How old is Legolas in The Hobbit?

As an expert in the field of Tolkien's Middle-earth lore, I can provide an in-depth analysis of the ages of characters within the narrative. When discussing the age of Legolas during "The Hobbit," it's important to consider the timeline of Middle-earth and the different Ages in which events take place. Legolas is a Sindarin Elf from the Woodland Realm of Mirkwood, and he is a member of the Fellowship of the Ring in "The Lord of the Rings." However, "The Hobbit" takes place earlier in the timeline, during the Third Age, specifically around the year 2941. To determine Legolas's age during "The Hobbit," we must look at his birth year and the timeline of events in Middle-earth. The reference you provided suggests that Legolas was born in the year 87 of the Third Age (TA 87). If this is accurate, then we can calculate his age during "The Hobbit" by subtracting his birth year from the year in which "The Hobbit" takes place. \[ \text{Legolas's age during The Hobbit} = \text{Year of The Hobbit} - \text{Legolas's birth year} \] \[ \text{Legolas's age during The Hobbit} = 2941 - 87 \] \[ \text{Legolas's age during The Hobbit} = 2854 \] So, according to this calculation, Legolas would be 2854 years old during the events of "The Hobbit." It's worth noting that the specific birth year of Legolas is not explicitly stated in J.R.R. Tolkien's original works. The figure of TA 87 comes from supplementary materials, such as the movie guide you mentioned, which may not be considered canon by all fans and scholars. In the absence of a definitive source, we must rely on the best available information, which in this case is the movie guide's assertion. It's also interesting to note the coincidence that Aragorn, a human character, was born in the year 2931 of the Third Age, which is the same year that Legolas would reach the age of 2931 according to the movie guide's timeline. This could be seen as a symbolic connection between the two characters, highlighting the long lifespan of Elves compared to Men. In summary, while the exact age of Legolas during "The Hobbit" is not definitively established in Tolkien's texts, the most commonly accepted figure based on the movie guide is 2854 years old. This age is derived from the birth year of Legolas in TA 87 and the year "The Hobbit" takes place in TA 2941. It's important to approach such calculations with the understanding that they are based on supplementary materials and may not be universally accepted as canon.

In the official movie guide for The Lord of the Rings, a birthdate for Legolas is set to TA 87. This would make him 2931 years old at the time of the War of the Ring. Coincidentally, Aragorn was born during the year 2931 in the Third Age.