Avari

2006-08-18T01:23:00Z

70.20.145.69:

[[Quenya|Q]]: unwilling
The '''Avari''' are a branch of the [[Elves]]. Also known as East Elves

When [[Oromë]] found the [[Elves]] that awakened in [[Cuiviénen]] (see: [[Awakening of the Elves]]), he summoned them to come with him to [[Valinor]]. All the [[Vanyar]] and most of the [[Ñoldor]] were persuaded, along with some of the [[Teleri]], and followed [[Oromë]] into the west on the [[Great Journey]]. The remainder of the [[Ñoldor]] and [[Teleri]] remained suspicious, or simply refused to depart from their own lands, and spread gradually throughout the wide lands of [[Middle-earth]]. They were after known in [[Quenya]]—the language of the [[Eldar]] that eventually reached [[Valinor]]—by the name ''Avari'', meaning "the Unwilling", because they refused the summons.

Having never come to [[Valinor]], the Avari remained a wild folk, dwellers of forests. Little is known of them, as they do not appear in any of the tales, save some references to Avari creeping in the south of [[Beleriand]] in the [[First Age]]. Many of them probably merged with the [[Nandor]] and became known as [[Silvan Elves]]. Also, it is speculated that the [[Dark Elves]] were the first other sentient race encountered by the race of [[Men]] during their infancy. The [[Dark Elves]] probably taught them many of the basic crafts of civilization, though the craft of the Eldar surpassed that of the Avari even more than that of the Avari surpassed primitive [[Men]].

In ''[[The War of the Jewels]]'', names of six tribes of Avari in their own languages are given, all being cognates of the [[Quenya]] word [[Quendi]] (''the Speakers''): '''[[Kindi]]''', '''[[Cuind]]''', '''[[Hwenti]]''', '''[[Windan]]''', '''[[Kinn-lai]]''', '''[[Penni]]'''. They are the only certain Avarin words ever mentioned in the published [[Middle-earth]] material. It is speculated however that [[Dorwinion]] was an Avarin land, with '''Winion''' carrying the meaning of "Wine".

[[The Silmarillion]] contains a suggestion that [[Orcs]] may be descended by [[Avarin elves]] captured and corrupted by [[Melkor]].
The Barrow-Wights may be spirits of Avari
==Other versions of the legendarium==

In older versions of the legendarium, the name ''Avari'' was originally that of the later [[Eldar]], then meaning "those that departed".

In other, relatively late writings, a brief idea was that the Avari did not come from the three clans, but from two other clans, led by [[Nurwë]] and [[Morwë]]. This idea was later dropped. In the final conception, the [[Elves]] were divided into three tribes.

==External links==
*[http://www.uib.no/People/hnohf/avarin.htm Avarin languages at Ardalambion]

[[Category:Elves]]

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Avari