Thranduil and his people, who desired to return to the days before the Elves became involved with the Valar).

The last Ringbearer[edit | edit source]

[S.R.] 1482 [Fo.A. 61] [...] Among them [the Fairbairns] the tradition is handed down from Elanor that Samwise passed the Towers, and went to the Grey Havens, and passed over Sea, last of the Ring-bearers.
J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, "Later Events Concerning the Members of the Fellowship of the Ring"

If indeed Samwise was permitted to pass into the West per the tradition, there must have been a ship in the Havens to take him there.

Where none now walk[edit | edit source]

But after the passing of Galadriel in a few years Celeborn grew weary of his realm [East Lórien] and went to Imladris to dwell with the sons of Elrond.
J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, "The Great Years"

It is probable that Meriadoc obtained assistance and information from Rivendell, which he visited more than once. There, though Elrond had departed, his sons long remained, together with some of the High-elven folk. It is said that Celeborn went to dwell there after the departure of Galadriel.
J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, "Prologue", "Note on the Shire Records"

We [Aragorn and Arwen] met under the white birches in the garden of Elrond where none now walk.
J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "The Númenorean Kings", "The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen"

Rivendell was still populated with Elves during the lifetime of Meriadoc Brandybuck, who left the Shire in Fo.A. 63. On 1 March Fo.A. 120, Aragorn believed that "the garden of Elrond" was abandoned.

Rivendell is often described as "the house of Elrond;" the "the garden of Elrond" is likely also a metonymy for Rivendell. Even taken literally, there is no apparent reason for the sons (and father-in-law) of Elrond, and the Elves in general, to decline to walk in Elrond's garden if they still dwelled in Rivendell.

As for where the folk of Rivendell went, some may have dispersed into the remaining Elven settlements in Lindon, Eryn Lasgalen and Ithilien. As for Celeborn himself, his motivation to stay in Rivendell in the first place was to spend time with his grandsons – if the family were to stay together, why leave their home in Rivendell only to change venues within Middle-earth? If the family were to part ways, where would Celeborn have any reason to go but the Havens?

Never more than memory[edit | edit source]

The uttermost choice is before you [Arwen]: to repent and go to the Havens and bear away into the West the memory of our days together that shall there be evergreen but never more than memory; or else to abide the Doom of Men.
J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "The Númenorean Kings", "The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen"

At marriage Arwen became “mortal”: she would then join her husband’s scale of “expectation of life”.
J.R.R. Tolkien, Carl F. Hostetter (ed.), The Nature of Middle-earth, "Part One. Time and Ageing: XVIII. Elvish Ages & Númenórean"

On 1 March Fo.A. 120, Aragorn believed that there was at least one ship left in the Grey Havens. If true, Círdan must not yet have left Middle-earth. Unfortunately, Arwen's choice had been made long ago and the physical availability of ships was irrelevant, so her reply gives us no insight into the presence or absence of ships in Mithlond.

The example of the White Ship and its passengers suggests that Elves did not tarry long at the Havens before setting sail. Indeed, each Elf who makes the free choice to go West has necessarily resolved to end their time in Middle-earth. By the time they arrive at the Havens, their affairs should already be settled and their farewells made – further delay seems needless and uncharacteristic of the serious-minded and decisive Eldar. As such, it seems unlikely that Celeborn (and perhaps one or both of Elladan and Elrohir) would desire to linger in Mithlond for any longer than necessary to gather the other passengers of the Last Ship.

Even so, we know of no reason that an Elf would be prevented from remaining in Mithlond or the environs for any length of time prior to their departure.

"Passed away" and "gone"[edit | edit source]

She [Arwen] went out from the city of Minas Tirith and passed away to the land of Lórien, and dwelt there alone under the fading trees until winter came. Galadriel had passed away and Celeborn also was gone, and the land was silent. There at last when the mallorn-leaves were falling, but spring had not yet come, she laid herself to rest upon Cerin Amroth.
J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "The Númenorean Kings", "The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen"

Aragorn resigned on the day of his birth, March 1, 4A 120. Arwen apparently “resigned” life and died on Cerin Amroth on March 1 in the following year
J.R.R. Tolkien, Carl F. Hostetter (ed.), The Nature of Middle-earth, "Part One. Time and Ageing: XVIII. Elvish Ages & Númenórean", p. 151

Tolkien's differing descriptions of Galadriel and Celeborn's absences from Lórien during Arwen's sojourn there could have been meant to imply that their absences were qualitatively different in some way. Galadriel had gone West, so the most obvious possible difference would be that Celeborn had not yet done so. (This concurs with Aragorn's deathbed belief that at least one ship remained in Mithlond.)

However, in this same passage, Arwen is described as having "passed away" to Lórien, casting doubt on whether there is any special significance to the description of Galadriel as having "passed away."

The specific point in time to which these descriptions apply is unclear – they are most proximate in the text to the coming of winter Fo.A. 120, but it is equally plausible that they could apply to any time during her sojourn. Arwen entered the realm sometime after 1 March Fo.A. 120 and died on 1 March Fo.A. 121.

What the Tooks knew[edit | edit source]

Concerning the sources for most of the matter contained in the following Appendices, especially A to D, see the note at the end of the Prologue.

[...]

Actual extracts from longer annals and tales are placed within quotation marks. [...] Notes within quotation marks are found in the sources.
J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A: Annals of the Kings and Rulers

Since Meriadoc and Peregrin became the heads of their great families, and at the same time kept up their connexions with Rohan and Gondor, the libraries at Bucklebury and Tuckborough contained much that did not appear in the Red Book.

[...] At Great Smials the books were of less interest to Shire-folk, though more important for larger history. None of them was written by Peregrin, but he and his successors collected many manuscripts written by scribes of Gondor: mainly copies or summaries of histories or legends relating to Elendil and his heirs. Only here in the Shire were to be found extensive materials for the history of Númenor and the arising of Sauron. It was probably at Great Smials that The Tale of Years* was put together, with the assistance of material collected by Meriadoc.

(* Represented in much reduced form in Appendix B as far as the end of the Third Age.)
J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, "Prologue", "Note on the Shire Records"

‘Here ends this tale, as it has come to us from the South; and with the passing of Evenstar no more is said in this book of the days of old.’
J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "The Númenorean Kings", "The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen"

The tale of the death of Arwen on 1 March Fo.A. 121 "[came] to us from the South," and is the last historical event attested in "this book." This must mean that the speaker is a Hobbit, since The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen was appended to the Thain's Book in Minas Tirith and sent north to the Shire as part of Findegil's copy. Being that this comment appears in quotation marks, this must be a note inserted into the source: certainly by a Hobbit, probably by a Tookish scholar in Great Smials, necessarily during or after Fo.A. 171.

"This book" refers to whatever volume at the Great Smials contained the Tale and the Tooks' commentary thereon (either a Tookish copy of Findegil's copy, or the Tooks annotated Findegil's original manuscript with their comments).

If any now remain[edit | edit source]

‘[... Dwarves] were accustomed to pass east along the Great Road, as they had done for long years before we came to the Shire. At the Grey Havens dwelt Círdan the Shipwright, and some say he dwells there still, until the Last Ship sets sail into the West. In the days of the Kings most of the High Elves that still lingered in Middle-earth dwelt with Círdan or in the seaward lands of Lindon. If any now remain they are few.
J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "The Númenorean Kings", "Eriador, Arnor, and the Heirs of Isildur"

This passage must have been written by a Hobbit, due to the use of "we;" again, likely a Tookish scholar in Great Smials. It is unambiguous that the writer is describing a shift in the population patterns of High Elves over time, but there are various ambiguities that make it difficult to draw conclusions.

As for the timing of "now," this is the most straightforward: the section in which this passage appears concludes with the death of Aragorn in Fo.A. 120 described in the past tense, meaning it can be dated no earlier than Fo.A. 120. Going further, Appendix A as a whole, including The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen, reads as a coherent document. The Tookish reference to "this book" at the conclusion of the Tale allows the possibility that the entire text of Appendix A was assembled into a single volume at some time following the receipt of Findegil's copy by the Tooks after Fo.A. 171, meaning "now" is after Fo.A. 171.

The first ambiguity is which Kings' days are here referred to: those of of Arthedain and those of the Reunited Kingdom are both plausible (those being the only Kings with whom the Shire-folk had ever had dealings).

The note that the majority of High Elves dwelt in Lindon during the "days of the Kings" is of little value in determining the identities of the Kings, because the majority of High Elves in Middle-earth may well have dwelt in Lindon from the dawn of the Second Age and continuing into the Fourth. Lindon was the core of Gil-galad's realm and we have no basis on which to gauge the relative populations of High Elves in Lindon, Rivendell, Lórien, or elsewhere in Middle-earth at any time thereafter.

The juxtaposition of the "days of the Kings" with "now" implies that the "days of the Kings" were in the past, in contrast to the situation "now." If this is the intended reading, the Kings in question must have been those of Arthedain, since Aragorn's heirs ruled into the Fourth Age. The use of "days of the Kings" to refer to those of Arthedain may be of the same origin as the Shire-proverb "When the King comes back" recounted elsewhere in Appendix A, which definitely refers to the Kings of Arthedain. The broader context of this passage, describing the ancient realm of Arnor, also lends credence to this interpretation.

However, if one understands the Tookish scholar's choice of words to refer to Gandalf's blessing at the coronation of Elessar – "now come the days of the King" – then the "Kings" in question must be those of the Reunited Kingdom, at this time (certainly after Fo.A. 120) consisting of Aragorn and Eldarion. In this case, the word "now" must represent a shift in perspective from earlier days of the Reunited Kingdom to the time of the writing of the passage.

The second key ambiguity in the passage relates to those High Elves who "remain." The writer expresses certainty that "during the days of the Kings" (however recent those were), Círdan dwelt at Mithlond, but is unsure "now" if any High Elves "remain" and, if so, whether Círdan is among them.

Metatextuality[edit | edit source]

There [in Rivendell], though Elrond had departed, his sons long remained, together with some of the High-elven folk. It is said that Celeborn went to dwell there after the departure of Galadriel; but there is no record of the day when at last he sought the Grey Havens, and with him went the last living memory of the Elder Days in Middle-earth.
J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, "Prologue", "Note on the Shire Records"

This passage is in the context of the description of Meriadoc's visits to Rivendell to collect historical information, which necessarily concluded before Fo.A. 63 (when he departed the Shire).

By the end of the first century of the Fourth Age there were already to be found in the Shire several libraries that contained many historical books and records.
The largest of these collections were probably at Undertowers, at Great Smials, and at Brandy Hall. This account of the end of the Third Age is drawn mainly from the Red Book of Westmarch.
J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, "Prologue", "Note on the Shire Records"

The legends, histories, and lore to be found in the sources are very extensive. Only selections from them, in most places much abridged, are here presented.
J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A: Annals of the Kings and Rulers

The Note on the Shire Records and introduction to Appendix A are written in the voice of the fictional J.R.R. Tolkien, translator and transcriber of the Red Book and related materials that had been stored in these Hobbit libraries. This "Pseudo-Tolkien" can be assumed to have access to all surviving records, and it is he who informs us there is no record of Celeborn's departure.

Records from Meriadoc's visits to Rivendell, combined with Tookish materials compiled at Great Smials and Findegil's copy of the Red Book, make up the Appendices. Findegil's copy of the Red Book definitively contains no reference to any historical event which took place after 1 March Fo.A. 121, per the comment by a Tookish scholar that dates from no earlier than Fo.A. 171. None of the Shire material included in The Lord of the Rings refers to any event later than 1 March Fo.A. 121 either, but Pseudo-Tolkien explicitly states he has exercised editorial oversight in presenting the materials at his disposal, so there is no reason to believe that the Shire-histories end in Fo.A. 121. (Indeed, the death of Harding of the Hill in Fo.A. 185 is attested in draft material.)

As such, neither the Note on the Shire Records nor the Appendices, literally interpreted, can narrow down "the day when at last Celeborn sought the Grey Havens." Either it was before or it was after Fo.A. 121; if before, neither the Hobbits nor Findegil were aware of it, and if after, the Hobbits were not aware of it. (Of course, there is the possibility that Findegil and/or the Hobbits were aware of the date, but the records did not survive to reach Pseudo-Tolkien.)

The light Elven-ship was torn from its moorings and driven into the wild waters towards the coasts of Umbar. No tidings of it were ever heard in Middle-earth; but the Elven-ships made for this journey did not founder, and doubtless it left the Circles of the World and came at last to Eressëa.
J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "The History of Galadriel and Celeborn", "Amroth and Nimrodel"

Pseudo-Tolkien's language in the previous passage from the Note is reminiscent of J.R.R. Tolkien's description of the voyage of the last Elven ship from Edhellond in T.A. 1981.

The potential connection here is necessarily metatextual in nature. One may well consider the same Pseudo-Tolkien to be the translator behind The Lord of the Rings as well as the Unfinished Tales, including Amroth and Nimrodel. This is relevant because the narrator of that tale speaks authoritatively of the drowning of Amroth and the voyage of his ship, despite these events explicitly having no witnesses in Middle-earth. This sets the precedents that Pseudo-Tolkien may recount stories in which Elven ships depart without any who remain seeing them go, and that he has the authority to speak of them as having done so at a particular time.

We may grant to Pseudo-Tolkien the same authority in the Note as we do in Amroth and Nimrodel if only for the sake of consistency. Thus we may consider his description of the departure of Celeborn in the Note in light of his description of the departure of Amroth's ship in Amroth and Nimrodel, to which it bears a clear and striking resemblance.

Boundary dates[edit | edit source]

Lower bound[edit | edit source]

A "lower bound" is a date before which we know Celeborn must not have departed Middle-earth.

A lower bound for Círdan's departure can be reckoned at several points depending on whether we accept certain statements of fact by various characters at face value.

If the Last Ship is understood to be merely the last out of Mithlond:

  • "A few years" into the Fourth Age: If Samwise did not go West and Aragorn was incorrect in his deathbed assertion to Arwen about the availability of a ship in Mithlond, Celeborn could have left at effectively any time after the departure of the White Ship (allowing "a few years" for him to grow weary of his realm in East Lórien, and enough time in Rivendell to be described as having "dwelt" there).
  • After Fo.A. 61: If Samwise went West, Celeborn could not have left before him.
  • After 1 March Fo.A. 120: If Aragorn's deathbed assertion was true, Celeborn could not have left before Aragorn's death.

If the Last Ship is understood to be the last out of Middle-earth:

  • After Legolas' departure (between 2 March and 1 Yule Fo.A. 120): If Legolas was the only Elf outside of Mithlond to build his own ship, Círdan could not have left before Legolas.
  • Undefinable: If Elves other than Legolas also built their own ships outside of Mithlond, we cannot define any lower bound because we cannot say when the last of those anonymous Elves may have left.

In either case:

  • After Arwen's arrival in Lórien (after 1 March and before the beginning of winter Fo.A. 120): If Tolkien's use of "gone" versus "passed away" is meant to signify Celeborn's absence from the forest but not from Middle-earth, Círdan could not have left before Arwen arrived in Lórien.
  • After the compiling of Appendix A in Great Smials (probably Fo.A. 171): If the rumors reported by the Tookish scholar ("some say [Círdan] dwells [in Mithlond] still") are accurate, then Celeborn was still in Middle-earth at the time the commentary on Appendix A was written.

Upper bound[edit | edit source]

An "upper bound" is a date after which we know Celeborn must have departed Middle-earth.

If one accepts the following statements:

  • Celeborn would not depart Rivendell except to pass into the West
  • Celeborn would not tarry in Mithlond overlong
  • Aragorn's deathbed statement means Rivendell was abandoned
  • Aragorn was correct in his assertion that there was still a ship in Mithlond

We can establish that 1 March Fo.A. 120 was within the brief window of time between the Elves' departure from Rivendell and the Last Ship's departure from Middle-earth. At that time, either they were still on the journey from Rivendell to Mithlond, or they had arrived in Mithlond and were not yet ready to depart. In either case, it seems unlikely they would still be there more than a year later. Thus, their departure can plausibly be dated to sometime after 1 March Fo.A. 120 but not too late in Fo.A. 121.

XXX WEAK XXX The passage in Amroth and Nimrodel is Pseudo-Tolkien's way of drawing a close to that story, while the passage in the Note serves the same purpose to its own. Being that the Note is the story of Findegil's copy of the Red Book and its descent from the original, we may surmise that Pseudo-Tolkien's choice to conclude it with a reference to the departure of Celeborn indicates that the voyage was at the latest contemporaneous with Findegil's work. If one accepts this reasoning, this would place an upper bound somewhere in the year Fo.A. 171 between 25 March and 1 Yule (since the year is stated to be S.R. 1592 but Fo.A. 172 by the New Reckoning). XXX WEAK XXX

Conclusions[edit | edit source]

Tolkien typically does not ascribe false statements to his wise and virtuous characters, except deliberately and with specific reason. It seems most reasonable to take at face value all statements of fact from a trustworthy character such as Aragorn.

It's narratively appropriate for the last great lords of the Sindar to leave Middle-earth shortly after the death of King Elessar: after Elessar the kingship passed to Eldarion, "scion of the Eldar," whose very name reflects that "the Eldar of story and song" had become no more than a legacy to be inherited by Men.

I believe it's most likely that Celeborn departed Middle-earth on or around 1 March Fo.A. 121, contemporaneous with the death of Arwen. This would retain the significance of Tolkien's differing descriptions of Galadriel and Celeborn's absences from Lórien at the time of Arwen's brief sojourn there. This also means Celeborn was long gone from the circles of the world by the time of Findegil's writing, respecting the metatextual implications of the comment in the Note.

Notes

  1. However, the account of the end of the Third Age in the The Silmarillion contradicts that of The Lord of the Rings. The Silmarillion implies that Círdan's "last ship" was identical with the White Ship and states that when the bearers of the Three Rings departed on it, "an end was come for the Eldar of story and of song." In The Lord of the Rings, Círdan did not take the White Ship. For both accounts to be true, Círdan must not be counted among "the Eldar of story and of song," which is impossible given his role in the tale of Eärendil.

References