The members of the Fellowship of the Ring in the Lord of the Rings series forge an unbreakable bond while on their mission to destroy the One Ring. While at first glance, the band of adventurers seem like an odd collection; nearly half of the group are Hobbits, creatures infamous for their quiet lives. Among the odd bunch is an even stranger pair in the Elf Legolas and the Dwarf Gimli. Historically, there is much tension and strife between the Elves and the Dwarves, and yet the bond between Legolas and Gimli becomes one of the strongest ever seen in all of Middle-Earth.
Legolas comes from Mirkwood forest and is the son of the Elf king Thranduil, and Gimli is the son of Gloin, who previously travelled with Bilbo during the events of The Hobbit. The broken alliance and fractured relationship between the Elves and Dwarves of Middle-Earth starts with coveting a particularly beautiful necklace. According to The Silmarillion, King Thingol of the Teleri Elves, who previously had a good relationship with Dwarves, commissions the Dwarves of Belegost to set the Silmaril, a precious jewel, be designed into a beautiful necklace.
When the work on the necklace was complete, the Dwarves wanted to keep the piece for themselves. Things only got worse from there. Both the Elves and the Dwarves have a long memory and stick to their grudges. It was not until the War of the Ring that the relationship between the two groups began to heal. This is most clearly seen through the growing and eventually unbreakable bond that flourishes between Legolas and Gimli.
Initially, Legolas and Gimli did not get along. They started off quite hostile against each other. However, that hostility grew into friendship and playful banter. As their friendship bloomed, they competed against each other in many ways, most obviously in comparing their kill count during battle. This competition shows a dynamic aspect to their relationship. They challenge each other, but not from a place of anger, but rather in good spirits. They are not only competitive, but also protective. When they come across the Riders of Rohan, Legolas does not hesitate to step in and defend Gimli from harm. These two develop a deep bond in the series that lasts long beyond the end of the war.
After the War of the Ring, Gimli and Legolas remained travel companions. Legolas traveled with Gimli to Helms's Deep, where he became the first Lord of the Glittering Caves. Even after Gimli became a Dwarf Lord, he continued to travel with his friend Legolas. They ventured through Fangorn Forest and continued their adventures together. Their biggest escapade of all was to the Undying Lands. Gimli is the first and only Dwarf to make that journey. Legolas made a ship in Ithilien and they traveled together across the sea, never to return to Middle-Earth.
While it was likely not J.R.R. Tolkien's intention to queer code Legolas and Gimli's relationship, there is valid evidence for such interpretation. Their relationship is outside the social norm and not totally understood by their peers, and yet their bond remains strong and unbreakable. They are constantly paired off together in The Lord of the Rings, and they are repeatedly attentive to each other's needs and health. Considering all of this, there is a strong case for fans to interpret their relationship as queer and romantic, despite the lack of explicit confirmation within the text.
Legolas and Gimli have responsibilities and lives within their respected communities: Legolas is the son of a King and Gimli is a Lord of a mountain. Yet they spend a considerable amount of their time post-war with each other. By traveling to the Undying Lands together, they commit themselves to the other beyond the constraints of Middle-Earth. Regardless of if there actually was any kind of romantic or sexual component to their relationship, they were basically married. They knew each other well and cared for each other long past any kind of alliance or moral obligation.
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