Is Thranduil actually Daeron?

[Gryphon Hall]

When I read The Hobbit, I was amused by the character of the Elven King. Since I have read the Hobbit long after the Lord of the Rings, I already knew the Elven King was named Thranduil and that he was Legolas' dad. So amused was I and more than a bit impressed (he was supposedly the Elves greatest king according to The Hobbit) that I thought he was a character of note in The Silmarillion.

Of course, he is nowhere to be found in The Silmarillion; at least in the way I expected. His description as "the greatest king" could, of course, have referred only to the Silvan Elves, not to the Eldar or the High Elves of the West. However, his realm was more long-lived than any realm established by the Noldor, and much larger in scope than the refuges of Rivendell and Lothlorien. Thranduil and his people, according to "Of The Rings Of Power And The Third Age" his people kept at bay the evil in Mirkwood, and he certainly did not have any Ring of Power to help him, just his own wisdom or magic.

So, he may not have been greater than Galadriel or Elrond, but he WAS great. According to Robert Foster's Complete Guide to Middle-earth, he was a Sindarin elf and once lived in Lindon. Some sources I read somewhere even mention that he was at Doriath at one time. Someone as notable as him should have been mentioned more; someone as old as him (I mean, he supposedly lived in Beleriand, too) should have at least taken part in The Last Alliance of Elves and Men. But he isn't. He suddenly appears out of history as someone already great.

I have been speculating that maybe, just maybe, he WAS mentioned, but under a different name in The Silmarillion. He must have been at least some Sindarin prince of great power. But one unaccounted for elf comes to mind, one who was left alive after the Wars of Beleriand but was never mentioned hereafter: Daeron. It was Daeron who also loved Luthien and composed songs for her. He betrayed Beren and Luthien, but innocently, so he was not evil.

. . . . And it is told that in tht time Daeron the minstrel fo Thingol strayed from the land, and was seen no more. He it was that made music for the dance and song of Luthien, before Beren came to Doriath; and he had loved her, and set all his thought of her in his music. He became the greatest of all the minstrels of the Elves east of the Sea, named even before Maglor son of Feanor. But seeking for Luthien in despair he wandered upon strange paths, and passing over the mountains he came into the East of Middle-earth, where for many ages he made lament beside dark waters for Luthien, daughter of Thingol, most beautiful of living things.
<div align=right>from Of Beren and Luthien, The Silmarillion</div>

"Dark Waters"? The only other reference to dark waters were made in The Hobbit, when Thorin and company reached the borders of Thranduil's realm.

My suspicions are obvious: Daeron became Thranduil. Only he had the lore and the power to command the respect of the fleeing Sindar to become their king and to protect them. His association with the dwarves may have accounted for Thranduil's legendary love for jewels, or for his suspicion of them (remember the dwarves of Nogrod and what they did). Also accounts for Legolas' reverence for any descendant of Luthien.

Of course, as this is speculation and I have not made a really thorough search, I may be wrong and mistaken. Please tell me what you think. [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]