The Complete Tolkien Companion (18 page)

Cabed Naeramarth
–
See
preceding entry.

Cair Andros
– The island of Cair Andros lay in the middle of the Anduin, some leagues north of Minas Tirith where the provinces of Anórien and North Ithilien faced each other across the Great River. When the lands on the eastern side fell under Sauron's control, about 2900 Third Age, Túrin II, twenty-third Ruling Steward of Gondor, fortified the island to protect Anórien from raids and invasion. The name
Cair Andros
means ‘Ship of long-foam', for the island was shaped like a great ship, with a high prow facing upstream, against which the waters of Anduin broke with force.

Calacirian
–
See
CALACIRYA
.

Calacirya
‘Light-cleft' (Q., older form
Kalakirya
) – The Realm of the Valar, Guardians of the World, was hidden from the shorelands of Valinor by a great range of mountains called the Pelóri, through which there was only one pass: the great ravine of the Calacirya. The Light of the Two Trees flowed through this pass and into the coastal lands beyond, where dwelt the Eldar and all those who had passed ‘over Sea'. The region of Eldamar thus illumined was called
Calaciryan
(sometimes spelt
Calacirian
), from the older form
Kalakiryande,
‘The-Region-of-Calacirya'.

Calaquendi
‘Light-elves' (Q.) – The name given by the Eldar to all those of Elven race who dwelt, or had ever dwelt, in Aman the Blessed during the time of the Trees. These included all the
VANYAR
and the
NOLDOR
, and a part of the
TELERI
, but not the SINDAR, a subdivision of the Telerin clan who remained in Beleriand throughout the First Age. Those of the Calaquendi who returned to Middle-earth were sometimes also called ‘High-elves' (
Tareldar
).

Calembel
– The chief town of the province of Lamedon in Gondor. It was situated upon a low hill commanding the ford across the river Ciril.

Calenardhon
‘Green-region' (Sind.) – A northern province of Gondor. It lay north of the White Mountains, between the rivers Anduin and Isen, and extended as far north as the Limlight and the Forest of Fangorn. In ancient times Calenardhon had been peopled by the Men of the upper vales of the Mountains. (It was this folk who constructed the refuge of Dunharrow and the labyrinth which lay under the Dwimorberg.)

In the days of its power, Gondor defended this province with two strong fortresses: the Hornburg at the entrance to the gorge of Aglarond, and Angrenost, at the feet of the Misty Mountains. But as the Third Age slowly passed, Calenardhon became depopulated by war and by plague. In the year 2510 it was suddenly overrun by the invading Balchoth, and many of its remaining inhabitants perished. The army of Gondor, marching north to defend the province, was assailed by hordes of Orcs and Balchoth, and only the last-minute appearance of the Riders of Éothéod saved it from defeat. In gratitude, Gondor ceded her depopulated province to the Riders, who called their new land the Riddermark. In Gondor it became known as
ROHAN
.

Calendar of Imladris
– The system of reckoning used by the Elves of Rivendell; the only Elf-calendar known (or recorded) by the compilers of the Red Book. The Elves always preferred to reckon, wherever possible, in sixes and twelves, and their
yén
or ‘long year' was equivalent to 144 solar years, or
loa,
each divided into six full ‘seasons' and some extra days. These seasons were named
tuilë, lairë, yávië, quellë, hrivë
and
coirë
(spring, summer, autumn, fading, winter and stirring).

The
loa
began on the last day of
coirë
(this day had a special name,
yestarë
). To correct inherent inaccuracies in the system, the Eldar inserted three ‘middle-days', or
enderi
between ‘autumn' and ‘fading'. Every twelfth year these extra days were doubled to give an average
loa
of 365 days. This is obviously a somewhat inaccurate system, but to the Eldar it presumably sufficed.

Calenhad
‘Green-hump' (Sind.) – One of the chain of seven
BEACON-HILLS
between Minas Tirith and the Firienwood, linking Gondor and Rohan. It lay west of Min-Rimmon and east of the Firienwood.

Calimehtar
– A prince of Gondor, younger brother of King Rómendacil II. His grandson was Castamir the Usurper. Also, from 1856–1936 Third Age, the thirtieth King of Gondor. His father, King Narmacil II, was slain in battle by the Wainriders, and the son avenged this death by a great victory over these formidable peoples in 1899, upon the ancient battlefield of Dagorlad. This victory was achieved with the aid of rebels from Rhovanion, who had been enslaved in the invasion which took Narmacil's life.

Calimmacil
– A prince of Gondor, son of Arciryas and nephew of Narmacil II. It was through this blood-link with the royalty of Gondor that, in 1945 Third Age, Calimmacil's grandson, the victorious general Eärnil II, claimed – and was subsequently awarded – the crown of Gondor.

Calma
– The Quenya word for ‘lamp'; also the title of the Fëanorian Tengwa number 3, representing the sound
ch
(later
k
) in both Quenya and Sindarin.

Calmacil (Tar-Calmacil)
– From 2737–2825 Second Age, the eighteenth King of Númenor. He was a great mariner and empire-builder, and conquered great lands along the shores of Middle-earth, thus alarming and arousing Sauron.

Calmacil was the first King of Númenor to encourage his Adûnaic name – Ar-Belzegar – to be spoken openly in preference to the Eldarin form.

Calmacil
– From 1294–1304 Third Age, the nominal eighteenth King of Gondor, though his son Minalcar (later crowned in his own right as
RÓMENDACIL II
) ruled as regent in his father's name.

Calmatéma
– In the Fëanorian system of writing (the Tengwar), the title given to the ‘series' of letters which utilised the sounds
k, g, kh, gh
(the velar stops and back spirants). These sounds were represented by letters 3, 7, 11, 15, 19 and 23 in Westron (Series III), and by 4, 8, 12, 16, 20 and 24 in Quenya (Series IV).

Calmindon
– The name given to the great lighthouse raised on the small island of Tol Uinen, in the Bay of Rómenna in eastern Númenor, by Aldarion (later Tar-Aldarion) the Mariner.

Camellia Baggins
– The (Sackville) wife of Longo Baggins, Hobbit of the Shire. Their only son Otho was the first Sackville-Baggins. Otho later wedded Lobelia Bracegirdle.

Camlost
‘Empty-Handed' (Sind.) – The bitter name assumed by
BEREN
ERCHAMION when he returned to the halls of Thingol Greycloak without the Silmaril he had won. His right hand still clasped the Jewel, but the hand itself at that time lay within the belly of the Wolf Carcharoth.

Captain of Despair
– An epithet used in Gondor for the Chief Nazgûl, the Lord of Minas Morgul.

Captain of the Haven
(of Umbar) – The title of the Governor of the Havens of Umbar during the time of the Corsairs. He was responsible for the efficiency of the harbour and the ships berthed there.

Captain of the White Tower
– The (traditional) title of Gondor's war-leader; in the days after the passing of the Kings, the title was normally held by the Heir to the Stewardship. Boromir, son of Denethor II, bore this rank.

Carach Angren
‘Iron-jaws' (Sind.) – The Isenmouthe; the gate and wall which guarded the road from the plateau of Gorgoroth in Mordor to the valley of Udûn, which lay behind the Black Gate. Together with the fortress of Durthang which overlooked it, the Isenmouthe was built by Gondor early in the Third Age, to guard Mordor and prevent the re-entry of evil creatures. After Sauron's return, these fortifications were used by him to prevent
escape
from the Black Land.

Caradhras
‘Red-peak' (Sind.) – The Elvish name for the northernmost of the three great peaks that rose above the ancient Dwarf-realm of Moria. (The other two were Celebdil the White and Fanuidhol the Grey.) Because of its cruel reputation, and the bloodlike tinge which habitually lit its northern face, this mountain was known in the Westron speech as the Redhorn. The Dwarves called it
Barazinbar.
Dimrill Dale on the far side, was known as the ‘Redhorn Gate'.

Caragdur
‘Dark-fang' (Sind.) – The name given by the Elves of Gondolin to the steep northern face of the hill Amon Gwareth, on which their city was built.

Caranthir the Dark
– The fourth of the Sons of Fëanor, by repute the most quick-tempered and fell. He returned with his father and his other brothers to Middle-earth in the year before the Rising of the Moon, and took part in the Battle-under-Stars in Mithrim and Ard-galen, afterwards taking Thargelion, the most easterly portion of Beleriand, as his realm. He was thus the first of the High-elven lords to encounter the Dwarves, who dwelt at that time beyond the Ered Luin in their cities of Nogrod and Belegost. As a result, all trade between Dwarves and Elves passed first through Caranthir's lands, affording him and his people considerable profit. But the main focus of his interest lay of course in the North, and to guard against the evil of Morgoth, Caranthir fortified the mountains about Lake Helevorn (for this eastern sector of the front was the most difficult to defend).

All the Sons of Fëanor were prickly, and though valiant, not the easiest of allies; Caranthir exemplified this touchiness. The annals of the times are replete with stories of misunderstandings and missed opportunities, many of which can be laid to the door of the brothers – or to their Oath – and most of all perhaps to Caranthir. For example, he at first underrated the valour of the Edain, so indirectly contributing to the grievous losses sustained by the Haladin when first they came to Beleriand; and he disliked the sons of Finarfin, and thereby did much to sow dissension between the Noldor and King Thingol, who was of course related to Finarfin's kindred.

Caranthir held his lands – named now
Dor Caranthir
(‘Caranthir's Land') – for many hundreds of years, and did his part in the War; but in the Battle of Sudden Flame, whereby Morgoth overthrew the Siege of Angband, the front held by the Eldar and the Edain was broken, and Thargelion was invaded. Caranthir, with the remnant of his people, fled south, to the land of his brethren Amrod and Amras, and there he dwelt until the Nirnaeth Arnoediad. In that grievous battle Caranthir played a valiant part; but it is also told that it was the allies he brought to the fight, Men of Eastern race, who were in great measure responsible for the defeat sustained by the Eldar on that day: for Caranthir's ‘allies' were secretly in Morgoth's pay (
see
ULDOR THE ACCURSED
) and it was their sudden betrayal at the height of the battle which brought ruin upon the rearguard, and so upon the whole Eldarin army.

Afterwards Caranthir, together with his brothers Curufin and Celegorm, lived a hunted life in Beleriand, with no realms to rule, making no war upon Morgoth but seeking still for some way to fulfil the Oath sworn long before. And in their wandering days they fell into evil thoughts, and committed evil actions. It came to their ears after a while that a Silmaril had been recovered from Morgoth and lay hid in Menegroth; and they resolved to recover the Jewel, by any means possible – as indeed they were bound to do, by their Oath. Thingol Greycloak of Doriath, to whom the Jewel had been given (by Beren and Lúthien), was already dead, slain in his own hall; but Thingol's heir Dior Eluchíl ruled in Menegroth, and was the new Keeper of the Silmaril. The three brothers, Celegorm, Curufin and Caranthir now attacked Dior, by stealth and in the dead of winter. But they were unsuccessful in their objective (for the Silmaril was carried to safety by Dior's daughter Elwing the White); and, though they succeeded in killing the Heir of Thingol – and in destroying Doriath – all three were themselves slain.

Caras Galadhon
‘The City of the Trees' (Sind.) – Chief dwelling-place of the Elves of Lothlórien, where ‘there rose to a great height a green wall encircling a green hill thronged with mallorn-trees … Their height could not be guessed, but they stood up in the twilight like living towers. In their many-tiered branches and amid their ever-moving leaves countless lights were gleaming, green and gold and silver.'
1
The mightiest of the
mellyrn
bore several great platforms, or flets, the highest of which held ‘a house, so large that almost it would have served for a hall of Men upon the earth.'
2
There, during the Second and Third Ages, dwelt the Lady Galadriel and her husband Celeborn the Wise.