Sentinels of the Woodland Realm

The pinnacle of success of the Silvan Archers happened at the start of the second age of the sun. It was during the fall of Morgoth. This is the story of how the true sentinel of the forest came was born. After Beleriand fell into ruin, Elven lords from Sindar and Noldor started their expansion. They set up kingdoms and fiefs throughout Middle earth, reaching up to Lorien, Eragion, and Greenwood the Great. Avari, the Elves who were “unwilling” to travel to Valinor, lived in Lorien and Greenwood the Great during that time. When the Sindar lords came to their lands, the Avari or Silvan Elves welcomed them as leaders or kings. They were great lords, capable of teaching the Silvan Elves new ideas and crafts they found useful. The dark forest of Mirkwood did not exist yet during that time. It was called the vast and lush forest, Greenwood the Great, where fair creatures lived. It was so rich and beautiful; it was comparable to Doriath in Beleriand.

It felt so much like home to the Sindar. It was so much like Doriath that settling there was so natural. It is a bonus that the Silvan Elves welcomed them warmly. They were not just ordinary visitors but were their leaders and trainers. Equipped with the knowledge in craft gained from the Sindar, the Silvan Elves became master archers. They improved in their skills and mastery of the bow. They became experts. They even have upgraded weapons and gears peculiar to the Eldar. The new skills, together with their woodcraft, which no one could surpass, were their best assets. What made it even better is their “Silvan Shadow,” which is their stealth ability. A trait no one else can master. Not even the Sindar. All of these worked together to make them the true sentinels of the forest.

They only had a few weapons. However, their gears are all handy and extremely lethal. The weapons assigned to each are different, and their status is identified by what they use. The standard warden holds a longbow crafted from mallorn wood. He also has an Elvan dagger, knife, or handaxe. He fills his quiver with arrows that are often barbed or tipped with poison. Wealthier archers would have Elvan made shortswords also, in addition to the previously mentioned gears. The Silvan sentinel wears light armor. It is designed as such to blend with whatever the surrounding is for great stealth. This armor is known as the famous Lorein cloak or mantle. The cloak, along with a leather shirt, greaves, gauntlets, and leggings, complete the get up of a sentinel. The armor must be light to enable him to remain undetected by enemies to avoid lengthy fights. The even richer archers would wear Elvan made partial chainmail in addition to those mentioned above.

A sentinel’s goal is to eliminate any unwelcome and evil organisms that trespass his patrol zone. It is not a mere hit-and-run task but a complete wipeout. His performance of the job is highly efficient because of the woodland surrounding and his gears. These combined make him fatal and able to accomplish his task well. When the shadow of Dol Guldur set reparative raids in motion on the two woodland realms during the War of the Ring, the sentinels [1] were tested on their ability to protect their borders. Dol Guldur’s forces were forced back and beaten from Lorien and Thranduil’s Halls. In the end, Galadriel, the White Lady of Lorein, laid bare herself the Hill of Sorcery. It was the finest hour of the sentinel - the Battle Under the Trees, where the fight saw its end. It was clear proof that no other woodsman in the Middle-earth could ever compare to the efficacy of the Silvan sentinel. Nothing could beat them on their craft.

When Mirkwood was restored after the War of the Ring, the Sindar’s time on Middle-earth came to an end. The Silvan Elves, who were of the Avari, were left on their own in their gradually diminishing kingdom. Soon enough, their people started decreasing as well until such time that none remained. Time went by, and all they are now is a memory, a legendary past. The World has picked up, many changes have happened. Arda is now transformed. However, the spirit of the ancient Avari warden can still be felt in some of the forests on earth. Sentinel spirits who refuse to be written down as just part of history.

1. ^Sentinels at Games Workshop.