Born, in S.A. 1360, to Barawen [fiery maiden] and Amaldon [Gentle], who were from the Noldorin tribe of Celebrimbor. During the Second Age, they lived in the Elvish realm of Eregion. Under the guidance and instruction of the Dark Lord Sauron — who feigned good intentions, calling himself Annatar, the “Lord of Gifts” — Celebrimbor led the smiths of Eregion, amongst whom Amaldon was one, in making nineteen Great rings for the Elves, though seven would later be given to the Dwarves and nine to Men. But secretly, without Annatar’s knowledge, Celebrimbor created the three Rings of the Elves, the greatest and fairest of the Rings of Power.

At this time, Annatar was secretly forging the One Ring which would enable him to rule Middle-earth. Annatar reassumed his role as the Dark Lord and placed the One Ring on his finger, claiming dominance over all the Rings of Power and their bearers. Celebrimbor and the Elves of Eregion defied Sauron by withholding the other rings from him. Sauron retaliated by attacking Eregion, laying waste to the realm. Amaldon and Barawen died during this attack. But Banvain did not.

For Barawen had listened to Galadriel’s warnings, she had also understood as a child that her son had no love for stone or working with metal. As a child, he would always leave the halls of Eregion to go running wild into the forest of the holly trees that surrounded them. He had an ability to disappear in the groves for hours on end. As he grew older, hours of disappearances would turn to days.

So she had taken him along, in S.A. 1374, on a visit to Laurelindórinan with her one close friend who was a Silvan elf. Banvain loved Laurelindórinan the minute he saw the forest. He loved the trees and music and wood carving – on realising the love she saw sparkling in his leaf-coloured eyes, she gave him his amilesse, Galadhlin, Song of the Trees.

When they returned back to Eregion, his heart no longer felt at peace under the shadow of the Hithaeglir (Misty Mountains). He longed to be away from Ost-in-Edhil and often did his mother see her son look to the eastern sky with longing. When Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn decided to leave Eregion, Barawen asked Lord Erumelmo, who was her friend, to take her son Banvain under his wing and take him to Laurelindórinan as well. Banvain had always been an emotionally detached person. He loved his parents, but it always seemed as though the love he bore for the nature around him was slightly greater. Lord Erumelmo understood this love and so he took Banvain with him as the royal household removed to Laurelindórinan and came to rest under the kingship of Amdír. He quickly became friends with Eäheru, Erumelmo’s nephew.

Eäheru married a Nandorin elf, Lillassëa, and created a home for them as well as Banvain in Laurelindórinan. They did not leave the woods, even when Lord Erumelmo departed with Lady Galadriel.

When Eregion fell, he fought beside Lord Erumelmo but they were seperated in the ensuing battle. While Erumelmo moved onto Rivendell, Banvain moved back to Laurelindórinan with Eäheru. Their friendship was now strengthened by the tumult of battle.

In S.A. 3319, the world was changed.

Banvain joined his lords, Amdír and Erumelmo when they responded to the summons of Gil-Galad and Elrond to fight in the Last Alliance against Sauron (S.A. 3430). Amdír and Gil-Galad perished.

Lord Erumelmo was gravely wounded in the battle, and Elrond insisted on taking him to Imladris. Banvain would not leave Erumelmo and so he journeyed with him to Rivendell. He found that his knowledge of plants and herbs could be put to great use in the Houses of Healing. He learnt well from Lord Elrond and for a while he was at peace. He found after the wars that he had taken part in that healing a wound was far more complex and satisfying than giving it!

He lived in Rivendell, learning the art of healing from a great master. He saw the births of Elrohir and Elladan (T.A. 130) and also that of Arwen Undómiel (T.A. 241) … but his love of the dark shades of Lórien surfaced again and he returned in T.A. 250.

It was after his return that he lived apart from Eäheru, creating a simple flet of his own, much like that of Laurelindórinan’s king, Amroth. Around 1100 of the Third Age, it was learned that an evil power had built the stronghold of Dol Guldur across the Anduin from Laurelindórinan. This power became known as the Necromancer, although it was in fact Sauron. Galadriel and Celeborn came to Laurelindórinan to investigate. They remained for a time, but eventually they left.

In 1980, the Dwarves of Khazad-dum encountered the Balrog, which had lurked beneath the mountains since the end of the First Age. The Dwarves abandoned Khazad-dum and it became a place of evil known as Moria. In 1981, Nimrodel, Amroth’s lover, fled from Laurelindórinan, and Amroth pursued her. He caught up with Nimrodel in the eaves of Fangorn Forest, and she promised to marry him if he could bring her to a land of peace. They agreed to sail together to the Undying Lands.

Amroth and Nimrodel traveled south with a number of Elves from Laurelindórinan. Banvain was asked to accompany them, as was Eäheru, but they both declined – preferring to remain. Amroth’s destination was the Elf-haven of Edhellond on the Bay of Belfalas from which ships sailed into the West. On the journey, Nimrodel became lost in the White Mountains. Amroth convinced the Elves on the last remaining ship to wait for her. In the autumn, a great storm came from the north and ship was swept out into the Bay. Amroth had been sleeping, and the ship was far from the coast when he awoke and realized what had happened. He jumped overboard and tried to swim back to shore to find Nimrodel, but he drowned. Galadriel and Celeborn returned to Laurelindórinan and became the rulers of the Elves that remained there. Laurelindórinan (Land of the Valley of Singing Gold) and Lórinand (Golden Valley) was renamed Lothlórien (Lórien of the Blossom) in memory of the Lórien the exiled Galadriel had left behind long before in Aman.

Galadriel wished to appoint Banvain as a chief healer, but he refused. He chose instead to work with wood, and helped greatly to create Caras Galadhon, in the part of the forest called the Angle, between the Silverlode and the Anduin. Banvain refused to work on the road paved with white stone ran along the outer edge of the moat to a bridge on the southwestern side that led to the city gates. Though he helped nurture the many tall mallorn-trees within the city on the slopes of the hill and fashioned the numerous flets in their branches. Caras Galadhon was the only place in Laurelindórinan where so many flets were used as dwellings.

The years passed amid watches over Dol Guldur, the watchful peace, its end, then the rise of darkness.

Banvain did not take part in the Battle of Pelennor Fields but Eäheru did join the War and was killed. Instead during the last battles of the War of the Ring, Lórien was besieged three times by the armies of Dol Guldur. He helped Lórien resist the attacks valiantly, but most importantly, “the power that dwelt there was far too great for any to overcome, only if Sauron had come there himself”. Such power was the Lady Galadriel herself, wearing the White Ring of the Elves, Nenya.

During the fourth age, after Galadriel passed over the sea, there came a new challenge for Banvain. It was to be his last mission on Middle-Earth.