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King Thranduil on his elk
Elven elk is a type of steed that appears in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. One of two males appeared as the main method of transportation by the King of Mirkwood, Thranduil.
Characteristics
It is unclear whether or not the elk appeared in the first movie was a different individual from the other one, or simply the same individual aged as the latter had a creme as well as a dark brown coloration comparing to the former.
The elk, regardless of being or not being different individuals, was seen to be calm enough to be unfazed or unpanicked seeing extraordinarily large creatures such as Smaug and Were-worms to cause havoc at least from distances.
The elk participated in the Battle of Five Armies seemed brave, calm, and was well-experienced with mass combats involving large numbers of foes including gigantic ones. This is rather contrasting to the horses of Rohan (in the book) during the Battle of the Pelennor Fields where the steeds were afraid of Mûmakil.
He was also marked by physical prowess including power, agility, speed, and stamina to participate in a large battle without exhausting for considerable amount of time.
Portrayal in adaptations
Peter Jackson's The Hobbit trilogy
Thranduil and his elk before the Battle of the Five Armies
He made his first appearance during the prologue of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. When the dragon Smaug attacks the Lonely Mountain, King Thranduil arrives astride his elk.
His second and last appearances were during The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, when Thranduil arrives in Dale to deliver food for Bard and his people. The elk continuously accompanied the Elven-king throughout the ordeal at the gates of Erebor.
Thranduil's elk in battle
He was later seen assisting Thranduil when the battle broke out, using his massive antlers along with his bulk and speed to trap, rout, and killing dozens of Orcs of the armies of Azog.
Thranduil's elk's death
However, the elk deceased when to charge into a legion of orcs, and he was shot twice with arrows in the neck, and once in the head.
Video games
- More elk comically appear in the game LEGO The Hobbit: The Video Game, wherein they are shown as free-roaming elk within the palace.
Trivia
- King Thranduil's elk may have been inspired by the Megaloceros ("Irish Elk"), a very large, prehistoric genus of deer which roamed Europe and Asia during the Pleistocene and earlier Holocene until about 7,700 years ago. In The Desolation Of Smaug, Thranduil's throne appears to be comprised of Megaloceros antlers.
