Thranduil: Difference between revisions

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| othernames=
| othernames=
| titles=King of the [[Woodland Realm]]
| titles=King of the [[Woodland Realm]]
| birth=Sometime during the [[First Age]]
| birth=[[First Age]]
| realm=[[Woodland Realm]]
| realm=[[Woodland Realm]]
| death=Unknown
| death=
| age=
| age=
| parentage=[[Oropher]] + ?
| parentage=[[Oropher]]
| spouse=Unknown
| spouse=Unknown
| children=[[Legolas of Mirkwood|Legolas]], possibly others
| children=[[Legolas of Mirkwood|Legolas]]
| gender=Male
| gender=Male
| hair=Gold (often portrayed bearded, not impossible)
| hair=
| ref=
|}}
|}}
'''King Thranduil''' was a [[Sindar|Sindarin Elf]] and King of the [[Silvan Elves]] in the northern part of [[Mirkwood]], east of the [[Misty Mountains]]. In ''[[The Hobbit]]'' he is said to have blond hair, which is unusual for a Sinda.  Thranduil was son of [[Oropher]] and father of [[Legolas of Mirkwood|Legolas Greenleaf]].  It is also mentioned that he has a weakness for gold and gems, which is consistant with Tolkien's earlier ideas on elves.
'''King Thranduil''' was a [[Sindar|Sindarin Elf]] and King of the [[Silvan Elves]] in the northern part of [[Mirkwood]], east of the [[Misty Mountains]]. In ''[[The Hobbit]]'' he is said to have blond hair, which is unusual for a Sinda.  Thranduil was son of [[Oropher]] and father of [[Legolas of Mirkwood|Legolas Greenleaf]].  It is also mentioned that he has a weakness for gold and gems, which is consistant with Tolkien's earlier ideas on elves.

Revision as of 07:07, 9 December 2007

Thranduil
Sinda
Henning Janssen - A Law for Thranduil.jpg
Biographical Information
TitlesKing of the Woodland Realm
BirthFirst Age
Family
ParentageOropher
SpouseUnknown
ChildrenLegolas
Physical Description
GenderMale
GalleryImages of Thranduil

King Thranduil was a Sindarin Elf and King of the Silvan Elves in the northern part of Mirkwood, east of the Misty Mountains. In The Hobbit he is said to have blond hair, which is unusual for a Sinda. Thranduil was son of Oropher and father of Legolas Greenleaf. It is also mentioned that he has a weakness for gold and gems, which is consistant with Tolkien's earlier ideas on elves.

History

Early History needed

The Hobbit

Throughout The Hobbit he is simply called the Elvenking. When Thorin Oakenshield and his party of Dwarves enter northern Mirkwood they are captured by Thranduil's elves and locked up when they refuse to divulge their intentions, before being freed by Bilbo Baggins. After the death of the Dragon Smaug, who had brutalized the Grey Elves for years, Thranduil demanded a share of the treasure the Dwarves recovered from Lonely Mountain, Smaug's lair but also the Dwarves ancient home. Thorin refused, eventually resulting in the Battle of Five Armies.

The Lord of the Rings

In The Lord of the Rings, the gradually established friendship between Legolas and the Dwarf Gimli, the son of Glóin of Thorin's band, helps to reconcile Thranduil's people and the Dwarves. It is amusing to note that one of the Dwarves imprisoned by Thranduil was Glóin, Gimli's father, and both Legolas and Gimli most likely grew up hearing disparaging tales involving the other's father. Nonetheless, both end up on a quest together, and develop an unprecedented friendship between Elf and Dwarf.

Meanwhile, Thranduil manages to fight off an Orc attack coming from Dol Guldur, in which many perish, and there is great ruin fo fire beneath the trees.

Fourth Age

After the destruction of Dol Guldur and the cleansing of Mirkwood, Thranduil and Celeborn rename the forest Eryn Lasgalen. Thranduil then received the northern half up to the mountains.

The appendices to The Return of the King note that Legolas and the Wood-Elves later worked together with Gimli and the Dwarves to rebuild and improve Minas Tirith, capital city of Gondor, the realm of their mutual friend King Aragorn Elessar.

Thranduil's ultimate fate is unknown; he probably passed over the Sea to Valinor eventually.

Portrayal in Adaptations

In the Rankin/Bass animated version of The Hobbit, Thranduil is voiced by Otto Preminger. For some reason in the movie the Elves of Mirkwood are portrayed as squat and ugly, as opposed to the noble elves of Rivendell. This is quite different than their depiction in the book.

See Also