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
populating areas like Mordor and the Misty Mountains.
Those great beings like Melkor, Sauron, the Witch King and Saruman who commanded the Orcs,
bred them in various forms to fulfill whatever role was needed, such as the smaller laborers,
nicknamed Snaga, the mid-sized warrior-orcs used as foot soldiers, the snufflers who excelled
as trackers, and the elite Uruk-hai who were faster, smarter, stronger and more resilient
then all others.
There were also many half-breed Orcs used as Special Forces, which resulted from capturing
humans, the younger children of Iluvatar who awoke in a later age, and using dark sorcery
to twist their minds and bodies, as was done to the Elves.
Although they did not become Orcs themselves, these humans were made primitive in mind and
body, allowing them to breed with the Orcs and create offspring like the Half-Orcs and
Goblin-Men who were large, wicked and cunning.
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.
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.