So far, Rings of Power has hinted at many mysteries, and left several of the big questions fans have held from the beginning unanswered. One such curiosity is that of Celeborn, Galadriel’s husband. According toTolkien’s books, he was already married to the protagonist of the Amazon series throughout the Second Age of Middle Earth, but was yet to be referenced in the show — until now. During Galadriel and Theo’s heartfelt conversation in episode seven, she finally gives some hint towards the possible fate of Celeborn. So who is this curious elf, and could he really have died in the war as Rings of Power seems to suggest?
The TV show may choose to take the storyline in a different direction, but it has made every effort to keep in line with events that occur in the film adaptations of both The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings. However, in the original trilogy, Celeborn is very much alive, and can easily be spotted by fans who know the story well. He is the silver-haired elf who accompanies Galadriel down the stairs in the kingdom of Lothlorien, the first time she encounters the fellowship. He also speaks the famous and iconic line: “Tell me, where is Gandalf? For I much desire to speak with him.” Together, they rule the woodland realm. They are actually the grandparents of Arwen, who goes on to marry Aragorn at the start of the Fourth Age, and helps him rule Gondor until the time of his passing.
During the seventh episode of Rings of Power, when asked is she lost anyone to the orcs, Galadriel tells Theo:
“My brother Finrod. And my husband. Celeborn was his name. We met in a glade of flowers. I was dancing and he saw me there.”
This is a reference to their tale in the Silmarillion, in which Galadriel first came to the kingdom of Doriath, one of the earliest elven settlements. Doriath was ruled by Thingol, a proud and noble man, who is known for having possessed one of the Silmarils after they were stolen back from Morgoth. Celeborn was his son, of the line of the Elder elves, the prince of Doriath. He met and fell in love with Galadriel after they met at a great feast hosted by his father. They were married in the kingdom, and then began to journey to Lindon together, where they lived throughout the Second Age. During this time, Doriath was destroyed after a terrible war between the dwarves and the elves over rights to the Silmaril, which had been set into a necklace by the dwarven smiths.
Galadriel and Celeborn soon found their way to Eregion, where the elven designer Celebrimbor would soon be tricked by Sauron in his fair form into creating the Rings of Power. This is where the TV show currently picks up. It explores the relationship between the elves of Lindon and the dwarves of Khazad-Dum, who are still slightly distrustful of one another due to the bloodshed that occurred in earlier years in Doriath. However, in Tolkien’s original texts, Celeborn was a part of this alliance, until the dwarven kingdom fell to the Balrog, and the elven kingdom of Eregion was also destroyed by Sauron’s evil and the creation of the rings. Just before the kingdom fell, Celeborn entrusted the elven ring Nenya to Galadriel, who fled to Lothlorien to protect it. Lothlorien at that time was without a ruler, so she and Celeborn took up the mantle. They became the lord and lady of the lands, and worked tirelessly to conceal the kingdom and keep it safe from the growing darkness from Mordor.
During the War of the Ring, Celeborn was an instrumental figure. He played an important role both in helping the fellowship when they passed through the woodland realm, and in preventing the darkness from overwhelming the borders of the surrounding lands. He later helped defend Mirkwood alongside King Thranduil, and helped to protect the Beornings who were given some of this land to become their sanctuary. Later, he helped tie up remaining affairs in Rivendell, after Galadriel and Elrond sailed across the sea to Valinor. He later joined his wife and their daughter there, once he was sure that the world was safe in the hands of Aragorn.
Considering that Celeborn is such an important figure in much of Middle Earth’s history, and that his and Galadriel’s marriage spans the course of many centuries, it seems unlikely that he truly was lost to Galadriel as she appears to believe in episode seven. Perhaps they will be reunited, and he will return to be a more prominent figure in the second series of the popular Amazon show.