Legolas
| House / Order | The Fellowship; the Galadhrim of Mirkwood (Sindar) |
|---|---|
| Race / Culture | Elf (Sindar of the Woodland Realm) |
| Status | Departed |
| Origin | The Woodland Realm of Northern Mirkwood |
| Born | Unknown (First or Second Age) |
| Died | Sailed over Sea (after F.A. 120) |
| Weapon | Bow of the Galadhrim; white knife; later a Lórien-bow |
| Fate | Founded an Elf-colony in Ithilien; sailed West after Aragorn's death, taking Gimli with him |
| Portrayed by | Orlando Bloom |
Legolas was an Elf of the Woodland Realm of northern Mirkwood, son of its king Thranduil, and the Elven member of the Fellowship of the Ring. Swift, keen-eyed, and matchless with the bow, he was among the Three Hunters who ran across Rohan in pursuit of orcs and fought in many of the great battles of the War of the Ring.
He is remembered above all for the unlikely and lasting friendship he forged with Gimli the Dwarf — a bond that healed, in two persons, the ancient estrangement of their kindreds — and for being one of the few Sindarin princes whose deeds are told in the tale of the Ring.
Origins
Legolas was a Sindarin Elf, son of Thranduil King of the Woodland Realm, the wood-elf kingdom of northern Mirkwood (Greenwood the Great of old). His people were Silvan Elves ruled by a Sindarin house, less lordly than the High Elves of Rivendell or Lothlórien but deeply skilled in woodcraft and archery. He came to Rivendell as a messenger of his father, bearing the unwelcome news that the creature Gollum, whom his folk had been set to guard, had escaped.
Biography
The Council and the Fellowship
Present at the Council of Elrond, Legolas was chosen to represent the Elves among the Nine Walkers of the Fellowship of the Ring. He brought to the company the gifts of his kind: the keenest sight of any save perhaps the Eldar of old, tirelessness on the march, the power to walk lightly upon snow that swallowed the others on Caradhras, and unfailing aim. In Moria and at the Bridge of Khazad-dûm he fought beside his companions; in Lothlórien he was at last among his own kind, and there received a great bow of the Galadhrim.
The Three Hunters
After the breaking of the Fellowship at Amon Hen, Legolas joined Aragorn and Gimli as one of the Three Hunters, chasing the Uruk-hai who had carried off Merry and Pippin across the plains of Rohan. He fought at the Battle of Helm's Deep, keeping a friendly tally of slain foes with Gimli, and rode with the host through the campaigns that followed.
The Paths of the Dead and the sea-longing
Legolas dared the Paths of the Dead with Aragorn and came up the Anduin in the black ships to the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. Near the coast, hearing for the first time the crying of the gulls, he was seized by the sea-longing — the deep Elvish yearning for the West that, once awakened, never wholly departs. He went on with the host to the Black Gate and saw the war to its end.
Ithilien and the last voyage
After the War of the Ring, Legolas led a company of his folk south and founded an Elf-colony in Ithilien, helping to heal the war-scarred land and to beautify the city of Minas Tirith. He and Gimli travelled together to the Glittering Caves of Aglarond and the forest of Fangorn, each marvelling at what the other loved. By the tradition recorded in the Appendices, after Aragorn's death in F.A. 120 Legolas built a grey ship and sailed down Anduin over Sea to the Undying Lands — and, alone of all his kind, took the Dwarf Gimli with him.
Character
Legolas is light-hearted where his companions are grim, given to song and laughter, yet deadly in battle and tireless on any road. He embodies the grace, agelessness, and faint melancholy of the Elves — quick to wonder, slow to despair, and increasingly drawn westward as the Third Age wanes. His openness of heart, more than any other Elf's in the tale, lets him overcome the old grievances between Elves and Dwarves.
Relationships
- Gimli — his dearest friend, an enmity of races turned to a love none had foreseen.
- Aragorn — his captain and comrade among the Three Hunters.
- Thranduil — his father, King of the Woodland Realm.
- Galadriel — Lady of Lothlórien, whose gift of a bow served him through the war.
- Gandalf — leader of the Fellowship and his fellow walker.
Appearances
- The Fellowship of the Ring
- The Two Towers
- The Return of the King
- The Hobbit (his father and people appear; Legolas himself is unnamed there)
In Peter Jackson's film trilogy (2001–2003), Legolas was portrayed by Orlando Bloom. The films greatly expand his acrobatic battle feats and add him to scenes (such as the defence of Helm's Deep set-pieces) beyond his role in the books.
Quotes
The wonder of the trees! For all my long years I have never thought of that.
Alas for the gulls! No peace shall I have again under beech or under elm.