Elladan and Elrohir
Elladan and Elrohir were born in TA 130, and had a younger sister, Arwen. Through their mother Celebrían, they were the only grandsons of Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn of Lothlórien.
Biography
Third Age
Elladan and Elrohir were born in TA 130, and had a younger sister, Arwen. Through their mother Celebrían, they were the only grandsons of Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn of Lothlórien.
In TA 2509, the brothers rescued their mother from her imprisonment by Orcs. Although she was physically healed by Elrond, after fear and torment from the Orcs she lost all joy from Middle-earth, and so she departed for the Undying Lands the next year. Due to this, the twins harbored great hatred for Orcs.
By the year TA 2933, Elladan and Elrohir went riding against Orcs with Arathorn II, the father of Aragorn II Elessar. There Arathorn was slain and his wife and son went to dwell in Imladris, where Elrond received Aragorn as his foster-son, naming him Estel.
War of the Ring
When the Fellowship of the Ring formed in Rivendell, the twins' role was to scout the lands and prepare the way for the Fellowship. Later, they traveled along with Halbarad and the Grey Company. They delivered a message from their father concerning the Paths of the Dead and accompanied Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli there. Elladan traveled behind the company, the Dead following after him. They battled on the Fields of Pelennor "with stars bound to their brows."
During the Last Debate, Elladan and Elrohir seconded Gandalf's decision to throw a force at the Morannon, saying that Elrond had sent them with that same counsel from Rivendell. Elladan and Elrohir then accompanied Aragorn and fought alongside him at the Battle of the Black Gate.
After the War
After the war, Elladan and Elrohir met the escort of Arwen in Lothlórien, and together, they traveled to Minas Tirith. The brothers arrived first and carried a banner of silver. They were followed by Glorfindel and Erestor.
Fourth Age and beyond
When their father departed to the West, the brothers stayed in Rivendell for a while. In time, their grandfather Celeborn came to live with them before journeying to the Grey Havens. It is unknown whether Elladan and Elrohir chose to remain in Middle-earth as mortal men or depart with the last of their kindred to Valinor.
Etymology
The name Elladan is Sindarin for "Elf-Man" or "Elf-Dúnadan," referring to his dual descent from both Elves and Edain (a name given to those descending from the three houses of Men from Beleriand). It comes from the words el ("elf or star") and adan, singular of Edain. On the other hand, Elrohir means "Elf-knight", but rochir also means "horse-lord".
Character
Though Tolkien never specifically states that Elrohir and Elladan were twins, it is suspected that they were for four reasons: first, they are described as "So much alike were they, the sons of Elrond, that few could tell them apart: dark-haired, grey-eyed, and their faces elven-fair, clad alike in bright mail beneath cloaks of silver-grey" (Tolkien 761). Secondly, one is rarely mentioned without the other, and their names are only separated when they are speaking. Thirdly, they were both born in the same year, and elven pregnancies last a full year. Fourthly, the birth of twins was not a rare occurrence in their family history (Amrod and Amras, Eluréd and Elurín, Elrond and Elros).
The brethren were friends and companions-in-arms of the Rangers of the North, and helped defend the remnants of Arnor from evil after the fall of the North-kingdom. They held a special grudge against Orcs because of their mother's suffering at their hands.
Like their sister, father and uncle, Elladan and Elrohir were Half-elves who could make a choice between mortality and immortality, expressed by whether they would follow their father to Valinor at the time of his own departure at the end of the Third Age. Since they are explicitly described as remaining in Rivendell for a time after their father's departure, some fans speculated that they had also chosen mortality. However, J.R.R. Tolkien himself noted that the twins were allowed to "delay" their choices.
Line of the Half-elves
The marriages between Elves and Men are in bold.
The Half-elves or the Peredhil are in italic.
Other versions
In early writings, Elladan and Elrohir were named Elboron and Elbereth. These were the same early names for the twins Eluréd and Elurín, who were the uncles of Elrond. They also had a younger sister named Finduilas.
In adaptations
- In The Lord of the Rings Online, Elladan and Elrohir are first met by Elven and Dwarven characters in TA 3016 in the Ered Luin, where they travel to unravel the mystery of their father's prophetic dream. In TA 3018 all players meet them in their camp in the Trollshaws from which they lead the search for the missing Black Rider and defend the Ford of Bruinen against an attack. Early next year they join the Grey Company and travel with the Dúnedain Rangers from the wilds of Eregion all the way to the Pelennor Fields. Afterwards they travel with the Host of the West to the Black Gate and fight in the Battle of the Morannon. They later attend their sister Arwen's wedding in Minas Tirith.
- They also appear in The Lord of the Rings: War in the North, seen in the first level at Fornost by the three main characters of the game: Eradan, Farin and Andriel. They leave behind them many dead Orcs and goblins. When Elladan and Elrohir meet the three heroes later, just after the heroes have finished fighting a troll, they decide to work together to reach Fornost's citadel.