He's lived many ages of men and fought countless battles against fearsome foes. Dragons, balrogs, and great behemoths of the ancient world; he fought them all and lived to tell the tale. He's also seen mortals quarrel with each other and dwarves hide themselves away, ever carving out the earth beneath the mountains, greedily seeking riches and hoarding them in secret. Sick of seeing the world full of greed and quarrels, he retreated deep into his forest and there he lives with his people, happily ignorant to the wars and despairs of the outside world. The forest then was a happy and bright place. Celebrations every changing of the season and carefree days as the king ruled his people with love and joy.
When his wife became pregnant, he felt overjoyed. They say for awhile the forest's labyrinth was not as merciless. But when his son was finally born, his wife died and his heart turned cold and hard, in turn the forest became dark and treacherous. He could not bear to look at his newborn son without being reminded of her and he took to drinking wine day and night. His people tried to console him but nothing worked. His people grew fearful of the forest then. They knew if the king gave into his grief, the forest would destroy itself and them along with it, for one cannot live without the other. They convinced him his wife would want him to raise their son. Eventually he healed somewhat. He still drank wine but not as much as when he had started. Little did he know that his son would grow up to show interest in the outside world and be among the first to venture outside his father's forest.