Legolas
by Boddah
Legolas was the Prince of Mirkwood, his father being King Thranduil of Mirkwood. Mirkwood consists mostly of Silvan Elves, but Legolas was not Silvan. Despite his living there and being culturally exposed to them, he, and his father were actually Sindarin, and they originally came from Doriath.
Doriath was the ancient Land of the Sindar; Doriath means the ‘fenced land’, which refers to the Girdle of Melian. The Girdle of Melian was an enchantment that required direct permission from Elu Thingol, King of Doriath. The realm was separated into two parts by the Esgalduin River, the northwestern Forest of Neldoreth, and the greater southern Forest of Region. These two lands and a tiny oak forest named Nivrim on the western banks of the Sirion were protected by the Girdle of Melian.
The Vanyar and Noldor passed this place on their Great Journey, and had already ferried the Tol Eressëa by the time the Teleri arrived. Elwë Singollo was Thingol’s name in Quenya; it has been said that Elwë and his brother Olwë led the Teleri on their trip to Valinor. As they got closer to the coast, Elwë stumbled upon one of the Maiar, Melian. He met her in the woods of Nan Elmoth. Nan Elmoth was the wood that rested on the banks of the Celon River in East Beleriand, later the Dark Elf Eöl dwelt here. He left the Teleri, and stayed with Melian in the forest and with her; he founded Doriath in the central region of Beleriand. It was founded long before the First Age.
Elwë’s doom came to him when Beren brought a Silmaril from Morgoth’s crown as a present to impress Elwë’s daughter, Lúthien. So the Dwarves were summoned from the Blue Mountains to set the jewel in the necklace, Nauglamír. The Dwarves were so proud of their work they wanted to keep it. Therefore, they killed Elwë, and fled away with the necklace in the First Sack of Doriath. Melian then left the forest, taking her Girdle with her. Doriath was abandoned in 505th year of the First Age.
So, for some reason a small group of Sindarins ruled over the predominate Silvans. Legolas was older than Aragorn and Gimli, and has referred to them as children. We first meet Legolas at the Council of Elrond; he was a messenger from his father to discuss the escape of Gollum with the Council. Legolas volunteered to accompany the Fellowship of the Ring, and he does so up until they reach Amon Hen.
When the Fellowship is bogged down while on Caradhras, he scouts ahead to find the Sun. Unlike the rest of the Fellowship, he is not affected by the cold, snow, or wind. In fact, he does not wear boots, but thin shoes, and he hardly leaves imprints on the snow. Tolkien first describes Legolas as an Elf clad in green and brown with long golden hair, and he is known for his bow.
Legolas and the Dwarf, Gimli, had tensions at first for obvious reasons. The old feud between the races started at Doriath, and Legolas’s father Thranduil had imprisoned Gimli’s father, Gloin, once. What greatly helped solidify their relationship was the contest they held at the Battle of the Hornburg. An Orc slaying contest it was, Gimli ultimately won by one kill. This gave him a great deal of respect from Legolas.
After the One Ring is destroyed, Legolas lingers in Minas Tirith for a while as Aragorn is crowned King of the Reunited Kingdom. After that, he and Gimli go exploring together through Fangorn Forest. Legolas ends up in Ithilien, and with his father’s leave, he stays there the rest of his time to restore the war-ravaged forests. After the death of Aragorn, he builds a grey ship, and leaves Middle-earth to go to Valinor, and he brings along Gimli the Dwarf.
