10 Lord Of The Rings Book Characters We're Thankful Were Left Out Of The Movies

Peter Jackson's films imply Arwen is Elrond's only child. But in the novels, the Elven king has twin sons called Elladan and Elrohir. After the One Ring is brought to Rivendell in the first novel, Elrond's boys scout the area to ensure the Fellowship's journey to Mordor is as safe as possible. In Return of the King, the duo help Aragorn track down the Dead Men of Dunharrow.

Even though Elladan and Elrohir are minor characters, removing them benefits the story tremendously. First off, turning Arwen into Elrond's only child makes the pair's relationship far more poignant. When Arwen is dying, it's more powerful watching Elrond believe he is about to lose his only child.

Also, Elrond makes it unmistakably clear that the Elves have a disdain for Men, which creates a lot of tension when they're forced to work together.

However, Elladan and Elrohir highly respect Men and have made friends with the Dunedain and the Rangers of the North. Showcasing this sort of relationship would undercut the tension between Elves and Men, so it's not a surprise the characters were written out.