Thranduil is the Elvenking of Mirkwood in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit.
Thranduil rules the Woodland Realm in the northern part of Mirkwood. During The Hobbit, his Elves capture Thorin Oakenshield’s company after the Dwarves leave the halls beneath the forest. Thorin refuses to explain the company’s purpose, so the Elvenking keeps the Dwarves imprisoned until they escape in barrels supplied by Bilbo.
Thranduil later appears at the Battle of the Five Armies, where the Woodland Elves fight alongside Men from Lake-town and the Dwarves of the Iron Hills against the Goblins and Wargs. His son Legolas is not named in The Hobbit’s original text, but he becomes a major character in The Lord of the Rings.
Thranduil is sometimes confused with Elrond, the lord of Rivendell, or Celeborn, the lord of Lothlórien. He is also the son of Oropher, who was killed during the War of the Last Alliance. His woodland kingdom is distinct from the Elven realms farther west.