*peeks out meekly* Hey everyone, um, two seconds here...I know you're probably sick of me by now, but just for those who might want to know, I would just like to quick address a question that I have recently heard brought up for the upteenth time from another site, and that is the silly old joke of:
"What kind of a name is Greenleaf Greenleaf?"
And after chuckling a bit, I always give the same response. That is, infact, not Legolas' name. Legolas' last name is not Greenleaf. It is used in his full name because it is a symbol of his character and also his name meaning, and that name is not shared with anyone else in his household. His father's name is not Thranduil Greenleaf (or else I am sure it would have been mentioned somewhere in the books), just the same as Arwen's name is not Arwen Peredhil! It is Arwen Evenstar. Why? Certainly not because Elrond's last name is Evenstar! But because "Evenstar" is what "Undomiel" means, and "Undomiel" (like Turin Turambar, Beleg Strongbow, and all those other names) is a symbol of her character, not her last name. After reading Tolkien's books, I found that most of the ways the Elves got their "last names" was from something they had done, something about a certain skill or special feature they had, and it was always given to them at some stage in their life, and not inheirited by their fathers before them.
This little issue I find is actually a fairly common case, so if you have done it, this is NOTHING against you, and it is just a little mistake that is very easy to make. There are even some professional writers that I have seen out there that have made this mistake. And it's nothing really to feel bad about, it's just a little fact that someone may want to know. Hobbits, as far as I can see after reading up on these species, are really the only ones that use last names as part of their identity.
As I've said before, I don't mean to be mean or anything, it's just a little reminder for you guys to keep in mind. Just because you marry Legolas doesn't make you Mrs. Greenleaf!
~Mevie
Thanks for the note. And by the way, I do like your last *name.