Character of the Month: Celegorm

[daughterofshadows]

Tolkien is generally not recognized for his skill at creating complex characterizations. On the surface, Celegorm seems a prime example of this: a basic villain who betrays a beloved king, kidnaps a princess, and keeps company with the types of people who murder children. Even his dog rejects him.

But, as a deeper investigation of his character reveals, Tolkien did consider him with some nuance, often drawing back from pure villainy to add details to his character that allow for the kind of speculation and inference that makes reading (and creating fanworks about) The Silmarillion so enjoyable. Even after deciding that Celegorm should play the role of a villain—and this decision evolved over the course of years—Tolkien seems not to have lost sight of Celegorm's earlier, more benevolent form and appears to have acted with intention to shape Celegorm's character accordingly.

You can read the first part of Celegorm's biography here.