Elu Thingol is a Teleri Elf from the First Age. He founded the northern Elven Kingdom of Dorian and became the first king. Thingol was also known as the High King of the Sindar due to the respect the Sindar elves had for him. He was also given the title High King of the Teleri. He also carries the title Lord of Beleriand. Thingol has two younger siblings, OlwĂ« and Elmo. He is known for his friendship with FinwĂ«, who was the first High King of Ăoldor. Thingol has silver hair and was known to be the tallest of the Elves, standing at 8 feet and 2 inches. Thingol goes by the names of Elu Thingol, ElwĂ« Singollo, Tinwelint, Thingol Greycloak, Grey-cloak, King Greymantle, The Hidden King, and Dark Elf.
The three elves were able to convince a lot of elves to join them. This started the Great Journey of the elves towards the west. During this journey, the elves were separated into three groups: the Teleri, the Noldor, and the Vanyar. The Teleri elves were the largest group, and they were divided into two groups. One was led by Elwë, and the other was led by his brother, Olwë. Being the largest group, the Teleri were the slowest and were the last to arrive in Middle-earth.
During this journey, the Teleri elves lagged behind. They were not able to arrive at the coast until the moving island of Tol EressĂ«a had departed. Because of this, the Teleri stayed in Beleriand until Tol EressĂ«a appeared to fetch them. ElwĂ« was eager to catch up with the Noldor elves under FinwĂ«âs leadership. After meeting his friend, ElwĂ« wandered in the forest of Nan Elmoth, where he encountered Melian. The two fell deeply in love and were caught in their own enchantment and disappeared. When the Valar returned with the Tol EressĂ«a to fetch the remaining Teleri elves, most of them refused to leave the land without their missing lord. Many years have already passed, the Teleri have learned to love Beleriand. So, the majority of the Teleri decided to stay instead.
During these days, Thingol and Melian had a daughter, LĂșthien, who was known to be the fairest woman in Middle-earth. As an ambassador of the Valar, Thingol was considered a High Elf. This made him an equal to any lord of the Eldar. He was also considered as the High-King of all the Teleri elves in Beleriand. Thingol made an alliance with the Dwarves of Belegost. These dwarves helped construct the caves of the Fortress of Menegroth, which later became the capital of Thingolâs kingdom. The dwarves later warned Thingol of strange and evil creatures coming from the North. The elves did not have any weapons of war at that time, so Thingol asked the dwarves again for the help. The dwarves were able to forge heavy weapons and armors.
From then on, the kingdom with the barrier was known as Doriath. Nobody could enter the kingdom without the permission of its rulers. When the Noldor arrived in Middle-earth, Thingol gave them permission to live in the northern part of the kingdom. The House of Finarfin gained special favor as they were Thingolâs kin through OlwĂ«, his brother. When Thingol found out about the Kinslaying at AlqualondĂ«, Thingol got mad and refused to want to do anything with most of the Noldor and their war. Thingol even outlawed the use of Quenya in his kingdom out of anger.
The banning of Quenya caused Sindarin to be the common Elven tongue in Middle-earth. With their strained relations growing each day, Thingol refused to help the Noldor in their war against Morgoth. After the Dagor Bragollach, Thingolâs only daughter, LĂșthien, happened to fall in love with a man, Beren. The two wished to get married, but Thingol disliked the race of men and did not want his only daughter to end up with one. As a bride-price, he asked Beren to retrieve a Silmaril from Morgothâs crown - an impossible mission that he was sure Beren would not be able to fulfill. Beren and LĂșthien however, worked together to get the Silmaril. When Beren and LĂșthien returned from Angband, Beren showed Thingol his missing hand, which was still in the belly of Carcharoth, a villainous werewolf created by Morgoth. The missing handheld the Silmaril. The Silmaril inside Carcharoth started to burn his insides.
This led the werewolf to break through the Girdle of Melian and enter Doriath. During the hunt for the wolf, Beren and LĂșthien died. When LĂșthien came to the Halls of Mandos, the Doomsman of the Valar, LĂșthien begged Mandos that Beren be returned to life. However, Mandos did not have the power to withhold the souls of Men. IlĂșvatar, through ManwĂ«, could bring Beren back to life, but in exchange, LĂșthien will have to live a mortal life as well. LĂșthien agreed to this, and they both came back to life and lived far away from other mortals.
It was considered to be the second-highest treasure of Doriath next to the Silmaril that Beren retrieved. Thingol wanted the Silmaril to be embedded in the Nauglamir. The combination of both treasures made the Nauglamir the fairest treasure in Arda. The dwarves were enchanted by the beauty of the Nauglamir. Greed took over, and the dwarves demanded that the necklace be returned to them as it was created by their kin.
Thingol refused to give them the necklace, so the dwarves attempted to murder him. A battle took place between the dwarves and the elves within the city. The dwarves managed to get out of the city, two ran to Nogrod to convince the dwarves there to march to Doriath to retrieve the necklace. The dwarves gathered their armies to sack Doriath. They were able to enter the city with the help of some treacherous elves.
During this time, Thingol was on a hunt with a few soldiers, and he was ambushed by the dwarves. The great king was slain, and the fortress of the Thousand Caves was plundered. The dwarves were unable to harm or capture Queen Melian. Melian was able to escape and left the kingdom to look for Beren and LĂșthien since Thingolâs heir was their son, Dior Eluchil.
History
The Division of the Elves
Thingol was born during the year of the trees 1050 at Cuiviénen. This was the time before there was a Sun or a Moon. Middle-earth [1] was only lit by starlight. During this time, Thingol goes by the name of Elwë. After the capture of Melkor, the Vala Oromë assigned Elwë, Finwë, and Ingwë as Elven ambassadors to Valinor. The Vala took them to Valinor and asked them to convince the elves to join the Valars and live in the Blessed Realm.The three elves were able to convince a lot of elves to join them. This started the Great Journey of the elves towards the west. During this journey, the elves were separated into three groups: the Teleri, the Noldor, and the Vanyar. The Teleri elves were the largest group, and they were divided into two groups. One was led by Elwë, and the other was led by his brother, Olwë. Being the largest group, the Teleri were the slowest and were the last to arrive in Middle-earth.
During this journey, the Teleri elves lagged behind. They were not able to arrive at the coast until the moving island of Tol EressĂ«a had departed. Because of this, the Teleri stayed in Beleriand until Tol EressĂ«a appeared to fetch them. ElwĂ« was eager to catch up with the Noldor elves under FinwĂ«âs leadership. After meeting his friend, ElwĂ« wandered in the forest of Nan Elmoth, where he encountered Melian. The two fell deeply in love and were caught in their own enchantment and disappeared. When the Valar returned with the Tol EressĂ«a to fetch the remaining Teleri elves, most of them refused to leave the land without their missing lord. Many years have already passed, the Teleri have learned to love Beleriand. So, the majority of the Teleri decided to stay instead.
Thingolâs Rule in Doriath
Two centuries have passed until ElwĂ« reemerged in Middle-earth, with Melian as his bride. By this time, he was now known as Thingol and became a respected lord of Beleriand. Thingol gathered his people to join him in the vast forested area of Beleriand. He ruled as king, and Melian ruled as a queen. Their kingdom was called Eglador or Land of the Forsaken. The elves under Thingol were later known to be the Sindar or the Grey Elves.During these days, Thingol and Melian had a daughter, LĂșthien, who was known to be the fairest woman in Middle-earth. As an ambassador of the Valar, Thingol was considered a High Elf. This made him an equal to any lord of the Eldar. He was also considered as the High-King of all the Teleri elves in Beleriand. Thingol made an alliance with the Dwarves of Belegost. These dwarves helped construct the caves of the Fortress of Menegroth, which later became the capital of Thingolâs kingdom. The dwarves later warned Thingol of strange and evil creatures coming from the North. The elves did not have any weapons of war at that time, so Thingol asked the dwarves again for the help. The dwarves were able to forge heavy weapons and armors.
The Quest for the Silmaril
Melkor returned to Middle-earth and declared war on its people. Now known as Morgoth, he was able to destroy the Two Trees, steal the Silmarils, and kill FinwĂ«, who was the Kind of the Noldor elves. As part of his efforts to conquer Middle-earth, he sent a vast army of orcs to Beleriand, and this was known to be the First Battle of Beleriand. Thingol led his people during this battle and successfully drove out the orcs away from his kingdom. Following the attack, Melian placed an enchanted barrier around the kingdom - the barrier was known to be the Veil of Melian and the Girdle of Melian.From then on, the kingdom with the barrier was known as Doriath. Nobody could enter the kingdom without the permission of its rulers. When the Noldor arrived in Middle-earth, Thingol gave them permission to live in the northern part of the kingdom. The House of Finarfin gained special favor as they were Thingolâs kin through OlwĂ«, his brother. When Thingol found out about the Kinslaying at AlqualondĂ«, Thingol got mad and refused to want to do anything with most of the Noldor and their war. Thingol even outlawed the use of Quenya in his kingdom out of anger.
The banning of Quenya caused Sindarin to be the common Elven tongue in Middle-earth. With their strained relations growing each day, Thingol refused to help the Noldor in their war against Morgoth. After the Dagor Bragollach, Thingolâs only daughter, LĂșthien, happened to fall in love with a man, Beren. The two wished to get married, but Thingol disliked the race of men and did not want his only daughter to end up with one. As a bride-price, he asked Beren to retrieve a Silmaril from Morgothâs crown - an impossible mission that he was sure Beren would not be able to fulfill. Beren and LĂșthien however, worked together to get the Silmaril. When Beren and LĂșthien returned from Angband, Beren showed Thingol his missing hand, which was still in the belly of Carcharoth, a villainous werewolf created by Morgoth. The missing handheld the Silmaril. The Silmaril inside Carcharoth started to burn his insides.
This led the werewolf to break through the Girdle of Melian and enter Doriath. During the hunt for the wolf, Beren and LĂșthien died. When LĂșthien came to the Halls of Mandos, the Doomsman of the Valar, LĂșthien begged Mandos that Beren be returned to life. However, Mandos did not have the power to withhold the souls of Men. IlĂșvatar, through ManwĂ«, could bring Beren back to life, but in exchange, LĂșthien will have to live a mortal life as well. LĂșthien agreed to this, and they both came back to life and lived far away from other mortals.
Thingol Adopts TĂșrin
With Beren and LĂșthien living away from them, Thingol adopted a young man named TĂșrin, kin of his son-in-law, Beren. TĂșrin was living in Doriath since he was seven years of age. TĂșrin grew up as an excellent warrior, and Thingol allowed him to join Beleg on the marches of Doriath, where he was able to encounter orcs. TĂșrin accidentally killed Saeros, one of the counselors of Thingol, when Saeros provoked and attacked him. Fearing punishment, TĂșrin fled and joined a band of outlaws. This caused Thingol to send Beleg after him. When TĂșrin told Beleg that he would not return, Thingol allowed Beleg to join TĂșrin and gave Beleg the black sword Anglachel.The Demise of Thingol
Now that the Silmaril was in their possession, Thingol found himself to be involved with Morgoth and the deadly Oath of FĂ«anor. When HĂșrin brought the treasures of Nargothrond to Thingol, Thingol wanted to turn these treasures into jewelry and called on the Dwarves of Belegost to do the work in Menegroth. One of these treasures was the Nauglamir. The Nauglamir was a necklace that was crafted by the dwarves during the First Age.It was considered to be the second-highest treasure of Doriath next to the Silmaril that Beren retrieved. Thingol wanted the Silmaril to be embedded in the Nauglamir. The combination of both treasures made the Nauglamir the fairest treasure in Arda. The dwarves were enchanted by the beauty of the Nauglamir. Greed took over, and the dwarves demanded that the necklace be returned to them as it was created by their kin.
Thingol refused to give them the necklace, so the dwarves attempted to murder him. A battle took place between the dwarves and the elves within the city. The dwarves managed to get out of the city, two ran to Nogrod to convince the dwarves there to march to Doriath to retrieve the necklace. The dwarves gathered their armies to sack Doriath. They were able to enter the city with the help of some treacherous elves.
During this time, Thingol was on a hunt with a few soldiers, and he was ambushed by the dwarves. The great king was slain, and the fortress of the Thousand Caves was plundered. The dwarves were unable to harm or capture Queen Melian. Melian was able to escape and left the kingdom to look for Beren and LĂșthien since Thingolâs heir was their son, Dior Eluchil.
