Mirkwood Elf

LOR054

2012

The Hobbit

The Mirkwood Elf Chief, also known as the Elvenking or King Thranduil, is a prominent character in J.R.R. Tolkien's *The Hobbit*. He rules over the Woodland Realm, a kingdom of Silvan Elves deep within the perilous Mirkwood forest.

Thranduil is portrayed as a powerful and somewhat aloof ruler, focused on the well-being and protection of his own people. He is known for his love of treasure, particularly white gems, and his wariness of outsiders, particularly dwarves, stemming from a past conflict and the loss of his wife in battle.

During the events of *The Hobbit*, Thranduil imprisons Thorin Oakenshield and his company for trespassing in his realm. He is eventually drawn into the Battle of Five Armies, where he fights alongside the men of Lake-town and the Free Peoples against the goblin and warg armies. His son, Legolas, also appears in the story and later becomes a prominent member of the Fellowship in *The Lord of the Rings*.