Thranduil

Thranduil is a fictional character in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth legendarium. He serves as the Elvenking of the Woodland Realm, the kingdom of the Wood-elves in the forest of Mirkwood. He is described as a Sindarin elf, the son of Oropher, and the father of Legolas, a member of the Fellowship of the Ring during the Third Age. He inherited the throne of Greenwood the Great after his father’s death, and his realm is the long-standing elf-kingdom that later comes to be known as Mirkwood.

The Woodland Realm is the main political and cultural center of Thranduil’s people. The elves of this realm are skilled archers and forest wardens who live in woodland halls and govern a territory that sits in the eastern part of the Misty Mountains and the western reaches of the Angrenost. Thranduil is generally portrayed as cautious and protective of his realm, prioritizing its security and independence, and his dealings with other peoples of Middle-earth are marked by a wary pragmatism.

In The Hobbit, Thranduil encounters Thorin Oakenshield and his company as they pass through his realm. He imprisons them and later negotiates, ultimately contributing to the broader alliance against Smaug. After Smaug’s defeat, his elf-army participates in the Battle of Five Armies alongside dwarven and human forces. In The Lord of the Rings, Thranduil is referenced as the ruler of Mirkwood during the later ages, and his son Legolas remains allied with the Free Peoples.

In adaptations, Thranduil is portrayed by Lee Pace in Peter Jackson’s film adaptation of The Hobbit. The portrayal emphasizes a regal, sometimes aloof demeanor and expands certain aspects of his character beyond the original text.