Celegorm — Middle-earth Lore

Celegorm the Fair was the third son of Fëanor, and swore with his father and brothers the terrible oath to pursue anyone who withheld a Silmaril from them. In Valinor he was a friend of Oromë the Hunter, who gave him the great hound Huan.^1,2

In Beleriand he and his brother Curufin held the land of Himlad. When the Dagor Bragollach broke their defences they fled west to Nargothrond, where Finrod Felagund took them in.³

They repaid him poorly. When Beren came to Nargothrond and Finrod rose to keep his oath to Beren's father, the brothers stirred the people against the quest, for the oath of Fëanor forbade them to let anyone but their own house win a Silmaril. Finrod went with only ten companions, and the brothers ruled in Nargothrond in all but name.²

When Lúthien came seeking Beren, Celegorm took her and held her captive, meaning to force her into marriage and Thingol into alliance. Huan pitied her and helped her escape. When word of Finrod's death came back, the people of Nargothrond would have slain the brothers, but Orodreth forbade it and banished them. On the road they fell on Beren and Lúthien, but Huan turned against his master and would not serve him again.²

The oath held him to the end. When Dior, Beren and Lúthien's son, refused to give up the Silmaril, the sons of Fëanor attacked Doriath, and Celegorm was slain there by Dior's hand.⁴

Sources

Citations name the chapter rather than the page, so they work in any edition. The colour of each note shows what kind of source it is.

Edited posthumously The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales and Tolkien's late writings on the Elder Days, assembled by Christopher Tolkien from his father's papers.

Edited posthumously The Silmarillion, Quenta Silmarillion, ch. 9, “Of the Flight of the Noldor”
Edited posthumously The Silmarillion, Quenta Silmarillion, ch. 19, “Of Beren and Lúthien”
Edited posthumously The Silmarillion, Quenta Silmarillion, ch. 18, “Of the Ruin of Beleriand and the Fall of Fingolfin”
Edited posthumously The Silmarillion, Quenta Silmarillion, ch. 22, “Of the Ruin of Doriath”