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Elrond is the great leader of the Rivendell elves. Rivendell (also referred to as the Last Homely House) is an idyllic setting that is “perfect, whether you liked food, or sleep, or work, or story-telling, or singing, or just sitting and thinking best, or a pleasant mixture of them all.” As Tolkien says, evil things did not come into Elrond’s estate. Bilbo, Gandalf, Thorin, and the rest of the dwarves meet Elrond for the first time in Chapter 3, when they are welcomed into Elrond’s court for aid and advice. Elrond is depicted as a wise, benevolent, and powerful individual who is “as strong as a warrior, as wise as a wizard, as venerable as a king of dwarves, and as kind as summer.” While Elrond’s presence in the novel is small, his impact is invaluable. To begin with, he supplies the weary travelers with food and lodgings so that they can regain their strength. Most importantly, Elrond can interpret ancient runes. This skill is essential because he is able to read the moon-letters—writing visible only in the light of the moon in the proper phase—on Thorin’s map, and in doing so embodies a key mythological archetype: the wise, benevolent figure who provides forgotten knowledge the protagonists require to complete their quest. Without his ability to read ancient runes, the company would be unable to enter Smaug’s lair.
