As is well known in Tolkien lore, Celebrimbor is the elven creator who forges the rings of power that are later given to the realms of elves, dwarves, and men. In the original writing of the Silmarilion, Celebrimbor is an unfortunate character, tricked into this construction of evil objects by Sauron in disguise. But will the Rings of Power portray him as such, or will they take his character in a different direction from that which Tolkien intended? From what fans have seen of Celebrimbor’s characterization so far, there is already a questionable element to his motivations and intentions. There appear to be key differences from the original character.
Several factors that occur all at once add up to make both Celebrimbor, and the elven leader Gil-galad, look suspect. Gil-galad sends Galadriel and her team of elves back to Valinor, after a long period of time searching out evil and protecting Middle Earth. The fact that he does this at precisely the same time that Celebrimbor is introduced, and first brings about his idea for the new creations, seems to many like more than a coincidence. The end of the first episode leaves audiences with their first meeting and impression of Celebrimbor. He is robed in royal silks of green, holding his head high. As the meteor passes overhead, the combination of all of these things simultaneously gives his character an interesting start to the series, one that may not be faithful to the books.
The next portrayal of Celebrimbor takes plae in his tower, where he divulges to the young Elrond all of his concepts and plans for these new creations. He puts forth that:
“True creation requires sacrifice. They say that Morgoth found the Silmarils so beautiful that after he’d stolen them, for weeks he could do nothing but stare into their depths. It was only after one of his tears fell upon one of the jewels and he was faced with the evil of his own reflection that the revelry was finally broken. And from that moment he looked upon their light no more.”
Nothing in and of itself seems strange about this sentiment. It is natural for one creator to admire another’s skill, especially when it comes to the Silmarils, the most famously beautiful things ever known to elves or men. But immediately afterwards, Celebrimbor’s disposition changes from one of admiration for the Silmarils, to one of seeming jealousy and desire.
Celebrimbor envies what Feanor accomplished, and claims he has done nothing by comparison. Instantly, his character shifts from that of a humble student admiring a master, to that of a proud, greedy and bitter creator, who feels that he hasn’t received the recognition he deserves for his work. When Elrond tells him his things are beautiful, and that they have touched the heart of many an elf, he all but snaps back:
“I aspire to do far more than that. An age ago, our kind brought war to these shores . I want to fill them with beauty, to grow beyond petty works of jewel craft and devise something of real power.”
This is a very different portrayal of Celebrimbor than the one that is present in Tolkien’s books. This Rings of Power version of the character is full of hubris, full of anger, and already skewed towards doing whatever it takes to gain credit and power above even that of Feanor, creator of the famed Silmarils.
Unlike in the books, Celebrimbor doesn’t appear to be an innocent pawn in Sauron’s plan to create evil and unleash it upon the world. In fact, it seems as though he is the mastermind at work here, and the driving force of evil and greed that makes the rings so corrupted in the fist place. He proudly lavishes his drawing and his plans upon Elrond, both for the rings and for or a tower that will be home to a forge for his creations. He claims that such a forge will be “more powerful than any ever built. Able to birth a flame as hot as a dragon’s tongue and as pure as starlight.” As soon as he starts aiming to be ‘more powerful than’ and ‘as pure as,’ Celebrimbor's aspirations have gone beyond mere joy of creation and pride in his work. They have turned to a point that is more akin to greed, arrogance and conceit.
The other concerning element to the way that Celebrimbor talks about the creation of this all-powerful forge, is that there seems to be a massive rush to get it completed. He demands in no uncertain terms that it needs to be finished by spring, regardless of the number of workforce that means employing, and even if it involves outsourcing beyond the elves to other races of beings like the dwarves. This is highly unusual, because the elves are immortal, and for them a few passing months is like a tiny ripple in a vast ocean of their lives, so to be pushing for something to be finished on a very short time frame sparks warning bells for many fans.
Has Celebrimbor already encountered and been influenced by Sauron at this point? Is this force of evil in Middle Earth pressuring the great elven creator into making the rings as quickly as possible, so that he can seize dominion of Middle Earth before anyone becomes suspicious? Or has this come from Celebrimbor’s own greed and hubris in a new twist for his character in the Rings of Power portrayal? The answer remains to be seen, and will only be answered in further episodes of the series.