"The feast that they now saw was greater and more magnificent than before; and at the head of a long line of feasters sat a woodland king with a crown of leaves upon his golden hair..."
The Hobbit 8
Flies and Spiders
A title used throughout The Hobbit for the ruler of the Woodland Realm, the country of the Silvan Elves who dwelt in the northeast of Mirkwood in the later Third Age. He is never given a name in that book, but we learn in The Lord of the Rings that he is Thranduil, the father of Legolas of the Nine Walkers.
The Elvenking had his halls underground, partly in memory (it was said) of the mighty but long-lost Menegroth of Doriath. He 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. During Bilbo's journey to Erebor, his companion Dwarves were briefly held prisoner by the Elvenking, and Thranduil's people were later given custody of Gollum for a time, too (though these prisoners were all eventually able to escape).
See also...
Company of the Ring, Elvenking’s Halls, Elves of the Wood, Galion, King of the Silvan Elves, Northern Mirkwood, Silvan Elves, The Magnificent, Thranduil, Vines, Woodland Realm
Indexes:
About this entry:
- Updated 8 January 2012
- Updates planned: 1
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