King of the Elves of Mirkwood; father of Legolas. Thranduil, the son of Oropher, was of Sindarin descent though his people were mainly Silvan Elves, or Wood-Elves. He travelled eastward from Lindon sometime before the year 1000 of the Second Age. At that time the vast forest on the east side of the Anduin was called Greenwood the Great. By some accounts, it was Thranduil who founded the Woodland Realm; by other accounts it was Oropher. According to the latter accounts, Thranduil and Oropher fought in the War of the Last Alliance. Oropher was killed in battle, and after the defeat of Sauron in 3441 of the Second Age Thranduil led his remaining forces back to Greenwood. Around 1050 of the Third Age, a shadow fell on Greenwood and it came to be known as Mirkwood. Great Spiders and other creatures came to dwell in Mirkwood, and at Dol Guldur a stronghold was built by an evil force that was later discovered to be Sauron. Thranduil and his people retreated to the northeastern corner of Mirkwood and built their halls near the Forest River in underground caverns guarded by great gates. Despite the dark presence in Mirkwood, the Wood-Elves still loved the forest. In the autumn, King Thranduil wore a crown of red leaves and berries in his golden hair, and in the spring his crown was made of woodland flowers. He and his people enjoyed hunting and feasting among the trees. One day in 2941, Thranduil and a company of Elves were feasting in the woods when they were interrupted by a company of Dwarves and one Hobbit. The Elves relocated but the intruders followed them. On the third occasion the Elves captured the leader of the Dwarves, Thorin Oakenshield, and brought him before King Thranduil. Thorin was imprisoned when he would not reveal what he was doing in Mirkwood and the Elvish sword Orcrist was taken from him. His twelve Dwarf companions were caught soon after. Bilbo Baggins evaded capture by using his magic Ring and later managed to help his companions escape in barrels down the Forest River. The meaning of Thranduil are the elements "thar" meaning "across, beyond and "anda" meaning "long" and "duinor or duil" which means "river." These elements are also combined in the name of the Great River Anduin.