Legolas
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| Character | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Legolas Greenleaf |
| Occupation: | archer, warrior traveling |
| Relationships: | Friend and companion of Aragorn and Gimli |
| Fandom: | The Lord of the Rings |
| Other: | Sindar Elf |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Legolas is depicted in the books of The Lord of the Rings as a paragon of the Elves, an archer, a warrior and a singer, nimble and lightfooted, wearing green and brown. He is probably several thousand years old at the end of the Third Age. In The Lord of the Rings, he attends the Rivendell Council and joins as part of the Fellowship of the Ring, runs with Aragorn and Gimli as The Three Hunters, fights at Helm's Deep, travels with Aragorn to Isengard, Edoras, Dunharrow, through the Paths of the Dead, the Pelargir, the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, Gondor, the Black Gate, and back to Gondor.
In the movie!verse by Peter Jackson, Legolas is played by Orlando Bloom, and adored by many fans. He is characterized by his quiet nature and often appears in background shots with comical facial expressions that are the source of many memes[1][2]. Legolas appears both in The Hobbit (film series) and The Lord of the Rings.
In Fandom
Legolas is a highly popular character in fanfiction. He is mainly paired with Aragorn (a popular OTP) and Gimli, occasionally with Boromir, and rarely with other canon characters. Some fanfiction focuses on an incestual relationship between him and his father, Thranduil. This seems to be a reaction to the absence of Thranduil's wife and Legolas' mother throughout the Lord of the Rings (book and film) and the subsequent admission of her tragic death in The Hobbit Battle of the Five Armies. He is also frequently paired with original female characters in the Legomance genre.
There is also abundant gen fanfiction centering on the character. Gen stories often feature his friendship with Gimli or Aragorn; they are often set either before canon, dealing with his childhood, or after canon, focusing on his sea-longing and departure for Valinor.
Legolas-centric fanfiction is sometimes criticised for portraying the Elf as feminine, submissive, romantic, a woobie, and in mpreg stories, pregnant. Legomances are often derided as wish-fulfilment Mary Sue stories.
Example Fanfiction Works
Slash
- They Say of the Elves by Brancher -- A classic early example of the Legolas/Gimli pairing. Dwimordene writes: Until recently, this story was unchallenged as the most convincing Legolas/Gimli slash I had ever read.[3]
- See Aragorn/Legolas for examples of this pairing
- See Legolas/Thranduil for examples of this pairing
Het
- Amid the Powers and Chances of the World by Azalais (Legomance)
- Stardust by RiikiTikiTavi -- An influential early Legomance
- The Elf Husband by Voxynqueen (Legomance)
Gen
- Beyond This World by Thundera Tiger (Fourth Age; Legolas-Gimli friendship). Dwimordene writes: This is angst done right for Legolas and Gimli, and a fitting depiction of their friendship at the end of Gimli's life.[3]
- Dance of Terrible Grace by Adina (Legolas-Gimli friendship) Thundera Tiger writes: What I really liked about it was ... how well it defended what could be a slightly unorthodox characterization, at least according to fandom opinions.[4]
- The Last Grey Ship by ErinRua (Fourth Age). Dwimordene writes: Probably one of the best fics dealing with the decision of Legolas and Gimli to sail for Valinor in terms of emotional impact.[3]
- The Mellon Chronicles by Cassia & Siobhan -- Popular Aragorn-Legolas friendship series
- Roots by Dwimordene (backstory; Aragorn-Legolas friendship). Oshun writes: Great gap filler, Mirkwood setting and backstory on Legolas.[5]
- Tell this Mortal by Chathol-linn (Fourth Age; Legolas-Gimli friendship)
- Young Legolas series by Daw the Minstrel -- Long influential series of stories set in Mirkwood exploring Legolas' youth
Example Meta
- How I Quit Worrying And Learned To Love Legolas by Tyellas (2003)
- Legolas of Mirkwood: Prince Among Equals by Ellen Brundige (~2003)
- Moriquendi: The Gendered Other in Tolkien Fanfiction by adn_heming. Meta that suggests Legolas's Dark Elf heritage leads to feminised portrayals in fanfiction (2005)
Example Fanart
interior art from Warriors of Gondor #4, by Ainulindale
cover art from Reforging Ties, by Angel
interior art from Reforging Ties, by Nitta Youka
uncredited interior art from For Gondor!
with Gimli in cover art for Blue Sky Hymn, by Ichitaro
art by Suzan Lovett -- "The Archer of Mirkwood"
Archives and Links
- Legolas Greenleaf tag at Archive of Our Own
- Legolas at FanFiction.net
- Axe & Bow Fanfic Archive & Directory -- Legolas & Gimli; archive for the Axe_Bow Yahoo Groups list
- Axe and Bow -- Legolas & Gimli; old archive for the Axe_Bow list (no longer updated)
- The Trees Remember -- Archive for Mirkwood Elves (no longer updated)
- Eternal
- LegolasGreenLeafOnline.net
Communities
- Axe_Bow -- Yahoo Groups list for Legolas & Gimli
- Elves Do It Better
Resources
References
- ^ 13 Times Background Legolas Was The Most Important Part of "The Lord of the Rings" Movies (accessed 7th November 2023).
- ^ Legolas' dumb, perfect faces are the key to his whole character (accessed 7th of November 2023).
- ^ a b c Henneth Annun Story Archive: Dwim's Legolas-Gimli playlist (accessed 1 October 2011)
- ^ Middle-earth Fanfiction Awards: Archive: Dance of Terrible Grace (accessed 1 October 2011)
- ^ Henneth Annun Story Archive: Mirkwood Elves -- Playlists (accessed 1 October 2011)