# Does it state the the Mirkwood elves are Sindar?



## Arda's Bane (Nov 15, 2003)

Does it state the the Mirkwood elves are Sindar becasue they could be of the Laiquendi as they share more common traits. Perhaps even they are a migled peoples.
Then again I vagely remember it being stated somewhere that the Elves of Mirkwood are of Sindarian descent (posible in the LotR where it talks about Legolas).
Clarification would be nice.


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## Aulë (Nov 15, 2003)

Most of the Elves of Mirkwood are Silvan (Tawarwaith), but the royal line is Sindar (eg, Thranduil and Legolas). Although Legolas once called himself a Silvan Elf, so it is possible that he was half Sindar, half Silvan.


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## Inderjit S (Nov 15, 2003)

In _Of Galadriel and Celeborn_ (U.T) and the _Appendix_ we learn that after the ruin of Beleriand some of the Sindar (Mainly Iathrim) pass Eastwards and establish realms there. Two of these are the one's established by Amdir in Laurelindórenan (Later re-named by Galadriel Lothlórien) and Oropher in Greenwood. (Later Mirkwood) They lived with the Nandor who didn’t pass into Eriador or Beleriand, and took their customs. They were joined by some Nelyarin Avari and became known as the ‘Sylvan’ Elves, 

Oropher was the father of Thranduil and he was slain in the charge on the Black Gates. The Sindar under Oropher first resided in the south of Greenwood, on Amon Lanc (Where Sauron later built Dol Guldur) he then moved north three times, because of his distrust of the Longbeard’s in Khazad-dum and because of Galadriel and Celeborn’s intrusions into Laurelindórenan and by the end of the S.A he had excavated North to the Mountains of Mirkwood. (Emyn Duir) and they eventually ended up in their home, in N-E Mirkwood as described in ‘The Hobbit’.

The Sindar adopted the Sylvanic customs, choosing to live a rustic life which was akin to the life of the Elves before the summons of the Valar to come to Aman. They Elves if Mirkwood didn’t speak Sindarin but a related language, a bit like the one in Lothlórien who had a slight “accent”. For example the name Legolas is a Sylvan form of the pure Sindarin form Laegolas. He calls himself a Sylvan Elf, when he is speaking about the Ñoldorin realm of Hollin and Celeborn claims it is long since his kin from Mirkwood have come to Lothlórien , but whether this is a reference to him and Legolas being related (They both were Sindar, well Legolas was at least partly Sindar) or, as is more likely the cut off in communication between the two peoples, (they hadn’t been in touch for some time) is not known.


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