The Lord of the Rings Elves vary in power and stature so figuring the strongest is difficult. When fans are introduced to the Elves of The Lord of the Rings, they’re on their way out of Middle-earth but “the time of the Elves is over.” At their height, the LOTR Elves accomplished some magnificent feats. They built kingdoms, crafted unique and powerful jewelry, and valiantly fought great evils. From their creation during the First Age up to their decline in the Third Age, the most powerful Elves in Lord of the Rings were (almost) always there to champion good and help those in need.

That said, some LOTR Elves like Legolas are not without their faults, something that is explored at a deeper level in the Amazon Prime series Rings of Power. Some Elves in Lord of the Rings were said to be greedy, and others partook in one of the biggest Elvish sins — kinslaying. Still, most of the Elves were heroic, and not just in the traditional sense. These Lord of the Rings Elves exhibited power in a myriad of ways. Some took on big bads and defeated Balrogs, but others made costly, personal sacrifices or tore down millennia-old barriers — all of which are acts that require great power.

20 Figwit

The Nameless Elf Spied By Fans In The Fellowship Of The Ring

Figwit doesn’t sound like an Elvish name, and there is a reason for this. Figwit is actually a fan-created acronym for “Frodo is great… who is this?” The acronym was created when, upon rewatching The Fellowship of the Ring, a fan noticed that after Frodo makes the heroic and selfless choice of offering to take the Ring to Mordor: the camera cuts to a random Lord of the Rings elf.

That random LOTR Elf is played by none other than Bret McKenzie of Flight of the Conchords fame. His character was brought back for a brief scene in The Return of the King and an even larger role in the Hobbit movies once Peter Jackson caught wind of Figwit’s popularity with the fans. However, Figwit has relatively little power. For example, when he tries to urge Arwen to press forward towards the Grey Havens, Arwen barely acknowledges his presence and rides past him.

19 Arondir

The Second Age Silvan Elf Responsible For Keeping Watch Over The Southlands

Created as an original character for Rings of Power, the LOTR Elf is technically a Silvan Elf and is not part of J.R.R. Tolkien's canon. He may not be as powerful as some of the other Elves, but he was given the responsibility of watching over the Southlands of Middle-Earth, lest the inhabitants revert to their prior destructive ways. As with many Elves, he is an archer who defended the region from invading Orchish armies. He remained at his post in the Southlands for 79 years but hit a snag when he met Bronwyn.

Bronwyn, a human woman, became the object of the Lord of the Rings Elf's affection. He was warned by Médhor about the many dangers involved with falling for a human, but this doesn't stop him in the slightest. When the occupation of the Southlands came to an end, Arondir, rather than return home with the rest of the LOTR Elves, went once again to his love. Unfortunately, he was taken prisoner by Orcs and forced to dig.

18 Tauriel

The Captain Of The Mirkwood Guard In The Third Age

The addition of a non-canon LOTR Elf to the Hobbit upset a lot of Tolkien purists, but without Tauriel, the Hobbit trilogy would have been even more male-dominated than the Lord of the Rings trilogy, so the addition of a female Lord of the Rings character made sense. As captain of the Mirkwood Elven Guard, she proved to be a professional military warrior, and she led the armed forces from the Woodland Realm.

Tauriel repeatedly demonstrated her skill with her bow and her daggers, but her greatest strength was her intelligence and ability to realize the need for change. Long before Legolas was able to look past his own prejudices against Dwarves and decades before Elrond realized he couldn't completely forsake the race of Men, the Lord of the Rings Elf opened her heart to the Dwarves and demanded that the Elves take an active role in the fight against the growing evils in Middle-earth.

17 Haldir

The Marchwarden Of Lothlórien

Haldir’s role as a Lord of the Rings Elf, along with his odd friendship in the movies, is much larger than what appears in the books. In J.R.R. Tolkien's novels, Haldir was tasked with guarding the forests of Lothlórien from invaders such as the orcs. While he does an irable job of that, intercepting the Fellowship as they enter the forests of Lothlórien, he receives more responsibility in the movies.

In The Two Towers, at the behest of Galadriel and Elrond, Haldir was asked to lead an army of Lord of the Rings Elves in defense of the Rohirrim, who were being attacked at Helm’s Deep. He fought valiantly side-by-side with Aragorn, and while the Rohirrim suffered massive losses in the battle, Haldir’s presence and that of his fellow Elves helped Theoden’s people make it through the night until Gandalf and his reinforcements showed up.

16 Arwen

The Warrior-Bride Of Aragorn

Arwen’s role as a LotR Elf was considerably expanded for the movies. In order to give her a more significant role in the narrative, the writing team decided to have her help Frodo escape the Ringwraiths. In the novels, her role is much smaller, and her primary function is that of a love interest. While Arwen and Aragorn's relationship is not as progressive as Eowyn’s character arc, Arwen still exhibits a lot of strength, just a different kind.

It would have been easy for her to choose to sail to Valinor with the rest of the LOTR Elves and bury her love for Aragorn. It was braver to stay behind while most of her people left Middle-earth. Yes, she chose to stay behind for love, but taking that kind of risk showed tremendous courage, making her one of the more powerful Elves in Lord of the Rings.

15 Thranduil

The King Of Mirkwood

Thranduil is King of Mirkwood, he rides a majestic elk into battle, and he has perfectly frosted eyebrows. While these are all irable qualities, Thranduil is presented as a flawed father and ruler in The Hobbit. Under his rule, Mirkwood practiced isolationism. Despite the growing terrors just outside his kingdom’s borders, the Lord of the Rings Elf Thranduil stubbornly refused to help those in need.

While it would be easy to dismiss Thranduil and call him a selfish individual, he suffered many losses that may have contributed to his increasingly isolationist ways. Along with his father and many of his people, the LOTR Elf Thranduil fought against Sauron during the War of the Last Alliance. He lost his father and a third of his people during that war, which understandably, fed his fear of conflict. In the books, Thranduil can also use magic doors to protect his palace, which makes him a great defensive warrior.

14 Finrod

The Martyred Brother Of Galadriel

The Lord of the Rings Elf Finrod doesn't appear much in Rings of Power, but as Galadriel's older brother, he does play an integral part in the storyline. During the series premiere, Finrod's story is told in full before his death during the great war of the First Age. Unlike Legolas, Finrod was a friend to the Dwarves as they aided him in founding Nargothrond, after which he ruled over his kingdom in Beleriand.

Will Fletcher also played Sgt. Potter in Fear Below

Ever the ambassador, Finrod was the first to meet men in Ossiriand and became friendly with the House of Bëor, a favor which was later returned when Barahir of House Bëor saved his life during a battle with Morgoth. As a token of appreciation, he gave Barahir his ring (the same worn by Aragorn) and, later, Barahir's son, Beren, requested Finrod's assistance. He obscured their appearances with magic but was caught by Sauron and had to reveal himself to save Beren. Beren escaped, but Finrod suffered at the hands of a werewolf and died from his wounds.

13 Fingon

The High King Of The Ñoldor

Also known as Fingon the Valiant, this Lord of the Rings Elf doesn't appear in any subsequent films or television shows, but nonetheless plays a part in the overarching Tolkien tale. After the death of his father, he was the King of the Noldor in Middle Earth during the First Age. He was responsible for leading or partaking in many of the elven LOTR battles of the First Age and played a huge role in bringing the Sons of Fëanor back together.

The issue with Fingon as a LOTR Elf lies in his family tree. In J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion, a collection of the ancient history of Middle-Earth, Fingon is listed as the father of Gil-galad. However, this was contested by Christopher Tolkien, son of J.R.R., and that it was the result of an error he made during the editing process of The Silmarillion. This is ed by the fact that Fingon's brother Turgon assumed the throne after his death, but the topic is still disputed.

12 Celebrimbor

The Elf Craftsman Who Created The Rings Of Power

Although Celebrimbor isn’t mentioned in the Lord of the Rings movies, his handiwork appears throughout it. In LotR Elven history, Celebrimbor was an Elf who gained great renown as an expert craftsman and jewel-smith. With the help of the fair being Annatar (Sauron in disguise), he created 16 of the 20 Rings of Power. These were the Rings that found their way into the hands of Men and Dwarves. He also created the three Elven Rings of Power, but since he crafted these rings on his own, they were devoid of the corrupting power of the other Rings.

In addition to crafting a majority of the Rings of Power, the Lord of the Rings Elf also helped the Dwarf Narvi create the Doors of Durin, one of the doors that led into the Dwarven kingdom of Khazad-dûm. Celebrimbor was also the Elf who stood up and said he would create a new One Ring to beat Sauron - proving he was someone who knew he had to do the ultimate task to save his world until Sauron defeated him and absorbed his spirit.

11 Legolas

The Prince Of Mirkwood

Prince of Mirkwood and rider of shields, Legolas’ talents are many. The Lord of the Rings Elf is an expert bowman, he can gracefully slide down the trunk of an Oliphaunt, and he can even flip himself onto a galloping horse, all while keeping score of his kills, always showing he was one of the most powerful Elves in Lord of the Rings. Given his father’s hatred for Dwarves, a prejudice that Legolas inherits, Legolas’s ability to eliminate that prejudice is impressive.

Not only does he begin to tolerate Gimli, but, eventually, he and Gimli form one of the most profound and ground-breaking friendships in Middle-earth. The friendship between the LOTR Elf and Dwarf was so strong that once Legolas decided to leave Middle-earth for good and sail to the Undying Lands like most of his kind, he took Gimli with him, making Gimli the first Dwarf to enter this sacred Elvish haven. The Legolas in the books was not as powerful as he was in the movies.