Elves

Elves of Gondolin guarding the Gate of Gold, in the First Age, by Nicolas Chacin
Elves
Other names	Quendi (Q.), Firstborn, Elder Children of Ilúvatar
Origins	Created by Ilúvatar, being the first of his Children
Dominions	Cuiviénen, Tirion, Taniquetil, Formenos, Alqualondë, Tol Eressëa, Doriath, Falas, Lothlórien, Rivendell, Mirkwood, and many others
Languages	Various Elvish languages, notably Quenya and Sindarin; Westron
Lifespan	Immortal
Distinctions	Tall, agile, graceful, wise, fair
Height	Taller than average height of Mankind; Males taller than females
Hair color	Black, silver, gold, blonde, auburn (rare among the Ñoldor), golden (Vanyar), silver (Teleri)
Weaponry	Typically swords and bows, occasionally spears, sometimes magic

The Elves were the first and eldest Children of Ilúvatar, considered the fairest and wisest of the earthly race of Arda. They called themselves the Quendi (Quenya: "the Speakers"; singular Quendë), referring to how at their creation, they were the only living things they knew of that spoke.

Oromë referred to the Elves that chose to follow him during the Great Journey as Eldar (Q.: "People of the Stars"), because when they awoke the stars were the only lights in the sky. Some, known afterwards as the Calaquendi (Elves of the Light), were brought by the Valar from Middle-earth to Valinor across the Sea, where they were taught by the Ainur. But after the Silmarils were stolen by Melkor, some of the Elves returned to Middle-earth, where they remained until the end of the Third Age.

Elves were immune to illness and not subject to age after reaching their prime. They could be killed only in violence or by extreme despair.

History

Creation & awakening

Creation of the first Quendi, by David Greset

The Firstborn, the Elder Children of Ilúvatar, were conceived by Eru Ilúvatar alone in the third theme of Ainulindalë. They are the eldest and noblest of the speaking races of Middle-earth. They awoke at Cuiviénen, the Water of Awakening, in the far east of Middle-earth, in the starlight of the Sleep of Yavanna, as the Sun and Moon had yet to be created. The first Elves to awake were three pairs: Imin ("First") and his wife Iminyë, Tata ("Second") and Tatië, and Enel ("Third") and Enelyë.

According to legend, Imin, Tata, and Enel, and their wives joined up and walked through the forests. They came across six, nine, and twelve pairs of Elves, and each "patriarch" claimed the pairs as his folk in order. The now sixty Elves dwelt by the rivers, and they invented poetry and music in Middle-earth. Journeying further, they come across a band of Elves watching the stars, which Tata claimed as his. These were tall and dark-haired, the fathers of most of the Ñoldor. The ninety-six Elves now invented many new words. Continuing their journey, they found twenty-four pairs of Elves, singing without language, and Enel added them to his people. These were the ancestors of most of the Lindar or "singers", later called Teleri. They found no more Elves; Imin's people, the smallest group, were the ancestors of the Vanyar. All in all they numbered 144. Because all Elves had been found in groups of twelve, twelve became their base number and 144 their highest number (for a long time). None of the later Elvish languages had a common name for a greater number.

At first the Elves sang with grace and merriment without speech but soon they developed speech and spoke with words, so their first name for themselves was Quendi (The Ones Who Speak With Voices).

One of the Galadhrim, in Lothlórien, by Sara Maria Morello

Discovery & sundering

The Elves were content and dwelt long under the stars in woods near Cuiviénen. However, Melkor, the Dark Lord, became aware of them and their location before the Valar, and sent evil spirits to spy on and afflict them. Many spirits that harassed the Elves came in the form of great horsemen for the purpose of causing the Elves to fear the Vala Oromë, whom Melkor knew would likely be the first Vala to discover them. And so it was that, on one of his many journeys in the wilds of Middle-earth, Oromë came upon the Elves. Due to Melkor's foresight and malice, some Elves were afraid. Hiding and fleeing, some of these early Elves were taken by Melkor or his agents. These Elves were never seen again and were taken to Utumno, and were believed to be twisted and mutilated into the first Orcs. However, the Elves who stayed quickly learned that Oromë was far different from the evils that had been pursuing them. Oromë quickly came to love the Elves, and them and gave them the name Eldar (People of the Stars).

Oromë spent some time with them and then returned to Valinor to tell Manwë of his discovery. He then returned to live with Elves for a time, learning about them. Not long after, the Valar decided that, for the good of the Elves, that Melkor needed to be overthrown. The Valar made war upon Melkor and set a guard on Cuiviénen. The Elves knew nothing of the war save that the earth shook and thunderous lightning was seen in the north. After a long, grievous war, the Valar were triumphant, and Melkor was imprisoned. Oromë then returned to the Elves with a summons of the Valar to Aman. However, many of the Elves were afraid, as they felt and had seen rumor of the terrible power of the Valar as they made war against Melkor. As such, the it was decided by the Elves to choose ambassadors one from each kindred to go to Valinor and report back to their kindred what they saw. The names of these representatives were Ingwë, Finwë, and Elwë.

When the three returned, they spoke to their people of the beauty and bliss of what they had seen and urged them to travel to Valinor and abide there. Thus began the Great Journey, also known as the Sundering of the Elves. All of the Elves agreed, save for the Avari, who chose to remain in Middle-earth. Led by Oromë, the Elven kindreds marched out of Cuiviénen but as they moved out of the forest area and saw the black clouds surrounding the north where Melkor had once lived, some grew afraid and turned back to Cuiviénen. The rest continued, albeit slowly, often stopping until Oromë returned, but were curious about what they saw.

The Vanyar and the Ñoldor, who were most eager to reach Valinor pressed on with the greatest speed and were the first to reach the coasts and to be taken to Valinor on an island that the Vala Ulmo guided across the Belegaer. The Teleri were the slowest of the groups as they were drawn to the forests and rivers they encountered in the western and southern parts of Middle-earth. This caused them to separate into several different groups, such as the Nandor who became Wood-elves of Wilderland and later Beleriand. Some of the Teleri who did not like the sea and, partly due to the disappearance of Elwë in Nan Elmoth for a time, drew back and settled in the wooded areas of Region and Neldoreth that later became Doriath. The Teleri that were drawn to the sea settled along the western shores later becoming the Falathrim ruled by Círdan, who founded the coastal cities of Eglarest and Brithombar. Eventually, most of the Teleri went into the west on Tol Eressëa, led by Olwë.

Life in Aman

The Elves that came to Aman were enriched by the knowledge of the Valar and the bliss of their lands, and the three Elven clans developed their own cultures. The former ambassadors Ingwë of the Vanyar and Finwë of the Ñoldor became kings of their people and, as Elwë never returned to Valinor, his brother Olwë became King of the Teleri. The Vanyar were drawn to the Valar and the full light of the Two Trees of Valinor and settled at the foot of Taniquetil with their king Ingwë, who became High King of the Elves, revered by all Elves living in the mountain below Manwë. The Ñoldor, beloved by Aulë the Smith for their love of arts and crafts, built the great city of Tirion on Túna where Finwë, the High King of the Ñoldor, lived. The Teleri were drawn to the sea and some never left the island ferry of Tol Eressëa until Olwë their lord later built Alqualondë, with the help of the Ñoldor.

The Drawing of the Sword, by Jenny Dolfen

They devised writing scripts and developed arts of building, metallurgy, and shipbuilding, and poetry and music became common and lasting practices of all Elven kindreds. For three ages, the Elves lived in total peace and bliss, wandering and enhancing the lands. After these three ages, Melkor completed his sentence. He feigned rehabilitation, and convinced Manwë that he was no longer a threat. However, his stay in prison had only increased his malice, and, remembering that it was for the sake of the Elves that he had been overthrown, he sought to poison the peace of Valinor and bring ruin to the Elves. Adopting a fair and wise form, he began to cultivate the trust of those living in Valinor. Of the three Elven clans, Melkor saw the Teleri as rather useless to him, and the Vanyar would have nothing to do with him, being content in their development. But the Ñoldor, desiring more knowledge than other clans, were willing to listen to him, and Melkor saw that, due to their creative skill, they were more potentially useful than the Teleri. And so Melkor began to teach them, and for a long while none of his evil was made manifest, for any who sought his aid and counsel benefited greatly from it. But with his genuine teachings came half-truths and disguised lies regarding the intentions of the Valar. Most harmful among these was the knowledge that Men, the Second Children of Illuvatar, would one day appear in Middle-earth. The Valar had not revealed this to the Elves, and after a time, rumors began to circulate amongst the Ñoldor that the Valar had brought them to Aman so that Men might inherit Middle-earth and usurp the glory that might have belonged to the Elves. Chief amongst these discontented Elves was Fëanor, the firstborn son of Finwë, King of the Ñoldor. Fëanor was gifted beyond virtually all of his peers in terms of beauty, skill, subtlety, and craftsmanship. It was he who had developed, amongst many other wonders, the system of letters used by the Ñoldor. But his greatest creation had been the Silmarils, three diamond-like gems in which the intermingled light of the Two Trees of Valinor had been captured.

Fëanor and his sons swear their Oath beneath the tower of the Mindon Eldaliéva in Tirion

However, despite Fëanor's capabilities (or perhaps because of them), he was exceedingly arrogant, and his actions were often rashly conducted. He hated and feared Melkor, but unwittingly provided his lies with their most prominent voice. Eventually, Melkor's lies and Fëanor's own vanity resulted in him drawing his sword against his half-brother Fingolfin. Erstwhile the Valar had been troubled by the unrest of the Ñoldor, but had simply watched and waited. Now however, with the peace of Valinor violated, they could no longer ignore the issue. Fëanor was brought to Máhanaxar and told to explain himself. With this, the lies of Melkor were at last laid bare, and he fled before the Valar could recapture him. However, for his actions, Fëanor was banished from Tirion for a time.

Twelve years later, Manwë sought to heal the wounds between the Ñoldor at a festival held in Valmar, but Melkor and the Great Spider Ungoliant destroyed the Two Trees, darkening Valinor, killing Finwë, stealing the three Silmarils of Fëanor, and fleeing to Middle-earth.

By Kinslaying at Alqualonde, by Ted Nasmith

Revolt of the Ñoldor

When the tragic death of his father became known, the wrath of Fëanor could no longer be contained. He gathered all the Ñoldor in Tirion and beneath the Mindon Eldaliéva he urged the Ñoldor to return to Middle-earth in pursuit of Melkor and the Silmarils swearing an oath to war with Melkor, now known as Morgoth. After being banned by the Valar for the rebellion and the violent deeds of the House of Fëanor, the Ñoldor returned to Middle-earth as exiles to battle Morgoth, and to establish and rule realms of their own.

War of the Jewels

The crimes of Melkor in Aman and the subsequent rebellion of the Ñoldor started a centuries-long war that would come to involve all the Elven kindreds of Middle-earth, as well as other races, directly or indirectly. During this time, five great battles were fought against Morgoth and although many were victorious for the Elves and their allies, the ultimate result was disastrous. Additionally, the doom that followed the Ñoldor as a result of the Kinslaying at Alqualondë was discovered by Thingol, the King of Doriath. This discovery all but destroyed the relationship between the Sindar and the Ñoldor. There were also other Elves and races such as the Petty-dwarves that resented the exiled Ñoldor for usurping their rightful place in Middle-earth.

Though for hundreds of years, the Ñoldor Elves fought and endured the forces of Morgoth with little military aid from the other Elven kindreds, a common fear and a common foe allowed for the Elves (especially the Ñoldor) to mingle with mortal Men, who had recently come into Beleriand from the east. The first of these were the Three Houses of the Edain. They were followed by the Easterlings, some of whom served Morgoth. At first, only the Ñoldor had dealings with Men, as the other Elves feared them, but over the generations, Men served the Ñoldor and gained their respect. After the Quest for the Silmaril, the blood of the Eldar and the Edain mingled with each other, first through the marriage of Beren and Lúthien, and then through Tuor and Idril. This union would create a bond that would enrich and ennoble both kindreds from then to later ages.

Elves, by Firat Solhan, fighting in the War of Wrath

The terrible Oath of Fëanor created strife between the Elven kindreds, as even those not bound were drawn into it over the Silmaril recovered by Beren and Lúthien. The two brothers Celegorm and Curufin attempted to usurp the throne of Nargothrond after the loss of Finrod in the Quest for the Silmaril, but were thwarted by the hound Huan and Orodreth and expelled. It was because of this deed that the Ñoldor of Nargothrond lent little aid to the Union of Maedhros during the Nírnaeth Arnoediad. Twice in the latter half of the First Age, the Sons tried to take the Silmaril from those who inherited it. These acts of cruelty and violence against their Elven kin caused great loss of life and resulted in the deaths of all of them except Maglor, who forever wanders the coasts of Middle-earth singing about the suffering of the Ñoldor.

Thranduil, a Sindar Elf, as a king during the Third Age, by Soni Alcorn-Hender

Later days and decline

After the destruction of Beleriand in the War of Wrath, the remaining Ñoldor repented of their rebellion and many returned to Eldamar along with some of the Sindar. The Elves that chose to remain in Middle-earth founded new realms. Most of the Ñoldor lived in Lindon with Gil-galad, the High King of the Ñoldor. Hundreds of years later Celebrimbor, the last of the House of Fëanor, founded a new Ñoldorin realm called Eregion. The Sindar joined also with Gil-galad in Lindon and few went beyond the Misty Mountains into Wilderland, becoming leaders of the Silvan Elves in places such as Lothlórien and Greenwood the Great.

The Elven realms flourished for over one thousand years until SA 1200 when Sauron, under the guise of a messenger from the Valar named Annatar, appeared out of the east to offer knowledge to the Elves. Gil-galad mistrusted him and barred him from his kingdom. Sauron then approached Celebrimbor and the Elves of Eregion, and against Gil-galad's advice they accepted him and his knowledge.

Gil-galad, Cirdan, and Galadriel with the Three Rings of Power, as portrayed in film

With Annatar's help, Celebrimbor forged the Rings of Power, but Three Rings alone were made in secret by Celebrimbor and were not directly touched by Sauron's power. Then, Sauron forged the One Ring in order to control the others. The Elves discovered Sauron's plan and took off their rings. Celebrimbor sent the ring Nenya to Galadriel and sent Vilya and Narya to Gil-galad in Lindon.

Elrond at the Siege of Barad-dûr with elite Ñoldorin soldiers

Furious that the Elves had foiled his plans for domination, Sauron demanded the return of the rings and when they refused he prepared for war. For eight years, Sauron laid waste to Middle-earth in his war against the Elves, destroying Eregion and killing Celebrimbor. Eventually, with help of the Númenóreans, Gil-galad was able to lead the Elves to victory. Gil-galad then decided to abandon Eregion in favor of the new refuge of Rivendell, formed at the foothills of the Misty Mountains and he made his herald, Elrond, the Lord of Rivendell and his representative in Eriador. Lindon survived still as the greatest kingdom of Elves in Middle-earth. The rest of the Elves of Middle-earth who survived either moved to Lindon, sailed for the West, or continued to live in their lands under caution due to the continued threat from Sauron.

By the latter half of the Second Age, Men continued to spread and grow in Middle-earth. The Faithful from the Downfall of Númenór founded the great kingdoms of Arnor and Gondor. Though Men were set to supplant them in Middle-earth, the Elves were powerful and numerous enough to join with Men one last time to defeat Sauron. Gil-galad led the second greatest host of Elves ever seen in Arda and formed the Last Alliance of Elves and Men with Elendil, High King of all Dúnedain, and vanquished Sauron in SA 3441.

Elrond, Celeborn, and Galadriel at the Grey Havens prior to departing to Valinor

With the dominion of Men at hand, the Elves became less numerous and more secluded with many becoming wearier of the now mortal lands. Only the realms of Lindon, Lothlórien, and Rivendell survived as havens of Elven bliss. High Elves continued to live in Lindon but most sailed into the West after their king's death along with many Sindar. The last of the High Elves left Middle-earth after the final defeat of Sauron in the War of the Ring.

Elves leaving Middle-earth in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

Elves living in Aman, including those who returned from Middle-earth in the Third and Fourth Ages, lived in a state of blissful happiness as they did before the Revolt of the Ñoldor. Elves that never chose to sail into the Utter West, instead choosing to remain in Middle-earth in places such as the Woodland Realm in the former Mirkwood, would probably become more and more secretive, less numerous, and hidden. Eventually, these lingerers would fade away entirely as their bodies were consumed by the power of their spirits.

Sunderings

The Sundering of Elves and names given to their divisions

When the Elves were first summoned to Aman by the Valar, they became divided into two groups - the Eldar, who accepted the summons of the Valar and undertook the Great Journey, and the Avari, who refused the summons. During the journey some groups of the Teleri remained behind and never reached Valinor and for this reason they (along with the Avari) became known as Moriquendi, the 'Elves of Darkness'. The Elves flourished in the First Age, but the Eldarin realms of Beleriand were destroyed by Morgoth, and in later ages their power waned. In the Second and Third Ages some Elves still lived in wandering companies, traveling through the broad lands they loved, but many were gathered in Elven-realms and refuges such as Lindon, Rivendell, the Woodland Realm, and Lórien, where Sindar and Ñoldor lords ruled over Silvan populations. By the end of the Third Age the Dominion of Men was at hand, and the Elves who remained in Middle-earth dwindled and became a secret people. Yet in Eldamar the Eldar live nigh to the Valar until the End of the World.

Vanyarin Elves, by Jenny Dolfen

Characteristics

Elves, like Men, were Children of Eru Ilúvatar, and thus had many inner and exterior resemblances. Unlike Men, they were immortal, as their bodies did not visually age once they had reached maturity. However, they could die from physical injury or from wasting away if, after long eons of life, they lost the will to live.^{[citation needed]} Some Elves in the First Age living near Angband died from a wasting disease, which was presumably issuing from Thangorodrim, Morgoth's fortress. The Elves came into existence before Men, and when Elves died, they would pass to the Halls of Mandos in Valinor.

Elves come of age at around fifty years old, and generally marry around this age. Elves who marry late or never are said to have strange fates. Elves can tell in the eyes and voice of another Elf whether they are married, and it is against an Elf's nature to take another's spouse by force; one so forced would reject bodily life and die. Because of the union of souls that occurs when Elves marry, and because of the eternal nature of Elven souls, they do not divorce or have multiple marriages. Elves have a taboo against incest, but marriage among second cousins was seen as acceptable. It is untold whether this had genetic danger.

Galadriel playing a harp, by Stephen Hickman

A section of the Elven city of Gondolin, in Beleriand, imagined by Nicolas Chacin

Generally, Elves were unusually beautiful in face and body. There was little physical difference between males and females, except for means of reproduction. They had far better vision and hearing than Men, and posseed skills and abilities beyond what is possible for mankind. Many could craft seemingly magical objects. In The Silmarillion, it is mentioned that the Elves were indeed closest in kin to the Ainur, given that Elves possess ethereal grace and various powers. Elves were light of foot, can travel long distances without leaving tracks, and often can walk lightly across snow where the boots of Men would sink. They required sleep, but could to enter a waking meditative state to regain their strength which means they can be exhausted and tire. Although the Elves were more resistant to adverse environments and lack of food than Men, they could succumb to them, and therefore required sustenance.

In communication, Elves put great attention to detail. Part of their bodily expression was called mátengwië or hwermë, meaning "language of the hands" and “gesture-code”. When interacting amongst themselves, Elves would pay attention to this first. Even finger movement could determine meaning.

Other writings

Elves appear in some of Tolkien's writings outside the legendarium. For example, in Letters From Father Christmas, among the friends of Father Christmas are the Red Gnomes, the Green Elves, and Snow Elves.

Translations

Foreign Language	Translated name
Albanian	Kukudhët
Afrikaans	Elwe
Arabic	الأوالف
Armenian	Էլֆեր
Azerbaijani	Elflər
Basque	Elfoak
Belarusian Cyrillic	Эльфы
Bengali	এল্ভ
Bosnian	Patuljak
Bulgarian Cyrillic	Елфите
Catalan	Elfs
Chinese	精灵
Chinese (Hong Kong)	精靈
Croatian	Vilenjak
Czech	Elfové
Danish	Elverfolk
Dutch	Elfen
Esperanto	Elfoj
Estonian	Haldjad
Finnish	Haltiat
French	Elfes
Galician	Elfos
Georgian	ელფები
German	Elben
Greek	Ξωτικά
Gujarati	ઝનુન
Hebrew	אלפים
Hindi	कल्पित बौने
Hungarian	Tündék
Icelandic	Álfar
Latvian	Elfi
Lithuanian	Elfai
Kannada	ಎಲ್ವೆಸ್
Kazakh Cyrillic	Эльфы
Korean	요정
Macedonian Cyrillic	Елфите
Malayalam	എൽഫുകൾ
Malaysian	Bunian
Marathi	एल्व्स
Nepalese	एल्व्स
Norwegian	Alver
Persian	الف‌ها
Polish	Elfy
Romanian	Elfii
Russian	Эльфы
Serbian	Вилењаци (Cyrillic) Vilenjaci (Latin)
Sinhalese	එල්ව්ස්
Slovak	Elfovia
Slovenian	Vilini
Spanish	Elfos
Swedish	Alver
Tajik Cyrillic	Элвф
Tamil	எல்வ்ஸ்
Turkish	Elfler
Thai	พราย
Ukrainian Cyrillic	Ельфи
Urdu	یلوس
Vietnamese	Tiên
Yiddish	עלוועס

Races of Arda Free Peoples of the World: Ainur | Dwarves | Elves | Ents | Great Eagles | Hobbits | Huorns | Men | Petty-dwarves | Skin-changers (Beornings) Servants of the Shadow: Barrow-wights | Ettens | Dragons (Fire-drakes and Cold-drakes) | Ogres | Orcs | Spiders | Trolls | Úmaiar | Úvanimor | Vampires | Wargs | Werewolves