Sundering of the Elves

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The Elves were a people subjected to many sunderings. They awoke at Cuiviénen on the continent of Middle-earth (see: Awakening of the Elves), where they were divided into three tribes: the Minyar, Tatyar, and Nelyar (also called the Lindar). After some time, they were summoned by Oromë to live with the Valar in Aman. That summons and the Great Journey that followed split the Elves into two main groups and many minor ones, which were never fully reunited.

The name Quendi refers to all elves.

A chart of the Sundering of the Elves


Eldar and Avari

The Avari, the "Unwilling", were those who refused the summons of Oromë. Half of the original Avari were of the Tatyar and the other half were of the Nelyar.[1]

The Eldar were those who accepted the summons. Their name, "People of the Stars", was given to them by Oromë in their own language. All the Minyar accepted the summons to Valinor and became known as the Vanyar. Those of the Tatyar and Nelyar who embarked on the Great Journey would come to be known as the Noldor and Teleri respectively.

Sunderings of the Teleri

Unlike the Vanyar and Noldor, the Teleri were subject to multiple sunderings along the Great Journey:

  • Those of the Teleri who feared to cross the Misty Mountains and stayed in the vales of the River Anduin were called the Nandor ("Those Who Go Back").[2]
    • Those of the Nandor who left the vales of Anduin under the leadership of Denethor and came to Beleriand before the dawn of the First Age were called the Laiquendi ("Green-elves").[1]
    • The other Nandor became known as the Silvan Elves, living in the forests of Wilderland (notably Eryn Galen and Lindórinand). They were joined there by some of the Avari as they slowly spread westwards. By the end of the First Age, some Silvan Elves had migrated as far south as the Ethir Anduin and Edhellond.
  • Those of the Teleri who reached Beleriand west of the Blue Mountains but did not make the crossing to Aman were called the Sindar ("Grey-elves").
    • Many of the Teleri chose to remain behind in order to look for their lord Thingol, who disappeared near the end of the journey. These were known as the Eglath ("Forsaken"), because they were left behind when their kindred crossed the Sea.
    • Those of the Teleri who came to the shores of the Great Sea but decided to stay there or, like Nowë, intended to cross to Aman but arrived too late to board the island ferry, are called the Falathrim ("People of the Shore").
  • The Teleri under the lordship of Olwë who crossed the Great Sea to reach Aman are known as the Falmari ("Wave-folk").

Calaquendi and Moriquendi

The Elves who completed the journey to Aman – the Vanyar, the Noldor, and the Falmari – referred to themselves as Calaquendi ("Elves of Light"). They referred to the Avari, Nandor, and Sindar as Moriquendi ("Elves of Darkness") in recognition of the fact that they never saw the light of the Two Trees. The largest part of the Moriquendi were Nelyarin, since half of the original Avari were so, as were all of the Nandor and Sindar.[3]

Amanyar and Úmanyar

After the Darkening of Valinor, most of the Noldor returned to Middle-earth with Fëanor and some remained there until the end of the Third Age. These became known as the Exiles, and they lived near to the Sindar for the rest of their time in Middle-earth. The Sindar were insulted by the appellation "Moriquendi," so the Exiles instead generally referred to them as Úmanyar ("Those Not of Aman"). Over the ages, use of this term grew to include all those Elves who started on the Great Journey but did not complete it. The Exiles referred to themselves and those who still dwelt in Valinor as Amanyar ("Those of Aman").

Thingol

Thingol was an exception to the usual overlap of the categories Calaquendi with Amanyar and Moriquendi with Úmanyar. This is due to the fact that he was one of the original three Elven ambassadors to Valinor and saw the light of the Two Trees, but did not complete the Great Journey and never dwelt in Valinor. As such, he alone was both Calaquendi and Úmanyar.[4]

Galadhrim

After the end of the First Age and the sinking of Beleriand, the Exiles, Sindar, and Nandor who had dwelt there and did not wish to leave for Valinor founded the realm of Lindon west of the Blue Mountains. Some of those Sindar who wished to live apart from the remaining Noldor went eastward and crossed the Misty Mountains to reunite with their Silvan kin and dwell in the great forests of Eryn Galen and Lindórinand. In both forest realms, the native Silvan Elves took Sindar for their kings (Oropher and Amdír, respectively) and the two peoples lived together in harmony.[5] In Lindórinand especially, the two peoples effectively "became merged together"[6] and were known as the Galadhrim ("Tree-people").[7]

Elves
(Quendi · People of the Stars · Firstborn · Elder Kindred)
Three Kindreds:
(Eldar · Eldalië · Edhil)
 Vanyar (Fair-elves · Minyar) · Noldor (Deep-elves · Tatyar) · Teleri (Lindar · Nelyar)
Calaquendi:
(High-elves · Amanyar)
 Vanyar · Noldor · Falmari
Úmanyar:  Sindar (Grey-elves · Eglath · Falathrim) · Nandor (Green-elves · Silvan Elves)
 Moriquendi:  Úmanyar · Avari (Cuind · Hwenti · Kindi · Kinn-lai · Penni · Windan)
See also:  Awakening of the Elves · Sundering of the Elves · Great Journey

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The War of the Jewels, "Part Four. Quendi and Eldar: C. The Clan-names, with notes on other names for divisions of the Eldar", pp. 380-85
  2. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The War of the Jewels, "Part Four. Quendi and Eldar: Author's Notes to Quendi and Eldar", p. 412, Note 18
  3. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion: Of the Coming of the Elves and the Captivity of Melkor"
  4. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion: Of Thingol and Melian"
  5. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "The History of Galadriel and Celeborn", "Concerning Galadriel and Celeborn"
  6. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The War of the Jewels, "Part Four. Quendi and Eldar: C. The Clan-names, with notes on other names for divisions of the Eldar", pp. 380-83
  7. J.R.R. Tolkien, "Words, Phrases and Passages in Various Tongues in The Lord of the Rings", in Parma Eldalamberon XVII (edited by Christopher Gilson), p. 50