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The many faces of Thranduil

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spymaster@theonering.net

Oct 24 2014, 8:20pm

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The many faces of Thranduil Can't Post



In our latest Library piece, TORn feature writer Tedoras delves deep into J.R.R. Tolkien's Unfinished Tales of Nmenor and Middle-earth to examine what we really know about Thranduil, the Sindarin lord of Mirkwood -- a realm largely populated by Silvan elves. How does this make him different? What were the big influences in his political vision for his people? What, in essence, makes him tick?

It's good stuff, and inadvertently, it's almost a companion piece to my own musings on Thranduil's strongest character traits from earlier this year.

Enjoy!





The many faces of Thranduil
By Tedoras


Thranduil, King of the Wood-elves.

While much recent hype about Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug has been focused on the captain of the Wood-elf guard, Tauriel, little has been said of her boss, King Thranduil of the Woodland Realm. Yet, most of what is written about Thranduil is not found in The Hobbit at all; rather, we must turn to the Unfinished Tales -- that great amalgamation of lore compiled and edited by Christopher Tolkien.

While Thranduil plays an important (albeit small) role in the contemporary events of The Hobbit, his part in The Desolation of Smaug has been expanded, and we can expect to see more of him in the third and final installment. However, if we wish to understand how Thranduil will affect the future course of Thorin and Company's quest, we must first look to his past.

Well, what is it that we already know about Thranduil? He is, of course, the King of the Wood-elves of Greenwood the Great, son of Oropher, and father of Legolas. Yet there is far more to his kingship than mere titles. Thranduil is descended from the line of the Sindar, or Grey Elves; yet the population over which he rules in Mirkwood is Silvan (the so-called Wood-elves).

The mingling of these two peoples began in the beginning of the Second Age, when some of the Sindar elected not to leave Middle-earth, and so migrated eastward. It is said that under the Sindar, the Silvan elves "became again ordered folk and increased in wisdom" (UT 269). While it is hard to imagine any clan or line of elves as less than ideal, given the characteristics we as fans attribute to them (and, doubtless, inflate, too), Tolkien makes clear that there is a divarication. [Ed: this is a word, it means "divergence", or "split".]

The Silvan of Mirkwood are, if not a lesser line, then a more distantly-sundered one in terms of culture, more firmly fixed in Middle-earth than their counterparts, who would seek to journey to the West. In this distinction of favor, that of the veritable earth versus the evanescent haven, we find the decline, the relegation of the Wood-elves to a lower status among elves, in perception only if in nothing else. But it is a concrete difference, culturally-ingrained and reinforced, and necessary to understand the ruling dynamic between Thranduil and his host.

Now, originally, the realm controlled by Oropher, Thranduil's father, extended further south and east. But, in the Second Age, he made the decision to withdraw north of the Gladden Fields, in order "to be free from the power and encroachments of the Dwarves of Moria" (UT 270). While here we may see the roots of the enmity and distrust harbored by the elves of the Woodland Realm for the Line of Durin, it should be noted that Oropher also withdrew north in order to distance himself from the intrusion of Galadriel and Celeborn into his lands.


King of the Woodland Realm by saramondo.

Thus did Oropher begin to hide and distance his people from outside troubles, and thus did he stop all interference in affairs beyond the eaves of Mirkwood. Thranduil, it appears, inherited his father's wariness and mistrust of strange folk. And it is, to this author's mind, most interesting to note that even as relations with Lothlorien broke off, and even as the shadow crept further over Mirkwood, Thranduil maintained his father's policy, knowing full well that there was common kinship between the Wood-elves and the Galadhrim.

Thranduil would preserve secrecy and doubt over all else; even, as it appears, if it meant his people would have to struggle against encroachment themselves. Indeed, it was ultimately Galadriel and her folk that cleansed Dol Guldur, not the Wood-elves.

Despite the image his reserved and secretive nature conjures up, Thranduil, we cannot forget, was a valiant warrior. Thranduil fought alongside his father and their Silvan host in the Battle of Dagorlad as part of the Last Alliance. And, while Oropher was slain somewhere between the Dead Marshes and the Morannon, Thranduil survived the battle.

Though Thranduil was crowned king upon his return, he noted the terrible loss his people had suffered ("he led back home barely a third of the army," UT 271). It is perhaps this horrible experience of loss and death in battle that further pushed Thranduil to shelter his people in the fastness of the Greenwood, to further prevent involvement in such matters, since he knows the cost of war too well.

Thus, while we do see Thranduil's folk come to war in the Battle of Five Armies, I believe we must consider this a rather calculated decision by a prudent lord not rash to throw his people into disarray and death. His motivation for war (be it insufferable enmity or avarice -- though I do find these motivators unbecoming of Thranduil in either case) must have, indeed, been great.



Scarred by the horrors of the War of the Last Alliance

While not touched on in The Hobbit, Thranduil's participation in the War of the Last Alliance is perhaps the single most influential event in his life. The horrors of the war (beyond the death of his revered father and the ravaging of his army) stuck with him long after victory was won. As the Third Age began, Thranduil and his folk felt a resurgence of fear and anxiety, an ominous air blowing from the East. While shadow and doubt slowly crept westward, Thranduil felt still a "deeper shadow" in his heart, for "he had seen the horror of Mordor and could not forget it" (UT 271).

The pain of war remained very real for Thranduil, and "if ever he looked south its memory dimmed the light of the Sun" (UT 271). This sense of fear -- a paralyzing, lasting dread -- contrasts with the stern and proud king portrayed in the novel and on film. But for all his fear, Thranduil remained a wise and discerning leader; he understood the changes he felt in the world, and "fear spoke in his heart that [Mordor] was not conquered for ever" (UT 271).

Thus, when at last the Shadow reached the Woodland Realm, Thranduil led his people further north and east; and there, in a far corner of the Wood, they built and fortified great halls.

Interestingly, Thranduil took inspiration from another great Sinda before him, and, "following the example of King Thingol", he delved underground, though his works rivaled not Menegroth of old (UT 272). It was indubitably a massive undertaking, but it serves to highlight this leader's commitment to his people; for if there is one thing this delving conveys, it is a deep desire for peace, isolation, and security. Yet, for all their remarkable works and the ever-noble rule of Thranduil, the Silvan Elves of Mirkwood were still held as "rude and rustic" (UT 272).

Their sundering from the rest of Elvendom goes beyond linguistic, geographic, and other cultural boundaries; rather, it is derived from a fundamental difference in worldview. Most importantly, the Silvan Elves of Mirkwood live with the inheritance of their Sindarin rulers, who "wished...to return...to the simple life natural to the Elves before the invitation of the Valar had disturbed it" (UT 272). It is a stark difference, and it runs straight to the core of the greatest internal struggle in Elvendom; yet, Thranduil and his folk give a firm, defiant answer, where others are far more subtle and cautious in their decision. But from a simplistic standpoint, the achievements of this group of Elves (and their lords Oropher and Thranduil, in particular) are all the more impressive.

With the full history of Thranduil in mind, a rather different image of the King of Greenwood the Great emerges. Certainly, Thranduil is not given just treatment in The Hobbit: the noteworthy contributions of this valiant leader are, unfortunately, not noted. The Unfinished Tales provides great context for deeper understanding of this elf-king, but these are often overlooked by fans (though that work deserves as much scrutiny and focus as any).

The films have so far shown Thranduil in an expanded role, but he is as yet removed from the figure we have explored. As the third and final installment of the film series is prepared for release, we are left to wonder about Thranduil's role. There is, of course, the Battle of Five Armies, but questions circle as to the fate of Dol Guldur (brought into the plot in film two), his relationship with Tauriel, and the portrayal of the final standoff post-battle.

Regardless, knowing more about Thranduil has me, at least, hoping that this Elf-lord will finally get some well-deserved attention.

References to the text from: Unfinished Tales by J.R.R. Tolkien, edited by Christopher Tolkien. Del Rey/Ballantine Books, 1988.


The elven-king's gate by Damien Farrell.

Tedoras is a bibliophile, linguist, and regular attendee at TORn's live weekly webcast. He splits his time between scouring the web for Tolkien books to add to his collection and the study of Chinese politics and public policy.

(This post was edited by Silverlode on Oct 25 2014, 5:57am)


Elthir
Grey Havens

Nov 5 2014, 2:38pm

Post #2 of 2 (1740 views)
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A few added points [In reply to] Can't Post

I'll just make a few points here. For the argument that Thranduil is not 'isolationist' see the following link. My posting
it here doesn't mean I agree with every word of course, but it's still another look and some further description to consider.

http://home.comcast.net/...e/canonmisfired.html


And for a very different history of Oropher's movements and his motivations for these movements, see note 14 to Disaster of The Gladden fields,
where Oropher's decision to withdraw North is due to the rumours of the rising power of Sauron, due to which he leaves Amon Lanc, and three
times moved northwards, ending up in the western glens of the Emyn Duir at the end of the Second Age, while his people lived and roamed in
the woods and vales westward as far as Anduin, north of the ancient Dwarf-road. The Emyn Duir "Dark Mountains", so called because of dense
fir-woods upon their slopes, were a group of high hills in the north-east of the forest, but the text relates that later even these hills became the
haunt of evil things. The Dwarf-road is the "Old Forest Road" described in The Hobbit.

Even in the Oropher history you are citing here (which I'll call Oropher A), which hails from texts noted in Appendix B to The History of
Galadriel and Celeborn, The Sindarin Princes of the Silvan Elves, I'll add that it was after this move beyond the Gladden Fields that.
'... there was constant intercourse between his [Oropher's] people and their kin across the river, until the War of the Last Alliance.'

And after the Last Alliance, I find no text that notes any paralyzing fear, or notable scar of war that caused the eventual separation of
the Silvan Elves of Lorien and Mirkwood. I don't even see anything that necessarily points to Thranduil's desire for such a thing. Granted you
didn't state this outright, but I think you suggested it as a possibility.

And according to Tolkien in a linguistic text Words, Phrases And Passages (WPP), contact had not yet ended. An admittedly earlier text,
here Tolkien imagined that the break between these Silvan Elves did not occur until around year 2,000 of the Third Age... thus well after Thranduil
was ruling. In general the growing Shadow appears to be the cause here, albeit later in the Age.

Of course another late passage that arguably belongs to 'Oropher A' relates that when 1,000 years had passed (not 2,000) Thranduil moved
his Silvan Elves north, retreating from the Shadow upon Greenwood. Again, I'm not sure this is anything but prudence against the rising of
Sauron however. Even here (Oropher A) Thranduil had roughly 1,000 years to move but seemingly did not, and in this scenario had (again seemingly)
moved back to where they had lived before the War, or at least it's not said. In any case Anduin arguably shielded Lorien longer, and when evil started
troubling the Galadhrim later and more directly, Galadiel and Celeborn stepped in (see the tale of Amroth and Nimrodel and so on, as some of these
Elves fled south to take ship -- in fact this is roughly the period of the sundering according to the idea expressed in WPP.

According to The Lord of the Rings, Haldir notes: "We seldom use any tongue but our own; for we dwell now in the heart of the forest, and
do not willingly have dealings with any other folk. Even our own kindred in the North are sundered from us." And later he says: "Yet so little faith
and trust do we find now in the world beyond Lothlorien, unless maybe in Rivendell, that we dare not by our own trust endanger our land. (...)
the rivers long defended us, but they are as sure guard no more; for the Shadow has crept Northward all about us."

But can we assign a policy (to split the Silvan folk) to either side? Not necessarily in my opinion. Again the Shadow of Sauron is rising, and evil is
naturally pushing out the Elves of Greenwood.

Also the motivations for Thranduil going to Erebor are given in The Hobbit itself, no matter how unbecoming one finds them. There, to his credit
Thranduil deviates from his original desire to answer the plea of Laketown -- and in any case no one expected the Battle of Five Armies. And to
his arguable credit again, Thranduil did not desire war for gold if it could be avoided, but then the goblins and baddies showed up and changed the
scenario anyway.

In any case we should keep in mind that these posthumously published sources are still draft texts. Some (not you) attempt to draw
a history of Oropher and Thranduil by merging those points that can be merged from variant texts, and while possibly interesting, such things
do not necessarily reflect the history the author imagined.

For example, the idea that 'perhaps' Thranduil was following his father in some way is itself based on a guess that one Oropher
history is true while the other is not. Granted there is no way to know Tolkien's ultimate choice with respect to the Oropher variants,
and several considerations are possible here since both can only be dated as 'late texts' (as far as I'm aware today, there is no
way to certainly date which text is even later than the other).

We can't read Tolkien's mind, and I'm not suggesting that you have, or even tried to; but I am injecting (I hope) a measure of caution
when dealing with these texts, plus adding a few more citations for possible consideration, and noting that 'perhaps' can sometimes
just as easily be 'perhaps not'...

... even if that much is admittedly obvious Smile

 
 

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