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| name=Woodland Realm
| name=Woodland Realm
| pronun=
| pronun=
| othernames=
| othernames=Northern Mirkwood<ref group="note">Though geographically "Northern Mirkwood" might refer to a wide tract of the [[Greenwood|Forest]], as a proper name it is always used as synonym for [[Thranduil]]'s Woodland Realm in the northeast near to the [[Long Lake]].
| location=[[Mirkwood|Greenwood the Great]]; later Northern [[Mirkwood]]
</ref><ref name="UT"/><ref name=council/>
| capital=[[Amon Lanc]], [[Emyn Duir]], later the [[Elvenking's Halls]]
| location=Various locations within [[Greenwood the Great]]; by the end of the [[Third Age]], they settled in the far northeast of the [[Greenwood the Great|forest]]
| capital=The [[Elvenking's Halls]] from the early [[Third Age]]
| towns=
| towns=
| regions=
| regions=
| population=Mostly [[Silvan Elves]]<ref>{{App|SA}}</ref>
| population=[[Elves of Mirkwood]]
| language=[[Silvan Elvish]], [[Sindarin]], [[Westron]]
| language=[[Silvan Elvish]], [[Sindarin]], [[Westron]]
| govern1=[[Oropher]]
| govern1=[[Oropher]]
| govern2=[[Thranduil]]
| govern2=Later [[Thranduil]]
| govern3=
| govern3=
| currency=
| currency=
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| precededby=
| precededby=
| event1=Founded
| event1=Founded
| event1date={{SA|750}}<ref>{{PM|Second}}, p. 174</ref>
| event1date={{SA|750}}<ref name=date/><br>''[[#Foundation|See below]]''
| event2=
| event2=
| event2date=
| event2date=
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| followedby=
| followedby=
}}
}}
The '''Woodland Realm''' was a kingdom of [[Silvan Elves]] in [[Mirkwood]], from the [[Second Age]] onwards.
The '''Woodland Realm'''<ref name="Ride">{{RK|Ride}}</ref> was the great kingdom of the [[Silvan Elves]] in [[Mirkwood]].


== History ==
== History ==
=== Second Age ===
=== Second Age ===
The Woodland Realm was established by [[Oropher]] in {{SA|750}}, a [[Sindar|Sindarin]] [[Iathrim|Elf of Doriath]], after the [[War of Wrath]].<ref>{{PM|Second}}, p. 174</ref> Unlike most Sindar, Oropher and his household declined the [[Valar]]'s offer to depart from [[Middle-earth]] for [[Valinor]]. Instead he migrated eastward and became the King of the [[Silvan Elves]] of [[Mirkwood|Greenwood the Great]]. The few Sindar who had come with him were soon merged with the [[Silvan Elves]], adopting their customs and language and taking names of Silvan form and style.<ref name="Sindarin Princes"/> Oropher and his household wished to return to a simple existence natural to the Elves before they had been disturbed by the Valar.<ref name="Sindarin Princes">{{UT|Galadriel}}, "Appendix B: The Sindarin Princes of the Silvan Elves"</ref>
{{seealso|#Other versions of the legendarium}}


Originally Oropher's realm encompassed the entirety of Greenwood, with its capital at [[Amon Lanc]]. However, during the Second Age, he and his people migrated north three times.<ref name="Note 14">{{UT|Gladden}}, note 14</ref> According to one tradition, the first movement was northward beyond the [[Gladden Fields]], due to Oropher's desire to distance himself from the increasing encroachments of the Dwarves of [[Moria]] and his resentment of the intrusions of [[Celeborn]] and [[Galadriel]] in [[Lothlórien]]. However his people did maintain constant intercourse with their kin west of the [[Anduin]].<ref name="Sindarin Princes"/> Oropher was also disturbed by the reports of [[Sauron]]'s rising power and by the end of the Second Age he dwelt in the western glens of the [[Mountains of Mirkwood|Emyn Duir]] or Dark Mountains and his people lived north of the [[Men-i-Naugrim]] or Dwarf-road.<ref name="Note 14"/>
The Woodland Realm was established by [[Oropher]] in {{SA|750}}, a [[Sindar|Sindarin]] [[Iathrim|Elf of Doriath]], after the [[War of Wrath]].<ref name=date>{{PM|Second}}, p. 174</ref> Unlike most [[Sindar]], [[Oropher]] and his household declined the [[Valar]]'s offer to depart from [[Middle-earth]] for [[Valinor]]. Instead, he migrated eastward from [[Lindon]] and became the King of the [[Silvan Elves]] east of [[Anduin]].<ref name="Note 14"/> The few [[Sindar]] who had come with him were soon merged with the [[Silvan Elves]], adopting their customs and language and taking names of [[Silvan Elvish|Silvan form and style]].<ref name="Sindarin Princes"/> [[Oropher]] and his household wished to return to a simple existence natural to the [[Elves]] before they had been disturbed by the [[Valar]].<ref name="Sindarin Princes">{{UT|6b}}</ref>


In {{SA|3430}},<ref>{{App|SA}}</ref> Oropher and Amdír led their combined forces against [[Sauron]] as part of the [[Last Alliance of Elves and Men]]. During the [[Battle of Dagorlad]] the Silvan contingent refused to obey the orders of the [[Noldor]]in king [[Gil-galad]], instead charging the enemy alone. They fought valiantly, but being ill-equipped and outnumbered most were slain, among them Oropher.<ref name="Sindarin Princes"/> Over the course of the war, which ended with the [[Siege of Barad-dûr]] in {{SA|3441}}, most of the Silvan army had been lost. Thranduil led the remaining third of his army back home to the Greenwood.<ref name="Sindarin Princes"/>
Originally, [[Oropher]]'s realm encompassed the south of [[Greenwood]],<ref name="Sindarin Princes"/> with dwellings about the hill of [[Amon Lanc]].<ref name="Note 14"/> However, throughout the [[Second Age]], he and his people migrated north three times.<ref name="Note 14">{{UT|Gladden}}, note 14</ref> According to one tradition, the first movement was northward beyond the [[Gladden Fields]], due to [[Oropher]]'s desire to distance himself from the increasing encroachments of the [[Dwarves of Khazad-dûm]] and his resentment of the intrusions of [[Celeborn]] and [[Galadriel]] in [[Lothlórien]].<ref name="Sindarin Princes"/> However, his people did maintain constant intercourse with their [[Galadhrim|kin]] west of the [[Anduin]].<ref name="Sindarin Princes"/>  
 
[[Oropher]] was also disturbed by the reports of [[Sauron]]'s rising power and by the end of the [[Second Age]], he dwelt in the western glens of the [[Mountains of Mirkwood|Emyn Duir]] and his numerous people lived and roamed in the woods and vales westward as far as [[Anduin]], north of the ancient [[Men-i-Naugrim|Dwarf-Road]].<ref name="Note 14"/>
 
In {{SA|3430}}, [[Oropher]] led the forces of the Woodland Realm against [[Sauron]] as part of the [[Last Alliance of Elves and Men]].<ref name="Sindarin Princes"/>  


=== Third Age ===
=== Third Age ===
[[File:Anke Eißmann - Thranduil.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Anke Eißmann]] - ''Thranduil''|right]]
[[File:Anke Eißmann - Thranduil.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Anke Eißmann]] - ''Thranduil''|left]]
Oropher's son, [[Thranduil]], succeeded him as king of the Woodland Realm<ref name="Sindarin Princes"/> and ruled for the duration of the [[Third Age]].
[[Oropher]]'s son, [[Thranduil]], succeeded him as the lord of the Woodland Realm<ref name="Sindarin Princes"/> and ruled the Woodland Realm in peace for many years.


Around {{TA|1050}}, an evil entity known as the [[Necromancer#Sauron's Return|Necromancer]] (later identified as [[Sauron]]) inhabited the abandoned halls of [[Amon Lanc]], and Greenwood grew infested with [[Orcs]] and giant [[Spiders]].<ref name="TA">{{App|TA}}</ref> The Wood-elves retreated yet further north<ref name="Sindarin Princes"/> and many landmarks were renamed: Greenwood became [[Mirkwood]], the Emyn Duir the Mountains of Mirkwood or ''[[Emyn-nu-Fuin]]'', and Amon Lanc was known as [[Dol Guldur]], the Hill of Sorcery.
Around {{TA|1100}}, an evil entity known as the [[Necromancer]] (later identified as [[Sauron]]) had created a stronghold on [[Amon Lanc]] called [[Dol Guldur]].<ref name="TA">{{App|TA}}</ref> As the [[Shadow]] fell upon [[Greenwood the Great]], [[Thranduil]]'s realm retreated before it as it spread ever northward, until at last, Thranduil established his realm in the north-east of the forest and delved there a [[Elvenking's Halls|fortress and great halls underground]].<ref name="Sindarin Princes"/> His realm was also protected by the [[Enchanted River]]<ref>{{H|Queer}}</ref>, which could cause one to sleep and dream deeply, whilst the Elvenking's Halls served as the chief fortress of the realm.<ref name=Flies/>


By the middle of the Third Age, the Silvan Elves of Mirkwood were much reduced in number though Mirkwood still had a greater population of Elves than [[Lindon]], [[Rivendell]], or [[Lothlórien]].<ref>{{L|347}} p. 425 </ref> To avoid the encroachment of the Necromancer from the south, they dwelt in the lands north of the [[Forest River]], living mainly in and around the [[Elvenking's Halls]]. They also had become increasingly withdrawn and wary of strangers, though they did trade with the neighbouring realms of [[Lonely Mountain|Erebor]] and [[Dale]], and imported wine from [[Dorwinion]] via the [[River Running]]. The former traffic came to an end upon with the destruction of Erebor by the [[Dragons|dragon]] [[Smaug]] in {{TA|2770}}.<ref name="TA"/>
Thranduil's realm is said to have extended into the woods surrounding the [[Lonely Mountain]] and growing along the west shores of the [[Long Lake]], before the coming of the [[Dwarves of Moria|Dwarves exiled from Moria]] and the invasion of the [[dragon]] [[Smaug]].<ref name="Sindarin Princes"/> The Woodland Realm did trade with the neighbouring realms of Erebor and [[Dale]], and imported wine from [[Dorwinion]] via the [[River Running]]. The former traffic came to an end upon with the destruction of Erebor by Smaug in {{TA|2770}}<ref name="TA"/> but again resumed after the [[Battle of Five Armies]].<ref>{{H|19}}</ref>


==== Quest for Erebor ====
In {{TA|2941}},<ref name="TA"/> [[Thorin and Company|Thorin's band of Dwarves]] intruded in the Woodland Realm and were held prisoner in the [[Elvenking's Halls]].<ref name=Flies>{{H|Flies}}</ref> Upon hearing the death of Smaug, Thranduil immediately assembled the army of the Woodland Realm and marched towards [[Erebor]]. In the ensuing [[Battle of Five Armies]], many [[Wood-elves]] were slain <ref>{{H|Burst}}</ref> and many of the [[Orcs]] that survived wandered into the Woodland Realm were slain or lost in the trackless dark of Mirkwood.<ref>{{H|18}}</ref>
In {{TA|2941}},<ref name="TA"/> Thranduil's people were disturbed, three times, by a band of [[Dwarves]] while feasting in the forest. The Dwarves were captured after the third interruption and brought to the Elvenking's halls. Though they had trespassed, they were not imprisoned until after they had been questioned and refused to be forthright. Their leader, [[Thorin]], refused to reveal the purpose of their journey from their halls far to the west in [[Eriador]].<ref name=Flies/> The others, taken separately, had been questioned, refused to speak openly, and also spoke insultingly of the Elves.<ref name=Barrels/>  
[[File:Capucine Mazille - The Battle of Five Armies.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Capucine Mazille]] - ''The Battle of Five Armies'']]
On [[20 June]] {{TA|3018|n}} a force of [[Orcs]] attacked the Woodland Realm (orchestrated by Sauron),<ref name="UT"/> the purpose of this raid being to provide a distraction and facilitate the escape of [[Gollum]]<ref name=great/> who had been entrusted to Thranduil's care by the [[Rangers of the North|Ranger]] [[Aragorn]].<ref name="UT">{{UT|Hunt}}</ref>


Thranduil was content to wait for the Dwarves' stubborness to subside. Though prisoners in the king's dungeons, they were not ill-treated by the Wood-elves who "were reasonably well-behaved even to their worst enemies, when they captured them."<ref name=Flies>{{H|Flies}}</ref> After many days of imprisonment, they escaped with the help of their companion, the [[Hobbits|hobbit]] [[Bilbo Baggins]], who had avoided capture using a [[The One Ring|magic ring]].<ref name=Barrels>{{H|Barrels}}</ref>
In the wake of this, Thranduil sent his son, [[Legolas]], to deliver news of [[Gollum]]'s escape to Aragorn and [[Elrond]] in [[Rivendell]]. Upon arriving, Legolas participated in the [[Council of Elrond]] as an ambassador of the Woodland Realm where the full details of Sauron's resurgence were revealed.<ref name=council>{{FR|II2}}</ref>  


Sometime later, the Elves heard that Smaug, provoked by the escaped dwarves, had left Erebor to attack [[Lake-town]] where he was slain by [[Bard|Bard the Bowman]]. With that news, it was believed that the dwarves must have died and the wealth of [[Thror]], augmented by Smaug's pillage of Dale, was left unprotected. Thranduil immediately assembled an army and marched towards [[Erebor]]. On the way, they met messengers from [[Bard]] seeking aid for the people of destroyed Lake-town. Thranduil being "the lord of a good and kindly people," turned his march to lend them aid.<ref name=Fire/> He gave them a great store of goods and skilled Elves stayed to help the people erect shelters for the winter. He and Bard, a descendant of [[Girion]] of Dale, then joined forces and marched north in arms as Thranduil had perceived that the swift spreading news of Smaug's death was "an ill wind . . . that blows no one any good."<ref name=Fire>{{H|Fire}}</ref>
Meanwhile, on [[15 March]] {{TA|3019|n}}, Sauron's forces invaded the Woodland Realm in force and there was long [[battle under the trees]] and great ruin of fire; but in the end Thranduil had the victory. On the [[Elven New Year]] ([[6 April]]), he met [[Celeborn]], [[Lord of Lórien]], and the two agreed to rename the forest [[Eryn Lasgalen]]. Thranduil took the area from the northern eaves of the forest south to the [[Emyn Duir]] for the Woodland Realm.<ref name=great>{{App|Great}}</ref>
 
[[File:Capucine Mazille - The Battle of Five Armies.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Capucine Mazille]] - ''The Battle of Five Armies'']]
On arriving, however, they found Thorin and his company alive, and Thorin, despite their early attempts to negotiate, refused to relinquish his claim on any of the treasure and had secured Erebor against an assault. Thranduil and Bard then lay siege to the Dwarves, who awaited aid from their relatives in the [[Iron Hills]] to the east.<ref>{{H|Gathering}}</ref> Hoping to avert battle, Bilbo delivered the [[Arkenstone]] to the Wood-elves and Men, so they could use it to bargain with Thorin.<ref>{{H|Thief}}</ref> This act earned him great respect from the Elvenking who stated that he was "worthy to wear the armour of elf-princes," which referred to the mithril-mail shirt, found in the dragon's hoard, that Thorin had given him.


The next morning, Bard and Thranduil entered into negotiations with an angered Thorin, who agreed to pay one-fourteenth share of the treasure in exchange for the stone. Thranduil was reluctant to start a war over gold, but when the forces of Dáin arrived the next day, before the trade had been made for the Arkenstone, the Dwarves proceeded to attack. While the Elves, Men, and Dwarves skirmished, other enemies, who had learned of the dragon's fall, arrived. Orcs and [[Wargs]] from the [[Misty Mountains]] and [[Grey Mountains]] had joined forces to march to the Lonely Mountain and sieze the hoard. Under the council of Gandalf, Elves, Men, and Dwarves joined together against their common foes. In the ensuing [[Battle of Five Armies]], many Wood-elves were slain, <ref>{{H|Burst}}</ref> as was Thorin Oakenshield, but afterwards an agreement was reached for the division of the dragon hoard.<ref>{{H|Return}}</ref>
=== Later History ===
After the [[War of the Ring]], the [[Elves of Mirkwood|Silvan Elves of the Greenwood]], including those of the Woodland Realm, remained untroubled.<ref name=great/> Many folk of the realm removed south to [[Gondor]] to restore the beauty of the [[South-kingdom]], especially [[Minas Tirith]] and [[Ithilien]].<ref name=durin>{{App|Durin}}</ref><ref name="RK-MinasTirith">{{RK|V1}}</ref>


In the same year, the [[White Council]], including [[Gandalf]], drove the Necromancer from Dol Guldur.<ref>{{H|Stage}}</ref>
The eventual fate of the Woodland Realm is unknown.  


==== War of the Ring ====
==Other versions of the legendarium==
[[File:Michael Kaluta - Legolas Draws the Bow of Galadriel.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Michael Kaluta]] - ''Legolas Draws the Bow of Galadriel''|left]]
===Foundation===
Sauron, now revealed as the evil presence which had abandoned (not, as it had been thought at the time, driven out of) Dol Guldur, from his rebuilt stronghold in [[Mordor]] sent three [[Nazgûl]] to reoccupy Dol Guldur in {{TA|2951|n}}.<ref name="TA"/> On [[20 June]] {{TA|3018|n}} a force of [[Orcs]] attacked the Woodland Realm from this base, the purpose of this raid being to provide a distraction and facilitate the escape of [[Gollum]]<ref name="Great">{{App|Great}}</ref> who had been entrusted to Thranduil's care by the [[Rangers of the North|Ranger]] [[Aragorn]].
The foundation of the Woodland Realm is disputed:


In the wake of this Thranduil sent his son, [[Legolas|Legolas Greenleaf]], to deliver news of Gollum's escape to Aragorn and [[Elrond]] in [[Rivendell]]. Upon arriving Legolas participated in the [[Council of Elrond]] where the full details of Sauron's resurgence were revealed. <ref>{{FR|II2}}</ref> Legolas was chosen to represent the Elves in the [[Fellowship of the Ring]], and journeyed with the [[Ring-bearers|Ring-bearer]] [[Frodo Baggins]] towards Mordor. After the [[Breaking of the Fellowship]] Legolas continued to accompany Aragorn, fighting in the [[Battle of the Hornburg]], the [[Battle of the Pelennor Fields]] and the [[Battle of the Morannon]]. Legolas also developed a close friendship with the dwarf [[Gimli]], son of one of Thorin's companions: [[Glóin]]. This friendship did much to improve relations between the two peoples.
*According to [[Appendix B]] of ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', [[Thranduil]] was among the wave of [[Sindar]] who, before the building of [[Barad-dûr]] c. {{SA|1000}}, established the Woodland Realm among the [[Silvan Elves]] and became the king in the north of [[Greenwood the Great]].<ref name=SA>{{App|SA}}</ref>


Meanwhile, on [[15 March]] {{TA|3019|n}} Sauron attacked the Woodland Realm in force, resulting in the bloody [[Battle Under Trees]]. Thranduil led his forces to victory, however, and then set about a campaign to clear Mirkwood of orcs and other evil beings. On [[Elven New Year]] he met [[Celeborn]], lord of [[Lothlórien]], and the two agreed to rename the forest [[Eryn Lasgalen]]. It was then divided: Thranduil was to rule north of the mountains, the forest south of the [[Narrows of the Forest|Narrows]] became [[East Lórien]] and the rest was given to the [[Beornings]].
*An alternate origin story is given in the article [[The History of Galadriel and Celeborn]] in ''[[Unfinished Tales]]''. [[Oropher]], along with a handful of [[Iathrim|Sindar from Doriath]] (alongside his son Thranduil), took up the rule of the [[Silvan Elves]] of Greenwood the Great sometime after the [[Ruin of Doriath|ruin of Doriath]]. He established his realm in the south of the forest.<ref name="Sindarin Princes"/>


=== Fourth Age ===
*In one draft from the article [[The Tale of Years of the Second Age]] from ''[[The Peoples of Middle-earth]]'', [[Thranduil]] was among the wave of [[Teleri]] from [[Doriath]] who established the Woodland Realm in the north of Greenwood the Great in {{SA|750}}.<ref name=date/>
During the Fourth Age the Woodland Realm prospered, free of enemies. A group of Wood-elves led by Legolas helped rebuild [[Minas Tirith]] and settled for a time in [[Ithilien]].


The eventual fate of the Woodland Realm is unknown. In {{FoA|120}} Legolas, having seen the sea during the War of the Ring, eventually sailed west to Valinor, reputedly with Gimli at his side.<ref>{{App|Later}}</ref> Like all Elves the people of the Woodland Realm were destined to either leave [[Middle-earth]] for Valinor or to 'fade' and become rustic woodland spirits. Given Oropher's refusal to leave Middle-earth at the end of the [[First Age]] was rooted in a desire to 'live naturally' as Elves had before being contacted by the Valar, it seems likely that the latter was the fate of Thranduil and most of his people. However, the ultimate fate of the last Elvenking and the remaining Elves in the [[Fourth Age]] is unknown.
This article and the wiki reconciles these three stories as: [[Oropher]] and his household of [[Sindar]] (including his son [[Thranduil]]) from [[Doriath]] established the Woodland Realm in the south of [[Greenwood the Great]] in {{SA|750}}.


==Portrayal in adaptations==
==Portrayal in adaptations==
Line 77: Line 80:
:Thranduil's realm is called [[Eryn Lasgalen]] and is accessible after the fall of Dol Guldur. In addition to "Felegoth", the Halls of the Elvenking, there is the [[Raft-elves|Raft-elf]] settlement of "Loeglond" near the [[Long Lake]]; and the haunted ruins of "Caras Tilion", the former capital in the Mountains of Mirkwood. The quests in the area involve bringing stability to the realm so that trade may resume.
:Thranduil's realm is called [[Eryn Lasgalen]] and is accessible after the fall of Dol Guldur. In addition to "Felegoth", the Halls of the Elvenking, there is the [[Raft-elves|Raft-elf]] settlement of "Loeglond" near the [[Long Lake]]; and the haunted ruins of "Caras Tilion", the former capital in the Mountains of Mirkwood. The quests in the area involve bringing stability to the realm so that trade may resume.


{{notes}}
{{references}}
{{references}}
[[Category:Elven realms]]
[[Category:Elven realms]]
[[Category:Forests]]
[[Category:Forests]]
[[Category:Rhovanion]]
[[Category:Rhovanion]]

Revision as of 14:05, 1 April 2021

Woodland Realm
Alan Lee - Gandalf's Farewell.jpg
General information
Other namesNorthern Mirkwood[note 1][1][2]
LocationVarious locations within Greenwood the Great; by the end of the Third Age, they settled in the far northeast of the forest
CapitalThe Elvenking's Halls from the early Third Age
People
PopulationElves of Mirkwood
LanguageSilvan Elvish, Sindarin, Westron
GovernanceOropher
Later Thranduil
History
FoundedS.A. 750[3]
See below

The Woodland Realm[4] was the great kingdom of the Silvan Elves in Mirkwood.

History

Second Age

See also: #Other versions of the legendarium

The Woodland Realm was established by Oropher in S.A. 750, a Sindarin Elf of Doriath, after the War of Wrath.[3] Unlike most Sindar, Oropher and his household declined the Valar's offer to depart from Middle-earth for Valinor. Instead, he migrated eastward from Lindon and became the King of the Silvan Elves east of Anduin.[5] The few Sindar who had come with him were soon merged with the Silvan Elves, adopting their customs and language and taking names of Silvan form and style.[6] Oropher and his household wished to return to a simple existence natural to the Elves before they had been disturbed by the Valar.[6]

Originally, Oropher's realm encompassed the south of Greenwood,[6] with dwellings about the hill of Amon Lanc.[5] However, throughout the Second Age, he and his people migrated north three times.[5] According to one tradition, the first movement was northward beyond the Gladden Fields, due to Oropher's desire to distance himself from the increasing encroachments of the Dwarves of Khazad-dûm and his resentment of the intrusions of Celeborn and Galadriel in Lothlórien.[6] However, his people did maintain constant intercourse with their kin west of the Anduin.[6]

Oropher was also disturbed by the reports of Sauron's rising power and by the end of the Second Age, he dwelt in the western glens of the Emyn Duir and his numerous people lived and roamed in the woods and vales westward as far as Anduin, north of the ancient Dwarf-Road.[5]

In S.A. 3430, Oropher led the forces of the Woodland Realm against Sauron as part of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men.[6]

Third Age

Anke Eißmann - Thranduil

Oropher's son, Thranduil, succeeded him as the lord of the Woodland Realm[6] and ruled the Woodland Realm in peace for many years.

Around T.A. 1100, an evil entity known as the Necromancer (later identified as Sauron) had created a stronghold on Amon Lanc called Dol Guldur.[7] As the Shadow fell upon Greenwood the Great, Thranduil's realm retreated before it as it spread ever northward, until at last, Thranduil established his realm in the north-east of the forest and delved there a fortress and great halls underground.[6] His realm was also protected by the Enchanted River[8], which could cause one to sleep and dream deeply, whilst the Elvenking's Halls served as the chief fortress of the realm.[9]

Thranduil's realm is said to have extended into the woods surrounding the Lonely Mountain and growing along the west shores of the Long Lake, before the coming of the Dwarves exiled from Moria and the invasion of the dragon Smaug.[6] The Woodland Realm did trade with the neighbouring realms of Erebor and Dale, and imported wine from Dorwinion via the River Running. The former traffic came to an end upon with the destruction of Erebor by Smaug in T.A. 2770[7] but again resumed after the Battle of Five Armies.[10]

In T.A. 2941,[7] Thorin's band of Dwarves intruded in the Woodland Realm and were held prisoner in the Elvenking's Halls.[9] Upon hearing the death of Smaug, Thranduil immediately assembled the army of the Woodland Realm and marched towards Erebor. In the ensuing Battle of Five Armies, many Wood-elves were slain [11] and many of the Orcs that survived wandered into the Woodland Realm were slain or lost in the trackless dark of Mirkwood.[12]

Capucine Mazille - The Battle of Five Armies

On 20 June 3018 a force of Orcs attacked the Woodland Realm (orchestrated by Sauron),[1] the purpose of this raid being to provide a distraction and facilitate the escape of Gollum[13] who had been entrusted to Thranduil's care by the Ranger Aragorn.[1]

In the wake of this, Thranduil sent his son, Legolas, to deliver news of Gollum's escape to Aragorn and Elrond in Rivendell. Upon arriving, Legolas participated in the Council of Elrond as an ambassador of the Woodland Realm where the full details of Sauron's resurgence were revealed.[2]

Meanwhile, on 15 March 3019, Sauron's forces invaded the Woodland Realm in force and there was long battle under the trees and great ruin of fire; but in the end Thranduil had the victory. On the Elven New Year (6 April), he met Celeborn, Lord of Lórien, and the two agreed to rename the forest Eryn Lasgalen. Thranduil took the area from the northern eaves of the forest south to the Emyn Duir for the Woodland Realm.[13]

Later History

After the War of the Ring, the Silvan Elves of the Greenwood, including those of the Woodland Realm, remained untroubled.[13] Many folk of the realm removed south to Gondor to restore the beauty of the South-kingdom, especially Minas Tirith and Ithilien.[14][15]

The eventual fate of the Woodland Realm is unknown.

Other versions of the legendarium

Foundation

The foundation of the Woodland Realm is disputed:

This article and the wiki reconciles these three stories as: Oropher and his household of Sindar (including his son Thranduil) from Doriath established the Woodland Realm in the south of Greenwood the Great in S.A. 750.

Portrayal in adaptations

2018: The Lord of the Rings Online:

Thranduil's realm is called Eryn Lasgalen and is accessible after the fall of Dol Guldur. In addition to "Felegoth", the Halls of the Elvenking, there is the Raft-elf settlement of "Loeglond" near the Long Lake; and the haunted ruins of "Caras Tilion", the former capital in the Mountains of Mirkwood. The quests in the area involve bringing stability to the realm so that trade may resume.

Notes

  1. Though geographically "Northern Mirkwood" might refer to a wide tract of the Forest, as a proper name it is always used as synonym for Thranduil's Woodland Realm in the northeast near to the Long Lake.

References