Thranduil: General Facts

Appearance:
All we can say about Thranduil's appearance is that he had golden hair and wore a crown of berries and red leaves in autumn, and of woodland flowers in spring. He also held a carven sceptre of oak.
 
Dates:
About his age it can be said that he must predate the year 1000 SA, because Appendix B in 'The Lord of the Rings' mentions that he was one of the Sindar who passed eastward before the building of Barad-dûr. Seeing that he obviously followed King Thingol's example when delving his underground halls, he might even have lived in Doriath before its ruin, an assumption that ups his number of years by over 1000.
 
Name:
To figure out the meaning of his name seems to be an almost impossible task, though. Many possibilities have been voiced over time. One explanation says 'Thranduil' might mean 'beyond the Long River'. Another (in my opinion more reasonable) source translates the name as 'Halls of Star Shadow' being constructed with the elements 'thrond' = 'hall', 'du' = 'shadow' and 'il' = 'star'. But again, I have my personal wild guess, too. I was searching for a possible translation that also fits in with his family's life philosophy of adopting names in Silvan Elf style and the intention to return to a simple life. What I found was: 'taur' = 'king' or 'forest', 'an' = a word indicating direction and 'uial' = 'twilight'. So my result is either 'King in the Twilight' or 'Forest in the Twilight'. I myself am opting for the latter which in my opinion would also fit Tolkien's spirit, his concept of things. Plus, the name 'Oropher' probably and 'Legolas' for sure can be translated with expressions related to the forest, too. Well, don't hit me if you have another opinion.
 
Titles:
Known as 'the Woodland king', called himself 'King under Beech and Oak'

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