The Elves of Middle-earth could live forever if they did not meet violent ends. As such, most who appeared in The Lord of the Rings and the rest of J. R. R. Tolkien’s legendarium had been alive for several millennia. Arwen was one of the younger Elves, and even she was already 2,778 years old by the time of Sauron’s defeat. Her father, Elrond, was 6,518 years old, so he had seen the First, Second and Third Ages of Middle-earth. Galadriel was nearly 2,000 years his elder, making her older than the Sun and Moon themselves, but even she was not the oldest Elf in Middle-earth. That title belonged to a lesser-known character: Círdan the Shipwright, the Lord of the Grey Havens.

There were other Elves born before Círdan, but by the time of The Lord of the Rings, all of them had either died or gone to the Undying Lands. Unlike the rulers of the other Elven realms, Círdan did not interact with Frodo or Bilbo on their respective quests. He did not even appear until the penultimate page of The Lord of the Rings novel, and in Peter Jackson’s film adaptations, he was a background character with only two brief cameos. Despite his relative obscurity compared to his fellow Lords and Ladies, Círdan was a necessary part of the story. He made a major sacrifice for the sake of Middle-earth’s inhabitants, and he was partially responsible for the power that Gandalf wielded in The Lord of the Rings.

Updated on September 19, 2024, by Ajay Aravind: Círdan made his first proper debut in Season 2 of Amazon’s The Rings of Power. Although several details have been changed from the original story, it’s safe to assume that he remains the oldest Elf in Middle-earth. Considering his role in transporting Elves to Valinor, as well as keeping Narya for Gandalf, we have updated this article with some more relevant information about Círdan the Shipwright.

Círdan’s Loyalty Kept Him From His Heart’s Desire

He Had Always Wanted To Go To Valinor

Círdan — or Nōwē, as he was originally known — was born long before the First Age. Tolkien did not provide an exact date of birth for Nōwē, but since he was one of the Elves who undertook the Great Journey to Valinor, it must have been before the 1105th Year of the Trees. Even by a conservative estimate, this would make him over 10,000 years old during The Lord of the Rings. Nōwē was a member of the Teleri clan of Elves, the last to go on the Great Journey. Surprisingly, Tolkien did not describe Nōwē’s family, but he was somehow related to the brothers Olwë and Elwë, the Lords of the Teleri. Nōwē was renowned for his skill at making ships, so he earned the name Círdan, meaning “Shipwright” in the Elvish language of Sindarin. Throughout his life, Círdan’s greatest desire was to go to the Blessed Realm of Valinor, but fate conspired against him.

The way Elves reached Valinor at this time was via Tol Eressëa, a large island that the Valar moved across the sea between the continents of Middle-earth and Aman. Shortly before Tol Eressëa’s final voyage, Elwë went missing. Unbeknownst to the rest of the Elves, he had ventured into the forest and met a Maia named Melian, with whom he instantly fell in love. They were so caught up in their romance that they hardly noticed as more than two centuries passed. Unable to find Elwë, most of the Teleri followed Olwë to Valinor, but Círdan and a few other loyal Elves refused to leave without their missing lord and stayed in Beleriand. They founded the land of Falas and came to be known as the Falathrim, with Círdan as their leader. When Elwë finally returned, his followers did not hold his absence against him. He established his own kingdom, Doriath, and let Círdan continue ruling over Falas.

Círdan Helped Defeat the First Dark Lord

Morgoth Caused Much Devastation During the First Age

Character
Role
Birth
Portrayed by

Círdan
Lord of the Falas
Cuiviénen
Ben Daniels

According to the section “Last Writings” from The Peoples of Middle-earth, Círdan considered sailing to Valinor, but the Valar sent him a message that urged against this. They told him that it would be “many long years yet” before he could build a ship capable of withstanding the journey and that his work would be “of utmost worth” when the time came. Thus, he remained in Middle-earth. In the year F.A. 20, High King Fingolfin hosted the Mereth Aderthad or Feast of Reuniting. Fëanor’s actions had caused conflict between the Elven clans, and Fingolfin hoped that a celebratory gathering could mend their relationships. At this feast, Círdan befriended Galadriel’s older brother Finrod, who was a member of the Ñoldor clan and very briefly appeared in The Rings of Power.

The first Elf to awaken in Middle-earth was named Imin.
Falas meant “Shore” or “Coastline” in Sindarin.
Elwë was an ancestor of both Aragorn and Elrond from The Lord of the Rings, so Círdan was distantly related to them as well.

From that point onward, Círdan was an ally of the Ñoldor, and he helped them in their fight against the Dark Lord Morgoth during the Wars of Beleriand. As Morgoth conquered more and more of Middle-earth, many refugees fled to Falas. In F.A. 473, Morgoth attacked Falas, and Círdan helped the survivors escape to the Isle of Balar. Some good came from these tragic events, as Círdan met two important Elves who became like sons to him. The first was Gil-galad, the future High King of the Elves. The second was Eärendil, the father of Elrond from The Lord of the Rings. Círdan eventually built a magnificent ship called Vingilot. This was the work “of utmost worth” to which the Valar had referred — Eärendil used Vingilot to sail to Valinor and request aid, resulting in the Morgoth’s defeat at the end of the First Age.

Círdan Possessed One of The Lord of the Rings’ Most Important Artifacts

He Was the First User of the Elven Ring Narya

After the destruction of Beleriand, Círdan founded the Grey Havens along the western coast of Middle-earth. He finally had the means to reach Valinor, but once again, his duty prevented him from doing so. He was the only person in Middle-earth capable of creating such vessels, so if he left, his fellow Elves would never be able to reach the Blessed Realm. As such, he spent thousands of years helping others do what he so desperately wanted to. However, this did not make Círdan bitter; he remained as wise, courteous, and generous as ever. Shipbuilding was not the only thing that occupied Círdan’s days. When Gil-galad learned of Sauron’s treachery in the Second Age, he sent one of the Rings of Power — specifically Narya, the Ring of Fire — to Círdan for safekeeping. Círdan went on to participate in the War of the Last Alliance against Sauron and the Angmar War against the Witch-king.

Michael Elsworth portrayed Círdan in Jackson’s films; he also played an unnamed Gondorian archivist.
In the prologue of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Círdan appears behind Galadriel, admiring his ring.
In The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Círdan stood behind Elrond, Celeborn, and Galadriel in the Grey Havens.

When the Wizards arrived in Middle-earth, Círdan foresaw that Gandalf would be instrumental in Sauron’s defeat, so he gifted him Narya. This event is likely to happen in the Rings of Power series, given that the Stranger is almost certainly meant to be Gandalf. However, Círdan did not go to the Council of Elrond, instead sending a representative named Galdor who helped decide the fate of the One Ring. By the time Frodo met Círdan in The Lord of the Rings, the year was T.A. 3021, and Círdan was so elderly that he had grown facial hair, an extremely rare trait among Elves. In the chapter “The Grey Havens” from The Return of the King, Tolkien describes him as such: “Very tall he was, and his beard was long, and he was grey and old, save that his eyes were keen as stars.”

Círdan’s Role in the Third Age and Final Departure from Middle-earth

As they came to the gates Círdan the Shipwright came forth to greet them. 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 ready.’

— The Return of the King

After the fall of Sauron, Gandalf, Galadriel, and Elrond decided to leave Middle-earth forever. Frodo and Bilbo also accompanied them to Valinor, sailing on the so-called White Ship built by Círdan at the Grey Havens. However, Círdan himself didn’t leave because there were still several Elves who had to make their exit — and he was their best chance of making it to the Undying Land. As a result, he maintained the Grey Havens until the last of the willing Eldar crossed the Sea.

Some time in The Lord of the Ring‘s Fourth Age, Círdan constructed the Last Ship, named so because it would be the last crossing of the Elves from Middle-earth. While it is unknown how many of the Eldar remained, refusing to take the journey, Círdan was accompanied by Celeborn, a Sindarin noble and the husband of Galadriel. They sailed into the Uttermost West together and were never seen again. Around 120 years following the end of Mordor, however, Gimli and Legolas sailed their own ship to Valinor. This strongly implies that Círdan left Middle-earth around the first century of the Fourth Age. After more than 10,000 years of patience and dedication, his greatest wish came true.