Here Is What Elrond Says During the Battle of the Last Alliance
Remember the Battle of the Last Alliance from the opening of The Fellowship of the Ring? People often wonder as to what exactly Elrond, the leader of the Elves, shouts during that battle and we at Fiction Horizon have decided to help you with that question, so keep reading to find out all the answers.
What does Elrond say at the beginning of the Battle of the Last Alliance?
The context of the quote is quite different, which is why we are going to address it first. Namely, the War of the Last Alliance was a global conflict between the armies of the free races of Middle-earth and Sauron’s army of Orcs. It was the last barrier between Sauron and total control over Middle-earth. The war itself was described partially in several of Tolkien’s works, while the movies only reference it and show some brief scenes since the conflict happened long before The Lord of the Rings trilogy actually started. Since this quote is movie-exclusive and refers to one specific scene from The Fellowship of the Ring, we are just going to briefly explain the context of that scene:
Lady Galadriel explains the history of the One Ring and the Rings of Power at the beginning of the movie, also revealing how the free peoples of Middle-earth defeated Sauron; the Dark Lord, as you know, was not killed and he returned to once again try to take over Middle-earth, but that is a completely different issue. In the scene that shows the Battle of the Last Alliance, we see a younger Elrond leading an Elvish army against Sauron’s orcs. He shouts something and the battle soon begins.
Since it’s not quite clear what Elrond actually says in this scene, we have decided to explain everything. Some people thought it was not comprehensible enough, others thought he was just shouting without any concrete meaning, but neither theories are true as Elrond was just speaking in Elvish, which is not a language people usually speak and understand. Sure, there are subtitles if you want to know what he said in modern-day English, but let us see what his exact words were:
BLACK CONTINUES: …ELVISH SINGING … A WOMAN’S VOICE IS
– The Fellowship of the Ring (screenplay)
whispering, tinged with SADNESS and REGRET:
GALADRIEL (V.O.)
(Elvish: subtitled)
“I amar presten aen: han mathon ne nen,
han mathon ne chae … a han noston ned
wilith.”
(English:)
The world is changed: I feel it in the
water, I feel it in the earth, I smell
it in the air … Much that once was is
lost, for none now live who remember
it.
SUPER: THE LORD OF THE RINGS
EXT. PROLOGUE – DAY
IMAGE: FLICKERING FIRELIGHT. The NOLDORIN FORGE in EREGION.
MOLTEN GOLD POURS from the lip of an IRON LADLE.
GALADRIEL (V.O.)
It began with the forging of the
Great Rings.
IMAGE: THREE RINGS, each set with a single GEM, are received by
the HIGH ELVES – GALADRIEL, GIL-GALAD and CIRDAN.
GALADRIEL (V.O.) (CONT’D)
Three were given to the Elves:
immortal, wisest … fairest of all
beings.
IMAGE: SEVEN RINGS held aloft in triumph by the DWARF LORDS.
GALADRIEL (V.O.) (CONT’D)
Seven to the Dwarf Lords: great miners
and craftsmen of the mountain halls.
IMAGE: NINE RINGS clutched tightly by the KINGS OF MEN … as
if holding-close a precious secret.
GALADRIEL (V.O.) (CONT’D)
And Nine … nine rings were gifted
to the race of Men, who above all else
desire power.
GALADRIEL (V.O.) (CONT’D)
For within these rings was bound the
strength and the will to govern each
race.
FADE TO BLACK
GALADRIEL (V.O.) (CONT’D)
But they were all of them deceived.
FADE UP: An ancient PARCHMENT MAP of MIDDLE EARTH … moving
slowly across the MAP as if drawn by an unseen force the
CAMERA closes in on a PLACE NAME … MORDOR.
GALADRIEL (V.O.) (CONT’D)
…for another Ring was made.
TEASING SHOTS: SAURON forging the ONE RING in the CHAMBERS of
SAMMATH NAUR.
GALADRIEL (V.O.) (CONT’D)
In the land of Mordor, in the fires of
Mount Doom, the Dark Lord Sauron forged
in secret a Master Ring to control all
others.
IMAGE: The ONE RING reflecting the FIERY LAVA! FIRE WRITING
emerges on the plain BAND OF GOLD.
GALADRIEL (V.O.) (CONT’D)
…and into this Ring he poured his
cruelty, his malice and his will to
dominate all life.
IMAGE: THE ONE RING falls through SPACE and into flames…
GALADRIEL (V.O.) (CONT’D)
One Ring to rule them all…
IMAGE: A GREAT SHADOW falls across the MAP … closing in
around the realm of GONDOR…
IMAGE: SCREAMING VILLAGERS, MEN, WOMEN, AND CHILDREN, RUN from
their homes, pursued by ARMIES OF HIDEOUS ORCS.
GALADRIEL (V.O.) (CONT’D)
One by one the Free lands of Middle
earth fell to the power of the Ring.
FADE TO BLACK.
GALADRIEL (V.O.) (CONT’D)
But there were some … who resisted.
FADE UP: ISILDUR, son of the KING OF GONDOR, leads an ARMY
ACROSS the PLAINS OF DAGORLAD…
GALADRIEL (V.O.) (CONT’D)
A last alliance of Men and Elves
marched against the armies of Mordor.
On the slopes of Mount Doom, they
fought for the freedom of Middle-Earth.
TEASING SHOTS: THE BATTLE OF DAGORLAD … THE ELF LORD, ELROND,
commands rack after rank of ELVEN ARCHERS…
ELROND
(Elvish)
Tangado haid! Leithio i philinn!
(English)
Hold positions! Fire the arrows!
TEASING SHOTS: ARROWS FIRING … ORCS RETREATING before the
ARMY of the LAST ALLIANCE … ELENDIL, KING OF GONDOR, holds
aloft the great SWORD … NARSIL!
GALADRIEL (V.O.) (CONT’D)
Victory was near!
IMAGES: THE HUGE, DARK FIGURE OF SAURON, bearing the ONE RING
on his finger, looms over the field of battle…
GALADRIEL (V.O.) (CONT’D)
But the power of the Ring could not be
undone.
IMAGE: SAURON lays waste to the armies of the LAST ALLIANCE.
With desperate courage, ELENDIL leads a charge … THE BLACK
MACE OF SAURON LASHES OUT!!
IMAGE: ELENDIL’S body falls like a crumpled rag doll…
IMAGE: ISILDUR cradles the body of his father in his arms. The
SHADOW OF SAURON falls over him.
GALADRIEL (V.O.) (CONT’D)
It was in this moment … when all hope
had faded, that Isildur, son of the
king, took up his father’s sword.
ISILDUR snatches up the BROKEN BLADE OF NARSIL … The BLADE
severs SAURON’S FINGERS … AND THE ONE RING FLIES from his
body.
GALADRIEL (V.O.) (CONT’D)
Sauron, the enemy of the Free Peoples
of Middle-Earth, was defeated.
SAURON’S ARMOUR clatters to the ground, his body GONE …
VAPROIZED!
CLOSE ON: ISILDUR picks up the SEVERED FINGER and removes the
ONE RING … transfixed!
GALADRIEL (V.O.) (CONT’D)
The Ring passed to Isildur … who had
this one chance to destroy evil
forever.
IMAGE: GLADDEN FIELD … ISILDUR leads a small column of MEN
through DARKENING WOODS … the ONE RING glinting on a CHAIN
around his neck.
GALADRIEL (V.O.)
But the hearts of Men are easily
corrupted. And the Ring of Power has
a will of its own.
SUDDENLY! ARROWS FLY! They are ambushed by ORCS … ISIDULR
is THROWN from his HORSE!
ISILDUR stumbles to his feet and in a PANIC, puts on the the
RING and DISAPPEARS!
INVISIBLE ISILDUR flees from the BATTLE and jumps into
the RIVER ANDUIN.
ISILDUR MATERIALIZES UNDER WATER … as the RING slips slowly
from his finger. He grasps for it, desperately.
ORCS on the RIVERBANK spot him in the WATER. They fire a
BARRAGE OF ARROWS into him.
ISILDUR JERKS. Ripples of light play across ISILDUR’S PALE FACE
… he is DEAD.
GALADRIEL (V.O.) (CONT’D)
It betrayed Isildur to his death.
IMAGE: ISILDUR floats down the RIVER, ARROWS lodged in his
back.
IMAGE: THE RING falls through the MURKY WATERS of the RIVER
ANDUIN … and into OBLIVION…
GALADRIEL (V.O.)
And some things that should not
have been forgotten … were lost.
FADE TO BLACK
GALADRIEL (V.O.)
Thus a Third Age of Middle-Earth
began. History became legend …
legend became myth.
FADE UP: The waters of the ANDUIN RIVER lie dark and
undisturbed.
GALADRIEL (V.O.) (CONT’D)
And for two and a half thousand years,
the Ring passed out of all knowledge.
IMAGE: SILT SWIRLS … A THIN WHITE HAND reaches down …
grasping the RING…
GALADRIEL (V.O.) (CONT’D)
Until, when chance came, it ensnared a
new bearer.
As you can see, the script reveals the exact words Elrond shouted during the battle, as well as their meaning in modern-day English. Elrond, thus, shouts “Tangado haid!” and then “Leithio i philinn!” both of which are battle cries directed towards his men. The former means “Hold positions!” while the latter means “Fire the arrows!”.
Why does Elrond say “Tangado haid!” and then “Leithio i philinn!”?
The answer to our final question is quite simple – Elrond uttered these two phrases because he was preparing his men for battle. They are, both, pretty standard battle cries and there is really no deeper meaning to these words, which is why this answer doesn’t really merit any further explanation. The script reveals the context and all the relevant details pertaining to these cries and their exact meaning, which is why we think that we have successfully given you all the information you came for.
Have anything to add? Let us know in the comments below!