The Avari
An early (and apparently rejected) tradition concerning the Avari states that their leaders were Morwë and Nurwë. If the Noldor and Lindar who became Avari had leaders, Tolkien might have
revived the names of Morwë and Nurwë.
The Avari lived near Cuiviënen for a long time, but eventually they had to leave that land
because the War of Wrath changed Middle-earth. The inland sea of Helcar (which had been
formed in the destruction of the Northern Lamp, Illuin) was drained, leaving only a small portion of itself which became the Sea of Rhun. The Nurnen may have been another corner of the
ancient waters which survived the tumults of the War of Wrath.
Yet some of the Avari had left Cuiviënen even before the end of the First Age of the Sun.
Tolkien writes that some Avari reached Beleriand before the Eldarin realms were destroyed. The
Edain had also met and befriended Avari in the eastern lands before they entered Beleriand,
according to the tale of Bëor and Finrod. Of course, there were also Nandor in the east, but their numbers may at that time have been few, since Denethor had gathered as many of his people as
he could find when he led them to Beleriand.
The Avari mingled with the Nandor in the Vales of Anduin, Eriador, and Ossiriand, but only a
very few settled in Doriath successfully. They don't seem to have gotten on well with the Noldor.
Those of the Avari who were descended from the "second clan" thought their cousins of Aman were arrogant.
When Oropher and Amdir (Malgalad) established their realms among the Silvan Elves in the
Vales of Anduin early in the Second Age (before the year 1000, when Sauron started building
the Barad-dur), they must have recognized the mixed heritage of the Elven folk they had chosen
to rule (why else select a new name for them?).
The Avari taught the Edain the rudiments of language and music, both skills the Elves had
developed before their great division. But they would have needed to develop or practice other
skills, for they needed to defend themselves in the wild and to feed and clothe themselves as
well.
As the Dwarves traded with the Nandor so they must also have traded with the Avari, and what
wars or adventures they engaged in were not recorded by Tolkien.
Tolkien never mentioned any kingdoms or "countries" which were wholly established by the Avari, but one must always wonder what he imagined the land known as Dorwinion to be like. It
is mentioned in "Lay of Leithian", and it seems unlikely it could have been anything other than an Elvish realm at that time.
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The Silvan Elves
The Silvan Elves are generally thought to be descended of a portion of the Nandor who remained
in Greenwood the Great or by the river Anduin. But since some of the Avari eventually settled in Beleriand we must assume that others settled among the Nandor of the Vales of Anduin. And
when the Elves could no longer live in Cuiviënen they must have turned their minds and hearts
toward the west. Men were increasing in number in the eastern lands and there would have been
little incentive for the Avari to stay close to tribes who were in Morgoth's service or led by Men who had been in his service.
The Silvan Elves originally lived very close together on both sides of the river, at about the same latitude as the forest of Lindorinand and southern Greenwood about Amon Lanc. They crossed
the river by boats and rafts and probably hunted in the woods for game, fished the river, and
perhaps traded with the Dwarves of Khazad-dum.
Like the Noldor and Sindar, the Silvan Elves were permitted to sail over Sea to Aman when they
grew weary of Middle-earth. They appear to have been closely associated with the haven of
Edhellond near the Bay of Belfalas, though by the Third Age communication between the
northern Elves and Edhellond seems to have been diminished.
The great migration of the Silvan Elves of Lorien in the year 1981 reduced the population of
Lorien though it did not affect the Elven realm in Northern Mirkwood. But it would seem that
the great influx of Elves fleeing Middle-earth infused the folk of Edhellond with a desire to flee the mortal lands.
After the death of Amroth and the desertion of Edhellond some Silvan Elves still occasionally set sail over Sea. The poem "The White Ship" speaks of a group of Elves who sail down the Anduin; Legolas is said to have built a ship in Ithilien and sailed over Sea. And Mithrellas, the wife of Imrazôr the Numenorean in one version of the founding of the House of Dol Amroth, was a
Silvan Elf who left her husband after bearing him two children. She was supposedly a handmaid
of Nimrodel, and could not have left Middle-earth before Amroth did. Perhaps she joined a
company of Elves who built a ship near Belfalas some years after Amroth's death.
In the Fourth Age the Silvan Elves of Lorien followed Celeborn across the Anduin to establish
the realm of East Lorien. The "Tale of Aragorn And Arwen" implies that a few Elves remained in Lorien but not enough to maintain the ancient Elven realm.
Thranduil, King of Northern Mirkwood, permitted his son Legolas to lead some of their folk
south to Ithilien. Gondor thus enjoyed a renewal of Elvish influence for at least a few centuries, as it is unlikely all of Legolas' people went with him over Sea.
The Silvan Elves were drawn into all the major wars of the Second and Third Ages. They gave
assistance to the Elves of Eregion in the War of the Elves and Sauron, and they marched with
Gil-galad in the War of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men. Elrond called upon the Elves of
Lorien for aid on at least two and possibly three occasions in the wars against Angmar, and
Thranduil fought in the Battle of Five Armies.
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Sauron also launched attacks on Thranduil's realm and Lorien just prior to and during the War of the Ring. In the end, Thranduil and Celeborn were victorious against Sauron's armies and in a
way the Silvan Elves flourished in the Fourth Age as they never had before, since they expanded to four regions of settlement from two and enjoyed a renewed friendship with Men: Thranduil
was allied with the Men of Dale and Legolas was allied with the Men of Gondor.
The Sindar
In THE LORD OF THE RINGS Tolkien gives the impression that the Sindar were all of one
people, and yet we learn in THE SILMARILLION that there were two groups of Teleri who
became Sindar and a third group who joined them. The Grey-elves had a very complex culture
by the time the Noldor showed up.
Consider that the Eglath lived in Doriath and Dorthonion; the Falathrim lived in Brithombar,
Eglarest, and Nevrast; the Laegrim (Green-Elves) lived in Ossiriand and Doriath; and there were Elves living in Hithlum who were Sindar, either related to the Eglath or the Falathrim, or perhaps both.
The Eglath of Doriath traded extensively with the Dwarves of Nogrod and Belegost, the
Falathrim, and probably with the Laegrim. Menegroth was the greatest Elven city of the First
Age (in Middle-earth) and unrivaled in beauty and complexity by any other city built in Middle-
earth in that age or any others.
Under the tutelage of Melian the Maia and the Dwarves of Nogrod and Belegost the Sindar
became master weavers, smiths, stone-masons, carpenters, and warriors. They were also
consummate hunters and foresters, but though the Laegrim refused to cut trees the Eglath and
Falathrim used wood extensively.
The Sindar produced the Cirth, the grey fabric which the Elves used to "blend" in with their surroundings, were great mariners, and generally achieved a civilization that was nearly as high and noble as the Elven civilization of Aman.
After the First Age of the Sun the Sindar led the great Elvish migrations into the east, and
Tolkien recorded in one tradition that Eriador was largely settled by Sindar and Nandor early in the Second Age. There were also Sindar in Eregion, though most of the Elves who dwelt there
were Noldor.
After the War of the Elves and Sauron the Sindar seem to have been absorbed into the Silvan
Elves of Lorien and Greenwood, or they settled in Lindon. Unlike the Noldor their history as a
separate, active people in Middle-earth ended with the war.
Most of the Sindar sailed over Sea at the end of the First Age. They settled on Tol Eressëa in the haven of Avallonë and are forgotten, but they seem not to have totally departed from the annals of Men. The Eldar of Tol Eressëa sailed to Numenor on many occasions, bringing gifts and lore
with them, and they acted as the messengers of Manwë during the reigns of Tar-Ciryatan and
Tar-Atanamir.
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Yet more Sindar would have sailed to Tol Eressëa during and after the War of the Elves and
Sauron, and probably many also left after the War of the Last Alliance. In the last years of the Third Age many Elves passed through the Shire on their ways to the havens. Undoubtedly many
were Sindar of Eriador who were no longer content to live in Middle-earth.
The Noldor
Most of the histories of the Elves deal with the Noldor and the great tragedies of their princely houses. Tolkien described the Noldor as the craftsmen of the Elves, and their achievements both in Aman and Middle-earth were unrivaled by other Elves. The Noldor produced the Tengwar, the
Silmarils, the Palantiri, and the special lamps which the Eldar favored in Middle-earth. They
glowed a soft silver or blue. In Middle-earth the Noldor created the Rings of Power, which may
have surpassed all their other artifacts in power and worth, even the Silmarils, since the Rings were designed to help the Elves preserve and heal their folk in Middle-earth.
The Noldor established four kingdoms in
Beleriand: Hithlum, Nevrast (which later
was abandoned for Gondolin),
Nargothrond, and the March of
Maedhros. Hithlum, Nargothrond, and
the March played the greatest roles in the
wars against Morgoth, but each was in
turn destroyed by the enemy and its
people were slain, enslaved, or
dispersed.
The Noldor of Beleriand were driven to
refuges in Ossiriand and the isle of
Balar, and it may be this division was
reproduced in the Second Age when
many Noldor passed east from Lindon to
settle in Eregion. Those Noldor who
were most likely to remain with Gil-
galad in Lindon would have been the
folk who lived with him in Balar.
Equally so, the Noldor most likely to
desire a close alliance and friendship
with the Dwarves of Khazad-dum would
have been the Fëanorians who in
Beleriand had been closely allied with
the Dwarves of Ered Luin.
The Host of Nargothrond
Copyright © Anke Eissmann. Used by permission.
Gil-galad's realm in Lindon lasted throughout the Second Age. His chief (and perhaps only city) was the haven of Forlond. The Sindar of Harlindon probably lived in and around the haven of
Harlond, which after their migration eastward may have become a Noldorin city.
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Tolkien did not record what the Noldor of Lindon achieved aside from their successful wars
against Sauron. Gil-galad ruled much of Eriador as well as Lindon and he defended the lands
between Ered Luin and Hithaeglir as much as he could.
Gil-galad built the three towers overlooking the sea which stood upon the Tower Hills beyond
the Shire. These were the last expression of Noldorin craftsmanship in Tolkien's writings. All the other great havens and artifacts had long since been constructed when Gil-galad built the towers for Elendil.
Under Gil-galad the Noldor fielded their last great army in Middle-earth. Yet though Elrond said the Host of the Alliance was greater than any army except the Host of Valinor which had
destroyed Thangorodrim at the end of the First Age, the Noldor of Lindon were only a single
contingent in the Last Alliance's army. More than likely they were only equal to a fraction of the great numbers of warriors the Noldor had fielded in the First Age.
After Gil-galad's fall the Noldor continued to live in Lindon and Imladris, and some few may
have still lived in Lorien, or perhaps settled there with Galadriel. The Noldor marched to war
under Cirdan and Elrond but they could not raise as great an army as Gil-galad had, and as the
centuries passed by many sailed over Sea, leaving behind diminished enclaves.
By the end of the Third Age neither Cirdan nor Elrond could field an army any longer, and even
together they lacked the power to withstand Sauron for any length of time. In the Fourth Age a
few Noldor remained at Imladris for a long time, and probably some more stayed in Mithlond
and Lindon, but they faded from history and became nothing more than a memory.
The Noldor who stayed in Aman during the First Age continued to live in Tirion but their city
must have seemed a mere shadow of its former self. Finarfin ruled them and he led their
contingent in the Host of Valinor. Except for one event, we hear no more of them after the War
of Wrath, but those Noldor who left Middle-earth settled in Avallonë or other places in Tol
Eressëa and with the Sindar of that land they continued in friendship with the Dunedain of
Numenor.
It is said in "Akallabeth" that Ar-Pharazôn led an army up to Tirion, and all the Elves (Noldor) fled away from the city. The Valar laid down their guardianship of the world and they appealed
to Iluvatar, who gave to them the authority to change the world and punish the Numenoreans.
Ar-Pharazon and his army were buried by a great landslide that must also have destroyed the
ancient city of the Elves.
So, in all likelihood, the Noldor of Aman must have been forced to relocate inside Valinor, or
later had to build a new city somewhere in Eldamar.
If the Palantiri were truly made by Fëanor as Tolkien suggests, they must have been left in Tirion (or other places in Aman) and only late in the Second Age gathered together in Avallonë. But
this seems too much a contrivance to fit with the legend of the Master Stone which was set in
Avallonë. It may be more likely that some great craftsman other than Fëanor made the Palantiri
in Tol Eressëa and sent them to Amandil in Numenor as a gift to the Faithful.
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Of all the Eldar of Aman, only Glorfindel is named as leaving that land in the Second Age.
Tolkien decided that the Glorfindel of Imladris who aided Frodo was the same Glorfindel who
gave his life defending the column of Exiles of Gondolin against a Balrog when that ancient city was destroyed. In the Second Age Glorfindel was released from Mandos and re-embodied. He at
some time sailed to Middle-earth and perhaps remained there long into the Fourth Age (Tolkien
does not say that Glorfindel sailed over Sea with Elrond).
The Falmari
These were the Teleri who reached Aman, and they comprised fewer than 1/3 of the Lindar who
set out on the Great Journey from Cuiviënen. They were probably the largest group of Teleri (if the Eglath and Falathrim are considered to be separate groups) but still were fewer in number
than the Noldor of Aman.
The Teleri who reached Aman first lived for a long time on the isle of Tol Eressëa, unable to
cross the sea or to commune with the other Eldar. When at last Ossë taught them how to build
ships they sailed to Eldamar and established themselves on the shores. According to Fëanor, the Noldor helped the Teleri build Alqualondë, the Haven of the Swans, and it was from this time
forward that the Teleri (renamed the Falmari, the Foam-riders) and Noldor became closely
associated with one another.
Olwë, brother of Elwë, was the King of the Falmari. Of his family we know only that he had
more than one son and at least one daughter, Ëarwen, who married Finarfin the youngest son of
Finwë.
The Falmari had little to do with Valinor and the Vanyar. They did not usually attend the feasts held in Valimar or upon the slopes of Taniquetil. Instead they spent their time on the sea or by the shores.
The Swan-ships of the Falmari, stolen by the Noldor when that people went into Exile, were said by Olwë to be irreplaceable. The Teleri built new ships after the Noldor left Aman, but the nature of the ships is not really described. A single reference to oarless ships coming from Tol Eressëa in "Akallabeth" suggests the Teleri perfected the design of true sailing vessels, but whether the Falathrim of Beleriand did this, or the Falmari of Aman, or both independently Tolkien does not say.
Since the Falmari used bows to defend their ships against the Noldor it may be that they hunted in the woods of Eldamar. There must have been sufficient trees on both Tol Eressëa and in
Eldamar to allow the Falmari to build their ships and bows.
Although they manned the ships that took the Host of Valinor to Beleriand, the Falmari did not
participate in the War of Wrath. Nor is there any further mention of them in the records
concerning Aman, Numenor, or Middle-earth. It is possible they continued to live along the coast of Aman, spreading slowly toward the north and south as the ages passed and their numbers
increased.
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The Falmari probably engaged in trade with the Eldar of Tol Eressëa but more than likely had
little or nothing to do with the Dunedain of Numenor. There was no tradition of friendship
between the Falmari and Men, although it may be that Elwing influenced them to express some
friendship toward the Dunedain.
Although "Akallabeth" says only that Ar-Pharazôn set foot upon the shores of Aman and encamped about the hill of Tuna, it may be that an army of the Numenoreans moved on
Alqualondë, at least to secure their flank against attack from that direction. A Numenorean fleet must also have blockaded the harbor of Alqualondë, as Tol Eressëa itself must have been
guarded against attack from the rear.
Unlike Tirion Alqualondë probably survived the onslaught, but it may have been damaged in the
changes the Valar wrought upon the world. Even so, it is unlikely the Falmari would have been
denied the sea they loved so much. At the very least, whatever form Aman took after its
sundering from Arda, there must have been seas for the Falmari to sail upon, and perhaps even
new lands for them to explore.
The Vanyar
We know so very little about the Vanyar. They helped to build Tirion upon Tuna in Eldamar but
they left the most ancient of Elven cities long before the Two Trees were slain by Melkor and
Ungoliant.
The special gifts of the Vanyar seem to be a superior knowledge of poetry and music, but they
were also valiant warriors who served in the War of Wrath.
The Vanyar settled on the slopes of Taniquetil or in the woods and plains of Valinor. Although
Tolkien says that the Vanyar were the most loved by Manwë of all the Eldar, it seems they must
have enjoyed a close relationship with Oromë and perhaps also Yavanna.
The only great work of the Vanyar to be named was Elemmirë's tale "Aldudenië". This Lament may have been composed before the Noldor went into Exile, as THE SILMARILLION says it is
known to all the Eldar.
A few of the Vanyar seem to have gone into Exile with the Noldor. Notably, Elenwë the wife of
Turgon was a Vanyarin Elf who perished in the Helcaraxë. Glorfindel, the great Elven lord of
Gondolin who slew a Balrog, may have been a Vanya or at least partly descended of the Vanyar.
The Vanyar would have been least affected by the invasion of the Numenoreans, although those
who lived on the slopes of Taniquetil may have fled their homes to avoid being caught in the
great landslide used to trap Ar-Pharazôn's army.
Ingwë was King of the Vanyar and he is said to have lived on Taniquetil at the feet of Manwë. In early legends his son Ingwiel is said to have led the army of the Vanyar in the War of Wrath. In war the Vanyar marched under white banners.
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