#silvan elves

[meluiloth]

Father and Son

I finished the artwork of Thranduil, and there was a surprise I didn’t tell you about - Legolas!

Honestly, I’m blown away by how this piece turned out. I absolutely love the two figures, as well as the lighting and background - it’s probably the most finished and intricate artwork I’ve ever done!

(Yes it is still an animation frame)

[ghostofashina]

ISMAEL CRUZ CORDOVA as ARONDIR in RINGS OF POWER SEASON 2.

[thelien-art]

For the fashion designers: Green-elves (the guys who lived in Ossiriand during the first age) years of the trees? (Pre-Noldor influence).

I don´t think the fashion of elvers changed as much as humans but I think especially the Nandor and Silvan´s (green elvers) kept their fashion stable - as you can see in my Legolas and Galion, who are both green elvers of the third age. - most noticeable difference with years of the tree and third age fashion for them is that less cleavage is shown less and there´s usually a decorate cape on third age fashion. - neither do I think they have a gendered fashion like some other groups, they pretty much wear what they want.

Their jewelry is usually made out of tree or hunting trophies but sometimes, if very fancy, bronze - mostly because it´s a soft metal and easier to work with than other kinds of metal.

For armor they use leather and reed vests - don't underestimate a well made reed vests they are warm and might just work better than plate armor at times - both because it´s what their resources permit but also because it´s good armor without slowing them down the way metal would.

Depicted: a wooden necklace tied with ribbons, a bronze earing, a charm with a clip to hold things (goes on the belt)

[nevui-penim-miruvorrr]

Thranduil <3

COMISSIONS OPEN

10$-ONE character CHEST UP with color( every fandom, oc’s, etc)

15$ ONE character WAIST UP with color

20$ TWO characters CHEST UP with color( every fandom, oc’s, etc)

30$ TWO characters WAIST UP with COLOR

35$-ONE character FULL BODY WITH COLOR

50$-TWO characters FULL BODY with COLOR

60$-i don’t want put the word with nsxx or i will be flagged lol + COLOR + FULL BODY

i don’t do, mechas,background or armors too complicated

*only paypal

[sotwk]

I don't even know for sure if Arondir is a Greenwood Elf, but in the name of my lord Elvenking Thranduil, King of Eryn Galen, I claim that sexy Silvan badass. He's one of ours now.

[silvantransthranduiltrash]

You know, I'm a huge fan of mirkwood elves being considered creepy and downright terrifying by almost everyone on Middle Earth, even by other elves. Your headcanons of them being nocturnal and eating the fuckin spawn of ungoliant of all things add on to this, sooo, can I have some incorrect quotes about some scary elves?

As asked for, some incorrect quotes:

Legolas: *starting to gut the spider carcasses after a skirmish*

The twins, who are visiting: what are you doing?!

Legolas: look, we can share if you want-

~~~~~

*in Imlardis*

The twins: *throw the curtains wide open* good morning!

Legolas: *hisses* wHAT DEVILISH CONTRAPTION-

~~~~~~~~~

Elrond: *talking about how food is scarce atm in Imlardis*

Thranduil: *pauses* you kill dozens of orcs on the regular, and you still don’t have enough food?

~~~~~~~~~

Faramir: I heard that those elves of Mirkwood will eat anyone and anything they deem an enemy.

Aragorn: oh, that’s an exaggeration-

Legolas:......

Aragorn: that’s an exaggeration, right legolas-

~~~~~~~~~~

Legolas: you two are like the sun

The twins: awww, thank you-

Legolas: a nuisance.

~~~~~~~~~~

Legolas: look if you’re stupid enough to challenge my people, you get eaten if you loose. That’s the rules of engagement.

~~~~~~~~~~

Thranduil: nighttime is Funtime

*silvans cackling in the distance as they slaughter all who cross their path*

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thranduil: of course I would never hurt a tree! They are Eru’s gift to the universe!

Thranduil: you, however-

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Galion: oh, the noldor are always like “oh no! The darkness! By god what will we do when there are no farms! The night is so scary”

Galion: bitch, what do you think life was like before ya’ll came?

~~~~~~~~~~~

Legolas: Eru may judge me, but honestly, fuck him.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Legolas: *dragging a spider corpse* life’s too short to care about other people’s opinions-

Aragorn: you’re immortal!

Legolas: fine, life’s too long to care about other people’s opinions. Happy?

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Glorfindel: alright, looks like- wHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?

Arwen:*snacking on a spider leg* this is really good!

Legolas, vibrating with excitement: I know, right!?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*in valinor post lotr*

Gandalf: ok, Thranduil has finally sailed, which means I need to get out of here before he catches me because he will definitely eat me for endangering his son-

Thranduil: hello, Gandalf!

Gandalf: *incoherent screaming*

[tomcat-tapes]

“Oft hope is born when all is forlorn”

Other versions

[growingingreenwood]

Some (mostly unforeseen) Effects of Thranduil's Enchanted River In No Particular Order.

1 - The river seems to be nutritious, for lack of a better word.

Plants that grow from its enchanted water grow faster, bigger, bear more fruit, and are noticeably more individually aware of themselves and the world than plants that grow farther away from the riverbanks. The animals that live in its waters and the land animals that ritually drink the water are similarly affected, growing larger and smarter than their counterparts in unaffected waters. According to some, the animals even taste better and keep for longer before spoiling.

 Humans that ritually drink the water (like the people of Laketown) suffer from fewer diseases and are generally less affected by them when they do occur and on average have longer lifespans than other humans by about 5 - 10 years. There’s no real PROOF of this, but it’s also believed that Humans who regularly consume the enchanted waters are significantly less susceptible to the pull to darkness, this is thought because so very few of the humans who live around Mirkwood join the forces of darkness even though they’re literally right beside it for several generations. 

Any creature of light that consumes the water will have their thirst quenched faster than they would have with other liquids, and foods made using its water will fill your stomach faster than food made without. (Same principle as Lembas bread.) 

2 - Creatures of Darkness are harmed by the River Water, as it acts like an extremely acidic or corrosive substance to them. Even a few drops on their skin can give them huge welts or blisters, stepping into the water causes severe burns on anything that touches the water, and prolonged exposure can essentially disintegrate whatever it is touching. So if an Orc falls into the river, they will somewhat quickly get burned/boiled alive and then disintegrate and break apart into the water.

Creatures that have a neutral relationship with Greenwood and its elves are mostly unaffected by the water. If it gets splashed onto them the water can numb the area for several hours any substantial exposure to it (such as stepping into it, drinking it, or falling into it) will result in being put into a deep and magical sleep. The sleep is lifted either by being removed from the forest, or the elves coming to investigate and personally dispelling whatever charm put the creature to sleep.

3 - Depending on who you talk to, some say that the River itself can come to life and act of its own free will, a bit like the tree’s can. There’s reports of the river ‘luring’ people into its waters. There’s also reports of Jets of Water shooting out to injure or distract anything trying to harm the elves.

The most spectacular stories along this vein include a figure rising from the water in the form of a beautiful elvish woman, with only her feet remaining as ‘normal’ water. It's an extremely rare occurrence and usually means something, very, very bad for the creatures of darkness. Rumor has it that the river takes the shape of King Thranduil’s wife that passed away.

4 - The water remains the same temperature year round. It feels slightly cool in the summer, but in the winter it remains warm enough that the river never freezes completely over and neither does the lake which Lake Town resides on. No matter how cold the rest of the world around the water is, on particularly cold days a little bit of steam can be seen rising into the air.

5 - The average magical power among Greenwood Elves is a bit higher than most other elven populations, and it's thought that this is due to them ingesting so much of Thranduil’s Enchanted Water. The additional magical power also helps them to resist the negative effects of living so close to Dol Guldur for so long.  It’s also thought that this is why the bond between the Greenwood Elves and things of nature (especially Tree's) is so much stronger than it is for others.

6 - The water acts as a highly effective shield against the magic of others. Its the river that prevents the other elven realms from seeing and sensing much in Greenwood no matter how hard they try. It doesn’t affect Thranduil and his people's ability to see OUT of the forest though, if anything, it probably makes it easier.

[greenapplespider]

Decided to paint that sketch of King Gil Galad- think it turned out okay, did a little experimentation with the line weight

[meluiloth]

Mirkwood Elves

POV: you’ve stumbled into the Elvenking’s feast for the third time (because you were starving) and they’re fed up with you

I’m super super happy with how this drawing turned out!! Started out as a just-for-fun sketch of some guards for my wip fan fiction, Misfit, but I really liked the sketch so I just threw on some base colors to spice things up and then … I just kept going and ended up with this! The first project I’ve actually completed, start to finish, in months, and I am so proud of myself.

These two aren’t canon characters or ocs (yet?) but sometimes it’s just nice to draw a character without the pressure of getting their looks exactly right. It’s fun to go in without a plan and see where the road takes you.

Sketch:

[mahtariel-of-himring]

Ok, but what if Thranduil hates dwarves so much, not because of the whole betrayal but because the group of elves that primarily got along with and befriended the dwarves were the Fëanorian‘s?

Maedhros and Azaghâl?

Caranthir and Telchar?

Celebrimbor and Narvi?

And Thranduil of course despises the Fëanorian’s because of the second kinslaying and since they’re so known for befriending dwarves he decided that they couldn’t be good.

[velvet4510]

Open invitation for reblogs and replies:

Does anyone else have any headcanons about the fate of Legolas’ mother in the books that are NOT “she was tragically killed”? There are three main reasons I dislike that common assumption and hate the movies for forcing it on us:

1. The Dead Mother is such an overused trope. Period.

2. I feel like if Tolkien intended for her to have suffered a tragic fate, he probably would’ve told us so.

3. Book-Legolas just does not have the demeanor of someone who has suffered a traumatizing, horrifying loss of a loved one.

I think it’s very possible she was indeed still around during the events of The Hobbit and LOTR. If this is true, then she most likely followed her son into the West sometime in the later Fourth Age, perhaps ahead of her husband, leaving him to wrap up the affairs of Mirkwood and then eventually board the Last Ship.

If she absolutely must be absent at this time, if her lack of mention must mean she’s not around, I imagine it was no more than her succumbing to the Sea-longing and sailing West, long after Legolas had come of age. She had raised her son into adulthood and knew he was alright, and had many happy years in the forest with her husband and child. So she left with hope as well as bittersweetness, knowing they would follow her someday.

I know Sea-longing is common among all Elves, but I think it makes sense if it’s a genetic thing among particular people as well. Perhaps that kind of longing at the sound of one gull runs in her family; maybe her ancestors lived near the Sea and the sound was recognized deep in her heart one day. I think this adds weight to Galadriel’s foresight of Legolas’ Sea-longing; she knew that, like his mother, the cry of a gull is all that it would take to make him long for the West. Plus his longing would be to reunite with her, and not just to experience the Sea.

What do you all think happened to her, if she’s not dead?

[thelandswemadeofpaper]

My favorite headcanons for Silvan Elf Kingdoms:

Silvans don't really have kings, but they DO have chosen leaders that - a few times - end up passing down to a relative of the anterior leader and the other elves just assumed its kingship

Oropher was a Prince from Doriath, Kinsman of Thingol. He sought refuge in greenwoods with few of the survivors and he became the King CONSORT of Greenwood, his wife was a Silvan Queen and its rightful ruler

Yeah, they are not compatible

[sotwk]

Social Customs and Faux Pas in Eryn Galen 

Dearest Gentle Reader:

You may have heard rumors about the “dangerous” and "less wise" Silvan people of the Woodland Realm, which conjure images of these native dwellers of Greenwood the Great as uncouth, untamed, or practically bestial creatures. As the oldest and largest tribe of Eldar to continue thriving in Middle-earth even into the Third Age, they certainly started out primitive and crude compared to their High-elven kin, as was their deliberately chosen path. However, many allegations by certain scholars regarding the wildness of the Greenwood Silvans have been exaggerated, and fail to acknowledge the cultural amalgamation that occurred within the first millennium of the Second Age.

Although the Sindar who arrived and settled in Greenwood were enthroned as the ruling lords, in the reunion and mixing of the two cultures, Silvan customs and language were the ones to prevail. Many of the rigid social constructs that governed the Sindar during their old life in Doriath were set aside, departing from what is typically still deemed acceptable and refined by the western cities of High Elves and High Men. 

Differences in social norms that carried through to the Third Age can perhaps be best illustrated by comparing the etiquette observed by the Numenorean descendants in the surviving Kingdom of Gondor, to that of the free-spirited Silvan Elves under Elvenking Thranduil’s rule. 

Below are some examples, written as answers to specific questions asked by one dear friend and a particularly curious Gentle Reader:

Would Silvans laugh at the idea of needing a chaperone to look after an unmarried couple? 

Silvans would most certainly laugh and shake their heads at the notion of a chaperone in any instance. What a most bothersome and inconvenient custom! What sort of calamity is a chaperone expected to prevent by their presence? In Eryn Galen, people of all genders, races, classes, and ages could openly or privately socialize with each other without fear of gossip or scandal. 

Are Silvans just going around holding gloveless hands with each other without a care in the world?

Only soldiers and hunters are known to wear gloves, and as Silvans are fond of physical touch as a show of affection, platonic or otherwise, then it would seem the amount of prolonged hand-holding and skin touching that occurs daily in Eryn Galen would make Gondorians swoon, indeed. At this point, I will refrain from describing the other popular forms of perfectly acceptable public displays of affection, should it prove too salacious for your nerves. 

Is there a socially acceptable way for them to make their intentions known (or to rebuff someone's intentions) during a dance? Or are their dances and parties so informal that they don't really compare to the regency idea of a ball at all?

Silvans absolutely love to dance, and they do so at every single community gathering and celebration. For most of the Second Age, dancing in Eryn Galen was done in groups (lines or circles) rather than with partners. Social dances and balls were not popularized until the Third Age; the marriage of Elvenking Thranduil and Queen Maereth romanticized paired dancing and introduced the concept of balls as a courtship ritual.  

While dancing with someone at a ball is not automatically viewed as romantic, balls are considered more formal events, most often hosted by the Royal Family themselves. They are seen as prime opportunities for unmarried people to socialize with the likely (but not obligatory) intent of romantic courtship and marriage. 

There are no hard rules or timelines to dictate how courtship is done among Silvans. However, it is greatly frowned upon for Elves (or anyone) to toy or trifle with the feelings of another, so romantic desires and intentions must be declared as soon as they are fully recognized in oneself. A ball could be a wonderful romantic setting to do this, but what is considered important is that one must look at the other person in the eye and speak their heart openly and plainly.  If the affections being offered are unwelcome or unreciprocated, then it is the duty of the recipient to gently but clearly rebuff those affections. Silvans are generally unbashful about this, and any shyness they may feel is overshadowed by their sense of honor. 

It must be noted that Elves never rush headlong into marriage, and thus a courtship often outlasts the lifespan of a mortal Man--even the long-lived Dunedain. Therefore, one can only conclude it is illogical to judge the customs of these two races against each other. 

What would be considered scandalous behavior (by Silvans)?

Outside of marriage, Silvans would not frown or judge one another on the quantity or quality of relationships they engage in throughout their long lives. The loose or lacking restrictions against displays of affection or proper public behavior would also indicate that flirtations, dalliances, and other practices that might be deemed promiscuous in Gondor would not raise eyebrows in Eryn Galen. It should also be noted, however, that compared to the race of Men, Silvans are more likely to be bored of or disinterested in sexual liaisons and far less moved by carnal impulses. This alone drastically decreases the occurrences of "scandalous behavior" as commonly defined by puritan society.

Silvans value honor, loyalty, and service to the community above all. Strong marriages and large, happy families are considered the pride and strength of their society, and so they take the commitments to these institutions very seriously.

Once a Silvan elf chooses to marry, they are bound to much stricter codes of conduct. In Silvan culture, the vow of marriage is considered an unbreakable oath, hallowed by the Valar and binding both the fëa and hröa of two Elves together. The commitment to monogamy goes hand-in-hand with an eternal oath to love and care for all children born to or adopted by the married couple.

The highest scandal in Eryn Galen, therefore, is the betrayal of these familial oaths, either through infidelity to one's spouse or the abandonment or estrangement from one's children. Divorce and family feuds remain virtually non-existent in Eryn Galen.

How long would someone's reputation be ruined?

“Ruin” or shunning people is not really something that happens in Eryn Galen. 

An immortal life is too long a time to carry a grudge, or so the wise say. But more than that, the Silvans tend to be a more forgiving and compassionate people, led by a gracious King and Queen who have deep personal experiences with the value of “second chances”. Any wrongdoing, from a minor faux pas to a blatant crime, can be pardoned as long as forgiveness is sought and the proper restitution (as dictated by law of the realm), is delivered. Once a transgression has been pardoned, it is expected for all to “forgive and forget”. Harboring ill feelings or prolonging disputes is considered vulgar and detrimental to the community. 

Banishment, on the other hand, is a rare and extreme punishment issued only by the King himself. It is done to prevent an unrepentant criminal from causing further harm to the rest of the community. 

Thank you to my Gentle friend @scyllas-revenge who sent in this Ask! <3 This was fun!

For more SotWK AU headcanons: SotWK HC Masterlist

Elves HC Tag List: Tags be added in comments temporarily while Tumblr tags are malfunctioning.

[anittmyer]

I have all the time in the world for Haldir and his pretty brothers!!!! Let me know if you want to hear any headcanons I have for these three!!!

[growingingreenwood]

Random headcanon that the other elvish realms think that the Greenwood Elves have SOME-FUCKING-HOW developed **significantly** superior hearing compared to the rest of the elvish cultures/races. When I say 'significantly' I mean so significantly that it genuinely scares them a little bit.

A lot a bit.

It seems to them that the Greenwood Elves are capable of hearing and understanding even whispered conversations from MILES AND MILES AND MILES AWAY. Even when the distance is so great elvish eyes cannot even see a dark spec on the horizon, Greenwood Elves can still successfully eavesdrop on what is happening.

The other realms have, of course, come up with many of their own theories as to why and how they're capable of such things. Including but not limited to: Evolution that happened after most of the Noldor left for Valinor to help them survive the Dark Scary Times, a permanent enchantment of Melians that can be genetically passed down to one's offspring, an Extremely Elaborate Lie, a side effect of one of the plants that they eat, a sign that they've made a deal with Melkor to be his spies (this theory is banned from being openly spoken about in Imladris, if it is, you get 1 single warning before Elrond yeets you out of the valley his damn self. You are not welcome back for at least 100 years, and you have to apologize before you're allowed back in.)

There is, of course, an incredibly simple and straightforward reason for this perceived 'super-hearing' which is: The elves don't hear things, the trees do and just relay the information (or at least the gist or important bits) back to the elves. They can hear what you say from 1000 miles away because there's trees literally everywhere.

But since the other realms don't speak to/with the trees in the same capacity as the Greenwood Elves, the thought that this is possible literally never occurs to them. And the Greenwood Elves think the entire situation is too funny to ever explain it.