I wholeheartedly am in love with luthienne’s character analysis of Legolas Thranduilion and this line «it’s impossible for me to think about legolas and not think about his father and his grandfather, to not think about the life he must have lived leading up to the forming of the fellowship.» set my heart aflame to speak on Oropher, and how his selflessness and wisdom is reflected in Thranduil and Legolas.
I have a deep love for Oropher, the canon character with only two pages or so dedicated to him. I think that the House of Oropher is chiefly characterised by resilience and non-violence, which is saying A LOT coming from the lineage of a Sindarin Prince of Doriath who not only has witnessed the Fall of Doriath, but also the second and third Kinslayings. To the House of Oropher (and Celeborn?) should be the right for vengeance against the Dwarves and the Noldor, or to pass judgement on those who had stood aside at Sirion. However, that is not what Oropher chose to do. Oropher’s entire reign as King of Greenwood was a big contrast to how he was described in the last alliance, and regrettably by some in fandom: “rash, hateful, isolationist”.
Indeed, Oropher did not stay in Lindon (forlindon, the seat of Gil-galad)—and this is so understandable because of its chiefly Noldor population, which must be triggering even if they were not the sons of Feanor. And to this point, I have to remind the reader that even Celeborn and Galadriel did not stay in Forlindon, so let’s be fair here. And later, each of these leaders moved away: C G C (Tyelpe) to Eregion, and Oropher much further east over the Misty Mountains to Greenwood.
Oropher had come among them with only a handful of Sindar, and they were soon merged with the Silvan Elves, adopting their language and taking names of SIlvan form and style. This they did deliberately; for they came from Doriath after its ruin, and had no desire to leave Middle-earth, nor to be merged with the other Sindar of Beleriand, dominated by the Noldorin Exiles for whom the folk of Doriath had no great love.
I always found it quite amazing and inspiring that Oropher literally travelled halfway across the “globe” as he knew it, with only a handful of his people, and joined with the Silvan elves. Think about the would-be King —who may not even know he was going to be a King— camping out on harsh lands, hunting on the hills, crossing two great rivers, and scaling the immense Hithaeglir, just for a shot at:
They wished indeed to become the SIlvan folk and to return, as they said, to the simple life natural to the Elves before the invitation of the Valar had disturbed it.
This is such a huge shade being thrown at the Sundering of the Three Kindred, waaaay back when. It is so heartwarming and endearing that Oropher and his friends REMEMBERED there exist other of their folk! And would brace all these unknowns mapless lands to go join them and live among them and be with them? What was going through his mind? And when we think about the Woodland Realm holding back the forces of Dol Guldur in Legolas’s time? Would Greenwood the Great be overrun if Oropher did not make this journey, if Oropher did not go to a distant land? Indirectly or literally, Oropher’s coming empowered and defended the Silvan Elves. His knowledge from Doriath, his knowledge about the enemies they will be facing in the future, would greatly survive the Silvan elves.
Three times did Oropher move his people, for different reasons. He’s not perfect, he’s traumatised, but yet he chooses a non violent way of avoiding his triggers.
In the Second Age their king, Oropher, had withdrawn northward beyond the Gladden Fields. This he did to be free from the power and encroachments of the Dwarves of Moria (…) and also he resented the intrusions of Celeborn and Galadriel in Lorien. But as yet there was little to fear between the Greenwood and the Mountains and there was constant intercourse between his people and their kin across the River, until the War of the Last Alliance.
See also Note 14 of Disaster Of The Gladden Fields
From my point of view, it always looked like Oropher was escaping from the trauma of Doriath and the Kinslayings. We must remember that even though Galadriel had no part in the Kinslayings, she withheld vital information. Prophecy may null whatever she could have revealed, but to a Sindarin Prince of Doriath who sees his King and people slaughtered before his very eyes? This is all very real, very traumatising, and I can understand Oropher pinning some kind of disdain on ~ all Dwarves ~ or ~ all Noldor ~. Oropher does not take any offensive measure, or drive them out. No, Oropher himself chose to walk away from his chances for vengeance. Heck, he might even be so self aware of his or his people’s feelings that he chooses to leave before some kind of accident happens. However, Oropher remains professional as a King and the realms do communicate often before the Last Alliance. This can be inferred as Oropher had peace with the realms of Moria and Lorien, despite past trauma.
I think Oropher has such a big heart, and quite a lot of patience as well. It must take a hefty amount of resources and planning to move a huge number of people not once, but three times. Then I remember Thranduil’s iconic line in The Hobbit: ❝ Long will I tarry ere I begin this war for gold. ❞ His father did not choose war at any point in time, until the moment where it counted, and this is the kind of wisdom that Thranduil has. Thranduil lived through all of Oropher’s decisions to move, and it must be quite stressful on a young person to have to uproot their entire life to move? Yet Thranduil must also have been one of Oropher’s closest councils, being the only named son of Oropher, and Thranduil listens to his father’s wisdom and it shows through in The Hobbit, where Thranduil does not choose to take the offensive until all other means has been exhausted. I, for one, could clearly see that Oropher brought up his son well.
Legolas’ decision to help Aragorn rebuild Minas Tirith, could it also be him remembering how his grandfather and father rebuild their people after every set backs? Oropher’s big heart and willpower to put all of his life’s work into another people, and shelter them as his own?
The House of Oropher could honestly be a romance novel! They are capable of such great love and selflessness despite, despite, despite.
