Ok, so, I ignored the will of the people and did what I wanted when it came to Thranduil's kids. In my head there are 4 total, all of which are cool and awesome and magnificent, and so freaking adored by the people.
(from left to right)
Hadriel (4,278 years old) is the only daughter of King Thranduil and the head of the royal guard. She is a kind but fierce warrior, considered the best, second only to her father.
Aendir (4,893 years old) is the eldest son of Thranduil and the Crown Prince of Mirkwood. Where Thranduil is hard and stubborn, Aendir is soft and open. He is a truly worthy prince.
Caelreth (3,906 years old) was the youngest son and, as third in line for the throne, has devoted himself to his books instead of weapons. He is often underestimated for his love of knowledge, but there are few better at uncovering information left in Middle-earth.
Legolas (35 years old) was a happy accident, born just a few years after the Battle of the Last Alliance. He is the youngest and the last elf to be born in Middle-earth. Elves are not usually born in times of turmoil, but in the brief years when the Elves believed themselves free of Sauron, he was brought into this world. A final blessing, as Mirkwood sees it.
Of course, Thranduil loves them with all his heart, so deeply that it brings tears to his eyes when he thinks of them.
Can you tell us more about how the woodland realm guard works? Like their divisions/cohorts, heirarchy of officials, roles/skills, and how the Thranduilions fit into the guard (or what roles they hold/would hold?)
What an awesome question! Thank you so much, Anon! This is a BIG topic but I've been raring to talk about it, so I will get right down to it. Buckle up, it's a long one!
The Armed Forces of Eryn Galen
(Part 1 of 2)
Warriors of Eryn Galen: Prince Turhir, Elvenking Thranduil, and Crown Prince Mirion (Commissioned artwork from @killer-laurent)
A BRIEF HISTORY
The armed forces of Eryn Galen were led by Prince Thranduil himself at its formation upon the establishment of King Oropher’s rule.
Apart from Thranduil being a better warrior than his father, his circle of friends during the Second Age were also very skilled fighters who became his first captains. The Silvans of Greenwood greatly admired Thranduil from the get-go and were willing to follow his lead.
The military might of Eryn Galen was relatively small during the Second Age--no more than 5,000 soldiers strong.
Military strength was not one of Oropher’s priorities during his rule, and there was no immediate need for it. His and his council’s intention was to keep Eryn Galen’s territory safe but to never interfere with outside conflicts and the affairs of other kingdoms.
At Thranduil’s behest however, this policy was broken with the decision to send Greenwood forces to the War of the Last Alliance, which led to the decimation of two-thirds of their army.
After that, Thranduil made a commitment to strengthen Eryn Galen’s forces in preparation for future battles. However, the losses at Dagorlad also carved in his heart a deep respect for the lives of his people and appreciation for their willingness to follow him to the death. He knew this was a power he had to wield with great care. [“Long will I tarry, ere I begin this war for gold.” - The Hobbit, Chapter 17]
Thranduil’s command of the armed forces lasted until the early part of his own kingship, until TA 314 when he passed it on to his son, Crown Prince Mirion and gave him the title of “General”. From thereon, the armed forces were overseen almost entirely by Mirion, aided by his brother Turhir, allowing their father to focus on helping the kingdom prosper during peacetime.
In the first millennium of the Third Age, Eryn Galen quietly grew into the strongest Elven military force in Middle-earth; most of Middle-earth simply wasn’t aware of it because that force was almost never deployed beyond Eryn Galen’s borders.
DIVISIONS
Eryn Galen’s armed forces had two main divisions: Maethyr (Warriors) were deployed for warfare or during times of attack, while the Dorthyr (Guardians) kept watch over the Woodland Realm even during peacetime.
The numbers estimated below were from during the height of Eryn Galen's military strength, which was in about TA 900-1000. There was some overlap between the two divisions, with a minority fraction of the Dorthyr being trained Maethyr who were deployable for battle as needed.
The estimated full muster of Eryn Galen at its strongest was 10,000 soldiers.
MAETHYR: WARRIORS
Singular: Maethor
Strength: 8,000 total soldiers
The function of Maethyr was to fight for the realm in case of attack and march to battle in other lands during times of war, as commanded by the Elvenking.
Enlistment to the Maethyr was completely voluntary and had appropriate compensation. Nearly 10% of Eryn Galen's adult population were enlisted--most as reserve--and committed to fighting for the King as soon as he mustered the army.
Active vs Reserve Maethyr
Barring special exemptions, all active Maethyr and their families lived in Barad Aithron, a fortress in Thangail, the province under the regency of Prince Turhir.
Reserve Maethyr lived as regular civilians until they were called to service for a specific purpose. They were expected to train regularly to keep their battle skills honed, and every winter were required to pass a rigorous test administered by the Master Trainer. Failure to pass would result in return to formal training in Barad Aithron.
About 500 reserve Maethyr were also Dorthyr (see note above).
CAVALRY
Strength: 300 riders
* All cavalry were active soldiers. They were the best horsemen in the realm.
* Active Cavalry during peacetime served as Eryn Galen's horse trainers and breeders.
* They taught other Elves of the realm to ride as required or requested.
* They were the only soldiers trained in lance and were expected to be masters at this. Their secondary weapon was the sword, and they were also expected to be excellent duelists.
* Crown Prince Mirion himself was considered part of the cavalry.
HOTHRON-I-MAETHYR: FOOT SOLDIERS
The Hothron-i-Maethyr were divided into spearmen and archers:
HEDRYN / SPEARMEN
Singular: Hadron
Strength: 4,000 soldiers (1,000 active, 3,000 reserve)
* The Hedryn--especially the active ones--were the most highly trained soldiers in Eryn Galen. They were expected to master a wide variety of weapons, including hand-to-hand combat.
* Their primary weapon, however, was their trademark spear, specially designed to retract to the size of a short sword, which enables them to transition quickly from long-range to short-range attacks and vice-versa.
* Active Hedryn during peacetime also worked as builders, carpenters, and blacksmiths under the Crown's service.
ARCHERS
Strength: 3,700 soldiers (500 active, 3,200 reserve)
* Apart from the bow and arrow, Archers were armed with twin long knives.
* Active Archers during peacetime did rotations as border scouts and sentries, particularly along the western border of the Greenwood and the lands beyond up to and down the length of the Great River.
DORTHYR: GUARDIANS
Singular: Dorthir
Strength: 2,500 total soldiers
The charge of the Dorthyr was to watch over and defend the lands within the borders of Eryn Galen, the people of the realm, the royal family, and all those taken under the protection of the Elvenking.
Dorthyr were always “active”; being in the army was their primary occupation, and a lifelong one for many of them.
SENTRY
Strength: 2,000 soldiers
* Sentries were stationed all throughout the regions and provinces of Eryn Galen, with their numbers depending on population sizes.
* Majority were assigned in the eastern and southern regions of the forest since the Maethyr were already based in the northwestern lands, and the Elvenking and Crown Prince’s palaces were centrally located.
* Sentries were ultimately in the service of the Crown, but took their orders from the governor of the province they were assigned to.
* Sentries upheld the law of the Elvenking within the realm’s borders. They helped settle disputes between citizens and protected against acts of aggression. (Elf-on-elf hostility was taken seriously and often brought before the Elvenking/Elvenqueen to judge.)
* As patrollers and lookouts, Sentries valued keen senses and quick thinking as well speed and stealth of movement, over combat skills. They were expected to have extensive if not total knowledge of the forestland. They were also more likely to know multiple languages.
* Their weaponry was similar to that of the Archers, and much of the overlap between the Maethyr and Dorthyr were Sentries being reserve Archers.
Smaller divisions falling under the Dorthyr include:
HUNTERS
Strength: 300 hunters
* Hunters were a special non-combat division who, on behalf of the Crown, hunted animals for food or resource, population control, and taking down / capturing creatures that were dangerous or needed for study.
* Apart from having expert knowledge of the landscape, they were also the most learned about wildlife, and worked with the scholars of the realm to study and keep records of the forest populations.
* They helped the Sentry with scouting, and while going about their jobs were counted on to be extra eyes and ears around the forest.
* After the darkening of Eryn Galen, nearly all hunters became spiderhunters.
PALACE GUARD
Strength: 250 soldiers
* The palace guards divided their service between two households: Bar Lasgalen, the grand palace of the Elvenking, and Bar Himlaeg, the smaller palace of the Crown Prince.
* Their charge was simple; to protect the royal residences, residents, and their guests.
* They also manned the only prison in Eryn Galen, located underneath Bar Lasgalen.
* They formed part of the Royal Escort as needed (see subsection below).
KINGSGUARD
Strength: 4 soldiers
* They were the elite bodyguard of the Elvenking, who accompanied him on his travels and rode by his side in battle.
* All were hand-picked by the Elvenking after being nominated by the Master Trainer.
* Considered a position of great honor and prestige, often requiring years of army service and special distinction.
* Although service is not for life (no vows of celibacy or poverty required), most Kingsguard served until they were dismissed or died.
* The Captain of the Kingsguard also had commanding authority over the Queensguard and the Royal Escort.
* Feren is the most notable member of the Kingsguard, later in his career serving as Captain during the time of the Battle of the Five Armies.
QUEENSGUARD
Strength: 5 soldiers
* Similar to the Kingsguard in almost all aspects, except there were 5 instead of 4. The rationale for this was twofold: (1) to symbolize the value placed upon her by the Elvenking--above his own; (2) her family believed she must have at least as many bodyguards as she had sons.
* The Elvenqueen herself selected members of the Queensguard. Elvenqueen Maereth kept the practice of changing her Queensguard after a number of decades in order to give as many soldiers a chance at the honor as possible. She also favored younger and less experienced soldiers, believing it would foster confidence and loyalty in them--much to Turhir’s disapproval and chagrin.
ROYAL ESCORT
Strength: Varies
* The Royal Escort were bodyguards utilized by any member of the royal family whenever they travelled, primarily for protocol.
* Escorts came from members from the palace guard who were specially designated and trained for it.
* If the King or Queen were the ones traveling, their escorts always included their personal guards.
* Depending on the traveler, travel route and destination, the number ranged from as few as 2 to as many as 12. There were protocols that dictated this if the travel was for official royal business.
To be continued! Coming in Part 2: Ranks, Recruitment/Training, the Roles of the Thranduilions
Mirkwood elves pulling their bow and arrows out on the dwarves like the backwoods hillbillies in a road-trip horror movie pulling out their shotguns on outsiders.
