Mithglin was born under the eaves of Greenwood the Great at the end of the First Age. His father had travelled to that realm from Doriath after the War of Wrath, and there met Mithglin's mother, a Nando of the woods of Rhovanion.
Though he was named Mithglin (grey-gleam) by his father, his mother named him Draugmir - the wolf-jewel, forseeing a part of the path he would walk in later life. For he quickly became adept not only at the crafting of gems (his father's love) but also at deciphering the signs and omens of the forest around him, observing the ways of green and growing things, and understanding the tongues of beast and bird - his mother's particular skills.
In his wanderings throughout the woods, he would often watch the comings and goings of orcs or other creatures of ill-intent, and find he could subtly influence them to lose their way, and to meet nasty ends, often without the need to confront them directly.
Currently he spends most of his time in the wilds of the wood, hunting for precious stones, and keeping his eyes and ears ever open. He will often meet by chance those charged by Thranduil with the watching of the forest, and will exchange news, passing on things he has seen or heard, or omens he has witnessed. He will also pass on a trinket or two, if he feels that a member could do with some special help or protection, or provide a resuscitating draught or meal, often spiced with various forest herbs.