Spreading throughout the lands of Beleriand and beyond, the Noldor established many settlements
and kingdoms, the greatest of which included Hithlum, originally ruled by High King Fingolfin,
Nevrast and Gondolin founded by King Turgon, the realms of East Beleriand under the Sons
of Feanor, Nargothrond with King Finrod, Dorthonion under Angrod and Aegnor, and the later realms
of Lindon under Gil Galad, Eregion led by Celebrimbor and Imladris ruled by Elrond.
Leading the war effort against Morgoth, many Noldor warriors like Glorfindel and Ecthelion
earned fame throughout Middle-earth, but most of their great heroes traced their lineage
to the House of Finwe, with many of his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren becoming
kings and great Lords ruling over their own realms.
Yet while the Noldor greatly impacted the history of middle-earth, they did so alongside
the Umanyar Elves who never travelled to Valinor and therefore were already well established
in these lands.
As the Nandor elves lived on the other side of the misty mountains, it was the Sindar
of Beleriand who suffered most in the war against Morgoth.
Divided into numerous sub-groups, the Eglath and Lathrim Sindar lived in the Kingdom of
Doriath under their old leader Elwe, who awoke from his trance to become King Elu Thingol.
Other Sindar, who did not live in this realm but still took Thingol as their king were
the Falathrim who populated the Havens of the Falas under Lord Cirdan as well as those
who settled in Nevrast and Hithlum.
Among the many famous Sindar who lived throughout the Ages, there was High King Elu Thingol,
his daughter Luthien and grandson King Dior, Lord Cirdan the Shipwright, King Oropher,
his son Thranduil and grandson Legolas, and Lord Celeborn who married the Noldor Maiden
Galadriel, granddaughter of Finwe.
Though they took little part in the War of Great Jewels throughout the First Age, the
Nandor Elves in the center of the continent developed their own culture and history, sundering
further into the Silvan, or Wood Elves, who loved the forests and were somewhat isolationists,
and the Laiquendi, or Green Elves, who defied the superstitions of their people to follow
Denethor, son of Lenwe, and at last cross the Misty mountains to settle in Ossiriand.
Already divided into numerous factions and groups, there were two more terms which could
be applied to the Elven race, to further distinguish their sundering throughout history, with those
who saw the light of Valinor called the Calaquendi or Light elves, while the rest were the Moriquendi
or Dark Elves.
Originally, this meant the Vanyar, Noldor and Falmari were Calaquendi, while the Avari,
Nandor and most of the Sindar were Moriquendi.
Yet as they ages went on, the term Dark Elf took on a more specific meaning, describing
those with more isolationist tendencies who preferred shadowy forests to open skies, such
as Eol the Dark Elf of the First Age or the Silvan and Avari elves in later ages.
Playing a vital role in the history of middle-earth for thousands of years, it was in the fourth
Age, after the final defeat of the Second Dark Lord Sauron, that many of the Elves were
ready to depart for the Undying Lands, though not all of their kind shared the same fate.
Continuing to serve under King Ingwe of Taniquetil, the Vanyar were ever the faithful servants
of the Valar, following them proudly into the War of Wrath at the end of the First Age.
The Amanyar Noldor similarly fought in the War of Wrath, but otherwise lived peacefully
under King Finarfin in Tirion.
As for the Falmari of Alqualonde and Tol Eressea under King Olwe, they suffered greatly throughout
the first Kinslaying and as a result greatly resented the Noldor and refused to fight on
their behalf during the war of wrath.
Unlike their peaceful kin in Aman, the Umanyar Noldor lost many realms and leaders throughout
the years of war in middle-earth, ultimately migrating as refugees to whatever Elven stronghold
weer available, eventually mixing and interbreeding with the Sindar, Laiquendi and Silvan Elves.
Similarly, the Sindar felt the sting of many losses throughout the years of fighting, losing
so many leaders and realms; they too became refugees, mixing with the Noldor, Laiquendi
and Silvan.
Formerly of the Nandor, the Laiquendi were led by their beloved King Denethor, and were
so upset after losing him in the First Battle of Beleriand, they retreated to Ossiriand
and became isolationists, refusing to participate in future conflicts.
Those who survived the fall of Beleriand at the end of the First Age then had no choice
but to mix with Noldor and Sindar refugees to establish the Kingdom of Lindon under Gil
Galad.
Further East, the Silvan lived for many years as simple forest dwellers, until found by
Noldor and Sindar nobles who created the Woodland Realm and Kingdom of Lothlorien.
Ruled by the Sindar King Oropher and later his son Thranduil, the Silvan Elves of the
Woodland realm remained relatively isolationist, while King Amdir, his son Amroth and later
Galdriel and Celeborn ruled over the Silvan of Lothlorien, where they eventually mixed
with migrating Noldor and Sindar.
This left only the Avari of the far east, who over the years did explore beyond their
homeland, yet despite some migrating westward, they rarely interacted with the Eldar elves,
whom they considered arrogant deserter, though some were on good terms with the Silvan, occasionally
interacting and mixing together.
Growing and changing in so many ways since first waking in the lands of Cuivienen, the
immortal Elves were tied to this world, and while their bodies could decay and be destroyed,
their spirits and consciousness lived on until the end of all things.
Thus it was that many of their kind began to depart Middle-earth at the end of the third
age and well into the 4th, at last taking a place alongside their kin in the Undying
Lands.
Yet not all the Elves underwent the journey, with some like the Silvan and Avari remaining
behind to live out their days in mortal lands.
Unfortunately, without the enchanted magic of Valinor to preserve them, the bodies of
those who stayed in Middle-earth did eventually decay and fade away, leaving only the unhoused
spirit of the elves.
Once the body of an elf passed away, their spirit could go to the Halls of Mandos, where
the dead rested and might be reborn into a new body.
Yet this was not mandatory, and so some elven spirits never moved on, and continued to wander
unseen across the lands of middle-earth.