Thranduil's Halls

The Elvenking's halls sit in the far northeast of Mirkwood, where the Forest River comes down toward the Long Lake. On the map they stand north of the Mountains of Mirkwood, east of the Elf-path's far end, and upstream from Lake-town. A bridge crosses the river to the great stone doors.

Thranduil, a Sindarin lord, ruled over Silvan Elves who had never gone west to the Sea. His people had once lived further south, and had withdrawn north as the shadow spread from Dol Guldur. The caves were dug for safety, storage and feasting rather than as a city, and the Elves preferred the woods above them.

The Elvenking's guards took the dwarves after their fight with the spiders and locked them up when Thorin would not explain his errand. Bilbo, invisible, lived in the passages on stolen food for weeks, found the cellars, and floated the company out through the water-gate in barrels bound downriver to Esgaroth.

After Smaug's death, Thranduil marched an army east toward Erebor, first meaning to claim a share of the hoard and then joining with Dain and Bard against the goblins and Wargs in the Battle of Five Armies. Seventy-seven years later his people held Gollum prisoner here, and lost him in an orc raid.

Events at this place

1. TA 2941 · The Hobbit

   The dwarves are imprisoned

   Wood-elves captured Thorin's company and shut them in the caves when Thorin refused to name his quest.

2. TA 2941 · The Hobbit

   Escape by barrel

   Bilbo packed the dwarves into empty wine barrels and sent them out of the water-gate to float down the Forest River to Lake-town.

3. TA 3018, June 20 · The Lord of the Rings

   Gollum escapes from the Wood-elves

   Thranduil's people guarded Gollum after Aragorn brought him north in TA 3017, but on 20 June TA 3018 he got away when orcs attacked his guards during an outing in the woods.

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