The Moriquendi (singular Moriquendë; also named the Hisildi, Kaliondi, and Lembi) were the Elves of Darkness: those who did not embark on the journey over the sea to Aman and behold the light of the Two Trees of Valinor.
History[]
The Moriquendi lingered on the shores of Middle-earth or, indeed, never passed the Blue Mountains in the east of Beleriand or the Misty Mountains further to the east. Those Moriquendi who originally started on the journey but did not finish it were named the Úmanyar, which meant "Those not of Aman", those who refuse to go to Valinor were called Avamanyar, "Those who would not go to Aman".
Moriquendi is a term for the Avarin, Sindarin, and Nandorin Elves, but in practice is only applied to the Avari. An exception to the hierarchy of Elvish peoples was Thingol, who, though he did not complete the journey, had earlier been to Valinor. Thingol was therefore considered among the Úmanyar but not the Moriquendë.[1]
- Those Elves the Calaquendi call the Úmanyar, since they came never to the land of Aman and the Blessed Realm; but the Úmanyar and the Avari alike they call the Moriquendi, Elves of the Darkness, for they never beheld the Light that was before the Sun and Moon.[2]
The term "Dark Elf" in Tolkien's writing seems to hold an unexplained meaning, as it is given as a special title of Eöl, an Elf of Nan Elmoth. It is also used as an insult by the Sons of Fëanor to Thingol (which is incorrect, since Thingol alone of the Sindar was reckoned under the Calaquendi).[3]
Earlier versions of the legendarium[]
The initial name for these Elves who remained outside of Aman was Ilkorindi, that can be found in The Book of Lost Tales Part One. Later Tolkien divided the Elves who stayed in Middle-earth into three groups: the Ilkorins (an early concept of the Sindar), Danians (the Green Elves), and Lembi (who later become the Avari).
Translations[]
| Foreign Language | Translated name |
| Amharic | ሞሪቁአንዲ |
| Arabic | موريكويندي |
| Armenian | Մորիքուենդի |
| Belarusian Cyrillic | Моріqуенді |
| Bengali | মরিকন্ডি |
| Bulgarian Cyrillic | Мори́уенди |
| Chinese | 莫里根迪 |
| Georgian | მორიქუენდი |
| Greek | Μορικουέντι |
| Gujarati | મોરિqઉએન્દિ |
| Hebrew | (Moriquendi) מוריקוונדי
(Úmanyar) אומאניאר |
| Hindi | मोरक्वेन्डी |
| Japanese | モリクウェンディ |
| Kannada | ಮೋರಿಕ್ಯುನ್ಡಿ |
| Kazakh | Моріқұенді (Cyrillic) Moriquendi (Latin) |
| Korean | 모리퀜디 |
| Kyrgyz Cyrillic | Мориqуэнди |
| Macedonian Cyrillic | Мориqуенди |
| Marathi | मोरक्वेन्डी |
| Mongolian Cyrillic | Мориqуэнди |
| Nepalese | मोरिक़ुएन्दि |
| Pashto | موریقوېندی |
| Persian | موریقوهندی |
| Russian | Мориквенди |
| Serbian | Морикуенди (Cyrillic) Morikuendi (Latin) |
| Sinhalese | මොරිඇඋඑඳි |
| Tajik Cyrillic | Мориқуенди |
| Tamil | மொரிகுண்டி |
| Telugu | మొరిక్యూన్ది |
| Thai | มอริเควนดิ |
| Ukrainian Cyrillic | Моріквендів |
| Urdu | موریقاندا |
| Uzbek | Мориқуенди (Cyrillic) Moriquendi (Latin) |
| Yiddish | מאָריקווענדי |
| Elves | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Three Kindreds | Vanyar (Fair-elves · Minyar) • Ñoldor (Deep-elves · Tatyar) • Teleri (Lindar · Nelyar) | ||
| Calaquendi (Amanyar) |
Vanyar • Ñoldor • Falmari | ||
| Moriquendi | Úmanyar | Sindar (Iathrim · Mithrim · Falathrim) • Nandor (Laiquendi · Tawarwaith · Galadhrim) | |
| Avamanyar | Avari • (Wild-elves) | ||
References[]
- ↑ The History of Middle-earth, Vol. XI: The War of the Jewels, Part Four: Quendi and Eldar, Index
- ↑ The Silmarillion, Quenta Silmarillion, Chapter III: "Of the Coming of the Elves and the Captivity of Melkor"
- ↑ The History of Middle-earth, Vol. I: The Book of Lost Tales Part One, Index
