Who is Cirdan?
 

I know this may sound stupid after i`ve read the book 10 times,but who is Cirdan? :rolleyes:

Cirdan is an elf of the first age. Whether he was one of the Elves that first awoke at Cuiveinen or not is speculated, but it's clear he is one of the oldest elves (being told he has a beard, Tolkien said only the very oldest elves have beards).

He is the Lord of the Grey Havens (a port in western Middle-earth where elves go to sail west to the Undying Lands). He was the original possessor of one of the elven rings, then when Gandalf came to Middle-earth, he gave it to Gandalf.

He was involved with the wars against Morgoth in the earlier ages, as well as helping the Dunedain in their war against Angmar, but since then he's stayed in the Grey Havens and will remain there until the last elf leaves for the Undying Lands.

I hope that gives a nice, brief introduction. :)

To add a little to what Boromir88 has already said. The Teleri delayed long on The Great Journey, and Cirdan was the leader of those seeking Elwe, it is also said that the Teleri had already developed a type of sailing vessel before they got to the coast, and the evolution of this craft was taught by Osse. This is due to the Teleri's long delay on the shores of The Sea of Rhun.

What I believe is that Cirdan did start on the Great Journey, he may or may not have been one of the first who awoke at Cuivienen, we may never know, but he was a leader and he was chosen by Ulmo to stay in Middle-earth for a very special reason.

P.S Do not feel stupid asking questions, no-one on this site knows all things, the important is to know where to look. I suggest you start on the Newcomers and Novices page, other than that invest in Robert Fosters Guide to Middle-Earth, you can pick one up on Ebay for a few pounds.

Of course, you could also start with the index of each of LotR and The Silm. They are very handy for giving page references. Also, The Encyclopedia of Arda can be very handy, although not all its entries are thorough. There is of course a Barrow Downs encyclopedia and fact sheet to which many Downers have turned.

And some new sources on the net: Tolkien Gateway . This is a wiki based solely on Tolkien and maintained by some very dedicated Tolkien fans.

So, just remember that we at the Downs are not the only source for arcane (and not so arcane) Tolkien information!