The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, including The Hobbit, in print and the movies, portrayed innumerable characters, with graphic descriptions of their origins, their physical attributes, their realm and rule, and how they contributed to the overarching fantasy theme of the world-renowned series. One of the most pivotal personalities in the story was Master Elrond, Lord of Rivendell.
Two years after, in Second Age 1697, Elrond established Rivendell by the foot of the Misty Mountains. This Elven kingdom endured to the end and was the only powerful opposition against Sauron until the Third Age came to an end. In the Second Age 1701, the Numenorians and the Gil-Galad elves, joined forces with Elrond and Cirdan and finally won against Sauron, overpowering his mighty army. Elrond stayed in Rivendell to hold the first Council of the Wise, or the White Council, where they decided upon two significant things.
First is that the Last Homely House, the home of Elrond, will continue to be the last bastion, opposite of Mordor, beyond the Misty Mountains. Secondly, the three rings will be kept in custody and will be guarded with utmost secrecy by Galadriel, who was in attendance to the Council, and Gil-Galad. Various accounts state that Gil-Galad handed the Blue Ring, Vilya, to Elrond at this time, while others claim that Gil-Galad kept both rings, Narya and Vilya until the Second Age came to an end. It was also during this time when Celebrian, Galadriel, and Celeborn’s daughter, met Elrond for the first time. Gil-Galad and Elrond rode together, towards the end of the Second Age, to go to Mordor and form the Last Alliance of Elves and Men in Second Age 3431.
Dwarves, headed by Durin IV, men from Gondor and Arnor, Elves from Lorien, constituted the Alliance. They conquered the army of Sauron and besieged his primary fortress in Barad-Dur, for seven years. Gil-Galad and Elendil were able to defeat Sauron such that Isildur was able to cut the One Ring off Sauron’s finger and claimed the ring to himself. The war took the lives of a multitude of men and elves including Elendil, his young son Anarion, and Gil-Galad.
Only Cirdan and Elrond were left in command among the elves and Isildur as Lord over men. When Elrond realized that Isildur took the ring from Sauron, he told convinced him to throw it to the fires of Mount Doom. However, Isildur couldn’t resist the powerful allure of the ring and decided to not heed Elron’s advice. He claimed the One Ring as a Weregild and gave it to his brother and father. Elrond may not have fully understood the implications of this decision and did not stop Isildur from his claim. Isildur, then, was made Arnor and Gondor’s High King, taking the throne of his father. Meanwhile, Elrond went back to Rivendell after the war ended.
Eventually, Elrond took in many sons of men, belonging to the heirs of Isildur, the most famous of which is Aragorn, the Strider, son of Arathorn II. He was a foster father to him and treated him as he would his son, especially when Aragorn’s father died in Third Age 2933. Elrond changed Aragorn’s name to Estel, Sindarin which means Hope, as he foresaw how challenging his future will be. Aragorn was clueless as to his royal lineage and was raised in Imladris, until such time when Elrond felt it was the right moment to tell him having grown up into an adult.
Elrond was a member of the Council of the Wise, or White Council, and they most often gathered at Rivendell. He was one of Gandalf the Grey’s most trusted friends. He was a huge ally to the expedition of Thorin Oakenshield to conquer back the Lonely Mountain. He helped translate the Moon Writing on the map of Thorin and discovered it as well. The One ring became in possession of different hands from Isildur to Gollum, the hobbit Bilbo Baggins and then to Frodo, his nephew. Frodo decided to go to Rivendell with the One Ring and departed from the Shire.
Elrond helped Frodo by sending outriders, one of which is Glorfindel, to guide Frodo going to Rivendell. On the 25th of October 3018, Elrond gathered the Council and they all decided to obliterate the One Ring. He created the Fellowship of the Ring for this sole purpose and have chosen the members, to include the hobbits, Frodo and Sam. Eventually, Elrond’s twin sons, Elladan and Elrohir, rode with the Rangers of the North, to go to Rohan and bring their father’s message to Aragorn. He was to go to the Paths of the Dead to seek help from this Oathbreakers to defeat the forces of Sauron. Elrond stayed in Rivendell until the One Ring was destroyed and Sauron was finally defeated. He then went to Minas Tirith to give his daughter, Arwen Undomiel, in marriage and to relinquish the Sceptre of Annuminas [5] upon King Elessar. The 29th of September, 3021 marked the year when Elrond left the realm of the Middle Earth to cross the sea with the Ring-bearers and he never went back to Rivendell since.
This type of wound is known to be fatal as it was a product of dark sorcery, associated with the armies of Sauron. It wasn’t clear just how mighty Elrond was among the other Elf Lords, but what was apparent was how huge his potential was, having the angelic Maia Melian as his ancestor and being the one who wielded Vilya, the ring of power. Elrond’s power was made manifest when he was able to beckon a huge flood coming from the River Bruinen to overpower the Nazgul. He can also enter into other people’s consciousness, reading their minds by his Osanwe skill.
When the One Ring was destroyed, Elrond was able to speak to Gandalf and Galadriel via his Osanwe skill as they were returning from Minas Tirith. Elrond was indeed, one of the most resolute pioneers of the Middle Earth. According to Aragorn, Elrond was one of the very few people, to include Gandalf and Galadriel, who can resist Saruman’s power of speech completely. He was so strong-willed that he refused to join alliances with Sauron when he offered to partner with the Elves and so became his strongest opponent.
The movie showed Elrond remembering how Isildur took the Ring from Sauron’s finger and instead of destroying it, claimed it as his own. This decision marred Elrond’s perspective of men, whom he thinks are more susceptible than anyone to the temptations of the ring. In the second installation of the movie, The Two Towers, Elrond appears again and was shown trying to get Arwen to leave for Valinor and choose to be immortal rather than be married to Aragorn. He said that in Valinor, Arwen can continue to love Aragorn forever. The reason behind this is that Elrond’s foresight has shown him about Aragorn’s eventual death and Arwen’s widowhood. Despite her sadness, Arwen takes her father’s counsel and departs for Valinor.
Elrond was also seen speaking to Galadriel via telepathy about Rohan’s fate. He decided to send an army of warrior elves to assist the men of Theoden at Helm’s Deep. What was strange though was that when these elves arrived at Helm’s Deep, they seem to have come from Lothlorien when the Battle of the Hornburg began, instead of Rivendell where Elrond was. In the last film of the movie trilogy, The Return of the King, Elrond appears in a scene where Arwen confronts him about her vision of her future son with Aragorn, Eldarion. Elrond finally came to see the depth of Arwen’s love for Aragorn and agreed to restore the sword of Elendil, the Narsil and made in into Anduril. He was later seen bringing the sword to Dunharrow where Aragorn was.
He spoke to him and urged him to take the throne of Gondor and command the Army of the Dead. Elrond’s last appearance was at the epilogue of the last film of the trilogy where he was seen presenting Arwen to Aragorn while Aragorn was being crowned king. He was seen one final time, leaving the realm of the Middle Earth, at Grey Havens, with Frodo, Bilbo, Galadriel, Celeborn, and Gandalf.
A conversation ensued among the three, with Elrond inquiring upon the purpose of their journey on the great east road. Thorin, upon the urging of Gandalf, showed Elrond the map of Erebor. He was quite hesitant to show the map to anybody but decided to do so anyway. Elrond was then able to interpret the writing on the map, which was in moon runes. He used the light from the moon to read the ancient writing on the map. As he translated, he unveiled the hidden passage towards the Lonely Mountain. He then realized the purpose behind Thorin’s journey and knew that he was after the treasure.
He felt that the dwarf will not be successful in his plan. Elron gave his counsel to Gandalf saying that they should meet with the White Council to let them know about Thorin’s quest and talk to Saruman and Galadriel. Gandalf hinted about the return of Sauron, to which Elrond expressed his disbelief. However, when Gandalf showed him the Morgul-blade, which came from Dol Goldur, Elrond was convinced. He explained that Nazgul tombs are magically protected by powerful spells. Lindir, in this instance, informed them that the dwarves have already departed from Rivendell. In the third film, The Battle of the Five Armies Elrond makes another appearance. He joined forces with Galadriel and Saruman to get Gandalf out of Dol Goldur.
When the Nazgul spirits surrounded both Gandalf and Galadriel, Saruman and Elrond fight with them and Elrond wielded his Vilya ring. He was able to defeat a lot of Nazguls before Sauron himself appeared, including the Nine. To everyone’s amazement and shock, Galadriel transformed into a terrifying creature to fight Sauron. Sauron and his Nazguls retreated to the East while Elrond tried to pursue them. He took Galadriel with him, as advised by Saruman, to bring him back to Lothlorien, and then he will go after Sauron himself.
The Half-Elven Lineage
The genealogy began with Finwe and Indis, who father Fingolfin. Fingolfin married Anaire, and they bore Turgon. Turgon wedded Elenwe and gave birth to Idril. Idril married Tuor (from the lineage of Rian and Huor, child of Galdor. Idril and Tuor fathered Earnedil, the father of Elrond and Elros. Their mother Elwing is the daughter, along with Elured and Elurin, of Nimloth and Dior, the child of Beren and Luthien, whose parents were Thingol and Melian. Elros, Elrond’s twin brother, went on to be the King of Numenor [1] and Lord of Andunie [2], from whose lineage came Isildur and later on, Aragorn. Elrond married Celebrian and fathered Elrohir, Elladan, and Arwen, who was married to Aragorn in the end. They had a son named Eldarion and unnamed daughters.Biography
Elrond was a powerful half-elven Rivendell Lord. He took up residence in the Middle Earth from the First Age until the start of the Fourth Age. He fathered Arwen Undomiel, who became the wife of Aragorn II Elessar towards the end of the story. Other titles that were bestowed upon him were Ring-bearer of Vilya, Vice-Regent and Herald to Gil-galad. Elrond was born during the First Age 532 and ruled in between Second Age 1697 and Third Age 3021 in the realm of Lindon, Rivendell. He died in Aman on the 29th of September 3021. He was bound in marriage to Celebrian and had three children namely: Elladan, Elrohir, and Arwen. He was the offspring of Earendil, his father and Elwing, his mother and had a foster father in Maglor. He was the great-grandson of Luthien. He had a twin brother, Elros. Elrond had dark hair and grey eyes and was portrayed by Hugo Weaving in the film series.First Age
Elrond and his twin brother, Elros, were both born in the sanctuary of the Havens of Sirion [3] in Beleriand when the Sons of Feanor [4] conquered their land towards the end of the First Age. Their parents Earendil and Elwing were left without their two sons when both were captured in the process. Elrond and Elros were fostered by Maglor, Son of Feanor, who had no such love for them in the beginning, but eventually felt compassionate towards them and valued and loved them as his own. Eventually, the twin brothers traveled to Lindon, when the War of Wrath happened at the end of the First Age, and the Sons of Feanor returned to be lone workers.Second Age
The brothers parted ways when they were faced with the choice to be reckoned among men or elves. His brother, Elros, chose to be regarded as a man and became Elros Tar-Minyatur, King of Numenor, of which he was the first. On the other hand, Elrond opted to belong to the Elves and stayed at Lindon to be its herald and captain ruling over Gil-Galad and Noldor as High King. In the Second Age 1695, Gil-galad was being attacked by armies of Sauron and they sent Elrond to Eregion to protect their territory. However, this strategy did not bid well because Elrond’s forces were not strong enough to stop Sauron’s band. Elrond then proceeded out of Eregion, with Celeborn, and was very vigilant and on the alert in case Sauron tries to attack again.Two years after, in Second Age 1697, Elrond established Rivendell by the foot of the Misty Mountains. This Elven kingdom endured to the end and was the only powerful opposition against Sauron until the Third Age came to an end. In the Second Age 1701, the Numenorians and the Gil-Galad elves, joined forces with Elrond and Cirdan and finally won against Sauron, overpowering his mighty army. Elrond stayed in Rivendell to hold the first Council of the Wise, or the White Council, where they decided upon two significant things.
First is that the Last Homely House, the home of Elrond, will continue to be the last bastion, opposite of Mordor, beyond the Misty Mountains. Secondly, the three rings will be kept in custody and will be guarded with utmost secrecy by Galadriel, who was in attendance to the Council, and Gil-Galad. Various accounts state that Gil-Galad handed the Blue Ring, Vilya, to Elrond at this time, while others claim that Gil-Galad kept both rings, Narya and Vilya until the Second Age came to an end. It was also during this time when Celebrian, Galadriel, and Celeborn’s daughter, met Elrond for the first time. Gil-Galad and Elrond rode together, towards the end of the Second Age, to go to Mordor and form the Last Alliance of Elves and Men in Second Age 3431.
Dwarves, headed by Durin IV, men from Gondor and Arnor, Elves from Lorien, constituted the Alliance. They conquered the army of Sauron and besieged his primary fortress in Barad-Dur, for seven years. Gil-Galad and Elendil were able to defeat Sauron such that Isildur was able to cut the One Ring off Sauron’s finger and claimed the ring to himself. The war took the lives of a multitude of men and elves including Elendil, his young son Anarion, and Gil-Galad.
Only Cirdan and Elrond were left in command among the elves and Isildur as Lord over men. When Elrond realized that Isildur took the ring from Sauron, he told convinced him to throw it to the fires of Mount Doom. However, Isildur couldn’t resist the powerful allure of the ring and decided to not heed Elron’s advice. He claimed the One Ring as a Weregild and gave it to his brother and father. Elrond may not have fully understood the implications of this decision and did not stop Isildur from his claim. Isildur, then, was made Arnor and Gondor’s High King, taking the throne of his father. Meanwhile, Elrond went back to Rivendell after the war ended.
Third Age
Elrond married Celebrian in the year of the Third Age 109. 21 years later, in Third Age 130, Celebrian gave birth to twin sons, Elladan and Elrohir, as well as a daughter named, Arwen Undomiel in Third Age 241. Sadly, Celebrian was lost in Third Age 2510 as she was ambushed by orcs while she was trekking the Misty Mountains. As she was incapable at that time in regaining her strength, she went by ship to the Undying Lands.Eventually, Elrond took in many sons of men, belonging to the heirs of Isildur, the most famous of which is Aragorn, the Strider, son of Arathorn II. He was a foster father to him and treated him as he would his son, especially when Aragorn’s father died in Third Age 2933. Elrond changed Aragorn’s name to Estel, Sindarin which means Hope, as he foresaw how challenging his future will be. Aragorn was clueless as to his royal lineage and was raised in Imladris, until such time when Elrond felt it was the right moment to tell him having grown up into an adult.
Elrond was a member of the Council of the Wise, or White Council, and they most often gathered at Rivendell. He was one of Gandalf the Grey’s most trusted friends. He was a huge ally to the expedition of Thorin Oakenshield to conquer back the Lonely Mountain. He helped translate the Moon Writing on the map of Thorin and discovered it as well. The One ring became in possession of different hands from Isildur to Gollum, the hobbit Bilbo Baggins and then to Frodo, his nephew. Frodo decided to go to Rivendell with the One Ring and departed from the Shire.
Elrond helped Frodo by sending outriders, one of which is Glorfindel, to guide Frodo going to Rivendell. On the 25th of October 3018, Elrond gathered the Council and they all decided to obliterate the One Ring. He created the Fellowship of the Ring for this sole purpose and have chosen the members, to include the hobbits, Frodo and Sam. Eventually, Elrond’s twin sons, Elladan and Elrohir, rode with the Rangers of the North, to go to Rohan and bring their father’s message to Aragorn. He was to go to the Paths of the Dead to seek help from this Oathbreakers to defeat the forces of Sauron. Elrond stayed in Rivendell until the One Ring was destroyed and Sauron was finally defeated. He then went to Minas Tirith to give his daughter, Arwen Undomiel, in marriage and to relinquish the Sceptre of Annuminas [5] upon King Elessar. The 29th of September, 3021 marked the year when Elrond left the realm of the Middle Earth to cross the sea with the Ring-bearers and he never went back to Rivendell since.
Etymology
Elrond came from the Elvish language, Sindarin, the language of the Sindar. It means “Star dome,” or “Elf of the cave.” El, meaning star or elf and rond, meaning cave or vault.Character
In the Book
Elrond was a very powerful warrior and commander of numerous armies in battle, along with the Free Peoples, to include the Last Alliance. He was a very strong leader and so many came to him to seek his wisdom. He was a gifted mentor having a keen sense of foresight, able to envision lands from far away as well as the events that happen outside of Rivendell. Elrond also had the gift of healing, but the source of this power remains unknown. It may be attributed to magical healing powers when he was able to cure the wound inflicted by a Nazgul, or Morgul wound.This type of wound is known to be fatal as it was a product of dark sorcery, associated with the armies of Sauron. It wasn’t clear just how mighty Elrond was among the other Elf Lords, but what was apparent was how huge his potential was, having the angelic Maia Melian as his ancestor and being the one who wielded Vilya, the ring of power. Elrond’s power was made manifest when he was able to beckon a huge flood coming from the River Bruinen to overpower the Nazgul. He can also enter into other people’s consciousness, reading their minds by his Osanwe skill.
When the One Ring was destroyed, Elrond was able to speak to Gandalf and Galadriel via his Osanwe skill as they were returning from Minas Tirith. Elrond was indeed, one of the most resolute pioneers of the Middle Earth. According to Aragorn, Elrond was one of the very few people, to include Gandalf and Galadriel, who can resist Saruman’s power of speech completely. He was so strong-willed that he refused to join alliances with Sauron when he offered to partner with the Elves and so became his strongest opponent.
In the Film Adaptation
Elrond was the main character in the movie trilogy, Lord of the Rings, portrayed by the famous actor, Hugo Weaving. He appeared widely in all of the three movies. Director Peter Jackson, for reasons known to him alone, had to veer away from Elrond’s character in the book in various ways. In the film, Elrond was distrustful of all men, despite knowing that the reign of the Elves is coming to an end. Also, he was shown as being distraught over Arwen marrying Aragon and becoming a mortal in the process just for his sake. He was advising Arwen to go to Valinor and leave Middle Earth for good. Thirdly, as opposed to his confidence in the book when it comes to overcoming Sauron, Elrond was portrayed as being unsure about Sauron’s eventual defeat despite all his wisdom and virtues. Some people have likened Elrond’s movie portrayal and the rest of the elves, to the Vulcan race in the movie Star Trek, as well as JRR Tolkien’s Thingol, an elf who did not show up in any of the films.Lord of the Rings Trilogy
At the beginning of the movie trilogy, as early as the prologue, Elrond was already seen in The Fellowship of the Ring. The Battle of Dagorlad [6] was shown and he was a lieutenant of Noldor. His next appearance was in Rivendell when he gathered elves, dwarves, and men to form a council to destroy the One Ring. The discussion was filled with arguments but ultimately, they decided to bring the ring to Mount Doom and destroy it there. Elrond called this council, The Fellowship of the Ring, and appointed Frodo, who voluntarily agreed, as the Ring-bearer.The movie showed Elrond remembering how Isildur took the Ring from Sauron’s finger and instead of destroying it, claimed it as his own. This decision marred Elrond’s perspective of men, whom he thinks are more susceptible than anyone to the temptations of the ring. In the second installation of the movie, The Two Towers, Elrond appears again and was shown trying to get Arwen to leave for Valinor and choose to be immortal rather than be married to Aragorn. He said that in Valinor, Arwen can continue to love Aragorn forever. The reason behind this is that Elrond’s foresight has shown him about Aragorn’s eventual death and Arwen’s widowhood. Despite her sadness, Arwen takes her father’s counsel and departs for Valinor.
Elrond was also seen speaking to Galadriel via telepathy about Rohan’s fate. He decided to send an army of warrior elves to assist the men of Theoden at Helm’s Deep. What was strange though was that when these elves arrived at Helm’s Deep, they seem to have come from Lothlorien when the Battle of the Hornburg began, instead of Rivendell where Elrond was. In the last film of the movie trilogy, The Return of the King, Elrond appears in a scene where Arwen confronts him about her vision of her future son with Aragorn, Eldarion. Elrond finally came to see the depth of Arwen’s love for Aragorn and agreed to restore the sword of Elendil, the Narsil and made in into Anduril. He was later seen bringing the sword to Dunharrow where Aragorn was.
He spoke to him and urged him to take the throne of Gondor and command the Army of the Dead. Elrond’s last appearance was at the epilogue of the last film of the trilogy where he was seen presenting Arwen to Aragorn while Aragorn was being crowned king. He was seen one final time, leaving the realm of the Middle Earth, at Grey Havens, with Frodo, Bilbo, Galadriel, Celeborn, and Gandalf.
The Hobbit Trilogy
Elrond appears once again in The Hobbit trilogy, in the first and last installments. In this film, his role took on more meaning and depth despite his very short appearance. Elrond was seen in the first movie, An Unexpected Journey, using the sword of his daughter Arwen, Hadhafang, as the Rivendell elves were waylaid by Warg-riders as they were running after Thorin and his group. Elrond was with Lindir and he received Thorin and Gandalf into Rivendell as he gave names to their swords, Orcrist and Glamdring.A conversation ensued among the three, with Elrond inquiring upon the purpose of their journey on the great east road. Thorin, upon the urging of Gandalf, showed Elrond the map of Erebor. He was quite hesitant to show the map to anybody but decided to do so anyway. Elrond was then able to interpret the writing on the map, which was in moon runes. He used the light from the moon to read the ancient writing on the map. As he translated, he unveiled the hidden passage towards the Lonely Mountain. He then realized the purpose behind Thorin’s journey and knew that he was after the treasure.
He felt that the dwarf will not be successful in his plan. Elron gave his counsel to Gandalf saying that they should meet with the White Council to let them know about Thorin’s quest and talk to Saruman and Galadriel. Gandalf hinted about the return of Sauron, to which Elrond expressed his disbelief. However, when Gandalf showed him the Morgul-blade, which came from Dol Goldur, Elrond was convinced. He explained that Nazgul tombs are magically protected by powerful spells. Lindir, in this instance, informed them that the dwarves have already departed from Rivendell. In the third film, The Battle of the Five Armies Elrond makes another appearance. He joined forces with Galadriel and Saruman to get Gandalf out of Dol Goldur.
When the Nazgul spirits surrounded both Gandalf and Galadriel, Saruman and Elrond fight with them and Elrond wielded his Vilya ring. He was able to defeat a lot of Nazguls before Sauron himself appeared, including the Nine. To everyone’s amazement and shock, Galadriel transformed into a terrifying creature to fight Sauron. Sauron and his Nazguls retreated to the East while Elrond tried to pursue them. He took Galadriel with him, as advised by Saruman, to bring him back to Lothlorien, and then he will go after Sauron himself.
