Elves

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Elves
Race
File:WAR-ICONS elves.jpg
General Information
MembersIngwë, Thingol, Finwë, Fëanor, Galadriel
Physical Description
DistinctionsNearly immortal, inventors of writing and other arts
GalleryImages of Elves
"[The Elves] were a race high and beautiful, the older Children of the World, and among them the Eldar were as kings.... They were tall, fair of skin and grey-eyed, though their locks were dark... and their voices had more melodies than any mortal voice that now is heard."
J.R.R. Tolkien, from The Lord of the Rings: Appendix F

The Elves (singular Elf) were one of the kindreds of the Children of Ilúvatar, and bore the title the Firstborn because they came into being before all the other incarnate races. Soon after their awakening, the Elves named themselves Quendi ("the Speakers"), because they were the only beings they knew of who had the ablility to use language. The Elves were divided into several primary groups, including the Vanyar, the Noldor, the Teleri, the Sindar, and the Avari.

History

Awakening

The Elves awoke in the northeast of Middle-earth during the Years of the Trees in the First Age on the shores of Lake Cuiviénen under the starlit sky, as Middle-earth lay in darkness at that time. Some time after their awakening, they were discovered by the Vala Oromë, who then returned to Valinor and brought the other Valar tidings of their arrival. Before Oromë found them, however, Melkor, the first Dark Lord of Middle-earth, had already captured some wandering Elves, and twisted them into Orcs. But the Valar were emboldened by the news of Oromë, and they made war upon Melkor, captured him, and imprisoned him in the Halls of Mandos in Valinor in order to protect the Elves.

Sundering

The Valar decided to summon the Elves to Valinor rather than leave them in the more dangerous lands of Middle-earth. They sent Oromë to the Elves again, and he took Ingwë, Finwë and Elwë as ambassadors to Valinor.

After returning to Middle-earth and telling the Elves of the beauty of the Blessed Realm, Ingwë, Finwë, and Elwë convinced a great host to make the journey to Valinor. Not all Elves accepted the summons, though, and those who remained in Middle-earth became known as the Avari, or the "Unwilling".

The others were called the Eldar, or "Starpeople", by Oromë, and they took Ingwë, Finwë, and Elwë as their leaders, and became respectively the Vanyar, Noldor and Teleri. On their journey, some of the Teleri feared the Misty Mountains and dared not cross them. They stayed in the vales of the Anduin, and became the Nandor.

Oromë led the others over the Misty Mountains and Ered Lindon into Beleriand. There Elwë was lost, and the Teleri stayed behind looking him. The Vanyar and the Noldor moved onto a floating island that was moved by Ulmo to Valinor.

After several years, Ulmo returned to Beleriand to pick up the remaining Teleri. As Elwë had not yet been found, the Teleri took his brother Olwë as their leader. Some (called the "Forsaken") stayed behind, however, still looking for Elwë, and others remained on the shores, for they were devoted to Ossë. These Elves took Círdan as their leader and became the Falathrim. All the Teleri who stayed in Beleriand became known as the Sindar.

These complex divisions are shown in the diagram below:

Venn diagram showing the kindreds of the Elves

Exile

In Valinor, Fëanor, son of Finwë and the greatest of the Noldor, created the Silmarils in which he stored the light of the Two Trees. After three ages in the Halls of Mandos, Melkor was released. He spread his evil through the hearts of the Noldor, and eventually killed Finwë and stole the Silmarils. Fëanor then named him Morgoth. Fëanor and his seven sons then swore to take the Silmarils back, and led a large army of the Noldor to Beleriand to war against Morgoth.

Wars of Beleriand

In Beleriand, Elwë was eventually found, and married Melian the Maia. He was then known as Elu Thingol and became the overlord of Beleriand. After the First Battle of Beleriand, during the first rising of the Moon, the Noldor arrived in Beleriand. They laid a siege around Angband, but were eventually defeated.

Then Eärendil the Mariner, a Half-elf, sailed to Valinor to ask the Valar for help. Upon hearing Eärendil's request, the Curse of the Noldor was lifted, and the Valar began the War of Wrath, in which Morgoth was finally overcome.

Second and Third Age

After the War of Wrath, the Valar summoned the Eldar back to the West. Many complied, but some stayed. During the Second Age, they founded the Realms of Lindon, Eregion and Mirkwood. Sauron, Morgoth’s former servant, made war upon them, but with the aid of the Númenóreans they stayed his attacks.

During the Second and Third Age the High Elves held some protected realms with the aid of the Rings of Power, but after the War of the Ring their influence waned further, and most of the Eldar left Middle-earth for Valinor.

Fourth Age and beyond

With the destruction of the One Ring, the power of the Three Rings of the Elves ended and the Dominion of Men began. Those Elves that remained in Middle-earth were doomed to a slow decline until, in the words of Galadriel, they faded and became a "rustic folk of dell and cave," and were greatly diminished from their ancient power and nobility.

However, immediately after the end of the Third Age, there were still many Elven communities in Middle-earth. Elladan and Elrohir, the sons of Elrond, did not accompany their father when the White Ship bearing the Ringbearer and the chief Noldorin leaders sailed from the Grey Havens to Valinor; they were said to have remained in Rivendell for a time. Celeborn was said to have added most of southern Mirkwood to the realm of Lórien at the end of the Third Age, and Thranduil continued to rule the northern part of that forest.

Also, many Elves moved to Ithilien during King Elessar's reign, and assisted in the rebuilding of Gondor. Legolas remained in Middle-earth until after the King's death. Some Elves continued to dwell at the Grey Havens as well. Círdan did not sail with Elrond and Galadriel, as he would only leave on the last ship to ever leave the Havens.

It is assumed those of the Quendi who never travelled to Aman, such as the Avari, succumbed to the change and mortality of the Middle-earth. Their bodies were consumed by their souls, and simply faded away and, not unlike the Ringwraiths, turned into purely spiritual creatures invisible to the eye.

Life cycle

Owing to their longevity, the Elves had a very different life cycle than Men. Most of the following information strictly refers only to the Eldar—but much could probably be applied to the Avari as well.

Early life

Elves are born about one year from their conception. The day of their conception is celebrated, not the actual birthday itself—since for them, life begins at conception. Their minds develop quicker than their bodies; by their first year, they can speak, walk and even dance, and their quicker onset of mental maturity makes young Elves seem older than they actually are. Physical puberty comes in around their fiftieth to one hundredth year (by age fifty they reach their adult height), and by their first hundred years of life outside the womb all Elves are fully grown.

Elves' bodies develop slower than those of Men from the start. By the age of twenty, they might still appear physically seven years old, whereas Men at the same age are physically mature.

Sexuality, marriage and parenthood

Elves marry freely and for love early in life. Monogamy is practised and adultery is unthinkable; they only marry once (Finwë, first High King of the Noldor, was an exception; he remarried after his first wife died).

Spouses can choose each other long before they are married and be betrothed. The betrothal is subject to parental approval unless the parties are of age and intend to marry soon, at which point the betrothal is announced at a meeting of the two houses, during which the couple exchange rings. The betrothal lasts at least a year, and is revocable by the return of the rings (but is rarely broken). After their formal betrothal, the couple appoints a time for the wedding when at least a year has passed.

Marriage is celebrated at a feast of the two houses. The spouses return their betrothal rings and receive others worn on their index fingers. The bride’s mother gives the groom a jewel to be worn, but the marriage is only achieved with its consummation. Technically, only the words exchanged by the bride and groom (including the speaking of the name of Eru) and the consummation are required for marriage.

The Elves view the sexual act as extremely special and intimate, for it leads to the conception and birth of children. Extra-marital and premarital sex are unthinkable—indeed, the Elves would regard them as contradictions in terms. Because adultery is also unheard of and fidelity between spouses is absolute, spouses can sometimes live separately for extended periods of time. However, a sundering during pregnancy or during the early years of parenthood (caused by war, for example) is so grievous to the couple that they prefer to have children in peaceful times.

Elves have few children, as a rule; (Fëanor and Nerdanel were an exception, since they had seven sons), and there are relatively sizable intervals between each child. They are soon preoccupied with other pleasures; their libido wanes and they focus their interests elsewhere, such as the arts. Nonetheless, they take great delight in the union of love, and they cherish the days of bearing and raising children as the happiest times of their lives.

There seems to only be one known example of extreme marital strife among the Eldar: the case of Eöl and Aredhel, in which the latter actually left the former without his knowing, with the result of Eöl ultimately killing her. This was far from a normal Elven marriage, however.

Daily life

The Elves, and particularly the Noldor, preoccupy themselves with various things, such as smithwork, sculpture, music, and other arts. Males and females can do almost everything equally; however, the females often specialize in the arts of healing while the men go to war. This is because the Elves believe that taking life interferes with the ability to preserve life. However, Elves do not have rigid gender roles; females can defend themselves at need as well as males, and many males are skilled healers as well, such as Elrond.

Later life

Eventually, if they did not die in battle or from some other cause, the High Elves of Middle-earth grew weary of it and desired to go to Valinor, where the Valar originally sheltered their kind. Those who wished to leave for the Undying Lands went by boats provided at the Grey Havens, where Círdan the Shipwright dwelt with his folk.

"The third cycle of life" and aging

Despite statements that Elves (and Hobbits) have no beards, Círdan in fact had a beard. This is because he was said to be in his "third cycle of life". It is unclear what these cycles exactly are. Apparently, beards were the only sign of further natural physical aging beyond maturity.

Elves sometimes appeared to age under great stress. Círdan seemed to be aged himself, since he is described as looking old, save for the stars in his eyes; this may be due to all the sorrows he had seen and lived through since the First Age. Also, the people of Nargothrond had trouble recognizing Gwindor after his time as a prisoner of Morgoth.

Death

Elves are naturally immortal. In addition to their immortality, Elves are immune to all diseases, and they can recover from wounds which would normally kill a mortal Man. However, Elves can be slain, or die of grief and weariness.

Elves who die or are killed go to the Halls of Mandos in Valinor. After a certain period of time and rest, their spirits (fëar) are incarnated in bodies (hröar) identical to their old ones. They almost never go back to Middle-earth, however. The only Elf known to have done so was Glorfindel.

Naming conventions

The following traditions were done among the Noldor; other Eldar had slightly different conventions. The Noldor were typically given one name (an essë) at birth, a name that had little to do with who they were or their personality. This name was given by the father, therefore called the Father-name, and reflected either the name of the father or mother. As the Noldo grew older, he or she chose a second name, called a cilmessë, or "chosen name". This name reflected the Noldo's unique linguistic tastes. It was not used by those who did not know the Noldo well and would be considered rude to do so. In those cases, the Father-name (which remained the official one throughout the Noldo's life) would be used.

Names given by the mother (amilessi tercenyë, "mother names of insight") were rarely given, but were considered extremely important, as they divulged details about an Elf's personality or fate.

The epessë or the "after-name" was the fourth type. The after-name was given later in life (not necessarily by the Elf's kin), as a title of admiration and honour. In some circumstances, the epessë was chosen by the Elf himself or herself.

Some examples include:

  • Maedhros, the oldest son of Fëanor, was called Russandol (copper-top) by his brothers: he earned this epessë because of his ruddy hair. Maedhros itself was an epessë as well: his father-name had been Nelyafinwë (Finwë the third: Fëanor's own father-name had been (Curu) finwë), and his mother-name was Maitimo (well-shaped one).
  • Galadriel is the Sindarin translation of Alatáriel, the latter being the Telerin epessë originally given to her by Celeborn. Galadriel means "Maiden Crowned by a Radiant Garland". The name itself is an epessë: her father-name is Artanis (noble woman) and her mother-name is Nerwen (man-maiden).

Appearance

The Elves were a far more beautiful race than Men, and generally taller. Among them, those who had gone to Valinor were the fairest and had the greatest skill of body.

Pointed ears

There are no explicit references to pointed Elvish ears in The Lord of the Rings or The Silmarillion. It was stated elsewhere that "the Quendian (Elvish) ears were more pointed and leaf-shaped than Human." However, practical considerations, including a number of occasions where Men were mistaken for Elves (most notably Túrin Turambar), suggest that the points must have been subtle.

Hair colour

Elven hair colour is quite varied and complex. In general, the Vanyar were blond, and the other Elves (including Noldor, Sindar, and Avari) had dark or even black hair, although some of the Teleri had silver hair. Lúthien Tinúviel and her remote descendant Arwen Undómiel, both described as the fairest of all Elves, were dark haired.

This is not the full picture, however: Finarfin, the youngest son of Finwë, and his descendants (such as Galadriel) had blond hair on account of Finwë's second wife, Indis of the Vanyar. Idril, the daughter of Turgon, had golden hair inherited from her mother, Elenwë of the Vanyar. Even the sons of Fëanor, the eldest Noldorin prince, were not all dark-haired: Maedhros and the twins Amrod and Amras had auburn hair, from their grandfather Mahtan. Fëanor's son Celegorm had blond hair, thus his epithet the Fair in contrast to his brother, Caranthir the Dark.

Additionally, a silver hair colour existed in the royal houses of the Sindar, with Thingol, Círdan, and Celeborn all described as having silver hair. Galadriel displayed an extremely rare hair colour nowhere else observed: "silver-golden" hair, said to be dazzlingly beautiful ("blending the light of the Two Trees, Telperion and Laurelin"), which may have been a result of her unusual mixed Noldoin-Vanyarin-Telerin heritage (her mother was the niece of Thingol). Thranduil, father of Legolas and a Sindarin Elf, is described as having blond hair in The Hobbit, but his son Legolas' own hair colour is not recorded.

Eye colour

When Tolkien describes Elven eyes, they tend to be grey. This is certainly true of Lúthien (and her descendants: Elrond, Arwen and her brothers, and Aragorn and the Dúnedain). Voronwë, who guided the man Tuor to Gondolin, also had grey eyes.

Though he was half-Noldorin, Maeglin is said to have dark eyes (possibly from his father Eöl, who was not of the Noldor), while Olwë (the brother of Lúthien's father Thingol, and a Telerin king) had blue eyes. The eye colour of most other Elves is not mentioned, and so would be difficult to generalize.

Androgyny

The Elves are sometimes perceived as androgynous; however, they were probably not meant to be so; Legolas was described in the following way:

"He was tall as a young tree, lithe, immensely strong, able swiftly to draw a great war-bow and shoot down a Nazgûl, endowed with the tremendous vitality of Elvish bodies, so hard and resistant to hurt that he went only in light shoes over rock or through snow, the most tireless of all the Fellowship." (The Book of Lost Tales Volume 2)

Elvish languages

The Elves had at least as many languages as they had divisions. The tongue originally common to them all, that they spoke at Cuiviénen, was referred to as Primitive Quendian. All other Elvish languages were derived from it, as shown below:

Those languages that were written down were done so using the Tengwar and Cirth scripts.

Notable Elves

Half-elven:

See also