Tolkien: Arwen, Elrohir and Elladan

The overwhelming lack of information about Arwen is quite interesting given her age.  I was asked by a reader to do my usual treatment on the Arwen backstory but given the overall lack of info I will do a quick run through Elrond's children. So here we go.

Arwen is the daughter of Elrond and Celebrían.  And perhaps due to that lack of information on Arwen we can delve just a bit back into her parents.

Easier to explain is Celebrían as we know even less about her then her daughter.  However Celebrían is the daughter of Galadriel and Celeborn which says a great amount about her lineage.  We know that Celebrían was attacked by orcs somewhere in the Misty Mountains on a trip from Rivendell down to Lorien to see her mother Galadriel.  She was captured and tortured and received a poisonous wound during the encounter.  Elladan and Elrohir rode to save her.  They brought their mother back to Rivendell where Elrond was able to heal her but the encounter forced Celebrían to leave Middle-Earth sailing into the west only one year later.   

It was this event that sealed Elrohir and Elladan's hatred of Orcs. 

Elrond on the other hand is a whole book in and of himself.   Born in the First Age (yeah...the guy is old) along with his twin brother. His father was Eärendil his mother was Elwing. Both were Half Elven which causes a bit of a racial conflict for Tolkien.  Given that the tale of Eärendil and Elwing is a long story suffice it to say that both were very special Eärendil sailed into the west and found Tirion on Valinor and stood before the actual Valar (read: GODS). Needless to say Elrond and his brother Elros were given the choice to be counted as men or elves.  Elrond chose Elven and his brother chose Men.

This is important because while Elrond was still around ages later he kept taking care of the Dunedain. And why?  Because the line of the Dunedain originated with his brother Elros. So some might say that Elrond was their impossible to imagine elder uncle.   Anyway Elrond is some 6500 years old when he finally sails into the west.

Elrohir and Elladan are twins and so alike they could barely be told apart.  Apart from saving their mother little is known of them.  We know they fought orcs alongside the Dunedain, we know they did all of the advance scouting for the Fellowship. When Halbarad rode with the Grey company to Aragorn's aid they rode with them.  And what should have been in the movies was that they accompanied Aragorn into the paths of the dead.  And fought with Aragorn at the Battle of Pelennor Fields.  After the war of the ring there isnt much information about them.  They returned to Rivendell and remained there after their father sailed into the west.  Much like their sister they were given the choice to sail west or stay in middle earth and become mortal. It seems very likely they would have chosen the same fate but no one knows what that was.

Arwen like her mother traveled back and fourth to Lorien and one one of her return trips to Rivendell when she was only a mere 2, 710 years old she met a young Aragorn. He was staying in Rivendell with her father Elrond essentially in Foster care as many of his forefathers did before him. Elrond had only that year told Aragorn who he was given that his father died when Aragorn was 2 at the time.  Now Aragorn was 20.  So....if ever there was a moment to say it....Arwen was planning on robbing the cradle. 

At this point Aragorn goes off to venture in the wild which we assume might be Rhovanion. (Its important now to begin remembering that Aragorn was extremely long lived given his heritage)

Twenty-nine years later (29) Aragorn and Arwen meet again in Lorien and on top of Cerin Amroth they decided to get married.  Ok.....so  this makes Aragorn (49) and Arwen (2,739) just keeping count.

Arwen gave Aragorn his horse Roheryn.  Which is significant to me if no one else. She also made Aragorn the jeweled banner that he flew from the captured Corsairs ships when he arrived to fight at the Battle of Pelennor Fields. 

Aragorn and Arwen married at Midsummer the year is 3019 (Aragorn 117 and Arwen 2,807)  the very year that Barad-dûr fell (Sauron's tower) and Arwen gave up her immortality to marry Aragorn.  The only other elf we know that did that was Lúthien Tinúviel.

Arwen gives birth to Eldarion, Aragorn's son and at least two daughters but the names are never given.

Aragorn and Arwen rule as King and Queen until Aragorn dies in the 4th age the year is 120.  Making Aragorn around 238 years old.  Eldarion is his heir.  But lets get back to Arwen

After Aragorn's death a year passes and Arwen leaves Gondor to go to Lorien.  It is said she wonders off into the empty area of Lorien and I think somewhere its written she dies on the mound of Cerin Amroth where the two pledged their love to each other. 

There isn't much more written about Arwen.  She was born in 241 of the third age which means she would have had 2,500 years with her mother and her whole life with her father until he passed into the west.  We know that Arwen never goes anywhere without an escort guard of elves.  Which is probably due to what happened to her mother.  Given that she is Elrond's daughter and granddaughter to Galadriel you can assume she is treated very well.  

Other then that I have no information about Arwen specifically.   If anyone has corrections or comments please feel free to put them in the comments.

Tolkien: Lorien

Lórien the place you all think of when you imagine the movies is not the only place to bear this name. The Vala (god) named Irmo took the name Lórien from the Gardens where he dwelled. In truth Tolkiens earlier work defined Lórien as "god of dreams". Either way Lórien was both a garden in Valinor and the name taken by Irmo a Vala.

Confused yet?  (for the non-lotr-geek Vala = Gods)

Anyway....

Way back.....at the beginning....Elves awoke in Cuiviénen a land east of middle earth...east of the Misty Mountains, east of the river Anduin, east of the ....well you get the point.

Anyway they began a great journey (called Great Journey btw) to the land of the Valinor to live with the Valar. Now why exactly the Vala didn't just make them awake in Valinor? Who knows...gods are mean like that.

Anyway...not all of the Houses of elves made it to Valinor. There were 3 houses or Kindreds of the Elves
1. The Vanyar
2. The Noldor
3. The Teleri

The Vanyar and the Noldor took nearly 200 years to travel from Cuiviénen to Beleriand and the Teleri took about 30 more years. All this happened 3500 years before the first age. So we are talking about a long long time ago. We won't even go into the difference in calendars between Solar years and Valian Years because this all happened before the creation of the sun....that's another story all together.

Anyway...During this Great Journey the Teleri came to the Great River Anduin and the Misty Moutains and some of Teleri fell away from the journey and set up shop in the woodlands east of the Misty Moutains. These were the original Silvan Elves. Some lived in the land now called Lórien.

About this time the Silvan language evolved but the Silvan elves would later mingle with other elves and the Silvan branch would disappear. Some things are still using Silvan Elf names....such as Lórien and Amroth...etc.

In the Second age the Silvan elves lived on either side of the Anduin...in twin forests you could say. But as Sauron emerged the leader of the Eastern side in the Greenwood lead his people northward away from the elves who lived west of the River Anduin....away from Lorien.

The Silvan Elves in Lórien would stay put for years and we know little of their existence except in the Second Age they were ruled by a Sindar elf named Amdir (not that Amdir LOTRO people....a elven one) it was at this time that Beleriand was destroyed by the Valar when they captured Morgoth (morgoth was a Vala and is the one responsible for Sauron's bad childhood) and so many elves from the East fled through Moria....and into Lórien.

Amdir was lost in the wars at the end of the Second Age and his son Amroth was leading Lórien. This was during the unleashing of Durin's Bane in Moria and Sauron's power growing in Dol Guldur. Many elves fled Lórien into the south and so Amroth did as well and he drowned in the Bay of Belfalas.

It was then...about 1000 years before the War of the Ring...that Galadriel and Celeborn settled in Lórien and became Lord and Lady of Lórien.

Where did the Silvan elves of the Mirkwood go? That's another story....too much Legolas in that one to do here.....

Anyway...So that is a quick Lorien background. I have another post drafted here about Galadriel. I need a few more details. Again if you have a particular subject you want me to write on please drop a comment and share any posts you want.