Cirdan wasn’t one of the Kings. Those were Finwë of the Noldor, Ingwë of the Vanyar and Elwë (later known as Thingol (from Elwë Singollo, Elwë of the Grey Cloak)) of the Teleri/Sindar.
Shelob was the offspring of Ungoliant, who was a Maia in spider form whom Melkor recruited to help him kill the Trees and steal the Silmarils. Shelob was born well into the First Age, since Ungoliant came alone with Melkor to Middle-Earth from the dark shores south of the Calacirya when Melkor fled from the Noldor.
Take it easy! L I’ll have only one thing to go on for my idea (IIRC, as to who or what he is, the answer is given that “He is”, which just struck me as too close to “I Am”) & I would like to see what Tolkien said.
Que?
The founders of the Three Houses were, according to Tolkien’s writings, Ingwe of the Vanyar, Finwe of the Noldor, and the brothers Elwe (>Thingol Greycloak) and Olwe of the Teleri. Is that what you meant? Cirdan Shipwright was around in the First Age, living in Eglarest and Brithombar on the western shores of Beleriand before its downfall, then apparently in Mithlond thereafter until the Last Ship sails to the West.
ETA: Curse you, jayjay!
Hey, yours was more complete. I completely forgot Olwë!
And Chronos’s supposition would have still not necessarily been right (that Cirdan wouldn’t have been a patriarch of one of the Elf nations if he’d been born instead of awakened) because we have Fingon (and later Gil-Galad), who was High King of the Noldor in Middle-Earth, since his father Finwë remained in Valinor.
In his first major motion picture appearance!!!
According to the Encyclopedia of Arda (I know I keep referencing it but in my experience it is the best source of info on all things Middle Earth) it is hard to say who was born or awakened:
And…
If Bombadil was around when the first raindrop fell, wouldn’t he then have been a maiar helping to create the physical world?
Maybe he (in TLoTR) is what happens when a maiar goes senile, or so lost into their mission that they seem… “touched in the head”. (Like a human hermit lost in the mountains for thirty years, who now would be seen talking to himself, and needing a bath & shave.)
In what alternative universe was he the patriarch of one of the three great houses?
Cirdan was a Teleri, of whom the head was Elwë (Thingol). According to Wiki, the original head of the Teleri was Enel, the third elf to awake, but I’m not sure what that’s based upon (presumably something in HoME).
Cirdan was lord of the Falathrim, the Teleri which remained in M-E on the shores of Belegaer.
Edit: Sorry, didn’t mean to pile on…
Nope. He is not Maiar.
He is…Tom.
Tolkien specifically stated Tom is supposed to be an enigma and is not really ever explained.
My guess is Tom is some manifestation or personification of the “spirit” of Middle Earth itself and thus came into being at the creation of the whole thing. Think of him as an emergent property wholly unintended or specifically put there by anyone else. As such he is pretty much neutral, sort of above or beyond it all. Just revels in “being”.
I have no backup for any of that. Just my personal sense of him given not much else to go on.
The Valar were present at the Beginning. Were the Maiar as well? It’s been too long since I’ve read.
Yes. They all existed before Middle Earth was willed into existence then entered. Maiar are lesser Valar and are associated with a particular Valar.
I’ve always considered it interesting that both Sauron and Saruman were Maiar serving Aulë (the Vala of “Technology”…mining and blacksmithing and creation of objects). I think it shows Tolkien’s basic antagonism to the encroachment of technology on the semi-/rural world that he loved. Even though Aulë is faithful to the Music and Eru, it seems to be “his” Maiar that are most tempted by evil.
Círdan was my first thought as well. I’m not sure how old the Sprites/Maia are (Saruman, Radagast, Gandalf, & presumably Tom & Goldberry are all Sprites). Some of them could be older than all the elves, though I don’t think they’re necessarily (or even likely) older than the earth itself.
JRRT wrote conflicting things about the origins of Cirdan, and whether he might be one of the “Cuivienen-awakened” so there is no real canon about it. I prefer to think of Cirdan as one of the ones who woke up when Varda hung the Sickle in the sky as a threat to Melkor. But that’s mainly because it’s more consistent with the rough drafts that I enjoy most.
But there’s little doubt that Cirdan was the eldest of the Children of Iluvatar who appeared in LOTR. He was also pronounced “The Wisest Elf” in Middle-Earth by JRRT himself, who attributed this to Cirdan’s using the Palantir to communicate with his distant kin back in Avalonnë to learn more.
Otherwise, Eru was first, then sprang the Ainur (both Valar, Maiar, and other Ainur who did not enter into Arda). It’s hard to assign seniority to the Ainur, because they were created in the “Timeless Halls of Iluvatar”.
It seems most likely that the spirits inhabiting the eagles and the ents (and the spiders) were also Ainur, whose origins were Timeless.
Tom Bombadil was other. Heck, one could posit that he was older than Eru, left over from some previous creation/universe. But it would be pointless to do so, the question cannot be answered.
Nomenclature: The Valar are the mightiest of the Ainur who entered into Arda. The Maiar are the lesser Ainur who entered into Arda. There’s a bunch of Ainur who stayed out of Arda, opting to hang with Eru.
Nitpicking: Middle-Earth is a region of Arda. It’s not the creation itself, just as Europe is just a region on the globe.
Qadqop, I can’t agree that the Ents are Ainur; Ents are able to have entings.
And eagles have eaglets.
Silmarillion, JRRT
I don’t know how else to interpret “spirits from afar”. JRRT’s mythos reserves most of those sorts of things for the Ainur.
And Melian gave birth to Luthien, and Ungoliant to Shelob.
Who got it on with Ungoliant? (Don’t say Wormtongue).
Talk about doing the nasty.
Kelvar and Olvar are Ents and Eagles?