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An article about what Legolas symbolizes

Copyright © Simon Scott
From The Art of the Rings

The physical form of Legolas is his emblem. Legolas is tall and straight. Legolas has tunic of green,
cape of grey and has fair hair. The step of the elf is light. Legolas is a walking spiritual spectrum.


~ COLOUR SYMBOLS
Green tunic: shows the elf’s connection with the earth. Green is the colour of spirit’s connection with nature.
Legolas is not merely connected to nature but is deeply interwoven with it.

Grey cloak: Legolas is partly of the grey in the spiritual spectrum of middle earth. Grey is between black
(hatred of nature), and white (spiritual life behind nature) and is for spirit’s love of the life on earth. The grey
cape enfolds the green tunic. Through these colours Legolas shows he is earthbound. There is no darkness
in Legolas. The depth of the eyes comes from a deep blue not black. Legolas casts no shadow as he walks.

Fair hair: shows that Legolas is connected also to the pure light of spirit. There is much spiritual light in the
hair of an elf. To some it can be a prize, an heirloom.

~ CHANGING LIGHT BODY
The colours that predominate in the elf vary according to the environment and circumstances. The hue of
the elf changes because he is so closely aligned to nature. It is like an animal seeming to have a different coat
depending on it’s state or environment. In battle the green and grey dominate. Warriorship is his earthly calling.
Legolas blends in with the background. In Lothlorien however the elf seems to shine with an etheric light.
Set against the blues and yellows of the elf kingdom Legolas radiates a whiteish spiritual light. He is free to
express this aspect of himself. The eyes of the elf seem deeper blue here.

...

Legolas is aligned to nature so he changes as nature does. As an animal’s coat changes so does the outer
feel of this elf. Legolas has a ‘second skin’ or light body. It changes tone. This happens unselfconsciously
as in an animal. This makes Legolas outwardly honest. We can read his state by the tone of his light body.
He is on the surface, up front. During the day we see light fall on Legolas. By night we realise that he is also
a source of light. It is the nature of the elf to radiate light.

The second name of Legolas is Greenleaf. The colour of the leaf is different depending on the time of year,
time of day or it’s circumstances and background. Being in battle is a kind of Autumn for Legolas. In battle
the elf tones down, the radiation of blues and whites gives way to muted greys browns and yellows. Out of
battle in his own land legolas enjoys a personal Springtime, radiating bright yellows and blues.

Below: Tones of the edge of the wood and Legolas on the road, then
the tones of Lothlorien set against Legolas in the kingdom.

...

...

~ EMBLEM OF THE SPIRAL
Unsurprisingly we find that Legolas is adorned with spirals.

Courtesy of TheOneRing.Net

The elf is of the spiral form. He is open and his spirit reaches to the highest. His chosen weapon is engraved
with the spiral form. Though he engages in battle he carries a reminder of his higher nature, his favoured weapon
the bow is marked with a spiral form. He is a spirit prepared to fight for the earth.

There is no aggression in Legolas. In battle the elf usually adopts a defensive posture. legolas will position
himself in one spot and let the enemy come to him. Battle for Legolas is a kind of enhanced concentration.
Legolas stills his mind and quickens his actions.

The elf exists in two states. In a state of complete physical stillness he can perceive great distances and discern
what is going on as both a sense-perception and a heightened state of feeling. In battle this is reversed. Legolas
is frantically active, loosing arrows at tremendous speed: the body quickens and now the mind is stilled.
Legolas can be still of mind and quick in reflexes or still in body and have tremendous distance perception.
Legolas therefore has exceptional free will. Legolas can choose either state. Just by stilling either his body
or his mind, by will, Legolas can switch from rapid fire to telescopic perception. No man can do this.

Legolas elf treads lightly because he is suspended between the earth and spirit (green and white). The lightness
of his being is supreme. Legolas is in a permanent state of semi-ascension, floating slightly above the earth
and it is this that gives him an ethereal air. Moments that tie the elf too strongly to the earth therefore cause
him a lingering melancholy. Around him wizards may fall into shadow, stewards may suffer in battle and hero's
carry a mighty burden. For Legolas the ordeal of the quest is more inward. It is a pain felt in the feeling and
spiritual identity of the elf. We see this in the changing light around him. But the green, grey and white are
also the flag he will fight under. Legolas is the banner of the Fellowship.

Legolas wears a half spiral, again a sign that he is aligned to the struggle for the earth. The half spiral omitting
the upper, higher seeking aspect, is worn as a symbol of commitment by the elf to earthly matters.