Legolas

This article is about the Elf of Mirkwood. For the Elf of Gondolin, see Legolas (elf of Gondolin).

Legolas, by Donato Giancola
Legolas Greenleaf
Biographical information
Other names	Greenleaf
Titles	Prince of the Woodland Realm
Death	Departed to Aman in FO 120 from Ithilien
Realms	Woodland Realm Ithilien
Parentage	Thranduil
Weapon	Bow and "long white knife"
Physical description
Race	Elves
Culture	Sindar (Elves of Mirkwood)
Media portrayal
Actor	Orlando Bloom (LotR films); Olga Serebryakova (Khraniteli)
Voice	Orlando Bloom (video games)

"Nay, time does not tarry ever, but change and growth is not in all things and places alike. For the Elves the world moves, and it moves both very swift and very slow."

—Legolas, speaking to Frodo in The Fellowship of the Ring, "The Great River"

Legolas was a Sindar Elf who joined the Fellowship of the Ring in the Third Age. Son of the Elvenking Thranduil of Mirkwood, Legolas was Mirkwood's prince, a messenger, and a master archer. With his keen eyesight, sensitive hearing, and excellent bowmanship, Legolas was valuable to the Fellowship in their journey across Middle-earth. He was well-known for becoming friends with the Dwarf Gimli, despite their long-held differences.

Biography

Early life

Legolas was the only son of Thranduil, King of the Elves of Northern Mirkwood. His exact date of birth and mother's name are unknown.

War of the Ring

Legolas and Gimli at Helm's Deep, by John Howe

Legolas came to the Council of Elrond in Rivendell, the great meeting held by the Elf lord Elrond, as a messenger from his father to discuss the escape of Gollum. When the council was choosing the "Nine Walkers" to pit against the "Nine Riders," Legolas volunteered to represent the Elves, and to become one of the members of the Fellowship that would set out to destroy the One Ring.

Legolas in combat with the Orcs during the Battle of the Bridge of Khazad-dûm

During their journey, Legolas would stay at the rear due to his keen eyes. On Caradhras, Legolas was able to run nimbly over the snow, leaving behind little imprint, whereas his companions struggled to plough through it. When Gandalf gave his counsel, Legolas voted against passing through Moria. In the morning, the Fellowship was waylaid by Wargs and Legolas fought in their defence. After the battle, he picked up his arrows, save one which was damaged.

Gimli quarreled with him in Moria (which was not unexpected considering the ancient quarrel between Elves and Dwarves) - Legolas' father Thranduil had once imprisoned Gimli's father, Glóin.

He and Gimli became friends, however, when Gimli greeted the Elf, Lady Galadriel, with gentle words. Before the Fellowship departed from Lothlórien, Legolas was given a new Galadhrim longbow. While the Fellowship was travelling over the river Anduin, he used his new bow to shoot an overhead Nazgûl on a fellbeast with one masterful shot in the dark.

After the breaking of the Fellowship, Legolas and Aragorn sang a song of lament for the fall of Boromir. He then led the way as he, Aragorn and Gimli raced through Rohan after the Uruk-hai who had taken Merry and Pippin. During that week, he was given a grey horse named Arod, on which he and Gimli would often ride together, from Éomer and his éored.

In Fangorn Forest, Legolas, Aragorn, and Gimli were reunited with Gandalf, now called Gandalf the White. Upon their meeting, Gandalf delivered the messages of Galadriel to them:

Legolas Greenleaf, long under tree, In joy thou hast lived. Beware of the Sea! If thou hearest the cry of the gull on the shore, Thy heart shall then rest in the forest no more.
—Galadriel's message to Legolas

In the Battle of the Hornburg, Legolas and Gimli engaged in an Orc-slaying contest that Gimli won (the score being 42 to 43, respectively), though Legolas was not jealous, stating, "You have passed my score by one but I do not grudge you the game, so glad am I to see you on your legs."

In Rohan, he and Gimli followed Aragorn, Elladan and Elrohir to the Paths of the Dead. His horse, Arod, refused to enter the paths, but Legolas calmed him. Their company rode on, with Elladan as the last, but Legolas looked back and saw the Dead following the Grey Company.

The Dead are following. I see shapes of Men and of horses, and pale banners like shreds of cloud, and spears like winter-thickets on a misty night. The Dead are following.
—Legolas in the Paths of the Dead

"A Shot in the Dark", by Ralph Damiani

Legolas fought in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields with Gimli and the sons of Elrond. After the battle, he and Gimli entered Minas Tirith; Legolas sang an elven-song as he walked, and suggested that the city needed more gardens. They met Prince Imrahil and went to the Houses of Healing, at which he remembered the cries of the gulls at Pelargir and sang a song about his newly kindled sea-longing.

Silver flow the streams from Celos to Erui

In the green fields of Lebennin!

Tall grows the grass there. In the wind from the Sea

The white lilies sway,

And the golden bells are shaken of mallos and alfirin

In the green fields of Lebennin,

In the wind from the Sea!

- Legolas in The Return of the King, Book Five, Chapter IX: "The Last Debate"

The ship bearing Legolas and Gimli away from the Grey Havens, by Darrell Sweet

After the war

Legolas and Gimli coming to Valinor, by Ted Nasmith

After the destruction of the One Ring and of Sauron, Legolas stayed for the coronation of Aragorn and his marriage to Arwen. Later, he and Gimli travelled together to Helm's Deep, visiting the Glittering Caves, and then traveled through Fangorn Forest as the two had previously sworn to each other they would. The Caves had seemingly left such an impression upon Legolas that he was speechless upon leaving them. Eventually, Legolas came to Ithilien with some of his people, with his father's leave, to live out his remaining time in Middle-earth helping to restore the woodlands that had been war-torn. After Aragorn's death, Legolas made a ship in Ithilien and left Middle-earth to go over the sea. His strong friendship with Gimli prompted Legolas to invite him to accompany him to the Undying Lands; making Gimli the only Dwarf to do so. He was never seen again in Middle-earth.

Etymology

The name Legolas is a Silvan dialect form of pure Sindarin Laegolas, meaning 'green leaf'. It consists of Sindarin words laeg ("green") and golas ("a collection of leaves, foliage, being a prefixed collective form of las(s) "leaf"). The Quenya translation of Legolas is Laiqualassë.

Legolas, imagined by Soni Alcorn-Hender

There might, however, be a certain meaning to his name: laeg is a very rare, archaic word for "green", which is normally replaced by calen (cf. Calenhad, mutated Parth Galen and plural Pinnath Gelin) and is otherwise almost only preserved in Laegrim, Laegel(d)rim (Sindarin form of Quenya Laiquendi), the Green Elves of the First Age. It may be that Thranduil named his son Legolas to at least partially refer to this people, who were remote kin and ancestors of the later Silvan Elves whom Thranduil ruled.

Character

Young Legolas, by Anna Lee

Although he lived among them, Legolas was not fully of the Silvan Elves. As a son of the Elven-king Thranduil, who had originally come from Doriath, Legolas was at least half Sindar; his mother's identity is completely unknown. This is complicated by the fact that a small minority of Sindarin Elves ruled the predominantly Silvan Woodland Realm of Northern Mirkwood, a minority to which Legolas belonged. The Sindarin minority in that realm, who should have been nobler and wiser than the Silvan Elves can be seen as having "gone native" at the end of the First Age: after Morgoth was defeated and all grand Elf-kingdoms of Beleriand were destroyed, the Sindar nobles can be seen as having reverted to a simpler society.

Like all Elves, Legolas had great respect and appreciation for nature. After the Fellowship parted from Fangorn Forest, he longed to return once more to explore its wonders more thoroughly. He was kind, caring greatly for his friends, even Gimli the Dwarf, though Elves and Dwarves almost never expressed liking for one another in Middle-earth.

Powers and abilities

Legolas in Parth Galen

As an Elf, Legolas had the abilities typical of his race. He could walk silently on grass and snow leaving minimal footprints, allowing him to advance unhindered. His eyes were sharper than that of Men, seeing through great distances and in the dark. He could even sleep while walking, which contributed to allowing him to travel 45 leagues in less than four days with Aragorn and Gimli. He tamed unruly horses with only a few words, without needing reins or saddles.

Weapons

Legolas famously used an Elven bow, as well as a long, white knife. He would prefer to pierce his enemies from afar, but his dagger was sometimes used for close combat. In Lothlórien, he was given a long-bow of the Galadhrim, which was longer and stouter than those of the fashion of Mirkwood.

Legolas' bow of the Galadhrim

Legolas' dual long knives that were used in the films (One in the books)

Behind the scenes

The Elves in J.R.R. Tolkien's legendarium were often associated as "fairy-like" beings who grew great in stature. However, when Legolas was visually rendered as "pretty", Tolkien was "wrathful" and added a description of Legolas as:

"He was as tall as a young tree, lithe, immensely strong, able swiftly to draw a great war-bow and shoot down a Nazgûl, endowed with the tremendous vitality of Elvish bodies, so hard and resistant to hurt that he went only in light shoes over rock or through snow, the most tireless of all the Fellowship."

—J.R.R. Tolkien on Legolas

The Hobbit

John D. Rateliff speculates in The History of The Hobbit: Mr Baggins and Return to Bag-End that had Tolkien gone on to finish the 1960 edit of the The Hobbit, proceeding to add to the Mirkwood scenes, it is possible Legolas would have been introduced.

If Tolkien’s projected rewriting of our story in 1960 had proceeded as far as the Mirkwood chapters, we might have been able to discover whether he intended to bring Legolas into Mr. Baggins’ story (after all, in the light of later knowledge we can say he would almost certainly have been present at the Battle of Five Armies); there is no sign of it in the admittedly sketchy notes that survive. But even this would hardly have resolved the question of what was in Tolkien’s mind almost thirty years earlier when he wrote The Hobbit, since by that later date he was committed to the decision that Thingol and the Elvenking were two different characters.

Appearances

Books

• The Fellowship of the Ring
• The Two Towers
• The Return of the King

Films

• The Lord of the Rings film trilogy
• The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
• The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

In adaptations

In The Lord of the Rings film trilogy

Legolas in Ithilien

In Peter Jackson's movie adaptations, Legolas' role stays much the same as in the books, although he speaks considerably less. He is portrayed by Orlando Bloom.

In The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Legolas arrives in Rivendell with a group of Elves. At the Council of Elrond, he is unimpressed by Boromir's attitude towards Aragorn. Legolas therefore declares "This is no mere Ranger. He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance". Boromir is stunned by this revelation, but Aragorn is uncomfortable with the reminder. When Boromir argues against trying to destroy the Ring, Legolas sharply refutes him as the Ring has to be destroyed. Gimli figures that Legolas thinks he should be the one to take the Ring and then says he would be dead before he saw the Ring in the hands of an Elf. This starts an argument between all the members of council but Frodo interrupts the quarrelling, saying that he would take the Ring to Mordor. Gandalf and Aragorn tell Frodo that they will help him get to Mordor and Legolas decides he will also help, telling Frodo that he has his bow. Gimli and Boromir also join the quest along with the other Hobbits, Samwise Gamgee, Peregrin Took and Meriadoc Brandybuck who were eavesdropping and decided they could not possibly be left behind. Elrond, though flustered at this, pronounces all nine of them as the Fellowship of the Ring.

The Fellowship sets off towards Mordor through the Misty Mountains. During a brief rest, Legolas is the first to spot a flock of Crebain heading their way. The group took cover immediately while the birds passed by. Afterwards Gandalf takes them through the pass of Caradhras but the Fellowship is waylaid by a snowstorm while passing over the mountains. Legolas is able to walk on the snow with no difficulty, yet he soon hears Saruman's voice influencing the weather stating that there is a fell voice in the air. As the Fellowship are bombarded by stones and snow, Gandalf attempts to calm the storm, but Saruman sends a lightning bolt into the mountain. This results in an avalanche which falls on the group, at which point Gandalf and Frodo decide to go through Moria.

They reach the gate of the kingdom and Gandalf tries to open the door, speaking Elvish. Frodo discovers that the password is the Elvish word for friend and the door opens. As they walk in, Gimli notes to Legolas that they would soon enjoy the fabled hospitality of the Dwarves and his cousin Balin. Legolas and the others see the Dwarven corpses awaiting them and the Elven prince immediately deduces that Goblins are lurking nearby. When Frodo is suddenly attacked by the Watcher in the Water from the lake outside, Legolas notices that the watcher is searching for the Ring, so he shoots an arrow through one of its tentacles. After Aragorn and Boromir free Frodo, Boromir yells Legolas' name and he shoots an arrow into the beast's eye, holding it back to give them time to run into the mine. The Watcher climbs up and breaks apart the stone, which traps the Fellowship within the mines. Legolas and the others quickly realise that they will have to go through Moria. Eventually Gandalf leads the company to Balin's tomb, where he discovered the Book of Mazarbul. Legolas is uneasy as he knows that evil is lurking nearby. Before long Pippin accidentally sends a rotting carcass into the depths of the mines, which alerts a whole army of Goblins. Before they even break through the doors, Legolas and Aragorn are able to hit them with arrows through the holes in the doors. Even when the doors are thrown open, Legolas shoots them down before they can close the distance. When the Cave-troll storms into the chamber, Legolas alone is able to avoid it with ease. He even climbs onto the troll and fires an arrow into its skull. When most of the Fellowship are fighting the troll, Legolas sees an opportunity when Pippin stabs it in the head, causing the troll to roar. The Elf then fires an arrow directly into its mouth, penetrating its skull and killing it swiftly.

The Fellowship is forced to flee from the Balrog of Morgoth, a creature which even Legolas is alarmed by. At the crossing of the stairs, Legolas is the first to jump across the gap with no trouble. The company is attacked by archers from afar, so Legolas returns fire. When Gimli nearly falls off the edge, Legolas swiftly grabs him by the beard and hauls him back. Before they leave Moria, Legolas witnesses the fall of Gandalf, at which he is horrified and subdued by the loss.

Once the company reach the Woods of Lothlórien, Galadriel and Celeborn inquire about Gandalf. Only Legolas is able to tell them about the loss, bitterly lamenting their needless trip through Moria. But Galadriel deems that none of Gandalf's deeds were needless, even if the trip through Moria resulted in his demise. The Elven lady later gives gifts to the Fellowship. Legolas receives a new bow of the Galadhrim, which he subsequently uses for the rest of his journey. While travelling down the river, Gimli laments how sorry he is to have left Lothlórien and the beauty of Galadriel. Legolas inquires as to what her gift was for him, to which Gimli confesses "I asked for one hair from her golden head. She gave me three". Legolas is amused, at which point their attitudes begin to soften.

During their trip down the river, Legolas's far sight alerts him to the presence of the Uruk-hai scouts bearing down on them. At Parth Galen, Legolas urges Aragorn to lead them away immediately, as he can sense the Uruk-hai approaching. The Elf is called to action once more as the company is soon attacked. He arrives in time to see Boromir's final moments before he succumbs to his wounds.

After they send Boromir's body along the river in one of the boats, Legolas prepares to follow Frodo and Sam, but seeing Aragorn hesitate he realises that the Ranger doesn't intend to follow them. Aragorn deems that they must rescue Merry and Pippin from the Uruk-hai. While disappointed at first, the Elf sees hope in that the Fellowship still hold true. Therefore he eagerly joins Aragorn and Gimli in hunting down the Uruks.

In The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, the three hunters pursue the Uruks into the plains of Rohan. From afar, Legolas can see that the Uruks are now headed directly for Isengard. The trio soon encounter the riders of Rohan, who are hostile at first given that they are now at open war with Saruman. When Éomer is scornful towards Gimli, Legolas aims his bow at Éomer's face and says "You would die before your stroke fell!" Aragorn quickly diffuses the situation and after the cooling of words, Éomer lets them go and gives them two horses to help them find their friends. Legolas and the others discover that the Uruks have been destroyed and burned by the Rohirrim. At first they believe the Hobbits were caught in the massacre, but Aragorn discovers Hobbit tracks leading away from the battle and into Fangorn Forest.

In the shade of the trees, Legolas is intrigued by the forest, yet he is also wary as he knows that the trees are alive. He soon senses that someone is stalking them, so he warns Aragorn, "The White Wizard approaches...". The trio turn against the stranger, but the Wizard overpowers them. He even knocks away Legolas' arrow at point blank range. The Wizard reveals himself to be Gandalf, having destroyed the Balrog and being resurrected by the great powers. Legolas is overwhelmed to see his return. Gandalf tells them that the Hobbits are safe and that they must aid Rohan.

At Edoras, Legolas and the others are forced to disarm before seeing the King, although Gandalf manages to get his staff through. The possessed Théoden is under the control of Gríma Wormtongue, servant of Saruman and the fallen wizard possesses the king's mind. Théoden and Wormtongue set their thugs on the group and Legolas, Gimli and Aragorn fight them off while Gandalf walks towards the king, using his staff he frees him from the spell, revealing himself to Saruman as the new white wizard. Against the wishes of Gandalf and Aragorn, Théoden believes it would be best to take refuge in the stronghold of Helm's Deep.

On the way to Helm's Deep, the company are attacked by Warg-riders. Legolas quickly aids Gamling in slaying the two scouts before the rest of the riders show up. Legolas shoots down several Wargs and riders as they approach over the hills and then mounts up onto Arod as the Rohirrim ride up from behind him.

In the midst of the fighting, Aragorn is dragged off a cliff and into the river below. Legolas and Gimli interrogate the dying Sharku, where the Elf recovers the Evenstar. Legolas believes that Aragorn has perished and is disconsolate, but Théoden urges them to come to Helm's Deep. Legolas and Gimli have no choice to but to continue.

When Aragorn recovers and arrives at Helm's Deep later on, Legolas greets him and returns the the Evenstar to him. Aragorn reveals that he has seen ten thousand Uruk-hai marching towards Helm's Deep, prompting the King to order the defense of the fortress. But Legolas and Gimli are doubtful that they can hold out against such sheer numbers. Legolas in particular despairs that they will all die, prompting Aragorn to say "Then I shall die as one of them!"

The Elf later reconciles with Aragorn before the battle. Legolas then hears a horn blowing and immediately recognizes it as an Elvish call. Haldir and an army of Lothlórien Elves arrive to aid the King, sent by Galadriel and Elrond.

On the Deeping Wall of the Hornburg, Legolas joins his kin with Gimli, although the Dwarf grumbles about not being tall enough to see over the rampart. When the Uruk-hai arrive and start uttering war cries, Gimli frantically asks what is going on. Legolas offers either a description or a large box for Gimli to stand on, to which the Dwarf laughs.

“Shall I describe it to you? Or would you like me to find you a box?”

- Legolas to Gimli at the start of the Battle of the Hornburg

The siege begins and Legolas told the Elves and Men to aim at the Uruk's necks and underarms where their armor is weak. Uruks began climbing up on siege ladders and Legolas and Gimli begin killing them on the wall. Legolas also spots an Uruk berserker with a bomb and attempts to shoot him down, but the Uruk simply hurls himself into the hole in the wall. The Deeping Wall is blasted to pieces, although Legolas survives unharmed. He rides down the stairs on an Uruk shield while shooting arrows at the same time. Eventually however Legolas and the others are forced to retreat. When the Uruks begin to throw up more siege ladders, the Elf manages to buy some time by shooting the ropes, causing one of them to topple over and flatten the Uruks. The Uruks then break into the fortress, so Legolas and the others withdraw into the keep. They continue to barely hold out through the night and as the sun of the following morning rises Aragorn urges Théoden to ride out one last time. Legolas joins them and together they mow down the Uruk-hai outside on the bridge. Legolas also witnesses the return of Gandalf with an army of horsemen led by Éomer. The Battle of Helm's Deep ends and the remaining Orcs flee back to Isengard where Treebeard and the Ents have attacked and destroyed them.

In The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Legolas joins the others in finding Merry and Pippin at Isengard. When the group confronts Saruman, Gimli becomes impatient with the wizard and suggests that Legolas shoot him. Legolas actually begins to do so, but Gandalf commands him not to as they need information. Eventually Legolas is forced to act when Wormtongue stabs Saruman, so the Elf shoots Wormtongue in the heart, but it is too late to save Saruman and the former white wizard's body plummets and lands on a spiky wheel at the bottom. The palantír falls into the water and Pippin retrieves it. It is quickly confiscated by Gandalf.

On returning to Edoras, a celebration is held for the recent victory at Helm's Deep. There Legolas is introduced to a drinking game with Gimli which seemingly he has never done before. Nevertheless he holds his liquor very well, going through several pints and still standing, although he mentions "I can feel something... a slight tingle in my fingers. I think it's affecting me". Gimli however passes out, whereupon Legolas wins the game.

Later he stands outside and talks with Aragorn and feels Sauron's presence when Pippin looks into the palantír. Aragorn grabs the stone and Legolas holds him up as he almost falls, the palantír rolling out of his hands. Gandalf quickly covers it with a cloth. The next morning he hears what Gandalf has discovered after Pippin's vision in the palantír. The Elf is later seen when Gondor signals for help and Théoden orders everyone to ride to Dunharrow. Gimli wishes that he could muster an army of Dwarves from his home, though Legolas speculates that war already marches on their lands as well.

At Dunharrow, Legolas and Gimli notice that the men and horses are uneasy under the shadow of the mountain. Gimli inquires about the road leading into the mountain, which Legolas identifies as the road to the Dimholt. Éomer warns them that the mountain is an evil place to be avoided.

Legolas catches Aragorn trying to leave without himself and Gimli, and together they join him on the road through the haunted mountain. Gimli wonders aloud about the dead, whereupon Legolas explains how they refused to aid Isildur in the war against Sauron, breaking their oath and being cursed to walk the earth endlessly. Inside the mountain, the King of the Dead confronts the trio and sends his army to kill them. Legolas tries to shoot the dead king, but the arrow simply passes through his skull. Aragorn's reforged sword physically blocks the weapon of the king, at which point the dead king realized that Aragorn was Isildur's Heir. Aragorn demands that they fight and fulfil their oath. The Dead King and his army seemed to retreat, when the mountain is rocked by an earthquake. The trio are forced to flee the avalanche of skulls and rocks. Once outside, Legolas and the others see the Corsairs of Umbar heading to Gondor, but the King of the Dead reappears and agrees to fight.

Legolas and the others arrive in Gondor on the Black Ships after the Battle of the Pelennor Fields has already begun. There he and Gimli begin another contest to kill as many Orcs as possible. Legolas mounts a stampeding Mûmak, climbing up the great beast to cut the war tower loose, sending the Haradrim archers into the path of the oncoming Oathbreakers. Legolas then shoots the Mûmak in the head with three arrows and slides down its trunk as it collapses. Landing in front an indignant Gimli, the Dwarf declares that it is still only one, seemingly forgetting the war tower full of Haradrim.

To give Frodo more time to get the Ring to Mount Doom, the remaining forces go to the Black Gate to distract Sauron and his forces. At the Black Gate, Legolas and Gimli acknowledge their friendship before the battle begins. Legolas and Gandalf then follow Aragorn as he charges at the host of Mordor. During the fighting Legolas notices Aragorn struggling to fight an armoured troll and immediately rushes to his aid. Legolas is present when the Great Eagles arrive and begin fighting the Nazgûl in the air. When the One Ring is destroyed, Legolas is one of the first to notice the Eye of Sauron screaming from afar. He then witnesses the fall of Barad-dûr and the destruction of Mordor. At first he is happy but then notices the mountain erupting and immediately is worried for Frodo and Sam.

Legolas is present when Frodo reawakens in Minas Tirith. At Aragorn's coronation, the King thanks his friend again for his support. Legolas then steps aside to reveal Arwen, whereupon Aragorn finally marries her. Legolas then bows before Frodo, Sam, Pippin and Merry with everybody else present to thank them for everything they did.

In The Hobbit film trilogy

Do not think I won't kill you, dwarf! It would be my pleasure.
—Legolas to Thorin, in The Desolation of Smaug

Legolas confronts Thorin and Company.

In The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, Orlando Bloom returns to the role of Legolas. Although Legolas does not appear anywhere in the novel The Hobbit, he has a significant role as the son of the Elven-king Thranduil within their Woodland Realm.

During one hunt, Legolas and Tauriel come across the Company of Thorin Oakenshield on their journey to the Lonely Mountain. Legolas and the Mirkwood Elf Rangers surround the Dwarves and take them captive, searching them. Legolas pulled out a photo of Glóin's wife and of his son Gimli and tosses it aside after asking who they are. He is handed Orcrist, which Thorin had been wielding. Legolas asks Thorin where he got the blade to which the stubborn Dwarf replies that it had been given to him. Legolas accuses Thorin of being a thief and a liar before taking the blade for himself. Legolas leads the Elves with the Dwarf prisoners back through the gates of the Elvenking's Halls. Thinking that he hears something behind him, Legolas turns around, giving Bilbo Baggins enough time to sneak through the gates wearing the One Ring. The Dwarves are locked up while Thranduil tries to bargain with Thorin, but the Dwarf turns down the deal. Legolas tells his father that Tauriel fought well and Thranduil confronts her, telling her that Legolas has grown fond of her and not to give him hope where there is none, as he will never allow his son to pledge himself to a lowly Silvan Elf such as herself. Legolas later watches from above as Tauriel talks with Kíli the Dwarf.

Bilbo helps the Dwarves escape in barrels that are on their way to Lake-town, but Legolas is alerted and tells Feren to get the gate closed. Feren blows his horn and the Elf sentries close the river gate but are immediately attacked and killed by Hunter Orcs led by Bolg of Gundabad. Legolas and Tauriel reaches the gate with the support of the Silvan Guard and the Elf Rangers and they attack the Orcs. Kíli gets out of his barrel to open the gate and is shot by Bolg with a Morgul Shaft from his Morgul Bow. Legolas follows the Dwarves downstream and is the only Elf able to keep up with the current. He continues to kill the Hunter Orcs as he goes, jumping from one side of the creek to the other, using the Dwarves' heads as stepping stones. Towards the end of the skirmish an Orc raises his axe behind Legolas' head and Thorin throws an axe from his barrel to kill the Orc, saving the Elf's life.

Tauriel shoots an arrow to intercept Narzug's arrow that is aimed at Legolas from behind as he watches the Dwarves and Orcs escape down the stream. Legolas tells her not to kill the Orc archer as he might be able to help them. They bring Narzug back to their fortress where Legolas and Thranduil interrogate him. Thranduil promises to set him free but when he begins talking about his master "The One" and the weapon that is going to be unleashed Thranduil beheads him, telling Legolas that there was nothing more the Orc could tell him. Thranduil orders the gates to be closed, nobody entering or exiting the kingdom. Legolas goes to order the gates closed when he is told Tauriel has left with nothing but her knives and bow. Legolas decides to follow her to bring her back. When he finally catches up with her he tries to get her to come back, but Tauriel convinces him that they need to do their part and follow the Orcs. The continue on to Lake-town. By the time they reach Esgaroth it is night-fall and the Dwarves have already left for Erebor apart from Kíli, Fíli, Bofur and Óin and they are being attacked by Orcs in the house of Bard. Legolas comes in through the roof and begins killing the Orcs with Tauriel. Fimbul the Hunter, Bolg's lieutenant runs out and jumps onto a boat, letting Bolg know that Oakenshield has already left and Legolas pushes the last Orc's body out onto the end of the boat Fimbul had jumped onto, sending it flying back up into Legolas' knives and he is beheaded by the Elf. Legolas attempts to convince Tauriel to keep hunting with him but she opts to stay with Kíli who she is obviously growing feelings for.

Legolas finally catches up to Bolg who anticipates his arrival, having a couple of Orcs ready to attack the Elf prince. Legolas attacks Bolg after killing the Orcs and an intense duel ensues. Legolas eventually lost Orcrist and has to pull out one of his knives as Bolg proves to be a stronger Orc than the others, and makes Legolas bleed for the first time. More Orcs attack Legolas as Bolg escaped on his Warg, leaving Lake-town. Legolas stands out of breath and sees the blood on his finger after touching the wound, but only stops for a moment before taking a horse and chasing down the Gundabad Orc. Bolg leads him to a Warg pack and the Orcs bear the sign of Gundabad which concerns Legolas greatly.

In The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, in the wake of the destruction of Esgaroth from the flames of Smaug and the death of the dragon by the Black Arrow fired by Bard, Legolas returnes to the refugee camp and finds Tauriel. He tells her to take leave of the Dwarf as she is needed elsewhere. Legolas meets with Bard who seems to be the leader of the men due to the death of the Master of Lake-town. He asks what they will do and also warns Bard of the Gundabad Orcs he fears will come now that the mountain was no longer guarded by a dragon. Feren arrives and told Legolas to return immediately to his kingdom but when he finds out Tauriel had been banished, he decides to stay with her and go scout out Gundabad. They ride to the Orc stronghold and lie waiting for nightfall to go in. Tauriel asks what is beyond Gundabad and Legolas tells her it is the lands of Angmar. After a pause he adds that his mother died in Angmar and that his father barely talks about her. As it gets darker they are surprised by a hoard of Gundabad War Bats and then look over to see Bolg commanding an entire army of Gundabad War Orcs. They ride back as quickly as they can to warn the others.

When they arrive back in the ruins of Dale, the Battle of Five Armies has already begun and they find Gandalf the Grey, telling him that another army of Orcs will arrive. Realizing that they will trap Thorin, Dwalin, Kíli and Fíli on Ravenhill, Tauriel wishes to go help Kíli and the other Dwarves, believing their lives to be worth just as much as that of an Elf. Thranduil, trying to leave the battle, believing that he had spent enough Elf blood on a worthless cause is stopped by Tauriel. He breaks her bow and threatensto kill her but Legolas pushes his blade away, stepping up from behind him. He tells his father that if he hurt her he would have to kill him. Legolas tells Tauriel he will go with her and they make their way to Ravenhill. Legolas grabs hold of a bat and flies up to the fortress where he hangs upside-down and takes down an entire line of Gundabad War Orcs on their way past, before shooting his bat and landing on one of the towers. He sees Thorin fighting Azog the Defiler below on the ice and shoots down the Orcs that were sent after the Dwarf. When he notices Bolg attacking Tauriel he reaches for an arrow but realises he has finally run out, grabbing Orcrist. He jumps down onto a Truncated Troll and commandeers it to push over the tower and create a stone bridge of sorts. Legolas and Bolg have a rematch on the stone bridges, Legolas using Orcrist until he notices Thorin cornered on the ice above. He throws Orcrist up to stab the Orc above Thorin, returning the sword to the Dwarf. Legolas then unsheathes his knives and attacks Bolg again. Bolg pushes him down and bits of the bridge began falling beneath him, but Legolas uses his light feet to step on the falling rocks and run back up. Bolg grabs his knife in the same position that dominated Legolas in Lake-town but this time the Elf is ready for it, swinging around on top and stabbing the big Gundabad Orc in the head before jumping off and letting his body fall and get crushed by rocks from the tower. Legolas decides he can't stay in Mirkwood after defying his father and Thranduil recommends he go to the Rangers of the North to look for the Dúnedain, where he will find a young man who goes by the name of "Strider" and that Legolas must discover his true name for himself. As Legolas leaves, Thranduil calls after him that his mother loved him. Legolas briefly looks back before walking off.

In Ralph Bakshi version

Legolas in Ralph Bakshi's animated version of The Lord of the Rings.

Legolas has also been portrayed by Anthony Daniels in the 1978 Ralph Bakshi animated version of The Lord of the Rings (1978).

In Radio versions

Legolas was voiced by Frank Duncan in the 1955 radio series, by John Vickery in the 1979 radio series, and by David Collings in the 1981 BBC Radio 4 adaptation.

In The Lord of the Rings Online

In The Lord of the Rings Online, Legolas is first met in Rivendell, where before the Fellowship's departure he helps the player search for the missing Nazgûl. Later, the player catches up with Legolas at several points during the Fellowship's journey such as Cerin Amroth, Meduseld, Hornburg and the Pelennor Fields. After Sauron's defeat, Legolas and Gimli accompany soldiers of Gondor who on the orders of King Elessar begin exploring and securing the Land of Shadow; Legolas assists the player in their exploration of Tower of Cirith Ungol. Afterwards, Legolas for a brief time returns home to his father's halls in Eryn Lasgalen, where he introduces the player to Grimbeorn. He soon returns back to Minas Tirith for the wedding of Aragorn and Arwen, after which he continues the exploration of the pass of Cirith Ungol, eventually discovering the entrance to Shelob's Lair.

Voice dubbing actors

Foreign Language	Translated name
Spanish (Latin America)	José Antonio Macías
Spanish (Spain)	Sergio Zamora
Portuguese (Brazil) (Television/DVD)	Sérgio Moreno (FOTR, TTT, Extended Edition ROTK) Alexandre Marconatto (ROTK) Philippe Maia (The Hobbit trilogy)
German	Philipp Moog
Italian (Italy)	Massimiliano Manfredi
Hungarian	Károly Rékasi
French (France)	Denis Laustriat
Czech (Czech Republic)	Michal Jagelka
Korean	유동균(Dong-kyun Yoo)(The Fellowship of the Ring)/표영재(Yeong-jae Pyo)(The Two Towers & The Return of the King)
Slovak	Vladimír Kobielský
Polish	Jacek Kopczyńśki (1978) Lesław Żurek (The Hobbit trilogy)
Turkish	Murat Şen

Video games

• In J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Volume 1, 1994, Legolas is a character that can be somewhat controlled, however he is an A.I. character who wanders around the game who cannot fight enemies.
• In The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring video game, Legolas is voiced by Michael Reisz but he's not a playable character. In its sequels The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (video game) and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King , he is voiced by Orlando Bloom also in this game he is a playable character that can be used in the campaign missions.

• In The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's Quest (based on Peter Jackson's trilogy), Legolas is voiced again by Orlando Bloom.

• Legolas is a hero in The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth and The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II, voiced by Crispin Freeman.

• Legolas is hero in The Lord of the Rings: Conquest, portrayed by Crispin Freemen in the PS3 and Xbox 360 version. There is a specific achievement called "That still only counts as one", which is earned by using Legolas to kill an Oliphaunt single-handedly, just like Legolas did in the third of Peter Jackson's movies and is named after what Gimli said to him immediately afterwards.

• In The Lord of the Rings: War in the North, Legolas was voiced again by Crispin Freeman.
• In Guardians of Middle-earth, Legolas appears is an online multiplayer character.

• In LEGO The Lord of the Rings: The Video Game, Legolas is voiced by Orlando Bloom since in the game, actual movie audio is used for cutscenes and other dialogue needed. Legolas is able to jump higher than other characters in game.

• Legolas also appears in The Lord of the Rings Online, and can be found in the Guest Rooms of Rivendell, and in Cerin Amroth, in Lothlórien.

• In The Hobbit: Armies of the Third Age, Legolas makes his most recent appearance, as a hero for the Elven faction.

"A Prince of the Woodland Realm, Legolas is a lethal fighter who is fiercely loyal to his father. However, as the outside world encroaches on the Wood Elves, Legolas has ventured forth to help defend his people from dwarves, Orcs and other threats."

—Description of Legolas in The Hobbit: Armies of the Third Age

Gallery

Legolas in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Legolas in Rivendell

Legolas in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Legolas receives his Galadhrim bow

Legolas' full appearance for The Hobbit films

A close-up on Legolas from Empire Magazine

Legolas' character poster for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

A French character poster of Legolas

Tauriel and Legolas poster

Legolas's character poster for The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

Legolas and Bard in the The Hobbit films

Legolas and Tauriel in Lake-town

LEGO Legolas

LEGO Legolas

Legolas as a LEGO minifigure.

Legolas from The Lord of the Rings Online.

Legolas in Guardians of Middle-earth

Legolas' full appearance for The Hobbit: Armies of the Third Age

Legolas in Armies of the Third Age

Legolas in The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game

Legolas in The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game - The Sands of Harad

Legolas in The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game - The Treason of Saruman

Translations

Foreign Language	Translated name
Amharic	ለጎላስ
Arabic	ليجولاس
Armenian	Լեգոլաս
Belarussian Cyrillic	Легалас
Bengali	লেগোলাস
Bulgarian Cyrillic	Леголас (Legolas) Леголас Зеленолист (Legolas Greenleaf)
Burmese	လက်ဂိုလက်စ်
Catalan	Légolas
Chinese (Hong Kong)	勒苟拉斯
Chinese (China)	莱古拉斯
Chinese (Taiwan)	萊戈拉斯
Colognian	Lejolas
Georgian	ლეგოლასი
Greek	Λέγκολας
Gujarati	લેગલોસ
Hebrew	לגולאס
Japanese	レゴラス
Kannada	ಲೆಗೊಲಸ್
Kazakh	Леголас (Cyrillic) Legolas (Latin)
Korean	레골라스
Kyrgyz Cyrillic	Лэголас
Macedonian Cyrillic	Леголас
Malayalam	ലെഗോലാസ്
Mongolian Cyrillic	Леголас
Nepalese	ळेगोलस
Persian	لگولاس
Punjabi	ਲੈਗੋਲਸ
Russian	Леголас
Sanskrit	ळेगोलस्
Serbian	Леголас (Cyrillic) Legolas (Latin)
Sinhalese	ලෙගෝලස්
Tajik Cyrillic	Леголас
Tamil	லெகோலாஸ்
Telugu	లెగోలాస్
Thai	เลโกลัส
Ukrainian Cyrillic	Леголас
Urdu	لیگولاس
Uzbek	Леголас (Cycillic) Legolas (Latin)
Yiddish	לעגאָלאַס

External links

• Legolas of Mirkwood: Prince Among Equals