Lord Elrond Half-elven, a prominent figure in J.R.R. Tolkien’s ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings’ novels, and even more so in Peter Jackson’s film adaptations, experienced much more than what was depicted in those stories. Despite being an immortal Elf, his involvement with Bilbo and Frodo was just a small fraction of his long life. By the time Thorin Oakenshield’s Company reached Rivendell, as depicted in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Elrond was already over 6000 years old, having witnessed significant events throughout Middle-earth’s history.
While The Lord of the Rings provides some insight into Elrond’s past, the majority of his history is detailed in The Silmarillion, which delves into Middle-earth’s lore, beginning before the universe’s creation.
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Elrond, born in the year F.A. 532 during the reign of the Dark Lord Morgoth, was the son of Eärendil and Elwing. However, he didn’t have the chance to know his parents well. When he was just six years old, he was kidnapped by the sons of Fëanor during an attack on the Havens of Sirion.
Eventually, after the defeat of Morgoth, he chose to live as an Elf and became an influential figure under High King Gil-galad’s rule. His twin brother Elros, on the other hand, chose to be a Man and became the first king of Númenor, making Elrond a distant relative of Aragorn from The Lord of the Rings.
During the Second Age, Elrond played a crucial role in opposing Sauron’s machinations. He and Gil-galad rejected Sauron’s deception regarding the Rings of Power, which led to the forging of the One Ring. Later, when Sauron attacked Eregion, Elrond aided the Elves in their defence and eventually established the Elven realm of Rivendell in the valley of the river Bruinen.
He also participated in the War of the Last Alliance, where Isildur’s failure to destroy the One Ring marked the beginning of the Third Age.
Throughout the Third Age, Elrond lived peacefully in Rivendell, marrying Celebrían, Galadriel’s daughter, and raising three children. He actively prepared for the return of Isildur’s heir and worked to thwart Sauron’s plans, as seen in ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’. Finally, around the year T.A. 2463, he joined the White Council to combat Sauron’s growing power.
These events, spanning thousands of years, shaped Elrond’s character in The Lord of the Rings, giving him a depth of wisdom and experience, tempered by a lifetime of war and loss.
– Farheen Ali