The Complete Tolkien Companion (19 page)

Carc
– An ancient raven of the Lonely Mountain, father of Roäc, Thorin Oakenshield's messenger before and during the Battle of Five Armies (2941 Third Age).

Carcharoth
‘The Red Maw' (Sind.) – Also called
Anfauglir,
‘Jaws of Thirst'. The Wolf of Angband, Guardian of the Gates of Morgoth's Realm in the North; the Slayer of Beren and of Huan the Hound of Valinor; and, for a time, the Keeper of a Silmaril.

This great beast was in origin a cub of the brood of the werewolf Draugluin; but Morgoth, fearing the power of
HUAN
– of whom it was said that he should not die until he had encountered the greatest wolf of the world – took the cub, and nourished it in evil ways, until it outgrew all others of the wolf-race. Then Carcharoth was sent to guard the gates of Angband. On a time Beren and Lúthien came by evil roads to that place, and there Carcharoth challenged them, but was overcome by the power of Lúthien; then for a while he slept. But they, having secured a Silmaril from Morgoth's Iron Crown, were hindered in their escape by the Wolf; who was now awake and undaunted by spells. Beren attempted to ward him off with the power of the Jewel, but the Wolf was not easily affected by such prohibitions, and bit off Beren's hand which held the Silmaril, swallowing it. Then the pain of the Jewel – which endured no evil, and burned wicked flesh – drove him mad, so that he fled in anguish and rage, and gave no thought afterwards to his duties, or indeed to anything but the terrible pain in his belly. After a time of thus raging hither and thither throughout northern Beleriand, Carcharoth came to the fences of Doriath, and broke through the ring of enchantment set upon that land. In the northern part of the Forest of Neldoreth he was caught by hunters from Menegroth – who included Beren and Huan – and there, in the ensuing battle, Carcharoth slew Beren and the Hound of Valinor, but was himself slain by Huan before he died. His great corpse was then disembowelled, and the Silmaril recovered.

Carchost
– Narchost (‘Fire-fort') and Carchost (‘Fang-fort') were the names originally given to the two Towers of the Teeth which flanked the Black Gate into Mordor. Both were originally built by Gondor to prevent entry to the Black Land, early in the Third Age after Sauron's first overthrow.

Cardolan
‘Land-of-Red-Hills' (Sind.) – In 861 Third Age, at the death of King Eärendur, the realm of Arnor was divided into three, due to quarrels among his sons. The separate states which emerged were Arthedain, Rhudaur and Cardolan (
see
REALMS IN EXILE
). The latter kingdom included all the lands of Eriador between the rivers Baranduin and Mitheithel-Gwathló as far north as the Great East Road. The hill-tower of Amon Sûl (Weathertop) thus lay on the border between Cardolan and the easternmost of the three successor kingdoms, Rhudaur. Possession of this strategic point later became a source of conflict between the two states.

The story of Cardolan is sad, as are the histories of all three North-kingdoms. Often at war with Rhudaur, which early fell into evil ways under the influence of the Witch-realm of Angmar, Cardolan nonetheless managed to survive until the great invasion of 1409, when forces from Angmar and Rhudaur crossed the border and surrounded Amon Sûl. The tower was burned, Cardolan's ally Arthedain was forced to retreat, and the surviving Dúnedain of Cardolan were driven to take refuge in Tyrn Gorthad (the Barrowdowns) and in the Old Forest. The last prince of the kingdom was slain in this war.

The Great Plague which came from the East in the year 1636 decimated the remaining population of Cardolan, and the kingdom was never re-established.

Carl Cotton
– The youngest son of Tolman Cotton (Farmer Cotton), Hobbit of the Shire. He was known within the immediate family circle as ‘Nibs'.

Cam Dûm
– The chief city of the Witch-realm of
ANGMAR
. It was situated near the northernmost peak of the Misty Mountains, to the immediate south of the great Northern Waste. From this fortress the Witch-king carried out his long – and ultimately successful – assault upon the surviving Dúnedain kingdoms of the North.

Carnimirië
‘Red-jewels' (Q.) – A rowan-tree of the Forest of Fangorn, much beloved by the Ent Quickbeam (Bregalad). Many rowans were destroyed by Orcs of Saruman, arousing the anger of this (relatively) impulsive Ent.

Carnen
– The Red River, which flowed from a source in the western range of the Iron Hills to join the Celduin (River Running) north of Dorwinion. The enlarged river emptied into the great inland Sea of Rhûn.

Carnil
‘Red-star' (Q., from
carnë-êl
) – The star Betelgeuse, created for the lighting of Middle-earth by Varda.

Carrock
– A huge boulder, carved with stairs and a high seat, which lay in the river Anduin some miles north of the Ford which bore its name (linguistically related to the Sindarin word
Carach,
‘fang').

Castamir the Usurper
– From 1437–47 Third Age, the twenty-second King of Gondor. His accession to the throne was brought about by the great civil war, the Kin-strife.

King Eldacar was the son of Valacar, who had wedded Vidumavi, a fair lady of Rhovanion, but of a lesser race than the Dúnedain accounted themselves. To these disaffected princes and nobles, it was unthinkable that one of mixed blood (and of shorter lifespan) should inherit the crown. Therefore, when Eldacar succeeded his father in 1432, there was rebellion in Gondor.

Led by Castamir, the Captain of the Fleets, the rebels besieged Eldacar in Osgiliath, finally driving the young King from the burning city in 1437. Castamir then ordered the execution of Eldacar's son, Ornendil, and put the city to the sack. Though a cruel and haughty man, he commanded the allegiance of the fleets, and of the southern fiefs: thus he proclaimed himself King. But the Usurper's initial support quickly faded when it was seen that he neglected the land. A seaman, his main concern was for the Fleet, and he soon made preparations to remove the royal seat to Pelargir, the ancient haven near the Mouths of Anduin. In 1447 Third Age – when Castamir had ruled for a mere ten years – Eldacar, who had been gathering support in the land of his mother's kin, Rhovanion, marched south with a host at his back, gaining forces as he moved ever southwards. His armies finally met those of Castamir at the Crossings of the river Erui, in Lebennin. There, the rightful King personally slew Castamir, but the Usurper's sons escaped and took refuge at Pelargir. They later sailed away to Umbar and founded there a refuge for the foes of Gondor.
See
CORSAIRS OF UMBAR
.

Causeway Forts
– Twin bastions guarding the road from Osgiliath to Minas Tirith, at the point where it passed through the Rammas Echor into the fields of the Pelennor.

Caverns of Helm's Deep
–
See
AGLAROND
.

Caverns of Narog
–
See
NARGOTHROND
.

Caves of the Forgotten
– According to a legend of the Dúnedain, the Caves of the Forgotten are grots in the eastern sides of the Pelóri, wherein lie buried the hosts of Ar-Pharazôn – and the last King of Númenor himself – who assailed Aman the Blessed and so brought destruction upon the Ancient World.

Celduin
– The River Running, which flowed out of the lake of Esgaroth to join the Carnen (Red River) north of Dorwinion. The enlarged river emptied into the inland Sea of Rhûn.

Celebdil
‘Silver-tine' (Sind.) – One of the three great peaks of the Misty Mountains, below which lay the ancient Dwarf-realm of Moria; the other two were Caradhras (the Redhorn) and Fanuidhol (Cloudyhead). The Dwarves knew the mountain as
Zirak-zigil.
High in its peak – and remembered only in Dwarvish tradition – was the legendary Endless Stair, which climbed in unbroken spiral from the lowest Deep of Old Moria. This titanic work was constructed in the days of Moria's glory by stonewrights of Durin the Deathless. At the head of the Stair, carved into the living rock, was set a chamber and high ledge known as Durin's Tower.

Celeborn
‘Tall-Silver-[tree]' (Sind.) – A Grey-elven lord and a kinsman of King Thingol Greycloak. He later wedded the Lady Galadriel, afterwards becoming Lord of Lothlórien, where he dwelt until the beginning of the Fourth Age. He was the mightiest of the Grey-elven princes to remain in Middle-earth after the fall of Beleriand.

At the beginning of the Second Age Celeborn dwelled in Lindon (last remnant of Beleriand), later travelling to Eregion with Galadriel, most noble of the High-elven Exiles. When Eregion fell, Galadriel and Celeborn – and his kinsman Thranduil – journeyed east over the Misty Mountains to establish realms among the Silvan Elves of the forests far away. Thranduil took the northern part of Greenwood the Great for his kingdom; Celeborn and Galadriel passed further south to the ancient Elf-realm of Lórien.
3
There they dwelt through the Ages that followed: their power and wisdom – and the grey-feathered arrows of the Wood-elves – keeping all foes at bay. When Galadriel finally returned over Sea at the end of the Third Age, Celeborn abandoned Lothlórien and dwelt for a while in Rivendell, together with the sons of Elrond. No record remains of the date when he finally grew weary of Mortal Lands and sailed west from the Grey Havens.

Note:
this name is also applied to the White Tree of Eressëa (a seedling of the Tree of Tirion, Galathilion) in records of the First Age.

Celebrant
‘Silver-course' (Sind.) – The Silverlode River. Rising from icy sources in the Dimrill Dale, it flowed through Lothlórien to join the Anduin at Egladil, southernmost point of the Naith of Lórien. The Nimrodel stream was one of its tributaries. Its source in the Dimrill Dale was known to Dwarves as
Kibil-nâla.

Celebrían
(Sind., from the older form
Celebriande;
meaning not known) – The daughter of Celeborn and Galadriel, wife of Elrond and mother of Elladan, Elrohir and Arwen Evenstar. In the year 2509 Third Age, while travelling from Rivendell to Lórien, she was waylaid by Orcs of the Mountains, who captured and tormented her until a swift rescue was accomplished by her sons. Though her poisoned wound was healed by Elrond, she lost all desire to stay in Middle-earth and passed over Sea the following year.

Celebrimbor
‘Silver-fist' (Sind., from Q.
Telperinquar
) – At the end of the First Age, a number of the High-elves (Noldor) who had survived the War of the Great Jewels were forbidden by the Valar to return to their ancient home in Valinor. Chief among these Exiles were the princes and queens of the Royal Houses of Fëanor, Finarfin and Fingolfin. Celebrimbor was the last lord of the House of Fëanor and the greatest of all Eldarin craftsmen to survive the War. He was the son of Curufin the Crafty, and therefore a grandson of Fëanor, and he dwelt with his father's people in Himlad after the return to Middle-earth – until the Battle of Sudden Flame, which broke the northern Elf-kingdoms and overthrew the Siege of Angband. Then Curufin, Celegorm and Caranthir and their sons and people were driven south and west in disarray. The people of Caranthir joined with kin of the brethren Amrod and Amrast in the south; while Celegorm, Curufin and their sons and people passed south-west, to the Kingdom of Nargothrond, then ruled by Finrod Felagund of the House of Finarfin.

They came as vassals, but they were driven by need; and between the Houses of Fëanor and Finarfin there was no little ill-feeling. Therefore the dispossessed brothers, together with their following, instead of being grateful for the sanctuary afforded them, planned to seize this strong, Dwarf-delved domain under the hills from its rightful lord; but they bided their time. Then Beren son of Barahir came to Nargothrond, at the outset of his quest (for a Silmaril), invoking the pledge of friendship made years before to his father by Finrod King of Nargothrond. Finrod agreed to honour his words with deeds, and prepared to join with Beren on the quest; and at this time the Sons of Fëanor, Celegorm and Curufin, made their move. They played skilfully upon the fears of the Elves of Nargothrond, so that Finrod was forced to abdicate his kingship – in favour of themselves – before setting out. But after a while, tidings came back to Nargothrond of Finrod's heroism and death, and then the Elves of Nargothrond turned upon the brothers, for they regretted of all that had been done, and perceived for the first time that the ambition and unscrupulousness of the Sons of Fëanor lay behind Finrod's fall. In that hour Celebrimbor the son of Curufin grew ashamed of his father's deeds, and repudiated them and him, and remained in Nargothrond when Curufin and Celegorm – now entirely without a following – were cast out.

It is not known how Celebrimbor came to survive the wreck of Nargothrond or the battle on Tumhalad. In all probability he, and the remnant of the Noldor which he now led – the last of the house of Curufin – afterwards went to dwell in the coastlands, or where they might; and took no further part in the War. It is also not known for certain whether the ban laid by the Valar on the return of the most prominent of the Exiles applied to Celebrimbor; at all events, in 750 Second Age he led his folk across the Blue Mountains to the lands west of Moria, where it had been reported that
mithril,
a metal most beloved by the Elves, had been discovered under the mountains. There they established a realm called Eregion (Hollin), built their city of Ost-in-Edhil, and engaged in trade with the Dwarves of Moria. The friendship that grew up there was the closest that had ever been known between the two races; Celebrimbor himself etched the designs in the Hollin-door of Moria as a token of their mutual esteem.

Nonetheless the Smiths of the Noldor were ever-thirsty for knowledge and craft-secrets; and, exploiting this desire, Sauron the Great (even then arising again in Middle-earth) seduced them by revealing to them the techniques of Ring-making. Under his tutelage they grew in this craft, making first the lesser Rings, then the Nine and the Seven. The Three Elf-rings were created by Celebrimbor alone – and the One Ring was forged in secret by Sauron himself, ‘to bring them all and in the darkness bind them'. But the instant Sauron put on the Ring, far away in the heart of the volcano Orodruin, Celebrimbor became aware of the spell and hid the Three. Sauron's forces afterwards invaded Eriador and in 1697 Second Age they razed Eregion – though they were unable to enter Moria. Celebrimbor was slain and the Noldor were driven out.