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{{royalty infobox
{{Countdown}}
| image=[[Image:Daniel Govar - Thranduil.jpg|250px]]
{{sindar infobox
| name= Thranduil
|image=[[File:Lourdes Velez - King Thranduil.jpg|250px]]
| othernames= Elvenking
|name=Thranduil
| birth=
|othernames="Elvenking"
| death=
|titles=King of the [[Woodland Realm]]
| realms= [[Mirkwood]] Forest
|position=
| race=[[Elves|Wood Elves]]
|realm=[[Woodland Realm]]
| gender=Male
|affiliation=
| height=
|language=[[Silvan Elvish|Silvan]]
| hair= Blonde
|birth= Unknown ([[First Age|First]] or [[Second Age]])
| eyes=
|birthlocation=
|}}
|rule={{SA|3434}} onwards
'''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.
|death=
|deathlocation=
|age=
|house=
|parentage=[[Oropher]]
|siblings=
|spouse=
|children=[[Legolas]]
|gender=Male
|height=
|hair=Golden<ref name=H8>{{H|8}}</ref>
|eyes=
|clothing=
|weapons=
|steed=
}}{{pronounce|Sindarin - Thranduil.mp3|Gilgamesh}}
<center>{{quote|In a great hall with pillars hewn out of the living stone sat the Elvenking on a chair of carven wood. On his head was a crown of berries and red leaves, for the autumn was come again. In the spring he wore a crown of woodland flowers. In his hand he held a carven staff of oak.|''[[The Hobbit]]'', [[Barrels Out of Bond]]}}</center>
'''Thranduil''', the '''Elvenking''', was a [[Sindar|Sinda]] and King of the [[Silvan Elves|Silvan]] [[Elves of Mirkwood]] in the [[Woodland Realm]]. Thranduil was son of [[Oropher]] and father of [[Legolas]].   


==History===
== History ==
=== Early History ===
At the end of the [[First Age]] many Sindar stayed at [[Lindon]], and before the building of the Barad-dûr in {{SA|1000}} they travelled eastward.<ref name="AppB">{{App|B}}</ref> Thranduil is first recorded in this event, when he and his father, [[Oropher]], eventually ended up in [[Mirkwood|Greenwood the Great]], where Silvan Elves of [[Nandor]] descent lived. Oropher was taken by them as lord and founded the [[Woodland Realm]] with the capital at [[Amon Lanc]]. The few Sindar who had come with him were soon merged with the Silvan Elves, adopting their language and taking names of Silvan form and style.<ref name="UT6b">{{UT|6b}}</ref>


===The Hobbit===
[[Image:Anna Lee - Thranduil and Legolas.jpg|left|thumb|[[Anna Lee]] - ''Thranduil and Legolas'']]
In {{SA|3434}} Thranduil followed his father, and some thirty thousand lightly armed Elves in the [[War of the Last Alliance]]. In the [[Battle of Dagorlad]] Oropher was slain with the greater part of his people but his son survived. After the [[Siege of Barad-dûr]] in {{SA|3441}} when [[Sauron]] was defeated, Thranduil led the remainder of his people north back to the Woodland Realm, where he was crowned king.<ref name="UT6b">{{UT|6b}}</ref>


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]].
=== Third Age ===
With the return of Sauron around {{TA|1050}} southern Greenwood became increasingly dangerous, evil creatures like great [[spiders]] came to dwell in it and soon it began to be called as "Mirkwood".<ref>{{App|TA}}</ref> Thranduil's folk retreated to the northeastern corner of the forest, where they fortified themselves near the [[Forest River]] and established the [[Elvenking's Halls]].
[[File:David T. Wenzel - Mirkwood elves.jpg|thumb|David T. Wenzel - ''Mirkwood elves'']]
One day in {{TA|2941}} Thranduil and some of his folk were feasting in the woods when they were repeatedly disturbed by [[Thorin and Company|a party]] of [[Dwarves]]. After the third disturbance the Elves captured them. [[Thorin]] their leader, was brought before Thranduil but did not reveal the reason for their journey through Mirkwood. However Thranduil's prisoners escaped with the help of a [[Hobbits|Hobbit]], [[Bilbo Baggins]], who escaped captivity by using his magic [[The One Ring|ring]].


===The Lord of the Rings===
===Battle of Five Armies===
After the Dwarves' escape Thranduil sent out messengers, who soon told him about the death of the [[Dragons|Dragon]] [[Smaug]], who had brutalized the Elves for years. He knew about the treasures Smaug had hoarded and set out towards the [[Lonely Mountain]] with a company of Elves. On the way they met messengers from [[Bard]] in [[Lake-town]] who was seeking aid for his destroyed town. Both Thranduil and Bard led their forces towards the Lonely Mountain and were very surprised when they found out that the Dwarves not only survived Smaug's attacks, but had taken possession of the Mountain and its treasures; the [[King under the Mountain]] had returned.
[[File:Ted Nasmith - The Arkenstone.jpg|thumb|left|[[Ted Nasmith]] - ''The Arkenstone'']]
As Thorin refused to give away parts of the treasure for [[Dale]] and Lake-town, Thranduil and Bard sieged the mountain. After a few days, a Dwarvish host led by [[Dáin Ironfoot|Dáin II Ironfoot]] approached to support Thorin. But in the night Bilbo came before Thranduil and Bard bringing the [[Arkenstone]], a great jewel that Thorin valued above all, in order to make Thorin open to negotiations. Thranduil was favourably impressed by Bilbo and urged him to remain in order to avoid Thorin's wrath. The next morning Bard and Thranduil entered into negotiations with an angered Thorin, who agreed to pay 1/14 share of the treasure in exchange for the stone. Thranduil was reluctant to start a war over gold, but the next day the forces of Dain arrived and the dwarves proceeded to attack.


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 son of Gróin|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.
[[Image:Capucine Mazille - The Battle of Five Armies.jpg|thumb|Capucine Mazille - ''The Battle of Five Armies'']]
At that moment, the [[Orcs of the Misty Mountains]] and [[Grey Mountains]] under [[Bolg]] were using the opportunity to march after the hoard. The three commanders agreed that the Orcs were the enemies of all. So the [[Battle of Five Armies]] began. Thranduil's host was positioned on the southern side of the Mountain, and they were the first to charge. Many Elves were slain and things looked grim when the [[Eagles]] and [[Beorn]] arrived on the battlefield. They turned the tide and the battle was won.
[[Image:Alan Lee - Calendar 1999 - December.jpg|thumb|[[Alan Lee]] - ''Thorin's Burial''|left]]
Thorin died soon after the battle. Thranduil laid [[Orcrist]] on Thorin's tomb, where it was said to glow in warning when foes approached.


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.
The victors divided the treasure and Bard gave Thranduil the emeralds of [[Girion]]. When Bilbo and [[Gandalf]] bid farewell to Thranduil Bilbo gave him a necklace of silver and pearls. Thranduil gave the [[Hobbits|hobbit]] the title "[[Elf-friends|Elf-friend]]" and returned with the remainder of his host to his realm in Mirkwood.


===[[Fourth Age]]===
=== War of the Ring===


After the destruction of [[Dol Guldur]] and the cleansing of Mirkwood, Thranduil and [[Celeborn (Lord of Lórien)|Celeborn]] rename the forest [[Eryn Lasgalen]].  Thranduil then received the northern half up to the mountains.
On [[21 March|March 21]], {{TA|3018}} [[Aragorn]] and [[Gandalf]] delivered [[Gollum]] as a prisoner to Thranduil but in June he escaped. Thranduil sent his son [[Legolas]] to Rivendell to inform [[Elrond]], and in the [[Council of Elrond]] Legolas was selected as one of the nine members of the [[Fellowship of the Ring|Company of the Ring]].<ref>{{FR|II2}}</ref> Another member of the Company was the Dwarf [[Gimli]], the son of [[Glóin]] of Thorin's band who were imprisoned by Thranduil. The unprecedented friendship between Elf and Dwarf helped to reconcile Thranduil's people and the Dwarves.


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 in Gondor|Minas Tirith]], capital city of [[Gondor]], the realm of their mutual friend King [[Aragorn Elessar]].
On [[15 March|March 15]], {{TA|3019}}, an army of [[Sauron]] from [[Dol Guldur]] attacked Mirkwood. There was a long [[Battle Under Trees]] and the woods were set on fire but in the end Thranduil defeated the invaders. On [[6 April|April 6]], Thranduil met [[Celeborn]] in the midst of Mirkwood. The forces of the [[Lord and Lady of Galadhrim]] stormed Dol Guldur and threw down its walls.


Thranduil had cleared all the orcs and foul beings from North Mirkwood, so that the forest was cleansed and Sauron's forces in the North were destroyed. Because the [[Shadow]] over Mirkwood was lifted, Thranduil received the northern part of the [[Eryn Lasgalen]] (as Mirkwood was now called) as far as the Mountains.<ref name="AppB">{{App|B}}</ref>
=== [[Fourth Age]] ===
Thranduil's ultimate fate is unknown; he probably passed over the [[Belegaer|Sea]] to [[Valinor]] eventually.
Thranduil's ultimate fate is unknown; he probably passed over the [[Belegaer|Sea]] to [[Valinor]] eventually.


== Portrayal in Adaptations ==
== Personality ==
[[Image:Thranduil from Rankin-Bass' The Hobbit.jpg|thumb|left|The "Elvenking" as portrayed in [[Rankin/Bass' The Hobbit]]]]
[[Image:Marya Filatova - Thranduil.jpg|right|thumb|200px|[[Marya Filatova]] - ''Thranduil'']]
In the [[Rankin/Bass]] animated version of ''[[Rankin/Bass' The Hobbit|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.
Thranduil lived in attunement with nature, wearing a crown of flowers, or autumn berries, according to the season, and his banner was, naturally enough, green in colour. He loved the forest though it was dark and dangerous in many parts and enjoyed hunting and feasting among the trees with his people.  He was also distrustful of strangers, being mostly unconcerned with affairs of the world beyond Mirkwood unless a common enemy was shared.
 
Thranduil had his halls underground, partly in memory (it was said) of the mighty but long-lost [[Menegroth]] of [[Doriath]].<ref name="UT6b">{{UT|6b}}</ref> They lay near the Forest River behind great gates.
 
== Etymology ==
The name '''Thranduil''' means "Vigorous spring" in [[Sindarin]], from ''[[tharan]]'' "vigorous" and ''[[tuil]]'' "spring". Though the name is said to be of [[Silvan Elvish|Silvan]] origin, Tolkien's notes on ''tharan'' state it was used only in Sindarin.<ref>{{PE|17}}, p. 187</ref>


== See Also ==
==Portrayal in adaptations==
{{Gallery
|title=Thranduil in adaptations
|height=150
|width=250
|lines=2
|File:The Hobbit (1977 film) - Thranduil.jpg|The "Elvenking" in [[The Hobbit (1977 film)|''The Hobbit'' (1977 film)]]
|File:The Hobbit (2003 video game) - Thranduil.jpg|Thranduil in [[The Hobbit (2003 video game)|''The Hobbit'' (2003 video game)]]
|File:The Lord of the Rings - The Battle for Middle-earth II - Thranduil.jpg|Thranduil in ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II]]''
|File:The Hobbit - The Desolation of Smaug - Thranduil.jpg|Thranduil in [[The Hobbit (film series)|''The Hobbit'' (film series)]]
}}
'''1968: [[The Hobbit (1968 radio series)|''The Hobbit'' (1968 radio series)]]:'''
:[[Leonard Fenton]] provided the voice of Thranduil.
 
'''1977: [[The Hobbit (1977 film)|''The Hobbit'' (1977 film)]]:'''
: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.
 
'''2003: [[The Hobbit (2003 video game)|''The Hobbit'' (2003 video game)]]:'''
:Thranduil is referred to as "Elvenking Thranduil", using both his title from ''The Hobbit'' and his name from ''The Lord of the Rings'', to accommodate players who have only read ''The Hobbit''. Thranduil first appears in the level "Barrels Out of Bond", in which he can be overheard speaking about the [[White Council]] and their attack on [[Dol Guldur]]. He returns as a conversation partner in the last level, "The Clouds Burst", in which he and Gandalf ask the player, in the persona of Bilbo, to deliver a message to Bard. No voice actor is specified for this part.
 
'''2006: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II]]'':'''
:Thranduil is a hero for the Elven faction. In the good campaign, he shows up after the [[Battle of Dale]], and participates in the Siege of [[Dol Guldur]].
 
'''2012: ''[[The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey]]'':'''
:Thranduil is played by [[Lee Pace]] in the ''Hobbit'' [[The Hobbit (film series)|film trilogy]].<ref name="PJCasting">{{webcite|author=[[Peter Jackson]]|articleurl=http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10150239464391558|articlename=Casting news!|dated=30-April-2011|website=[http://www.facebook.com/ Facebook]|accessed=23-Dec-2011}}</ref> Thranduil is first seen in the prologue paying homage to King [[Thrór]] inside within the [[Lonely Mountain]], though leaves in a huff when the [[Dwarves]] refuse to give him a box of white jewels.  He is next seen with an army outside of [[Lonely Mountain|Erebor]], seemingly ready to help during the [[Sack of Erebor]]. However, he decides not to help and turns away.
 
'''2013: ''[[The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug]]'':'''
:When [[Thorin]] is taken before Thranduil in the [[Elvenking's Halls]], he surmises that he and his [[Thorin and Company|Company]] are going to try to reclaim the [[Lonely Mountain]] from [[Smaug]] (unlike in the book, where he had no idea as to their purpose). He offers a deal to Thorin, saying he will let the Company go if they will pay him the white jewels he desires inside the Mountain. When the Dwarf refuses and chastises him for not offering aid to the [[Dwarves of Erebor|Dwarves]] the day of the Sack, the Elven-king reveals a large disfigurement on his face underneath his skin, claiming he received it from fighting 'great serpents of the North.' Later, when a [[Narzug|captured]] [[Orcs|Orc]] claims that [[Sauron|"The One"]] is returning, he orders the kingdom to be completely sealed off from the outside world.
 
'''2014: ''[[The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies]]'':'''
:After he learns about the death of [[Smaug]], Thranduil leads his Elven army to claim the white jewels from the Dwarves of Erebor, even by force. When the army arrives in [[Dale]], he forges an allegiance with [[Bard]], also offering the [[Lake-town]] refugees food and supplies. When Gandalf arrives at Erebor to warn them about the attack of the approaching Orc army, the Elven-king refuses to listen. Thranduil's army almost comes to clashes with the forces of [[Dáin Ironfoot]]'s army when the Orcs attack, leading to the [[Battle of Five Armies]]. Thranduil himself fights in the battle against the Orcs, but withdraws his forces when defense of Dale results in many Elven casualties. This leads to a confrontation between him and [[Tauriel]] before she and [[Legolas]] go to Thorin's aid at [[Ravenhill]]. The event causes a rift between Thranduil and his son, and he advises Legolas to find the Ranger known as "[[Strider (Aragorn)|Strider]]" among the [[Dúnedain]]. Thranduil also accepts Tauriel's love for [[Kíli]] when he finds her mourning over the Dwarf's death.
 
==See also==
* [[:Category:Images of Thranduil|Images of Thranduil]]
* [[:Category:Images of Thranduil|Images of Thranduil]]


[[Category:Grey Elves]]
==External links==
 
*[http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2013/09/15/79209-thranduil-the-fisher-king-and-oberon-why-it-matters/ Thranduil, The Fisher King and Oberon; Why It Matters] by Marthe
*[http://middle-earth.xenite.org/2013/09/27/was-the-elvenking-of-the-hobbit-supposed-to-be-thingol-greycloak/ Was the Elvenking of ''The Hobbit'' Supposed to be Thingol Greycloak?] by [[Michael Martinez]]
 
{{references}}
* {{H|8}}
* {{H|9}}
* {{H|14}}
* {{H|15}}
* {{H|16}}
* {{H|17}}
* {{H|18}}
* {{H|19}}
* {{UT|6}}
 
[[Category:Characters in The Hobbit]]
[[Category:Characters in The Lord of the Rings]]
[[Category:Characters in The Silmarillion]]
[[Category:Silvan Elvish names]]
[[Category:Sindar]]
[[Category:Rulers of Middle-earth]]
[[de:Thranduil]]
[[fr:encyclo/personnages/elfes/teleri/sindar/thranduil]]
[[fi:Thranduil]]

Revision as of 11:33, 6 May 2015

Template:Countdown

Thranduil
Sinda
Lourdes Velez - King Thranduil.jpg
Biographical Information
Other names"Elvenking"
TitlesKing of the Woodland Realm
LanguageSilvan
BirthUnknown (First or Second Age)
RuleS.A. 3434 onwards
Family
ParentageOropher
ChildrenLegolas
Physical Description
GenderMale
Hair colorGolden[1]
GalleryImages of Thranduil
"In a great hall with pillars hewn out of the living stone sat the Elvenking on a chair of carven wood. On his head was a crown of berries and red leaves, for the autumn was come again. In the spring he wore a crown of woodland flowers. In his hand he held a carven staff of oak."
The Hobbit, Barrels Out of Bond

Thranduil, the Elvenking, was a Sinda and King of the Silvan Elves of Mirkwood in the Woodland Realm. Thranduil was son of Oropher and father of Legolas.

History

Early History

At the end of the First Age many Sindar stayed at Lindon, and before the building of the Barad-dûr in S.A. 1000 they travelled eastward.[2] Thranduil is first recorded in this event, when he and his father, Oropher, eventually ended up in Greenwood the Great, where Silvan Elves of Nandor descent lived. Oropher was taken by them as lord and founded the Woodland Realm with the capital at Amon Lanc. The few Sindar who had come with him were soon merged with the Silvan Elves, adopting their language and taking names of Silvan form and style.[3]

Anna Lee - Thranduil and Legolas

In S.A. 3434 Thranduil followed his father, and some thirty thousand lightly armed Elves in the War of the Last Alliance. In the Battle of Dagorlad Oropher was slain with the greater part of his people but his son survived. After the Siege of Barad-dûr in S.A. 3441 when Sauron was defeated, Thranduil led the remainder of his people north back to the Woodland Realm, where he was crowned king.[3]

Third Age

With the return of Sauron around T.A. 1050 southern Greenwood became increasingly dangerous, evil creatures like great spiders came to dwell in it and soon it began to be called as "Mirkwood".[4] Thranduil's folk retreated to the northeastern corner of the forest, where they fortified themselves near the Forest River and established the Elvenking's Halls.

David T. Wenzel - Mirkwood elves

One day in T.A. 2941 Thranduil and some of his folk were feasting in the woods when they were repeatedly disturbed by a party of Dwarves. After the third disturbance the Elves captured them. Thorin their leader, was brought before Thranduil but did not reveal the reason for their journey through Mirkwood. However Thranduil's prisoners escaped with the help of a Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, who escaped captivity by using his magic ring.

Battle of Five Armies

After the Dwarves' escape Thranduil sent out messengers, who soon told him about the death of the Dragon Smaug, who had brutalized the Elves for years. He knew about the treasures Smaug had hoarded and set out towards the Lonely Mountain with a company of Elves. On the way they met messengers from Bard in Lake-town who was seeking aid for his destroyed town. Both Thranduil and Bard led their forces towards the Lonely Mountain and were very surprised when they found out that the Dwarves not only survived Smaug's attacks, but had taken possession of the Mountain and its treasures; the King under the Mountain had returned.

Ted Nasmith - The Arkenstone

As Thorin refused to give away parts of the treasure for Dale and Lake-town, Thranduil and Bard sieged the mountain. After a few days, a Dwarvish host led by Dáin II Ironfoot approached to support Thorin. But in the night Bilbo came before Thranduil and Bard bringing the Arkenstone, a great jewel that Thorin valued above all, in order to make Thorin open to negotiations. Thranduil was favourably impressed by Bilbo and urged him to remain in order to avoid Thorin's wrath. The next morning Bard and Thranduil entered into negotiations with an angered Thorin, who agreed to pay 1/14 share of the treasure in exchange for the stone. Thranduil was reluctant to start a war over gold, but the next day the forces of Dain arrived and the dwarves proceeded to attack.

Capucine Mazille - The Battle of Five Armies

At that moment, the Orcs of the Misty Mountains and Grey Mountains under Bolg were using the opportunity to march after the hoard. The three commanders agreed that the Orcs were the enemies of all. So the Battle of Five Armies began. Thranduil's host was positioned on the southern side of the Mountain, and they were the first to charge. Many Elves were slain and things looked grim when the Eagles and Beorn arrived on the battlefield. They turned the tide and the battle was won.

Thorin died soon after the battle. Thranduil laid Orcrist on Thorin's tomb, where it was said to glow in warning when foes approached.

The victors divided the treasure and Bard gave Thranduil the emeralds of Girion. When Bilbo and Gandalf bid farewell to Thranduil Bilbo gave him a necklace of silver and pearls. Thranduil gave the hobbit the title "Elf-friend" and returned with the remainder of his host to his realm in Mirkwood.

War of the Ring

On March 21, T.A. 3018 Aragorn and Gandalf delivered Gollum as a prisoner to Thranduil but in June he escaped. Thranduil sent his son Legolas to Rivendell to inform Elrond, and in the Council of Elrond Legolas was selected as one of the nine members of the Company of the Ring.[5] Another member of the Company was the Dwarf Gimli, the son of Glóin of Thorin's band who were imprisoned by Thranduil. The unprecedented friendship between Elf and Dwarf helped to reconcile Thranduil's people and the Dwarves.

On March 15, T.A. 3019, an army of Sauron from Dol Guldur attacked Mirkwood. There was a long Battle Under Trees and the woods were set on fire but in the end Thranduil defeated the invaders. On April 6, Thranduil met Celeborn in the midst of Mirkwood. The forces of the Lord and Lady of Galadhrim stormed Dol Guldur and threw down its walls.

Thranduil had cleared all the orcs and foul beings from North Mirkwood, so that the forest was cleansed and Sauron's forces in the North were destroyed. Because the Shadow over Mirkwood was lifted, Thranduil received the northern part of the Eryn Lasgalen (as Mirkwood was now called) as far as the Mountains.[2]

Fourth Age

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

Personality

Marya Filatova - Thranduil

Thranduil lived in attunement with nature, wearing a crown of flowers, or autumn berries, according to the season, and his banner was, naturally enough, green in colour. He loved the forest though it was dark and dangerous in many parts and enjoyed hunting and feasting among the trees with his people. He was also distrustful of strangers, being mostly unconcerned with affairs of the world beyond Mirkwood unless a common enemy was shared.

Thranduil had his halls underground, partly in memory (it was said) of the mighty but long-lost Menegroth of Doriath.[3] They lay near the Forest River behind great gates.

Etymology

The name Thranduil means "Vigorous spring" in Sindarin, from tharan "vigorous" and tuil "spring". Though the name is said to be of Silvan origin, Tolkien's notes on tharan state it was used only in Sindarin.[6]

Portrayal in adaptations

Thranduil in adaptations
The "Elvenking" in The Hobbit (1977 film)  
Thranduil in The Hobbit (film series)  

1968: The Hobbit (1968 radio series):

Leonard Fenton provided the voice of Thranduil.

1977: The Hobbit (1977 film):

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.

2003: The Hobbit (2003 video game):

Thranduil is referred to as "Elvenking Thranduil", using both his title from The Hobbit and his name from The Lord of the Rings, to accommodate players who have only read The Hobbit. Thranduil first appears in the level "Barrels Out of Bond", in which he can be overheard speaking about the White Council and their attack on Dol Guldur. He returns as a conversation partner in the last level, "The Clouds Burst", in which he and Gandalf ask the player, in the persona of Bilbo, to deliver a message to Bard. No voice actor is specified for this part.

2006: The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II:

Thranduil is a hero for the Elven faction. In the good campaign, he shows up after the Battle of Dale, and participates in the Siege of Dol Guldur.

2012: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey:

Thranduil is played by Lee Pace in the Hobbit film trilogy.[7] Thranduil is first seen in the prologue paying homage to King Thrór inside within the Lonely Mountain, though leaves in a huff when the Dwarves refuse to give him a box of white jewels. He is next seen with an army outside of Erebor, seemingly ready to help during the Sack of Erebor. However, he decides not to help and turns away.

2013: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug:

When Thorin is taken before Thranduil in the Elvenking's Halls, he surmises that he and his Company are going to try to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from Smaug (unlike in the book, where he had no idea as to their purpose). He offers a deal to Thorin, saying he will let the Company go if they will pay him the white jewels he desires inside the Mountain. When the Dwarf refuses and chastises him for not offering aid to the Dwarves the day of the Sack, the Elven-king reveals a large disfigurement on his face underneath his skin, claiming he received it from fighting 'great serpents of the North.' Later, when a captured Orc claims that "The One" is returning, he orders the kingdom to be completely sealed off from the outside world.

2014: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies:

After he learns about the death of Smaug, Thranduil leads his Elven army to claim the white jewels from the Dwarves of Erebor, even by force. When the army arrives in Dale, he forges an allegiance with Bard, also offering the Lake-town refugees food and supplies. When Gandalf arrives at Erebor to warn them about the attack of the approaching Orc army, the Elven-king refuses to listen. Thranduil's army almost comes to clashes with the forces of Dáin Ironfoot's army when the Orcs attack, leading to the Battle of Five Armies. Thranduil himself fights in the battle against the Orcs, but withdraws his forces when defense of Dale results in many Elven casualties. This leads to a confrontation between him and Tauriel before she and Legolas go to Thorin's aid at Ravenhill. The event causes a rift between Thranduil and his son, and he advises Legolas to find the Ranger known as "Strider" among the Dúnedain. Thranduil also accepts Tauriel's love for Kíli when he finds her mourning over the Dwarf's death.

See also

External links

References

  1. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, "Flies and Spiders"
  2. 2.0 2.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B: The Tale of Years (Chronology of the Westlands)
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "The History of Galadriel and Celeborn", "Appendix B: The Sindarin Princes of the Silvan Elves"
  4. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, "The Third Age"
  5. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, "The Council of Elrond"
  6. J.R.R. Tolkien, "Words, Phrases and Passages in Various Tongues in The Lord of the Rings", in Parma Eldalamberon XVII (edited by Christopher Gilson), p. 187
  7. Peter Jackson, "Casting news!" dated 30 April 2011, Facebook (accessed 23 December 2011)