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Elves (Middle-earth)The Elves (always pluralized as such, never "Elfs") are one of the races that appear in the work of J. R. R. Tolkien. Their complex history is described in full only in The Silmarillion, and it is mentioned tangentially in The Lord of the Rings. Elves were the first inhabitants of Middle-earth who were able to speak. They are sometimes called the Firstborn or the Elder Kindred (as opposed to Men, the Second Ones). The Elves named themselves Quendi ("the Speakers"), in honor of the fact that, when they were created, they were the only living things able to speak. (This name is no accident — Tolkien was a linguist.) Orom was the first who called them the Eldar ("Star People") because they were born under the stars, but the name is generally considered to exclude the Avari. Elves are described as the fairest of all creatures in Middle-earth, lovers of art (particularly songs, which they sing in beautiful voices). Many Elves are also stronger than Men and have far sharper senses. The oldorin Elves in particular possess skills and knowledge which to Men appear to be "magic." Their memories and dreams are as vivid as real life. Tolkien's Elves were a representation of what human beings might have become, had they not committed the original sin. They were mostly morally just, as no Elves willingly joined Morgoth or Sauron, the Enemies, although they could be deceived. But exceptions exist like that of Maeglin, who betrayed Gondolin to save his life and for the love of Idril, his cousin. Further, the invulnerability to diseases were granted to them and that they could recover from wounds which would normally kill a mortal Man. However this also made the Elves less flexible in terms of adjusting to an otherwise fallen, ever-changing world. It should be noted that Tolkien's Elves differ greatly from elves of older folklore, as well as most modern fantasy elves. His Elves were very much human, if Unfallen. (A reference to the Fall of Man.) Aside from being equal or greater in stature to Men, the now clichd special affinity with nature and bows is largely an accident, resulting from the fact that the most prominent Elven character in The Lord of the Rings, Legolas, is a Wood-elven archer. The trip to Lrien furthers the perception that most Elves live in trees and carry bows, while we learn from Tolkien's other writings that his Elves were just as likely to live in caves (Nargothrond) or mountain fortresses (Gondolin), and the oldor are more often known for their mighty swords. In addition, there are no explicit references to "pointy ears" in The Lord of the Rings or The Silmarillion. We know that the Quendi did, in fact, have pointed ears only because of a passage in the Etymologies (published in The Lost Road and Other Writings), where Tolkien states that, "the Quendian Elvish ears were more pointed and leaf-shaped than ?human." However, practical considerations, including a number of occasions where Men are mistaken for Elves, suggest that the points must have been subtle, quite different from the large ears of Elfquest or the extremely long, narrow elf-ears in some anime such as Record of the Lodoss War. The stories of the First Age deal mostly with the Elves, especially those who did not heed the call of the Valar and stayed behind in the various kingdoms of Beleriand, and those who later returned, as Men only appear in the later stories. Elves are here in their youth, and are powerful enough to actually challenge Melkor, a being of angelic might. After the end of the First Age, the Elves of Middle-earth are still powerful enough to hold off Sauron, and create Rings of Power which can actually slow the effects of time. However, by the Third Age (the time of The Lord of the Rings), their importance in affairs of the world is diminishing, and only a few of them are left in the refuges of Rivendell, Lothlrien, and Mirkwood. Many of them can be seen walking west, towards the Grey Havens, to leave Middle-earth forever. Therefore few of them are to remain in Middle-earth after the end of the Third Age, after the One Ring was destroyed. Some important Elves: - Imin, Tata, and Enel - the first Elves that awoke in Cuivinen
- Iminy, Tati, and Enely - the wives of Imin, Tata, and Enel respectively
- Ingw (High King of the Vanyar and High King of all the Elves)
- Elw (called Elu Thingol, King of Doriath and High King of the Sindar)
- Olw (Brother of Thingol, King of Alqualond and High King of the Teleri)
- Finw (First High King of the oldor)
- Fanor (Crafter of the Silmarils, second High King of the oldor, greatest of the Elves)
- Finrod Felagund (King of Nargothrond, elder brother of Galadriel, Anrod, and Aegnor)
- Galadriel (Lady of Lrien, greatest Lady of the oldor)
- Celeborn (Lord of Lrien)
- Celebrimbor (forger of the Rings of Power)
- Gil-galad (High King of the oldor during the Last Alliance of Elves and Men)
- Crdan (wisest of the Sindar)
- Legolas (also called Greenleaf, one of the Nine Walkers)
- Lthien (daughter of Thingol, wife of the Man Beren, fairest of all Children of Ilvatar)
Half-elven: - See also: Awakening of the Elves, Sundering of the Elves, Elvish language
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