LEGOLAS
Name: Legolas
Legolas is a character in J. R. R. Tolkien's
legendarium, featured in The Lord of the Rings. He is an Elf from Mirkwood and
one of nine members of the Fellowship of the Ring.
Legolas was the son of Thranduil, King of the Woodland Realm of Northern
Mirkwood, who appears as "the Elvenking" in The Hobbit. Thranduil ruled over the
Silvan Elves of the wood. Although he lived among them, was exposed to their
customs, and (it may be inferred) considered himself one of them, Legolas was
strictly not one of the Silvan Elves (Wood-elves). His father Thranduil had
originally come from Lindon; he and his son were actually Sindar, or "Grey Elves",
called in the singular Sinda: "Sindarin" was their language. A small minority of
Sindar ruled the predominantly Silvan Woodland Realm, and Thranduil headed them.
The realm's Sindarin minority, who should have been more noble and wise than the
Silvan Elves, went "native" at the end of the First Age. After Melkor was
defeated and all of the grand Elf-kingdoms of Beleriand were destroyed, the
Sindar returned to "a simpler time" in their culture. The realm of Lothlórien
was similar to the Woodland Realm in that a community of Silvan Elves was ruled
by a small non-Silvan group, i.e. Galadriel and Celeborn.
Legolas was introduced in The Fellowship of the Ring, at the council of Elrond
of Rivendell, where he came as a messenger from his father to discuss the escape
of Gollum from their guard. Legolas was chosen to be a member of the Fellowship
that intended to destroy the One Ring. He accompanied the other members in their
travels from Rivendell to Amon Hen.
When the Fellowship was trapped by a snowstorm while crossing the mountain
Caradhras, Legolas scouted ahead to find the Sun, while Aragorn and Boromir
drove a path through the snow.
Since the attempt to cross Caradhras failed, Gandalf took the Fellowship on an
underground journey through Moria, an ancient Dwarf-kingdom, though some (including
Legolas) did not wish to travel there. Before they reached Moria, however,
Legolas helped fend off an attack by Sauron's wolves in Hollin. Once in Moria,
he helped fight off Orcs and recognized "Durin's Bane" as a Balrog of Morgoth.
After Gandalf was lost while facing the Balrog, Aragorn took charge of the
Fellowship and led them to the Elven realm of Lothlórien, the Golden Wood.
Legolas served as the initial spokesperson for the company, speaking with the
inhabitants, the Galadhrim, whom he considered close kin.
Within the Fellowship, there was friction between Legolas and the Dwarf Gimli,
because of the ancient quarrel between Elves and Dwarves after the destruction
of Doriath in the First Age; and also because Thranduil once threw Gimli's
father, Glóin, in prison (as described in The Hobbit). Legolas and Gimli became
friends, however, when Gimli greeted the Elven queen Galadriel with gentle words.
The Fellowship left Lothlórien after receiving several gifts. Legolas was given
a new longbow, along with other gifts that Galadriel and Celeborn gave him and
the rest of the Fellowship, such as Elven cloaks and lembas cakes. Legolas later
received a warning from Galadriel (through Gandalf, who had returned from death):
"Legolas Greenleaf long under tree
In joy thou hast lived. Beware of the Sea!
If thou hearest the cry of the gull on the shore,
Thy heart shall rest in the forest no more."
While the Fellowship was travelling over the River Anduin, Legolas shot down a
nearby fell beast with one shot.
After Boromir was killed and Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took were captured
by Orcs in The Two Towers, Legolas, Aragorn, and Gimli set forth in pursuit of
the two hobbits. (Frodo Baggins, the Ring-bearer, and Samwise Gamgee, on the
other hand, had left the group and gone ahead on the road to Mordor). Legolas
and his companions met the resurrected Gandalf and the Rohirrim, fought in the
Battle of the Hornburg, and witnessed Saruman's downfall at Isengard, where they
were reunited with Merry and Pippin. In the Battle of the Hornburg, Legolas and
Gimli engaged in an Orc-slaying contest (Gimli won by one, killing forty-two to
Legolas's forty-one, but the real result was stronger mutual respect).
In The Return of the King, Legolas and Gimli accompanied Aragorn on the Paths of
the Dead, along with the Grey Company. After Aragorn summoned the Dead Men of
Dunharrow to fight for him, Legolas saw them frighten away the Corsairs of Umbar
from their ships at Pelargir. Galadriel's prophecy was fulfilled: as Legolas
heard the cries of seagulls, he began to experience the Sea-longing — the desire
to sail west to Valinor the "Blessed Realm" which was latent among the Sindar.
He fought in the Battles of the Pelennor Fields in and the Morannon and watched
as Sauron was defeated and Barad-dûr collapsed.
After the destruction of the One Ring, Legolas remained in Minas Tirith for
Aragorn's crowning and marriage to Arwen. Later, Legolas and Gimli went
travelling together through Fangorn forest and to visit the Glittering Caves of
Helm's Deep, as Legolas had promised Gimli. Eventually, Legolas founded an Elf-colony
in Ithilien and spent his remaining time in Middle-earth, helping to restore the
devastated forests of that war-ravaged land.
It was told in the Red Book of Westmarch (first written by Bilbo Baggins,
continued by Frodo Baggins and supposedly finished by Samwise Gamgee), that
after Aragorn's death in the year 120 of the Fourth Age Legolas built a grey
ship and left Middle-earth to go over the Sea to Valinor, and that Gimli
possibly went with him.
Name: Legolas
Legolas is a character in J. R. R. Tolkien's
legendarium, featured in The Lord of the Rings. He is an Elf from Mirkwood and
one of nine members of the Fellowship of the Ring.
Legolas was the son of Thranduil, King of the Woodland Realm of Northern
Mirkwood, who appears as "the Elvenking" in The Hobbit. Thranduil ruled over the
Silvan Elves of the wood. Although he lived among them, was exposed to their
customs, and (it may be inferred) considered himself one of them, Legolas was
strictly not one of the Silvan Elves (Wood-elves). His father Thranduil had
originally come from Lindon; he and his son were actually Sindar, or "Grey Elves",
called in the singular Sinda: "Sindarin" was their language. A small minority of
Sindar ruled the predominantly Silvan Woodland Realm, and Thranduil headed them.
The realm's Sindarin minority, who should have been more noble and wise than the
Silvan Elves, went "native" at the end of the First Age. After Melkor was
defeated and all of the grand Elf-kingdoms of Beleriand were destroyed, the
Sindar returned to "a simpler time" in their culture. The realm of Lothlórien
was similar to the Woodland Realm in that a community of Silvan Elves was ruled
by a small non-Silvan group, i.e. Galadriel and Celeborn.
Legolas was introduced in The Fellowship of the Ring, at the council of Elrond
of Rivendell, where he came as a messenger from his father to discuss the escape
of Gollum from their guard. Legolas was chosen to be a member of the Fellowship
that intended to destroy the One Ring. He accompanied the other members in their
travels from Rivendell to Amon Hen.
When the Fellowship was trapped by a snowstorm while crossing the mountain
Caradhras, Legolas scouted ahead to find the Sun, while Aragorn and Boromir
drove a path through the snow.
Since the attempt to cross Caradhras failed, Gandalf took the Fellowship on an
underground journey through Moria, an ancient Dwarf-kingdom, though some (including
Legolas) did not wish to travel there. Before they reached Moria, however,
Legolas helped fend off an attack by Sauron's wolves in Hollin. Once in Moria,
he helped fight off Orcs and recognized "Durin's Bane" as a Balrog of Morgoth.
After Gandalf was lost while facing the Balrog, Aragorn took charge of the
Fellowship and led them to the Elven realm of Lothlórien, the Golden Wood.
Legolas served as the initial spokesperson for the company, speaking with the
inhabitants, the Galadhrim, whom he considered close kin.
Within the Fellowship, there was friction between Legolas and the Dwarf Gimli,
because of the ancient quarrel between Elves and Dwarves after the destruction
of Doriath in the First Age; and also because Thranduil once threw Gimli's
father, Glóin, in prison (as described in The Hobbit). Legolas and Gimli became
friends, however, when Gimli greeted the Elven queen Galadriel with gentle words.
The Fellowship left Lothlórien after receiving several gifts. Legolas was given
a new longbow, along with other gifts that Galadriel and Celeborn gave him and
the rest of the Fellowship, such as Elven cloaks and lembas cakes. Legolas later
received a warning from Galadriel (through Gandalf, who had returned from death):
"Legolas Greenleaf long under tree
In joy thou hast lived. Beware of the Sea!
If thou hearest the cry of the gull on the shore,
Thy heart shall rest in the forest no more."
While the Fellowship was travelling over the River Anduin, Legolas shot down a
nearby fell beast with one shot.
After Boromir was killed and Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took were captured
by Orcs in The Two Towers, Legolas, Aragorn, and Gimli set forth in pursuit of
the two hobbits. (Frodo Baggins, the Ring-bearer, and Samwise Gamgee, on the
other hand, had left the group and gone ahead on the road to Mordor). Legolas
and his companions met the resurrected Gandalf and the Rohirrim, fought in the
Battle of the Hornburg, and witnessed Saruman's downfall at Isengard, where they
were reunited with Merry and Pippin. In the Battle of the Hornburg, Legolas and
Gimli engaged in an Orc-slaying contest (Gimli won by one, killing forty-two to
Legolas's forty-one, but the real result was stronger mutual respect).
In The Return of the King, Legolas and Gimli accompanied Aragorn on the Paths of
the Dead, along with the Grey Company. After Aragorn summoned the Dead Men of
Dunharrow to fight for him, Legolas saw them frighten away the Corsairs of Umbar
from their ships at Pelargir. Galadriel's prophecy was fulfilled: as Legolas
heard the cries of seagulls, he began to experience the Sea-longing — the desire
to sail west to Valinor the "Blessed Realm" which was latent among the Sindar.
He fought in the Battles of the Pelennor Fields in and the Morannon and watched
as Sauron was defeated and Barad-dûr collapsed.
After the destruction of the One Ring, Legolas remained in Minas Tirith for
Aragorn's crowning and marriage to Arwen. Later, Legolas and Gimli went
travelling together through Fangorn forest and to visit the Glittering Caves of
Helm's Deep, as Legolas had promised Gimli. Eventually, Legolas founded an Elf-colony
in Ithilien and spent his remaining time in Middle-earth, helping to restore the
devastated forests of that war-ravaged land.
It was told in the Red Book of Westmarch (first written by Bilbo Baggins,
continued by Frodo Baggins and supposedly finished by Samwise Gamgee), that
after Aragorn's death in the year 120 of the Fourth Age Legolas built a grey
ship and left Middle-earth to go over the Sea to Valinor, and that Gimli
possibly went with him.