He is one of the most important and
famous characters in the history of Middle-earth. His life would be one marked
by tragic separation from those he loved and shaped by his choice to be counted among
the elves. Through his more than 6500 years, he rises through war and hardship to become
one of the greatest elves in the world. After watching his brother’s people fall
into darkness and destruction time and again, he would finally see it renewed
with one he himself had fostered. Today, on Nerd of the Rings, we
cover the life and travels of Elrond. Elrond and his twin brother Elros are born in the
year 532 of the First Age in the Havens of Sirion to their father Earendil and mother Elwing. At
this time, the dark lord Morgoth rules over most of Beleriand and the days grow increasingly
bleak for the free peoples of Middle-earth. In 538, when the twins are just six years old,
the Havens are attacked by the Sons of Feanor. The Feanorians are driven by their oath
to once again kill their fellow elves in pursuit of one of the Silmarils. Elwing,
who is in the possession of the silmaril, jumps into the sea during this third kinslaying.
She would be borne to Earendil’s ship and travel with him on his great voyage to Valinor. The
twins would likely never again see their parents. By the end of the battle, there are just
two sons of Feanor alive - Maedhros and Maglor. They initially take Elrond and Elros
as captives and in one account of the story, they abandon them in a cave enclosed by a
waterfall rather than killing them. However, Maglor in particular takes pity on the twins,
rescuing them and raising them himself. It is said that a mutual love
grows between Maglor and the twins. The War of Wrath follows shortly
after, from 545-587 SA. It is after this nigh apocalyptic battle, and the
disappearance of their foster-father, that the Valar give to Elrond and Elros a choice.
Having descended from the two Man-elf marriages of the First Age, the twins are granted the ability
to choose whether to be counted among elves, remaining immortal, or to be counted among the
Edain and receive the gift of men - mortality. While Elros chooses to be counted among men,
Elrond chooses to remain among the elves. Thus, at the age of 58, Elrond and Elros go their
separate ways. Elros sails the seas, following the star of their father Earendil to discover
the newly risen island of Numenor - a gift for the Edain. Elrond settles in Lindon, where he
would serve under the High King of the Noldor Gil-galad. In the coming centuries, Elrond becomes
known as both a great healer and lore-master. His brother is gifted with an extraordinarily
long life, even for a Numenorean. In 442, Elros dies at the age of 500. Whether the twins would
visit one another again, we can only guess. And while Elros would lay the foundation for one of
the greatest realms to ever exist, his time would come to an end, while Elrond would remain,
playing a major role for thousands of years. As we’ve covered in other videos here on Nerd
of the Rings, Lindon would flourish in peace for 1200 years. In that year, Sauron comes
to Eriador seeking to infiltrate the elves. Gil-galad and Elrond perceived that this Lord of
Gifts was not fair as he seemed, and refused him entry into their lands. Instead, Sauron tricks the
elves of Eregion into creating the Rings of Power, and in 1695, the lands are engulfed in the War of
the Elves and Sauron. Elrond is sent by Gil-galad to lead the army of Lindon in aiding Eregion.
Unfortunately, their arrival is too late and too small to defend the realm. They are countered
by Sauron and in danger of being overrun when the dwarves of Moria attack, allowing Elrond
and the refugees of Eregion to flee north. By 1697, Eregion is ravaged by Sauron’s forces,
and Elrond establishes the stronghold of Imladris north of the River Bruinen. With
Eregion and it’s lord destroyed, Sauron turns his attention to Lindon. He
sends the majority of his forces west to move against Gil-galad, while also leaving a
strong force to lay siege upon Rivendell. As Sauron continues his brutal march through Eriador,
many more elven refugees flee to Elrond’s realm. By 1700, only Imladris and the far west
of Lindon remain free of Sauron’s control. Fortunately, the descendents of Elros would come. The Numenoreans reinforce the elves of Lindon
in massive might and numbers, defeating Sauron’s horde and forcing the dark lord to flee back
to Mordor. With Sauron defeated, Gil-galad and Tar-Minastir quickly free Imladris of its
attackers. There, they hold a council, where it is decided that Rivendell should be maintained
as an Elven stronghold in Eriador. Gil-galad appoints Elrond to be his vice-regent in Eriador,
and passes his ring of power - Vilya - to Elrond. In 1701, Galadriel and her daughter
Celebrian travel from Lorien to Rivendell searching for Celeborn. There, they
would not only find Galadriel’s husband, but it is then that Celebrian
would first meet Elrond. Centuries later, after the fall of his brother’s
once great kingdom, the rise of new kingdoms of men, and the reemergence of Sauron, Elrond would
once again join his kin and those of his brother in war. After the Last Alliance of
Elves and men is formed in 3430, Gil-galad and Elendil march to Imladris
(3431), and after spending three years in Elrond’s realm forging weapons and making
battle plans, the armies march south to Mordor. Elrond serves as Gil-galad’s herald and
fights throughout the seven years of conflict. In 3441, in the war’s final moments, Elrond
witnesses the epic fight between Gil-galad, Elendil, and Sauron, during which all
three are slain. When Isildur cuts the ring from Sauron’s body, Elrond joins
Cirdan in advising the heir of Elendil to cast the ring into Mount Doom
and destroy it, but Isildur refuses. Victorious in the war, yet having lost much,
Elrond goes back to Rivendell as Isildur travels to Gondor. Two years into the Third Age,
Isildur leaves Gondor in the hands of his nephew, making his way north to both take up the rule
of Arnor and reunite with his wife and youngest son, who had remained in Rivendell since
the departure of the Last Alliance. However, the company is attacked by orcs on their way
to Imladris, and after sending the shards of Narsil with his esquire Ohtar, Isildur and
his three eldest sons are killed by the orcs. Ohtar brings the shards of Narsil to Elrond, and
they would remain under his care for thousands of years. Elrond foretold that these shards would
not be reforged until the One Ring was found and Sauron had returned once more. Also in his
keeping is Isildur’s surviving son, Valandil, who was just four years old when
his father had set forth to war. Now 13 years old, Valandil becomes the
first in a long line of heirs of Elendil to be fostered by Elrond. At age 21 (10 TA),
he takes his place as the king of Arnor. In 109 TA, Elrond and Celebrian are married in
Rivendell and their children would soon follow. First, their twin sons Elladan and Elrohir
in 130TA, and their daughter Arwen in 241. For over 1000 years, Rivendell would continue as
a peaceful realm, becoming one of the greatest dwellings of the elves, thanks in part to
Elrond’s possession of a Ring of Power. However, a new power would rise in the
North - the Witch-kingdom of Angmar. While the Witch-king would primarily
make war upon the men of Arnor, one of his earliest efforts to weaken Eriador is
to attack Rivendell. This Second Siege of Imladris takes place sometime between 1356 and 1409 of
the Third Age. By 1409, the siege is broken and after being reinforced by the elves of
Lorien, and with the help of the elves of Lindon, Elrond is able to drive the Witch-king out of
Eriador - subduing his threat for many years. After centuries of battles, covered in an earlier
video here on the channel, Angmar would finally be defeated thanks to a force from Gondor and an army
led by Glorfindel from Rivendell. With no man nor orc of Angmar left west of the Misty Mountains,
Eriador is finally freed from this evil menace. However, the Witch-king’s purpose was
accomplished, and the once mighty realm of Arnor is reduced to a handful of Dunedain rangers in
the wild. At this time, Elrond is entrusted with more heirlooms of his brother’s people - the Ring
of Barahir and the Sceptre of Annuminas. Together with the shards of Narsil, they would await
the one who would reclaim the throne of Arnor. Being among the wisest beings in Middle-earth, Elrond would take counsel with others of his own
kind, as well as the wizards, and after a long Watchful Peace, a dark presence emerging in Dol
Guldur leads the Wise to form the White Council in 2463. Before Elrond would see
any battles as part of the council, he would once again suffer a terrible loss,
and another separation from one whom he loves. In 2509, Celebrian leaves Rivendell to visit her
parents in Lorien. Her group takes the Redhorn Pass, also known as the Pass of Caradhras. During
their crossing of the mountain, they are attacked by Orcs and scattered. Celebrian is captured and
tormented, and receives a poisoned wound. Elladan and Elrohir would pursue the orcs, and rescue
their mother, bringing her back home to Rivendell. Elrond, being the great healer that he is, successfully heals her body, but he is unable to
heal the damage her torment had done to her mind. Celebrian loses all delight in Middle-earth and
in 2510, she makes the journey which possessed her only hope for healing. Leaving Elrond and their
children behind, Celebrian sails into the West. By now, the ring has been discovered, and Sauron
had returned, and just as Elrond had predicted, the sword that was broken would be remade.
In 2933, after the death of his father, a 2 year old Aragorn would be the last in
a line of heirs to be fostered by Elrond. In part to protect the young child, Elrond
gives him the name Estel, meaning “hope”, and conceals his true lineage from
him until he would come of age. When Estel is 10 years old, Elrond would welcome
new visitors to his home. Near midsummer 2941, the company of Thorin Oakenshield arrives at
the Last Homely House. Here, we see that Elrond, unlike his fellow elves in Mirkwood and later
Lorien, is quite welcoming to Durin’s Folk. Perhaps he had not forgotten their people
who had come to his aid all those years ago. While the company is in Imladris, Elrond examines
the swords that Gandalf and Thorin had found in the troll cave. The loremaster determines
Thorin’s is called Orcrist, the Goblin-cleaver, and Gandalf’s is Glamdring, the Foe-hammer. These
swords were forged in the great first age city of Gondolin - and Glamdring was once
the sword of Elrond’s great grandfather, King Turgon. Turning now to Thror’s Map, Elrond
discovers the moon-letters, written with Ithildin, the same material used on the Doors of Durin,
which reflected starlight and moonlight. With Elrond’s expertise, Bilbo and the dwarves learn
the location of the secret entrance to Erebor. Later that very year, knowing that the Necromancer
is Sauron, the White Council attacks Dol Guldur, forcing Sauron to flee to Mordor and
disrupting his plans for a northern conquest. 10 years later, when Estel was 20 years
old, he returns to Rivendell after great deeds with Elladan and Elrohir.
Elrond looked at him and was pleased, for he saw that he was fair and noble and was
early come to manhood, though he would yet become greater in body and in mind. That day
therefore Elrond called him by his true name, and told him who he was and whose son; and he
delivered to him the heirlooms of his house. '"Here is the ring of Barahir," he said,
"the token of our kinship from afar; and here also are the shards of Narsil.
With these you may yet do great deeds; for I foretell that the span of your life
shall be greater than the measure of Men, unless evil befalls you or you fail
at the test. But the test will be hard and long. The Sceptre of Annúminas I
withhold, for you have yet to earn it." The very next day, Aragorn is walking alone in
the woods when he meets Arwen for the first time, for she had been living for many
years with Galadriel, her grandmother. 29 years later, Arwen and Aragorn would
meet again, this time in Lorien. There they would pledge themselves to one another. When
Elrond hears of this, his heart is grieved, and the doom he long feared was no easier
to endure. He meets with Isildur’s heir… "My son, years come when hope will fade,
and beyond them little is clear to me. And now a shadow lies between us. Maybe,
it has been appointed so, that by my loss the kingship of Men may be restored.
Therefore, though I love you, I say to you: Arwen Undómiel shall not diminish her life's
grace for less cause. She shall not be the bride of any Man less than the King of both Gondor
and Arnor. To me then even our victory can bring only sorrow and parting - but to you
hope of joy for a while. For a while. Alas, my son! I fear that to Arwen the
Doom of Men may seem hard at the ending." With this understanding, Aragorn
would go forth to danger and toil, his path leading him ever closer to fate. The White Council meets for the last time in 2953, when Saruman says that he has discovered that the
ring has passed down the Anduin and into the Sea, seeking to give the others a false sense
of security while he seeks it for his own. Elrond would next enter the story of the War
of the Ring. In the fall of 3018, Frodo Baggins is sent out on a quest to take the One Ring to
Rivendell. When the halfling arrives, having been stabbed on Weathertop, Elrond’s healing powers are
once again put to the test. He is successful, and the hobbit recovers, though, like Celebrian, Frodo
would not fully heal on this side of the sea. The face of Elrond was ageless, neither old nor
young, though in it was written the memory of many things both glad and sorrowful. His hair was dark
as the shadows of twilight, and upon it was set a circlet of silver; his eyes were grey as a clear
evening, and in them was a light like the light of stars. Venerable he seemed as a king crowned
with many winters, and yet hale as a tried warrior in the fullness of his strength. He was the Lord
of Rivendell and mighty among both Elves and Men. On October 25, Elrond calls a council to decide
what should be done with the One Ring. The Council of Elrond would be one of the most important
events in the Third Age, as it is decided that they must attempt to destroy it in the fires of
Mount Doom. During the meeting, Elrond tells much of what he knows of Isildur and the ring’s
history - history that he was present for. The Fellowship, including the ringbearer Frodo
and Elrond’s foster-son Aragorn, with a newly reforged Anduril, sets out on December 25th, but
that would not be the end for the house of Elrond in this war. Elladan and Elrohir are sent by their
father to join the Dunedain riding south to join their chieftain. The twins deliver to Aragorn a
reminder from their father of an ancient prophecy. Thus the Grey Company would follow Aragorn on
the Paths of the Dead and onward to Minas Tirith. When Aragorn later declares that the survivors
of the Pelennor Fields should attack Mordor as a diversion, Elrohir confirms this as also being
Elrond’s advice. As we know, the attack, and the ringbearer’s quest was a success in that the ring
is destroyed and Sauron is finally defeated. On May 1st, Aragorn is crowned King of the Reunited
Kingdom - ruling over both Gondor and Arnor. True to his word, Elrond escorts Arwen to Gondor. After
stopping for a brief time in Lothlorien, they arrive in Minas Tirith in late June and Aragorn
and Arwen are married on Midsummer’s Day, 3019. While this was a joyous occasion, as his
foster-son was now king, and the men of his brother Elros were finally free from the scourge
of Sauron, he once again must part from one whom he greatly loves. For with her marriage
to Aragorn, Arwen made the same choice as Luthien and Elros before her - she is now
bound to a mortal life and the Gift of Men is now her future. Elrond parts from Arwen in great
sorrow, not knowing if he would meet her again. Elrond would ride with Gandalf and the hobbits
to Rivendell, before the others make their return trip to the Shire. Two years later, on
September 29, 3021, Elrond boards the White Ship at the Grey Havens. He is joined by Galadriel,
Gandalf, Shadowfax, Bilbo and Frodo as they make their last great journey to the Undying Lands.
Elladan and Elrohir stay behind for at least some time in Rivendell. Like their sister, they
too would have the choice of being counted among men or elves. Their decision remains a mystery.
Would Elrond’s sons join him in the uttermost West? Or remain behind in Middle-earth as their
sister had? While we don’t know for certain, we can take comfort that there was likely one
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