Long ago, the Elves welcomed the younger races of Middle-earth and allied with them when the need was great, but centuries of war, betrayal, and hardship have made them fiercely protective of their seclusion.
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Agility of the Woods | Improved Agility - The Grace of the Eldar is remembered in legend. |
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Fading of the Firstborn | Reduced Fate - The time of the Elves in Middle-earth is nearly at its end. |
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Sorrow of the Firstborn | Reduced Morale and Morale Regeneration out of combat - Elves feel things more deeply than the other races and are more subject to sorrow. |
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Suffer no Illness | Improved resistance to Disease and Poison - Elves do not suffer illness. |
| Icon/Name | Description | |
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Eldar's Grace | With the speed and grace of the Eldar, you can put up a strong parry defence. |
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Elf Bow-damage Bonus | Elf Bow-damage Bonus |
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Elf One-handed Sword-damage Bonus | Elf One-handed Sword-damage Bonus |
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Friend Of Man | You are devoted to guiding the race of Man. Your Fate is improved. |
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Power of the Eldar | You provide a bonus to your fellowship's Power. |
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Return to Rivendell | This enables you to quickly return to Rivendell. |
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Silvan Shadows | Although untrained, you have the natural ability to move about unseen, though there is a chance enemies may detect you, especially when moving in front of them. |
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Tactics and Conviction Bonus | You receive a bonus to Eagle's Cry and Stallion's Spirit contributions. |
Elves
Quick Facts
| Dates: | The first Elves awoke some three ages (very roughly 4,300 years) before the beginning of the First Age) |
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| Other names: | Eldar, The Elder Kindred, Elven-folk, Fair Folk, The Firstborn, People of the Stars, Quendi |
The Firstborn
| Quendi All Elves | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Eldar Those who set out for the West | Elves of the East | Orcs? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Light Elves | Noldor Deep-elves |
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| Sea-elves of Aman | Sindar Grey-elves of Beleriand | Silvan Elves | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Some of the more important divisions of the Elves
The first Elves awoke in the far east of Middle-earth, long Ages before the Rising of the Sun or Moon. Unlike Men, the Elves were not subject to illness or death, and at the end of the Third Age, there were still at least two Elves in Aman who had awoken in the first days.
Origins and Early History
The first Elves awoke under the starlight before the first rising of the Moon or Sun. The Valar at first knew nothing of their coming, but they were soon discovered by the spies of the first Dark Lord, who sent his creatures to watch them and harrass them.
How long they existed in this perilous and unprotected state is not known, but the legends of those times were preserved in Valinor by the Eldar that came there. It is known that many of the ancient Elves were captured and imprisoned - it is generally thought that these hapless beings were the origins of the race of Orcs.
The Valar discovered that the Elves had awoken when Oromë, hunting in the lands of Middle-earth, heard their singing voices. He named them Eldar, the People of the Stars, but the Elves' own name for their kind was Quendi, those who speak with voices. Because of the horrors of their first years, many of the Elves were at first suspicious of the Vala, but (after briefly returning to Valinor to tell the other Valar of his discovery) he remained with them and protected them for a time.
Concerned for the safety of the Elves in Middle-earth, the Valar left Valinor and made war against the Dark Lord: they defeated him, and he was taken as captive back to Valinor.
The Journey into the West
After the defeat of the Dark Lord, the Valar debated the fate of the Elves - whether they should be left to dwell in Middle-earth, or brought to Valinor to be kept under the direct protection of the Valar. It was decided to bring them to the land of the Valar, and Oromë was sent to summon them.
When he returned, though, he found that the Elves feared the Valar, and were reluctant to make the journey. Three ambassadors were chosen to travel to Aman with Oromë, and help the Elves decide on their course. These three were filled with awe by what they saw there, and by the light of the Two Trees, and counselled their people to follow the summons.
Most of the Elves agreed, and they set out on a great journey westwards across the wide lands of Middle-earth. Some few of the Elves were unwilling to follow the summons, and remained wandering wild in the eastern lands1.
Of the great hosts of the Elves, many were uncertain and doubtful about their westward journey. Not a few of these people left the Journey and remained in Middle-earth2. The most notable of turned away down the Vales of Anduin.
At last, the first of the Elves reached the shores of the Great Sea. The Valar brought a great island to the shores, and on it transported the first two hosts of the Elves to Aman.
The third of the hosts arrived late in Beleriand, and tarried there. Their lord, later known as King Thingol, came upon Melian in the deep woodlands beneath the stars, and was enchanted by her and lost to his people for a long while.
Many of these Elves wished to remain in Beleriand. When the time came for the third host to travel to Valinor, then, many of them chose to remain behind. These people became known in after years as the Sindar, the Grey-elves.
Three Ages of Bliss
Now came three ages of glory and bliss for the Elves, both east and west of the Great Sea. In Valinor, the Elves who travelled across the Sea dwelt with the Valar and learned from them. They dwelt in the jewelled city of Tirion, and at a great sea-carved haven on the eastern shore of Aman, and on the island of Tol Eressëa. While the Two Trees still gave light to the realm of the Valar, three ages passed, and the Elves of Valinor became the wisest and noblest of peoples to walk the World.
Meanwhile, in Beleriand, the Sindar dwelt beneath starlight. While most of Middle-earth still slept, awaiting the coming of the Sun and Moon, Melian brought life to the forests and plains of Beleriand under Thingol's rule, and Oromë would still ride at times across the darkling lands.
The Nature of the Elves
Elves and Men have much in common, but there are also great differences between the two peoples. Of these, the most significant is that Elves are 'immortal', at least while the World lasts; they do not suffer ageing3 or disease, and if they are slain or wither with grief, they are reincarnated in the Halls of Waiting in Valinor.
Although, unlike Men, the Elves must remain in the world until its ending, they are not bound to Middle-earth. They may if they wish take the straight road, and sail into the Uttermost West, a road that is barred to mortals.
Elves also have far clearer sight and perception than Men; they are naturally aware of many hidden things, but these gifts are not without limit.
Religion
The Elves never had any distinct 'religion' in the sense that Men would understand the word; indeed, the High Elves had travelled to Valinor and lived with the Valar (or 'gods') themselves for many ages before Men came into the world.
Of all the Valar, they most revered Varda. In Middle-earth, they called her Elbereth, Star-Queen, and sang to her across the wide ocean. Great respect was also given to the Vala of the Sea, especially during the First Age when he aided the Elves against Morgoth.
Footnotes
| 1 | This is the point where the term Eldar acquires its special meaning. Before the beginning of the westward journey, it was applied to all Elves. After the Three Kindreds set out, it came to be used only for Elves belonging to these three peoples. |
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| 2 | These Elves who turned aside from the Journey founded peoples and lands of their own. The Wood-elves of Mirkwood and the Galadhrim of Lórien were descended from them, for example. |
| 3 | More correctly, Elves don't suffer ageing in the same way as Men. In fact they do age, but only on a scale of tens of thousands of years. |
