Long before the rising of the sun, when only the two trees of Valinor and stars in the
sky bestowed their light upon the world, the elder children of the creator Iluvatar awoke
in the lands of Cuivienen, next to the sea of Helcar in the east Middle-earth.
New to the world, the immortal Quendi, later called Elves, were curious about their surroundings
but also naïve to its dangers and soon fell victim to the Dark Lord Melkor who held a
deep hatred for all of Eru’s creations.
Ruling from the Northern fortress of Utumno, Melkor built an army off the back of his enemies
by capturing wayward individuals so he might twist their minds and bodies with dark sorcery
to create the violent and savage Orc race, in mockery of the elves.
The primary soldiers of both the first and second dark lords, the Orcs were short and
sallow skinned, often weak and craven as individuals, but fearsome and aggressive in a group, eventually
bred into soldier-orcs who populated areas like Mordor and the Misty Mountains.
Those great beings like Melkor, Sauron, the Witch King and Saruman who commanded and bred
the Orcs, also created sub-races like the smaller Snaga used as labourers, Snufflers
who excelled as trackers, the larger hobgoblins, half-orcs and goblin-men sent into combat,
and the elite Uruk-hai who were faster, smarter, stronger and more resilient then all others.
Learning of the terrible fate that awaited captured Elves, the Valar of Aman, beings
of great power who shaped and oversaw the world, travelled to Middle-earth and fought
the war for sake of the elves, capturing Melkor and eliminating the immediate threat.
The Vala Orome was then sent to contact the Elves and offer them a place in Valinor upon
the continent of Aman, also known as the undying lands because it was an enchanted realm of
splendour and peace for the immortal races of the world.
Yet after their experience Melkor, the Elves feared outsiders and would not agree without
proof of Orome’s claims.
Therefore 3 Elven males were chosen to represent the Minyar, Tatyar and Nelyar clans of Cuivienen
on a great journey west, where they could witness paradise for themselves before returning
to report their findings.
Using the island Eressea as a ferry, the Elves Ingwe, Finwe and Elwe followed Orome to complete
their mission, describing all they saw to their people, which convinced many to make
the long journey west, while others still believed it too dangerous or simply did not
want to leave the land they knew and loved.
Thus the Elves of Cuivienen, were sundered into the Eldar or People of the Stars, who
journeyed West, and the Avari, or the Unwilling, who remained in the east under leaders like
Morwe and Nurwe.
Departing their homeland, the original three elven clans now had new names and rulers,
with the Melyar becoming the Vanyar under Ingwe, the Tatyar becoming the Noldor under
Finwe, and the Nelyar becoming the Teleri under Elwe.
Though they all started with the goal of crossing the continent and sea to Valinor, the long,
perilous undertaking made some reconsider and ultimately abandon the journey.
Thus the Eldar were further sundered when the Teleri Clan broke apart in the middle
of the continent, with some coming to fear the great Misty Mountains, believing it represented
a border they should not cross.
As the other Elves continued onward, those who remained under their leader Lenwe, became
known as the Nandor, meaning those who go back, and lived as relatively primitive tribal
forest dwellers until re-establishing contact with their kin in later ages.
Having already fractured once, the Teleri again faced crisis when their leader Elwe
fell into a trance upon his encounter with Melian, a beautiful Maia from the Valinor
whose magic affected them both.
Frozen in place for many years, the Teleri abandoned their westward travels to search
for their lost leader, leaving the Vanyar and Noldor to complete the great journey on
their own.
Yet after searching in vain for so many years, Orome returned to give the remaining Teleri
one last chance to reach the Undying Lands.
Thus the Teleri were further sundered, with Elwe’s brother Olwe leading the Falmari,
or Wave Folk, to continue travelling westward, while the Sindar, meaning Grey Elves, refused
to leave Middle-earth.
Some of the Sindar still held hope to find their lost leader, but others simply came
to love Beleriand, specifically the coastal areas.
With the great Journey at last complete, the many elven factions of the Eldar were now
divided into two broader groups, the Amanyar, those he reached the continent of Aman, and
the Umanyar, those who did not.
Among the Amanyar, there were the Vanyar, known as the most faithful servants of the
Valar, led by King Ingwe from Taniquetil, The Noldor under King Finwe of Tirion, who
followed the Vala Aule to learn smithing and craft work, and the remaining Teleri, called
the Falmari, who lived under King Olwe along the coastline, in both the City of Alqualonde
and Island Eressea so they could pursue their love of ship building and sea travel.
Yet while the Amanyar Elves seemed to be living in Paradise, an old enemy was soon let loose
and the peace of Valinor was broken.
After his defeat in the War for Sake of the Elves, Melkor was imprisoned in the Undying
Lands, but after a few thousand years feigned repentance and was set free.
Allying with the Ungoliant, mother to the race of great spiders, Melkor orchestrated
an attack against Valinor, first by destroying the Two Trees of light, and then by charging
into Formenos, slaying Finwe, and stealing the precious Silmaril jewels crafted by Feanor,
the noldor king’s eldest son and heir.
By the time Finwe’s children realized what occurred, Melkor fled to middle-earth, and
so Feanor took up the leadership of their people and organized a journey across the
sea so they might take vengeance upon the dark lord and reclaim the silmarils.
Yet Feanor, his sons, and closest followers grew so radical in their devotion to this
mission they committed the First Kinslaying by slaughtering the Falmari elves of the coast
when they refused to surrender their ships for the journey.
Learning of this terrible crime, the Vala Mandos spoke a prophecy of doom for all those
who continued on to middle-earth.
Thus the Noldor were sundered, when some few, known as the Amanyar Noldor followed Finwe’s
youngest son Finarfin back to the Valinor, while the elder sons Feanor and Fingolfin
led the Etyangoldi, or exiled Noldor to Middle-earth so they might wage the War of Great Jewels.