Thranduil, King of the Sindar

Thranduil, a character from J.R.R. Tolkein's world of Middle Earth, is first represented as the king of the Sindar elves who dwell in Mirkwood. He is first mentioned in The Hobbit, and fights in the Battle of Five Armies. It is he who lays Thorin to rest, placing the blade Orcrist, which had been taken from a troll hoard during the company's earlier adventures. There is some controversy over the placement of the blade, centering on two contradictory passages in different books. See the entry on Orcrist for the references to these passages.

In the course of Arda history, Thranduil is first mentioned during the elven migration from Lindon "before the building of Barad-dûr." Sauron was building the tower, begining around 1000, requiring that Thranduil be at least 2000 years old. The last mention of the character is a meeting between himself and the elf-lord of Lorién, Celeborn, in the year 3019. The meeting's purpose was to discuss the new boundaries of the elven kingdoms.1

The name Thranduil does not translate directly in Tolkein's normal usage of Sindarin, though it is close to the name Tharanduil, which the Encyclopedia of Arda translates as "beyond the long river." This translation is backed by referencing the fact that Lindon is across the river Anduin from Mirkwood, giving rise to what may be an assumed name.

Thranduil is also the father of Legolas, the companion of Frodo during the events of the Lord of the Rings.

Lee Pace played Thranduil in Peter Jackson's film adaptation of The Hobbit.

1http://www.glyphweb.com/arda/ search for Thranduil

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