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History, Personal Details & Powers
taken from EACHDRAIDH APP
❧ Name: Thranduil Oropherion
❧ Age: We aren't given a specific age for him, but it's possible to figure out when he was probably born, given the knowledge elves only usually reproduce during times of peace and he's listed as a First Age baby. With that in mind: 6950 (approx.) if he was born after the Long Peace began in the First Age. That means his years on Arda for each age would be 270 FA, 3441 SA, 3019 TA, 220 FOA at the time of his entry into the game.
❧ Canon Point: 220 Fourth Age. The year Eldarion (Aragorn's son) dies and 100 years after Legolas sails.
❧ Canon Info: Tolkien's Legendarium
NB I have collected everything written on Thranduil from the Legendarium on his journal, so I will be putting it in order here instead of linking to the wiki which is, at best, vague. Based off his heritage, I'll be aligning him with the kingdom where those of his race would have lived (because it's only common sense to do so) although it is never outrightly stated in as many words. Given how stringent Tolkien was in his "these elves lived in a fancy cave, those ones stayed banged up in their big secret city, the others did a thing over this exact plot of land", I'm confident in applying the following stipulations to his history.
To begin with, there were factions of elves already in place by the time Thranduil was born. The son of one of the Sindar, Oropher, Thranduil would have lived in the enormous forest-land of Doriath within the halls of King Thingol. Menegroth was known as the Thousand Caves (if you've seen DoS all you need to do is imagine Thranduil's halls on crack/a dozen times fancier, and there you go). Thingol was a decent enough ruler, in summary, but he was slain by some hella covetous dwarves and Doriath was later sacked, murdering the greater host of Menegroth and ousting those who remained. Things went to hell in Beleriand with the War of Wrath, which essentially turned into everyone launching an attack on Morgoth whose bullshit they had had enough of, which lasted for forty-two years of dragons, balrogs, orcs, wolves and all kinds of nasty shit that no one wants to deal with from a dark lord. When most of the elves left to sail west, Oropher essentially said 'The Valar [gods] just sank an entire continent, we're done with their shit' and set off east over the Blue Mountains of the dwarves who had killed the Sinda king, not to stop marching until they were well shot of the Noldorin elves along with their own people who decided to stick around with the new elven lord Gil-Galad's forces in Lindon, a fiefdom of Sindar ruled over by Galadriel and Celeborn under the High-King.
Oropher was Not Down With That.
They arrived before 1000 of the Second Age and Thranduil's father actively encouraged the Sindar princes (elves of fancier lineage compared solely to the Silvan people) to merge with the Silvan in an effort to get back to their roots, to start afresh with the new state of Eryn-Galen, the Woodland Realm in Rhovanion, as far from where they started out as possible. First living atop Amon Lanc where they built a great city, rumours of Sauron having returned from defeat pushed Thranduil's father to take their people northward no less than three times in 1050 of the Third Age, constantly on the move as their home was overtaken by shadow and renamed Dol Guldur. Eryn-Galen, "Super Nice Wood, Bring The Family", became Taur-nu-Fuin, "Danger Everywhere, No Refunds". The Woodelves removed themselves one last time even further, this time north of the mountains in order to put something substantial between them, the former dark lord's oldboyfriend lieutenant and what Oropher considered the unwanted interference of the Lorien elf-folk. Mostly Galadriel's influence, given her Noldorin descent, which he had tried to leave behind in Lindon. Oropher "had the wisdom" to understand that although the Woodelves wanted to stay separate from the affairs of others, no one would be safe unless Sauron was taken down. During the War of the Last Alliance at the end of the Second Age he marched a host of them into battle. The trouble was that they were lightly armed and ill-prepared to match the armies of Mordor and when Thranduil's father led them in a charge of his own without waiting for Gil-Galad's signal to advance during the first assault on the Gates of Mordor, determined to remain independent, two-thirds of the Woodelves were slain — and so was Oropher.
This is where Thranduil comes into his own for the first time in a significant role — he inherits Oropher's kingship, having witnessed his father 'rushing forward at the head of [Gil-Galad's] most doughty warriors' to his death. It was one of the first horrors unleashed on his eyes at the Dagorlad, and had a profound effect on his development thereafter (everlasting PTSD, in essence, which I will outline where it more appropriately applies in the Personality section).
It is stated that when the battle was won, the Woodelves had suffered such grievous losses that the orcs who had previously been positioned (by a now-defeated dark lord) to pick off those they had been told would not be victorious found themselves unable to hold back the new Elvenking's ferocious, grieving forces; 'Thranduil they had let pass, for even his diminished army was far too strong for them'. A year later, Isildur's company of Men found themselves four days' march from Thranduil's temporary new home while being hunted by orcs and Woodsmen runners were sent to beg aid, which Thranduil promptly sent (in a move that Oropher feasibly might not have). Too far removed from the scene, however, they only arrived in time to stop the corpses being mutilated.
A thousand years passed until "a Shadow" (that pesky ol' Sauron) began to coast through the Greenwood yet again like a bad smell. Thranduil marched his entire host into the north-east and secured a home in the caves of northern Mirkwood where '[Oropher's] son was following the example of King Thingol long before, in Doriath' and 'delved there a fortress and great halls underground'. The Halls were never as grand as Menegroth, however, termed 'rustic' by comparison, and after everything Thranduil had been through he spent far more time ensuring it was a fortress rather than a simple city, reinforced by his natural ability to perform a Shutting Spell, of sorts. Why did he emulate Menegroth? Elves value peace, during a period of it was when he was born into one of the greatest elven domains on Arda; Menegroth would have been, for many years, impenetrable owing to Melian's Girdle (super fancy magical goddess protection, not important here save for the fact it did exist) and something of a fortress in its own right. Does Thranduil own the sheer power to create his own Menegroth, his own Gondolin (super secret and safe elf-city) even? No. He is nothing like the High Elves of old, everything he creates as a result of his immersion into Silvan life must be hard-won and implanted by what ranks, comparatively, as hard elven graft. To draw up some clear-cut imagery, High Elves can be likened to dogs and cats, either very strong or canny by turns. When Oropher mixed the Sindar and Silvan, the Woodelves became wholly unlike their counterparts and not simply because they lack the same wisdom. They are a species apart in mannerisms, more like snakes that know the earth and how to traverse the land, how to weave through trees while twice as deadly as their distant kin in Lorien and Imladris.
His days in Menegroth (wacky Silmarillion events aside) would have been some of the happiest and most secure of his life. One can see how he would have channeled his own Arts into outright protective powers, "There is no escape from my magic doors for those who are once brought inside", when keeping all of this in mind. The first great task Thranduil commits to is creating a sanctuary. Deriving from all the events up until he received his throne, his penchant for security is completely understandable.
All these efforts in building his Halls definitely had a positive effect. He clearly did feel safe enough to have a child. Legolas was born during the Watchful Peace between 2063 and 2460 of the Third Age, very likely between Thranduil and a Silvan elf (although a Sinda is just as possible, since we have nothing to go on) and right after was when things took a genuinely unpleasant turn.
In 2460 (TA) Sauron set up shop in Dol Guldur, souring the woods, and three-hundred years later the dragon Smaug laid waste to Erebor (in the Legendarium, Thranduil is never mentioned as having marched a host to the Lonely Mountain). The offspring of Ungoliant infested Mirkwood, sickness began to threaten the elves until only the Halls and closely-knit tree-houses/ground-huts in their immediate vicinity were considered safe; 'fell beasts came hunting, and cruel and evil creatures laid their snares'. By the time Thorin's company came crashing through the woods in The Hobbit the Woodelves had dared to celebrate a rare festival and it was ruined three times by the dwarves reportedly scaring them, according to what Thranduil told Thorin. When questioned as to their purposes and given nothing substantial as an answer, Thranduil's repeated questions were brushed off and he sent them to his dungeons for a fortnight until, unbeknownst to the elves, Bilbo helped them escape. Thranduil, however, upon learning from the birds of the death of Smaug some time later, marched a great host of his people south to lend aid to Laketown where he ordered them to assist in repairs and help those that the felled dragon had wounded. Along with Bard the Bowman, the two returned north to the Lonely Mountain to demand recompense for the latter having slain the dragon. Thorin continued to be a stubborn asshat, at which point Bilbo betrayed him by giving the Arkenstone to the outside forces so they could convince the dwarf-lord to bargain fairly, but before any of that could happen (and after Thranduil had viewed the Arkenstone with disbelief) another milestone commenced; the Battle of the Five Armies. Elves, Men and Dwarves went head to head with the Orcs and Wargs that had followed Thorin's company all the way to Erebor, enraged and seeking blood.
A bunch of dwarves died, Bilbo was named a true bro by Thranduil ('"I will take your gift, O Bilbo the Magnificent!" said the king gravely. "And I name you elf-friend and blessed. May your shadow never grow any less (or stealing would be too easy)! Farewell!"') when the Hobbit apologised for living in his Halls for two weeks while the dwarves were being held captive, and off the Woodelves marched. Nothing further is known of events in Mirkwood until 3017 (TA) when Aragorn hauled Gollum to Thranduil's Halls for safekeeping, there to be questioned by Gandalf. Gollum, being Gollum, managed to escape, and the White Council forced Sauron from Dol Guldur for a short time. Thranduil sent Legolas as an emissary to the Council of Elrond in his place to arrive there by October 25th of 3018 (TA), where his son joined the Fellowship of the Ring and lost touch with Thranduil for over a year. While everyone and their mom were concerned about Frodo's quest, Sauron tried to get Easterlings to invade Mirkwood but the dwarves of Erebor and Men of Dale kept them far from the forest and the dark lord, in lieu of stomping his foot, set fire to the Woodland Realm so that Thranduil himself was forced to ride into battle and drive off the nasties responsible. Victorious, after the War of the Ring he fixed the southern boundary of his realm as the Mountains of Mirkwood and renamed it from Taur-e-Ndaedelos "Mirkwood/Don't Come Here, Yo" with Galadriel's husband, Celeborn, to Eryn-Lasgalen "Wood of Greenleaves/Bitchin' Holiday Resort". In 120 of the Fourth Age, after settling Woodelves far away in Ithilien near Gondor, Legolas sailed west with Gimli.
Here ends all chronicled events pertaining to Thranduil's family and realm as spread over The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Complete Guide to Middle-Earth.
❧ Personality:
Thranduil is the son of one of the "princes" of the Sindar, born in the First Age. The phrasing does not technically denote royal blood and simply sets out to show the difference between the Sindar and the Silvan elves with whom they actively integrate and dissolve such differences in status. It is clear from historical accounts of Oropher doing all he could to move away from the Noldor that every opportunity for bitterness and prejudice to sink in was afforded to Thranduil from a relatively young age, yet we never witness a single account of this. Toward others, such as during the capture of the dwarves in The Hobbit, he is strict but fair. He demands a certain degree of sheer respect, certainly, but what king wouldn't, especially from trespassers who appear to be deliberately launching repeated attacks? Even during the first scene where he grows impatient with Thorin Oakenshield, it is because of the offense he feels has been angled his way; having lived in the great Thousand Caves of Menegroth where his king was slain by the dwarves of Nogrod, he holds nothing racist against the company in The Hobbit. Thranduil himself says he will keep them in prison 'until [they] have learnt sense and manners', there is nothing personal about his dissent with them. He is, however much by a sad accident, very much a king and holds himself to it without fail of form (you don't chastise the manners of anyone against whom you hold the grudge of a few thousand slain kinsmen).
Thranduil can only guess at the real reason Thorin's company are on their way through his realm. To begin with, he makes it clear the Woodelves misunderstand the approach of the dwarves, asking 'Why did you and your folk three times try to attack my people at their merrymaking?' He fully believes the three interruptions, persistent and disruptive as they were in unsettling the elves, are offensive in nature and, given how long he has been defending Mirkwood at the price of his peoples' lives up until that point, feels he has every right to a straight answer. 'Did you not three times pursue and trouble my people in the forest and rouse the spiders with your riot and clamour?' His temper is riled by being insulted with their evasive answers after a very serious incident has occurred.
The imprisoned company is well-fed, not ill-treated and allowed to keep their dignity but the reminder of exactly what they did is reinforced for two weeks as Thranduil holds them captive. Mirkwood is, by this point, incredibly dangerous; Sauron is in Dol Guldur, the mountains are full of evil creatures, a dragon slumbers on Thranduil's doorstep. Anything that thrice hauls the attention of deadly spiders onto unsuspecting elves is not going to be looked on kindly, least of all the insolence that Thorin displays. Tolkien uses suggestive language to reinforce the fact the dwarves are hardly behaving in their best interests — 'such a question of course made the king angrier' is stated when describing how Balin pleaded starvation; it is deliberately structured to make us understand that the Elvenking in his own realm, not the heroes in this scene, is the one with whom we ought to be siding despite all the company has undergone in Mirkwood. One can't mouth off at a king after terrifying his subjects in his own territory.
He does not hate the dwarves — he hates their secretiveness, stubbornness and outright insolence, and can recognize echoes of it dating back through the Ages. What firmness he handles them with is served with the brevity of someone who has seen a race at their worst and knows they can take it. At the Council of Elrond, Gloin reminds Legolas, 'You were less tender to me' when the latter remarks how Gollum fared in the Elvenking's Halls yet when the same scene is described in the narrative of The Hobbit Tolkien states 'they were reasonably well-behaved even to their worst enemies', so the whole matter largely falls down to the interpretation of the once-imprisoned Gloin. That Thranduil holds grudges can definitely be inferred by his willingness to keep Thorin's company as his prisoners for a hundred years until they 'feel inclined to tell the truth'. As he informs Bilbo when issuing a warning, 'I have more knowledge in general of dwarves than you have perhaps. I advise you to remain with us'. Yet upon Thorin's deathbed he places Orcrist on the fallen warrior's chest as a sign of respect. Thranduil shows no stagnancy where change is concerned. If honour or progress is won despite a shaky start then the ends justify the means.
Having witnessed dwarves at their worst, he is more wary than anything — too much, in fact, because Thorin's family had nothing to do with the only direct spat the Mirkwood elves are said to have had with dwarves in the past.
While protective and acting in the best interests of his people, Thranduil is far from perfect. His flaws resonate in the phrasing Beorn uses, warning that the Woodland elves are 'less wise and more dangerous'. He is very much a good person yet even those have their weaknesses. Thranduil's is canonically 'silver and white gems' which echo starlight, those he wishes to add to his hoard to emulate the wealth of elf-kings past and 'as great a treasure'. When he mistakenly assumes the dwarves are attacking is a prime example of how his judgment lacks the acumen of someone such as Elrond. Thranduil knows what he knows, he understands what he has lived through and acts in the best manner he can following on from that. That he screws up is amended later ("Sorry you're dead, Thorin, guess you weren't so bad after all"). Anyone who learns through the hard slog of Doing rather than Being Born With ItMaybelline-style will understand such a point of view.
He recognises suffering. He knows that to go through something terrible requires the aid of those around you and this is why, when he hears from the birds that Smaug is dead, instead of marching straight over to Erebor where the promise of all those incredible gems he so desires are apparently sitting unguarded, he turns his array southward. Bard begs for help and Thranduil, moved to pity, essentially says 'Fuck this noise, I'm on my way, bro'. He has the Woodelves fell trees and bring timber further north, away from the desolation of Laketown, and a number of them stay behind when Thranduil and Bard take their hosts north to the Lonely Mountain to ensure that the new town will be 'designed more fair and large even than before'. Thranduil is said to have 'hastened' to Bard's aid. Flawed and covetous of beautiful white gems he might be, but the allure of them is clearly not enough to override his sense of right and wrong, duty and honour.
Bilbo does more than keep his head around the Arkenstone — he actively tries to put it to genuine, unfettered good use. Thranduil, humbled by these actions, plies him to stay with the safety of the arrayed host and warns him that Thorin will treat him harshly if he returns. After repeatedly urging him not to return to the mountain, he salutes him 'with honour' and goes on to provide an escort to see Bilbo safely back to his friends.
So what do we know of Thranduil? He is stern and patient, moved to empathy for the plight of others — those who refrain from invading his homeland, frightening his people and refusing to admit the truth, at any rate. The very best of him is shown in a short comment when the dwarves of the Iron Hills march upon the host camped outside Erebor, awaiting the moment Thorin will stand by his word of granting Laketown their Smaug-stolen treasure, long ago taken from Dale. Whereas Bard is raring for a fight, Thranduil — with his wealth of experience from Doriath — provides caution:
One of the last details we can glean about Thranduil from The Hobbit comes when he accepts Bilbo's gift of a beautiful necklace in recompense for the thief needing to live off elven fare in Thranduil's Halls while the dwarves were held captive. 'May your shadow never grow any less (or stealing would be too easy)!' is said with the fondness with which he appraises Bilbo. His sincerity is real, he speaks 'gravely', and still manages to toss in wit when he feels comfortable with someone's character. Delightfully, echoes of this live on in his son when Legolas becomes one of the Nine Walkers (teasing Gandalf about setting fire to snow immediately springs to mind). Moreover, Thranduil allows Legolas to move away to Ithilien and later to sail west with Gimli, the son of one of the dwarves previously imprisoned with Thorin's company. The Woodland Realm is said to have nothing short of 'flourished' in the Fourth Age and from this I infer that Thranduil went to great pains to rid his lands of Sauron's agents, once and for all, so that none would need to suffer at their hands again.
Beorn may not have hit the nail on the head as closely as he thought, for Thranduil's flaws are far outweighed by his strengths of character, forged from seven-thousand years of fear, loss and love.
❧ Powers:
❧ Name: Thranduil Oropherion
❧ Age: We aren't given a specific age for him, but it's possible to figure out when he was probably born, given the knowledge elves only usually reproduce during times of peace and he's listed as a First Age baby. With that in mind: 6950 (approx.) if he was born after the Long Peace began in the First Age. That means his years on Arda for each age would be 270 FA, 3441 SA, 3019 TA, 220 FOA at the time of his entry into the game.
❧ Canon Point: 220 Fourth Age. The year Eldarion (Aragorn's son) dies and 100 years after Legolas sails.
❧ Canon Info: Tolkien's Legendarium
NB I have collected everything written on Thranduil from the Legendarium on his journal, so I will be putting it in order here instead of linking to the wiki which is, at best, vague. Based off his heritage, I'll be aligning him with the kingdom where those of his race would have lived (because it's only common sense to do so) although it is never outrightly stated in as many words. Given how stringent Tolkien was in his "these elves lived in a fancy cave, those ones stayed banged up in their big secret city, the others did a thing over this exact plot of land", I'm confident in applying the following stipulations to his history.
To begin with, there were factions of elves already in place by the time Thranduil was born. The son of one of the Sindar, Oropher, Thranduil would have lived in the enormous forest-land of Doriath within the halls of King Thingol. Menegroth was known as the Thousand Caves (if you've seen DoS all you need to do is imagine Thranduil's halls on crack/a dozen times fancier, and there you go). Thingol was a decent enough ruler, in summary, but he was slain by some hella covetous dwarves and Doriath was later sacked, murdering the greater host of Menegroth and ousting those who remained. Things went to hell in Beleriand with the War of Wrath, which essentially turned into everyone launching an attack on Morgoth whose bullshit they had had enough of, which lasted for forty-two years of dragons, balrogs, orcs, wolves and all kinds of nasty shit that no one wants to deal with from a dark lord. When most of the elves left to sail west, Oropher essentially said 'The Valar [gods] just sank an entire continent, we're done with their shit' and set off east over the Blue Mountains of the dwarves who had killed the Sinda king, not to stop marching until they were well shot of the Noldorin elves along with their own people who decided to stick around with the new elven lord Gil-Galad's forces in Lindon, a fiefdom of Sindar ruled over by Galadriel and Celeborn under the High-King.
Oropher was Not Down With That.
They arrived before 1000 of the Second Age and Thranduil's father actively encouraged the Sindar princes (elves of fancier lineage compared solely to the Silvan people) to merge with the Silvan in an effort to get back to their roots, to start afresh with the new state of Eryn-Galen, the Woodland Realm in Rhovanion, as far from where they started out as possible. First living atop Amon Lanc where they built a great city, rumours of Sauron having returned from defeat pushed Thranduil's father to take their people northward no less than three times in 1050 of the Third Age, constantly on the move as their home was overtaken by shadow and renamed Dol Guldur. Eryn-Galen, "Super Nice Wood, Bring The Family", became Taur-nu-Fuin, "Danger Everywhere, No Refunds". The Woodelves removed themselves one last time even further, this time north of the mountains in order to put something substantial between them, the former dark lord's old
This is where Thranduil comes into his own for the first time in a significant role — he inherits Oropher's kingship, having witnessed his father 'rushing forward at the head of [Gil-Galad's] most doughty warriors' to his death. It was one of the first horrors unleashed on his eyes at the Dagorlad, and had a profound effect on his development thereafter (everlasting PTSD, in essence, which I will outline where it more appropriately applies in the Personality section).
It is stated that when the battle was won, the Woodelves had suffered such grievous losses that the orcs who had previously been positioned (by a now-defeated dark lord) to pick off those they had been told would not be victorious found themselves unable to hold back the new Elvenking's ferocious, grieving forces; 'Thranduil they had let pass, for even his diminished army was far too strong for them'. A year later, Isildur's company of Men found themselves four days' march from Thranduil's temporary new home while being hunted by orcs and Woodsmen runners were sent to beg aid, which Thranduil promptly sent (in a move that Oropher feasibly might not have). Too far removed from the scene, however, they only arrived in time to stop the corpses being mutilated.
A thousand years passed until "a Shadow" (that pesky ol' Sauron) began to coast through the Greenwood yet again like a bad smell. Thranduil marched his entire host into the north-east and secured a home in the caves of northern Mirkwood where '[Oropher's] son was following the example of King Thingol long before, in Doriath' and 'delved there a fortress and great halls underground'. The Halls were never as grand as Menegroth, however, termed 'rustic' by comparison, and after everything Thranduil had been through he spent far more time ensuring it was a fortress rather than a simple city, reinforced by his natural ability to perform a Shutting Spell, of sorts. Why did he emulate Menegroth? Elves value peace, during a period of it was when he was born into one of the greatest elven domains on Arda; Menegroth would have been, for many years, impenetrable owing to Melian's Girdle (super fancy magical goddess protection, not important here save for the fact it did exist) and something of a fortress in its own right. Does Thranduil own the sheer power to create his own Menegroth, his own Gondolin (super secret and safe elf-city) even? No. He is nothing like the High Elves of old, everything he creates as a result of his immersion into Silvan life must be hard-won and implanted by what ranks, comparatively, as hard elven graft. To draw up some clear-cut imagery, High Elves can be likened to dogs and cats, either very strong or canny by turns. When Oropher mixed the Sindar and Silvan, the Woodelves became wholly unlike their counterparts and not simply because they lack the same wisdom. They are a species apart in mannerisms, more like snakes that know the earth and how to traverse the land, how to weave through trees while twice as deadly as their distant kin in Lorien and Imladris.
His days in Menegroth (wacky Silmarillion events aside) would have been some of the happiest and most secure of his life. One can see how he would have channeled his own Arts into outright protective powers, "There is no escape from my magic doors for those who are once brought inside", when keeping all of this in mind. The first great task Thranduil commits to is creating a sanctuary. Deriving from all the events up until he received his throne, his penchant for security is completely understandable.
All these efforts in building his Halls definitely had a positive effect. He clearly did feel safe enough to have a child. Legolas was born during the Watchful Peace between 2063 and 2460 of the Third Age, very likely between Thranduil and a Silvan elf (although a Sinda is just as possible, since we have nothing to go on) and right after was when things took a genuinely unpleasant turn.
In 2460 (TA) Sauron set up shop in Dol Guldur, souring the woods, and three-hundred years later the dragon Smaug laid waste to Erebor (in the Legendarium, Thranduil is never mentioned as having marched a host to the Lonely Mountain). The offspring of Ungoliant infested Mirkwood, sickness began to threaten the elves until only the Halls and closely-knit tree-houses/ground-huts in their immediate vicinity were considered safe; 'fell beasts came hunting, and cruel and evil creatures laid their snares'. By the time Thorin's company came crashing through the woods in The Hobbit the Woodelves had dared to celebrate a rare festival and it was ruined three times by the dwarves reportedly scaring them, according to what Thranduil told Thorin. When questioned as to their purposes and given nothing substantial as an answer, Thranduil's repeated questions were brushed off and he sent them to his dungeons for a fortnight until, unbeknownst to the elves, Bilbo helped them escape. Thranduil, however, upon learning from the birds of the death of Smaug some time later, marched a great host of his people south to lend aid to Laketown where he ordered them to assist in repairs and help those that the felled dragon had wounded. Along with Bard the Bowman, the two returned north to the Lonely Mountain to demand recompense for the latter having slain the dragon. Thorin continued to be a stubborn asshat, at which point Bilbo betrayed him by giving the Arkenstone to the outside forces so they could convince the dwarf-lord to bargain fairly, but before any of that could happen (and after Thranduil had viewed the Arkenstone with disbelief) another milestone commenced; the Battle of the Five Armies. Elves, Men and Dwarves went head to head with the Orcs and Wargs that had followed Thorin's company all the way to Erebor, enraged and seeking blood.
A bunch of dwarves died, Bilbo was named a true bro by Thranduil ('"I will take your gift, O Bilbo the Magnificent!" said the king gravely. "And I name you elf-friend and blessed. May your shadow never grow any less (or stealing would be too easy)! Farewell!"') when the Hobbit apologised for living in his Halls for two weeks while the dwarves were being held captive, and off the Woodelves marched. Nothing further is known of events in Mirkwood until 3017 (TA) when Aragorn hauled Gollum to Thranduil's Halls for safekeeping, there to be questioned by Gandalf. Gollum, being Gollum, managed to escape, and the White Council forced Sauron from Dol Guldur for a short time. Thranduil sent Legolas as an emissary to the Council of Elrond in his place to arrive there by October 25th of 3018 (TA), where his son joined the Fellowship of the Ring and lost touch with Thranduil for over a year. While everyone and their mom were concerned about Frodo's quest, Sauron tried to get Easterlings to invade Mirkwood but the dwarves of Erebor and Men of Dale kept them far from the forest and the dark lord, in lieu of stomping his foot, set fire to the Woodland Realm so that Thranduil himself was forced to ride into battle and drive off the nasties responsible. Victorious, after the War of the Ring he fixed the southern boundary of his realm as the Mountains of Mirkwood and renamed it from Taur-e-Ndaedelos "Mirkwood/Don't Come Here, Yo" with Galadriel's husband, Celeborn, to Eryn-Lasgalen "Wood of Greenleaves/Bitchin' Holiday Resort". In 120 of the Fourth Age, after settling Woodelves far away in Ithilien near Gondor, Legolas sailed west with Gimli.
Here ends all chronicled events pertaining to Thranduil's family and realm as spread over The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Complete Guide to Middle-Earth.
❧ Personality:
Thranduil is the son of one of the "princes" of the Sindar, born in the First Age. The phrasing does not technically denote royal blood and simply sets out to show the difference between the Sindar and the Silvan elves with whom they actively integrate and dissolve such differences in status. It is clear from historical accounts of Oropher doing all he could to move away from the Noldor that every opportunity for bitterness and prejudice to sink in was afforded to Thranduil from a relatively young age, yet we never witness a single account of this. Toward others, such as during the capture of the dwarves in The Hobbit, he is strict but fair. He demands a certain degree of sheer respect, certainly, but what king wouldn't, especially from trespassers who appear to be deliberately launching repeated attacks? Even during the first scene where he grows impatient with Thorin Oakenshield, it is because of the offense he feels has been angled his way; having lived in the great Thousand Caves of Menegroth where his king was slain by the dwarves of Nogrod, he holds nothing racist against the company in The Hobbit. Thranduil himself says he will keep them in prison 'until [they] have learnt sense and manners', there is nothing personal about his dissent with them. He is, however much by a sad accident, very much a king and holds himself to it without fail of form (you don't chastise the manners of anyone against whom you hold the grudge of a few thousand slain kinsmen).
Thranduil can only guess at the real reason Thorin's company are on their way through his realm. To begin with, he makes it clear the Woodelves misunderstand the approach of the dwarves, asking 'Why did you and your folk three times try to attack my people at their merrymaking?' He fully believes the three interruptions, persistent and disruptive as they were in unsettling the elves, are offensive in nature and, given how long he has been defending Mirkwood at the price of his peoples' lives up until that point, feels he has every right to a straight answer. 'Did you not three times pursue and trouble my people in the forest and rouse the spiders with your riot and clamour?' His temper is riled by being insulted with their evasive answers after a very serious incident has occurred.
The imprisoned company is well-fed, not ill-treated and allowed to keep their dignity but the reminder of exactly what they did is reinforced for two weeks as Thranduil holds them captive. Mirkwood is, by this point, incredibly dangerous; Sauron is in Dol Guldur, the mountains are full of evil creatures, a dragon slumbers on Thranduil's doorstep. Anything that thrice hauls the attention of deadly spiders onto unsuspecting elves is not going to be looked on kindly, least of all the insolence that Thorin displays. Tolkien uses suggestive language to reinforce the fact the dwarves are hardly behaving in their best interests — 'such a question of course made the king angrier' is stated when describing how Balin pleaded starvation; it is deliberately structured to make us understand that the Elvenking in his own realm, not the heroes in this scene, is the one with whom we ought to be siding despite all the company has undergone in Mirkwood. One can't mouth off at a king after terrifying his subjects in his own territory.
He does not hate the dwarves — he hates their secretiveness, stubbornness and outright insolence, and can recognize echoes of it dating back through the Ages. What firmness he handles them with is served with the brevity of someone who has seen a race at their worst and knows they can take it. At the Council of Elrond, Gloin reminds Legolas, 'You were less tender to me' when the latter remarks how Gollum fared in the Elvenking's Halls yet when the same scene is described in the narrative of The Hobbit Tolkien states 'they were reasonably well-behaved even to their worst enemies', so the whole matter largely falls down to the interpretation of the once-imprisoned Gloin. That Thranduil holds grudges can definitely be inferred by his willingness to keep Thorin's company as his prisoners for a hundred years until they 'feel inclined to tell the truth'. As he informs Bilbo when issuing a warning, 'I have more knowledge in general of dwarves than you have perhaps. I advise you to remain with us'. Yet upon Thorin's deathbed he places Orcrist on the fallen warrior's chest as a sign of respect. Thranduil shows no stagnancy where change is concerned. If honour or progress is won despite a shaky start then the ends justify the means.
Having witnessed dwarves at their worst, he is more wary than anything — too much, in fact, because Thorin's family had nothing to do with the only direct spat the Mirkwood elves are said to have had with dwarves in the past.
'In ancient days [the Woodland Elves] had had wars with some of the dwarves, whom they accused of stealing their treasure. It is only fair to say that the dwarves gave a different account, and said that they only took what was their due, for the elf-king had bargained with them to shape his raw gold and silver, and had afterwards refused to give them their pay.' —( Flies and Spiders, The Hobbit)The above is part of the reason he is so stung by the backhanded replies of Thorin's company; from where Thranduil stands, he has been tricked by dwarves in the past in his own right. This is the last overarching mention I will make regarding Thranduil's opinion on dwarves as a whole; it is a subject of contention amongst fans but not so great a factor in his development as to veer his personality any which way in the books, unlike in the films.
While protective and acting in the best interests of his people, Thranduil is far from perfect. His flaws resonate in the phrasing Beorn uses, warning that the Woodland elves are 'less wise and more dangerous'. He is very much a good person yet even those have their weaknesses. Thranduil's is canonically 'silver and white gems' which echo starlight, those he wishes to add to his hoard to emulate the wealth of elf-kings past and 'as great a treasure'. When he mistakenly assumes the dwarves are attacking is a prime example of how his judgment lacks the acumen of someone such as Elrond. Thranduil knows what he knows, he understands what he has lived through and acts in the best manner he can following on from that. That he screws up is amended later ("Sorry you're dead, Thorin, guess you weren't so bad after all"). Anyone who learns through the hard slog of Doing rather than Being Born With It
He recognises suffering. He knows that to go through something terrible requires the aid of those around you and this is why, when he hears from the birds that Smaug is dead, instead of marching straight over to Erebor where the promise of all those incredible gems he so desires are apparently sitting unguarded, he turns his array southward. Bard begs for help and Thranduil, moved to pity, essentially says 'Fuck this noise, I'm on my way, bro'. He has the Woodelves fell trees and bring timber further north, away from the desolation of Laketown, and a number of them stay behind when Thranduil and Bard take their hosts north to the Lonely Mountain to ensure that the new town will be 'designed more fair and large even than before'. Thranduil is said to have 'hastened' to Bard's aid. Flawed and covetous of beautiful white gems he might be, but the allure of them is clearly not enough to override his sense of right and wrong, duty and honour.
"The Elvenking is my friend, and he has succoured the people of the Lake in their need, though they had no claim but friendship on him," answered Bard. —( The Gathering of the Clouds, The Hobbit)When Isildur pleads for aid, what does Thranduil do? He sends it. These are not the actions of a cruel individual. Even when the Arkenstone is temporarily granted into the possession of Bard and Thranduil, he makes no move to claim it for his own, though 'used to things of wonder and beauty' and standing in amazement. Instantly recognising the power the jewel wields over hearts and the incredible self-control in simply passing it over, he remarks how Bilbo is sincerely, 'more worthy to wear the armour of elf-princes than many that have looked more comely in it'. He isn't joking — the Silmarils of the First Age were a point of enormous contention and grief for anyone who became involved with them, yet the flawless creation that is the Arkenstone is treated with noble intention by someone of no great status or heroism to speak of. Bilbo ranks exceedingly highly in Thranduil's estimation after this, with the Elvenking going so far as to call him elf-friend. It can be said that, at this point, Thranduil remembers the losses that many suffered in his youth; the Feanorian saga of the Silmarils revolving around a destructive oath, the renowned death of the fairest elven maid in history (Luthien Tinuviel) when she and her lover suffered as a result of her involvement with precious jewels, King Thingol slain by dwarves who wanted a Silmaril for their own; beautiful gemstones are never usually viewed in a positive light. Right in front of Erebor, Bilbo tells Thranduil and Bard that Thorin himself 'values [the Arkenstone] more than a river of gold,' and then hands it over like an unwanted spare shoe.
Bilbo does more than keep his head around the Arkenstone — he actively tries to put it to genuine, unfettered good use. Thranduil, humbled by these actions, plies him to stay with the safety of the arrayed host and warns him that Thorin will treat him harshly if he returns. After repeatedly urging him not to return to the mountain, he salutes him 'with honour' and goes on to provide an escort to see Bilbo safely back to his friends.
So what do we know of Thranduil? He is stern and patient, moved to empathy for the plight of others — those who refrain from invading his homeland, frightening his people and refusing to admit the truth, at any rate. The very best of him is shown in a short comment when the dwarves of the Iron Hills march upon the host camped outside Erebor, awaiting the moment Thorin will stand by his word of granting Laketown their Smaug-stolen treasure, long ago taken from Dale. Whereas Bard is raring for a fight, Thranduil — with his wealth of experience from Doriath — provides caution:
"But the Elvenking said: "Long will I tarry, ere I begin this war for gold. The dwarves cannot pass us, unless we will, or do anything that we cannot mark. Let us hope still for something that will bring reconciliation. Our advantage in numbers will be enough, if in the end it must come to unhappy blows." —( The Clouds Burst, The Hobbit)There is an excerpt in Unfinished Tales which strengthens his reasoning for holding off on waging battle and it returns directly to the suffering of his people, along with the murder of his father, during the War of the Last Alliance.
But there was in Thranduil's heart a still deeper shadow. He had seen the horror of Mordor and could not forget it. If ever he looked south its memory dimmed the light of the Sun, and though he knew that it was now broken and deserted and under the vigilance of the Kings of Men, fear spoke in his heart that it was not conquered for ever: it would rise again. —( UT | pg 259 )In short, Thranduil has Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. He will live, ostensibly, forever yet wholly unable to recover from the destruction witnessed when his father broke from Gil-Galad to charge to his death. With this in mind, there is nothing surprising about the lines he speaks to Bard. Perhaps Mirkwood elves are less wise. It doesn't mean Thranduil's wisdom is not substantial in his own right, nor ever did. Here, where he tries to stay gratuitous conflict in The Hobbit, is proof of that.
One of the last details we can glean about Thranduil from The Hobbit comes when he accepts Bilbo's gift of a beautiful necklace in recompense for the thief needing to live off elven fare in Thranduil's Halls while the dwarves were held captive. 'May your shadow never grow any less (or stealing would be too easy)!' is said with the fondness with which he appraises Bilbo. His sincerity is real, he speaks 'gravely', and still manages to toss in wit when he feels comfortable with someone's character. Delightfully, echoes of this live on in his son when Legolas becomes one of the Nine Walkers (teasing Gandalf about setting fire to snow immediately springs to mind). Moreover, Thranduil allows Legolas to move away to Ithilien and later to sail west with Gimli, the son of one of the dwarves previously imprisoned with Thorin's company. The Woodland Realm is said to have nothing short of 'flourished' in the Fourth Age and from this I infer that Thranduil went to great pains to rid his lands of Sauron's agents, once and for all, so that none would need to suffer at their hands again.
Beorn may not have hit the nail on the head as closely as he thought, for Thranduil's flaws are far outweighed by his strengths of character, forged from seven-thousand years of fear, loss and love.
❧ Powers:
NB These spells are not grand or immeasurably potent, save for the Art which Thranduil uses to put his fortress on lock-down. Being of rather common Sindar lineage, Thranduil's power can be termed just as 'rustic' as his Halls, without the glamour of Elrond, Galadriel or Gil-Galad. Art is the overbearing term Tolkien used for MAGIA and GOETEIA, two versions of the same sort of ability: 'Magia was held to be good and goeteia bad [...] neither is good or bad except by motive or purpose or use. Both sides used both, but with different motives.' This magic 'cannot be attained by "lore" or spells; it is an inherent power not possessed by Men as such' as stated in Letter 155. Magia is the Doing, Goeteia is almost Living Sentiment.
For the official Tolkien Encyclopedia explanation, click this link to view a screenshot.
❧ ART: THE SHUTTING GIFT (magia)
“Their ‘magic’ is Art, delivered from its human limitations: more effortless, more quick, more complete (product, and vision in unflawed correspondence). And its object is Art not Power, sub-creation not domination and tyrannous reforming of Creation.”
— (JRR Tolkien)
What does this mean? All elves have a natural talent whereby they can exert their influence in a certain way. Elrond owns Foresight, for example, and Galadriel keeps Lothlorien pure by sheer proximity. Whether as a by-product of his upbringing, mostly involved in battles, on the run and generally under attack, Thranduil's Art takes form in a protective seal. 'The Elvenking's palace' is sealed by 'Magic', and of this Thranduil himself says, "There is no escape from my magic doors for those who are once brought inside" after 'great gates of the king closed behind them with a clang'. Gandalf mentions he himself uses a shutting-spell and while I don't fully equate what Thranduil can do by natural law of his own will with a Maiar's style, the name serves well enough.
❧ART: THE SHROUDING GIFT (magia)
1) 'all the lights went out as if by magic. Somebody kicked the fire and it went up in rockets of glittering sparks and vanished. They were lost in a completely lightless dark,' // 'he stumbled forward into the full blaze of the fire and torches. It was no good. Out went all the lights again and complete darkness fell.' // 'out stepped Thorin into their midst. Dead silence fell in the middle of a word. Out went all light. The fires leapt up in black smoke. Ashes and cinders were in the eyes of the dwarves,'
— (The Hobbit)
Whether laid down prior or implemented on a whim, the elves can seemingly put out a large array of lights, torches and fires at once, as well as drop 'dead silence' while in full-tilt conversation. This manner of Shrouding Spell feasibly links back to Thranduil's protective form of Art.
❧ ART: THE SLEEPING GIFT (magia)
The black river running from the Mountains of Mirkwood 'carries enchantment and a great drowsiness and forgetfulness' according to Beorn, but there is more to it than sleep and amnesia. The minds and spirits of Bombur and Bilbo are pulled into visions of the elves at their merrymaking. To quote Exploring JRR Tolkien's The Hobbit, 'The similarity between the two dreams appears to confirm that the spell Bombur had been under was elven magic'. Moreover, the elves actively put Bilbo to sleep the second time he crosses the boundary. The third time Thorin crosses the boundary, he 'falls like a stone enchanted' and has to be actively woken up, 'they took their spell off him and he came to his senses'; this is an upping of the stakes, a Three-Strike rule prevalent in the folklore Tolkien referenced, and the point at which the Sleeping Spells knock people out immediately. If normal Mirkwood elves can send people to sleep and have infused their local river with a strong enough spell to stop anything mean and nasty rushing across it into their territory then it stands to reason that Thranduil, as their Elvenking who wields a far more powerful, protective style of Art, can definitely do so.
❧ BEAST-SPEECH AND MASTERY (goeteia)
'The Elvenking had received news [...] from the birds that loved his folk, and [...] the air was filled with circling flocks, and their swift-flying messengers flew here and there across the sky. Above the borders of the Forest there was whistling, crying and piping. Far over Mirkwood tidings spread: "Smaug is dead!" Leaves rustled and startled ears were lifted.'
Widely used by elves, dwarves and wizards, Thranduil can hold very real conversations with birds and beasts.
❧ IMMORTALITY (ENDURANCE)
'Elves are naturally immortal, and remain unwearied with age. In addition to their immortality, Elves can recover from wounds which would normally kill a mortal Man. However, Elves can be slain, or die of grief and weariness.'
(x)
It is notoriously difficult to kill an elf. Along with a natural brand of endurance which means they never fall sick, their vigor is displayed by suffering terrible temperatures of hot and cold. At one point, Legolas even walks on snow. Elven bodies flaunt superior sight, hearing and lightness of foot. They can, however, waste away of heartbreak, sorrow or be slain with great effort.
❧ LIVE-ACTION SLUMBER
1) 'it is plainly suggested that Elves do 'sleep', but not in our mode, having a different relation to what we call 'dreaming'. Nothing very definite is said about it (a) because except at a length destructive of narrative it would be difficult to describe a different mode of consciousness, and (b) for reasons that you so rightly observe: something must be left not fully explained, and only suggested.'
— (JRR Tolkien to Mr. Bittern)
2) 'Legolas already lay motionless, his fair hands folded upon his breast, his eyes unclosed, blending living night and deep dream, as is the way with Elves.' // 'Only Legolas still stepped as lightly as ever, his feet hardly seeming to press the grass, leaving no footprints as he passed; but in the waybread of the Elves he found all the sustenance that he needed, and he could sleep, if sleep it could be called by Men, resting his mind in the strange paths of elvish dreams, even as he walked open-eyed in the light of this world.'
— (LOTR: TTT)
Elves tend not to close their eyes when they fall asleep. It's a semi-aware, half-dreaming sort of trance. If Thranduil were unconscious and had his eyes fully closed, it wouldn't mean anything good. 'Sleep-walking' is a very real thing and taking cues from Legolas walking around while asleep, small tasks could feasibly be performed; rising to shut a door when there is a draft, for example.
❧ ÓSANWE/INTUITIVE APTITUDE
Quenya word meaning "interchange of thought".
(TG.net)
Inasmuch as any normal elf could read the intentions of a human he could 'see' with the kind of perception that would come off eerie during intense concentration. Nothing on the level of Galadriel, however, who owns full-blown telepathic capabilities. Like picking a seed out of a bowl instead of scooping up a handful.
