ELVISH CROSS-

CULTURAL RELATIONS
BY ASKMIDDLEARTH.TUMBLR.COM
 ELVISH CROSS-CULTURAL RELATIONS

INTRODUCTION
Elves. Probably the most popular of Tolkiens races. Tall, beautiful, immor-
tal and hugely misunderstood. Because, while many fans believe at first
that the elves are ever-wise, peaceful, and mature, those who read fur-
ther will discover that they are not nearly that perfect. Most importantly
(at least, as far as this guide is concerned), the elvish race is split into
many cultural factions, and the relations between these groups often
have significant impacts on behavior and important decisions.

If you read this guide, youll not only get a very thorough idea of what
these cultural groups are, and how they were formed, but youll also gain
an understanding of how all of these groups interacted with each other.
Trust me, after reading this, youll never be able to look at your favorite
elvish characters the same way again.

This guide is organized into three chapters, each correlating to a major

cultural group. At the end of each chapter is a suggestion for further read-
ing, if interested. Finally, the artwork in this guide does not belong to me.
Most of the paintings are by Ted Nasmith, with a few by John Howe or
Alan Lee mixed in there. Anything that looks like it was made in Power-
Point, though, thats all me.

If, after reading this guide, you have any more questions you should defi-
nitely find me at askmiddlearth.tumblr.com.

1
ELVISH CROSS-CULTURAL RELATIONS

THE AVARI
GENERAL OVERVIEW OF AVARIN RELATIONS
The Avari are so rarely talked about that often readers forget that
theyre even part of the overarching elvish culture. And this is no ac-
cident. For the most part, the information we have on the elves
comes to us from a Noldorin or Sindarin point of view, and both
these groups had strong, largely negative, views on the Avari.
When the Valar invited the elves to come live with them in Valinor, a
great debate was held. Of the three primitive tribes (the Minyar, the
Tatyar, and the Nelyar), most wanted to go to Valinor. But some (half
of the Tatyar and some of the Nelyar) refused to leave their home in
Cuivienen. Its this moment that defines the next several thousand
years of Avarin relations with the elves that did follow the Valar,
called the Eldar.
The Eldar looked down on the Avari for refusing the Valars invitation.
You can even see such beliefs in the names they gave the Avari.
Avari itself is a Sindarin name, meaning the refusers. Another
common name in Quenya was Moriquendi, which means elves of
darkness. Moriquendi technically referred to any elf that never saw
Valinor (including the Nandor and Sindar), but as the Sindar found it
offensive, it was largely replaced with Umanyar, and Moriquendi was
used only to refer to the Avari.
3
The Avari, on the other hand, saw the split
at Cuivienen in a very different light. From
their point of view, it was the Eldar that had
made a poor decision. The Avari saw them-
selves as the only true elvish culture, and
saw those who went to Valinor as deserters.
They continued to call themselves by varia-
tions of the original name for the elves - the
Kwendi (primitive Quendian for the peo-
ple.) In fact, Tolkien lists six tribal names
for the Avari, and all of them are basically
Kwendi in another dialect: Kindi, Cuind,
Hwenti, Windan, Kinn-lai, and Penni.
After the Eldar leave Cuivienen, information
on the Avari is rare and incomplete. But we
do know that some Avari eventually made
their way to Beleriand, where we start to see
the consequences of the prejudices formed
by the Sundering of the Elves.
Its certainly worth noting that, before the
Avari even arrive in Beleriand, the Sindar
have come into contact with the first orcs.
And their first thought on encountering orcs
is that they might be Avari, having gone
evil and savage in the wild. Which tells
you right away what the Sindar thought of
the Avari.
The situation doesnt improve much when
the Avari do actually arrive. The Avari were
described as hostile, treacherous, secre-
tive, and untrustworthy. They were said to
live deep in the woods or in caves, and very
few Avari ever joined a Sindarin community
- though whether this was due to a lack of
desire on the Avaris part, or hostility on the
Sindars part is unknown.
The only positive thing we hear about the
relationship between the Avari and the Sin-
dar is specific to those Avari who de-
scended from the Nelyar - the same primi-
tive clan that the Sindar descended from.
Its said that these Avari were friendly to
their cousins, and were willing to learn
from them. In time, this openness would
lead to a much more positive relationship
for all involved.
On the other hand, the situation only wors-
ened for those Avari descended from the
Tatyar when their cousins, the Noldor, ar-
rived in Beleriand. While the Sindar were su-
perior to the Avari due to their brief expo-
sure to the Valar, as well as the influence of
Thingol and Melian, the Noldor were so far
superior to even the Sindar as to make the
Avari seem no better than men. An unhappy
relationship between the lordly Noldor and
their bitter Avarin cousins formed immedi-
ately.
It was the Noldor that really pushed the use
of the term Eldar to refer to elves in gen-
4
eral. But this term specifically excluded the the closest the Avari will ever get to anyone
Avari, since Eldar had traditionally be telling them that they were right all along.
used to refer to the elves that accepted the
This is also practically the last we hear of
Valars invitation. This implied that the
the Avari. Its said that, by the Third Age,
Noldor did not even consider the Avari to
there are no Avari to be found west of the
truly be elves at all. Meanwhile, the Avari
Misty Mountains. And other than those who
were bitter and jealous of their exalted
joined the Silvan elves, we dont know
kin, and accused the Noldor of being arro-
where else the Avari lived. Theres been
gant (frankly, a view shared by most of the
some fan-speculation, though that the re-
elves anyway.)
gion of Dorwinion, near the Sea of Rhun
Ill address this more later, but among other and where the wine that the elves of Mirk-
elvish groups it wasnt uncommon to insult wood drink is made, is in fact an Avarin
another person by referring to them as an realm. But theres no evidence in Tolkiens
Avari elf. Which just illustrates a further lack writings to prove or disprove this.
of respect for the Avari as a whole.
Further Reading:
After the First Age things improved a bit for
the Avari, as far as cross-cultural relations Quendi and Eldar by JRR Tolkien, in
go. The openness that the Nelyar- The Histories of Middle Earth vol. 11
descended Avari had shown their Sindarin
Name Calling: Group Identiy and the
and Nandorin cousins paid off: many Avari Other Among First Age Elves by Angel-
joined the Silvan communities rising to ica, found at silmarillionwritersguild.org/
power in Mirkwood and Lorien. And some reference/references/pf/namecalling.php
Sindar (most notably Oropher, Thranduils
father) experiences something of a change Artwork by Ted Nasmith
of heart after the War of Wrath. This small (tednasmith.mymiddlearth.com)
Sindarin faction strongly disliked the Noldor
and wished to be free of their influence. Be-
yond that, they saw the Silvan (a combina-
tion, mainly, of Nandorin and Avarin elves)
as leading the simple life natural to the
elves before the Valars invitation. This is
5
ELVISH CROSS-CULTURAL RELATIONS

THE VANYAR
GENERAL OVERVIEW OF VANYARIN RELATIONS
When the elves first awoke at Cuivienen, they were divided into three
tribes. The tribe led by the oldest of the elves was called the Minyar
(the First). From the beginning they were the smallest of the elvish
tribes. But when the Valar invited the elves to come live in Valinor,
every single member of the Minyar accepted. So there are no Avarin
elves that descended from the Minyar.
After this first Sundering of the Elves, the second tribes (the Tatyar
and the Nelyar) changed their names to reflect their new identities
without their Avarin cousins. But since none of the Minyar joined the
Avari, they saw no reason to adopt a new name, and continued to
refer to themselves as the Minyar. However, the other elves started
calling them the Valar, which means Fair, as in fair hair. This name
was given to them by the Noldor, who greatly admired the golden
hair so common among the Valar.
This flattering name from the Noldor is just the first indication of the
close relationship between the Vanyar and the Noldor. The two
groups travelled to Valinor together, and when they arrived in the
new land, they built a single city, Tirion, for the two tribes to live in.
The Vanyar, more than any other elvish tribe, loved the Valar and the
Two Trees of Valinor. Eventually, all the Vanyar left Tirion to live closer
7
to the Valar. And while the Vanyar and
Noldor remain friendly, this separation
marks a new phase in their relationship.
The Noldor and the Vanyar had originally
spoken a single language, Quenya. While
living apart, though, the two tribes develop
separate dialects. The Vanyarin dialect
tended to stay truer to the earlier Quenya,
and didnt change as much as the Noldorin
dialect. The Vanyar also adopted some
words from the language of the Valar (Va-
larin.) Though it was only a few words for
colors, the Vanyar still adopted more Valarin
words than any of the other elvish tribes.
The Vanyar were also the only tribe to main-
tain regular contact with the Valar. As time
went on, the Vanyar seemed to grow closer
to the Valar while simultaneously growing
apart from the Noldor. After leaving Tirion,
the Vanyar have less contact with the
Noldor. When Morgoth is released on proba-
tion in Valinor, the Vanyar refuse to have any-
thing to do with him, while the Noldor wel-
come him as a teacher. And when Morgoth
kills Finw (king of the Noldor) and the Two
Trees of Valinor, the Vanyar stay to mourn
with the Valar, rather than mourning Finws
death with the Noldor.
The low point of the relationship between
the Vanyar and the Noldor comes soon af-
ter, when Feanor leads the majority of the
Noldor into exile. Only one Vanya accompa-
nied the Noldor, and that was Turgons wife
Elenw, who died during the journey. Its im-
plied that the woman Finrod was in love
with, Amari, would have accompanied
them, but its said that she was prohibited
was joining the exiles (how widespread this
command was is unknown.)
We hear very little about the Vanyar after
this point. Its likely that they stayed friendly
with those Noldor who stayed in Valinor, and
it seems that the Vanyar didnt hold any sort
of grudge against the Noldorin exiles for de-
fying the Valar, because the Vanyar made
up the majority of the Host of the West that
fought against Morgoth in the War of Wrath.
Even when the Vanyar and the Noldor were
growing apart, though, they maintained a
positive relationship. There were several in-
termarriages between the two tribes. And
Ingw and Finw were close friends. After
Finws first wife died, Ingw invited him to
come live with the Vanyar for a while. While
Finw was there, he fell in love with and mar-
ried a relative of Ingws, Indis, with whom
he had a few more children.
Compared to their relationship with the
Noldor, the Vanyar were practically strang-
ers to the Teleri. They travelled to Valinor
8
separately, lived far apart, and had no re-
corder intermarriages. And while the Teleri
still had not forgiven the Noldor for the Kins-
laying at Alqualond by the War of Wrath,
the Vanyar obviously had. But theres also
no indication that the Vanyar and the Teleri
were unfriendly. They just didnt seem to
have much of a relationship at all.
On a more general note, the theme for Van-
yarin relations with other elves is definitely
one of assumed superiority. Being the old-
est tribe (if only by a few minutes), the Van-
yar saw themselves as the leaders of the
elves, and, ultimately, the principle elvish
culture. This idea that the Vanyar essentially
outranked the other elves manifests in a
couple ways. The Vanyarin kings full name
was Ingw Ingweron, which translates to
Chief of Chieftains, implying that he was
the High King of all the elves. And when the
Vanyar and Noldor built the city of Tirion,
the tallest tower in the city was Ingws.
The only real source we have to show how
the other elves viewed the Vanyar is the
Cuivienyarna, a legend of how the first
three tribes were formed (though Tolkien
wasnt specific about the origin of the story,
it likely isnt being told from the Vanyarin
point of view.) In the story, the first elf to
awake was Imin, followed by Tata and Enel.
These first elves started exploring their envi-
ronment, and found a group of twelve more
elves. Imin, being the oldest, claimed these
new elves as his companions. They contin-
ued moving, and found a group of 18 elves,
which Tata claimed. Then they found 24
elves, which Enel claimed. Imin noticed that
each group was larger than the last. He
didnt think that it was fair for him to have
the smallest group, since he was the old-
est. So when they next found a group of 36
elves, Imin skipped his turn, and again
when they found a group of 48. Imin as-
sumed that the sixth group of elves would
be the largest yet. But the joke was on him,
as they never found a sixth group. So, in
the end, Imin ended up with the smallest
tribe, made up of only the first group of 12
elves that hed claimed.
Chances are, this story is being told from
the Noldorin (or Sindarin) point of view. And
while theres no real moral to the story,
Imin (representing the Vanyar) certainly
comes off as a bit arrogant.
Further Reading:
Cuivienyarna by JRR Tolkien, in The
Histories of Middle Earth vol. 11
Artwork by Ted Nasmith
(tednasmith.mymiddlearth.com)
9
ELVISH CROSS-CULTURAL RELATIONS

THE NOLDOR
NOLDORIN RELATIONS: THE BEGINNING
The Noldor were the second tribe to awake at Cuivienen. Originally
called the Tatyar (the Seconds), after they lost half their numbers
to the Avari during the Sundering of the Elves, the Noldor decided it
was time for some new names. Its interesting, actually, that none of
the commonly used elvish tribal names were actually created by the
tribe that they describe. The Noldor named the Vanyar and the Te-
leri, and its said that the name Noldor was itself given to the Noldor
by the others.
Its because these names were given from one tribe to another that
theyre so important when studying elvish cross-cultural relations.
The Vanyar called themselves the Minyar (the Firsts), which im-
plied their superiority over the other clans. The Noldor instead called
them the Vanyar (the Fair), a kind reference to their blonde hair
that completely lacked any suggestion of authority. Meanwhile, the
Teleri called themselves the Lindar (the Singers). The Noldor, how-
ever, called them the Teleri (the Lasts), which implied the Noldors
own superiority over them.
Given the clever way the early Noldor used names, its no wonder
that their given name means the Wise. The root of the name Noldor
(ngol) originally signified wise, lore, and lore master. And this
11
is how the word continued to be used in
Quenya. But, interestingly, the root ngol
developed slightly a different meaning in
the Sindarin language, where it came to
mean secret knowledge, and was often
associated with black arts - this because
some Sindar believed that the Noldor
gained their wisdom and skills by learning
from Morgoth. But were getting ahead of
ourselves.
As mentioned in the Vanyar chapter of this
series, the Noldor and the Vanyar travelled
together to Valinor, and arrived together.
They maintained a close relationship during
this time, as evidenced by several intermar-
riages, and the fact that they built the city of
Tirion together. But, when the Vanyar
started drifting closer to the Valar, the
Noldor instead turned towards the Teleri,
who had settled east of Tirion along the
coast, in their city of Alqualond.
The Noldor were friendly with the Teleri (also
evidenced by a few intermarriages), but
many of the Noldor considered themselves
superior to the Teleri. In fact, the Noldor con-
sidered the Teleri to be Avarin at heart,
since they had been so uneager to leave
Middle Earth.
The friendly Noldorin/Telerin relations came
to an abrupt and violent end, though, after
Morgoth killed Finw (king of the Noldor)
and stole Fanors silmarils. Fanor swore
to follow Morgoth to Middle Earth and re-
trieve the silmarils. But to get to Middle
Earth, he needed ships - which the Teleri
had, and refused to give up (not agreeing
with Fanors actions, and also taking great
pride in their ships.) In what can only be de-
scribed as a combination of rage, pride,
and desperation, Fanor and those of the
Noldor that followed him attacked the city of
Alqualond, and killed many of the Teleri in
order to steal their ships. This was called
the First Kinslaying, since it was the first
time one elf had killed another.
It was only a faction of the Noldor that com-
mitted this act, and its unknown how the Te-
leri dealt with those innocent Noldor who re-
mained in Valinor. But the Teleri did not for-
get their grudge against the Fanorians
(those elves who followed Fanor.) Even
centuries later, when the Vanyar and the
Maiar went to Middle Earth to fight Morgoth
in the War of Wrath, the Teleri refused to join
the fight, agreeing only to ferry the Vanyar
across the ocean.
12
FINWAN DRAMA: NOLDORIN RELATIONS WITH THEMSELVES
Understanding Noldorin relations with other elves requires an under-
standing of how the Noldorin elves got along with each other first.
From an unfortunately early stage of their history, the Noldor were di-
vided into two basic factions. This is because the first king of the
Noldor, Finw, had two wives. His first wife, Miriel, died soon after
giving birth to their son, Fanor. Finw got the Valars permission to
marry again, and his second wife was Indis, of the Vanyar. With In-
dis, Finw had several more children (most importantly, two more
sons, Fingolfin and Finarfin.) Even by elvish standards, Fanor was
a prodigy, and was considered the greatest elf to ever live. But
Fanor had been very close to his mother, and hated Indis and his
half-brothers (especially Fingolfin.) When Morgoth was released in
Valinor on probation, he took advantage of this strained relationship.
He manipulated both sides, and the relationship worsened.
Eventually, Fanor and Fingolfin get in an argument so bad that
Fanor attacks his brother. The Valar banish Fanor from Tirion, and
Fingolfin swears to obey his brother form then on. But its during
Fanors banishment that Finw is killed, and Morgoth steals
Fanors most prized possessions - the silmarils. Fanor swears an
oath to follow Morgoth and the silmarils.
13
The Noldor are torn about whether to follow
Fanor into exile or not. Some decide to
stay in Valinor, and are led by Finarfin,
Finws youngest son. Fingolfin wants to
stay in Valinor, but remembers his promise
to obey Fanor, and leads his own people
into exile. So, when talking about the Noldor
in exile, its important to keep these two
groups in mind: those following Fanor
(hereby referred to as the Fanorians) and
those following Fingolfin (hereby referred to
as the House of Fingolfin.)
The House of Fingolfin had little to do with
the Kinslaying at Alqualond, but by then
they were already committed to getting to
Middle Earth. The Teleri didnt have enough
ships to transport all of the exiles, though.
By now convinced that Fingolfin will only be-
tray him in the future, Fanor takes the
ships for his own people, abandoning the
House of Fingolfin on the coast of Valinor.
The Fanorians arrive in Middle Earth and
burn their ships (even though Maedhros,
Fanors oldest son, objected.) They then
almost immediately find themselves battling
Morgoths army, and Fanor dies so quickly
that its actually quite anticlimactic.
The House of Fingolfin, meanwhile, finds
their own way to Middle Earth - by crossing
the Helcarax, a dangerous ice bridge. Bit-
ter at their abandonment, and at those lives
lost crossing the ice, the House of Fingolfin
dont have any kind thoughts left for the
Fanorians. By now, most of the Fanorians
are feeling pretty badly about their actions,
and its said that only shame kept them from
humbly welcoming the House of Fingolfin.
The two factions stay camped on opposite
sides of a lake, and are frankly on the brink
of their own little war.
Meanwhile, Maedhros was captured by Mor-
goth, and Fingon (Fingolfins son) goes to
rescue Maedhros by himself. When the two
return to their people safe, their revived
friendship is enough to heal the Noldor - for
a while. But when Fingolfin is made the next
High King, Fanors sons (except for
Maedhros) are angry. Then Caranthir (an-
other of Fanors sons) gets angry at An-
grod (one of Finarfins sons who followed
Fingolfin) for speaking to Thingol on the be-
half of the Noldor (well get to that in a mo-
ment.) Finally, Maedhros decided to take
the Fanorians and establish realms in east-
ern Beleriand, far from the House of Fin-
golfin, hoping that the distance will avoid
more conflict.
And this is the (already complicated) situa-
tion that the Sindar are greeted with when
their Noldorin cousins return to Middle
Earth.
14
THE NOLDOR IN EXILE: RELATIONS WITH THE SINDAR
When the Noldor arrived in Middle Earth, the Sindar saw how great
the Noldor had become while in Valinor, and saw them defeat the
orcs, and thought that the Noldor must have been sent by the Valar
to protect them. But by this point the Noldor and the Sindar had
been apart for about 3,500 years, so there was a definite language
barrier keeping the two groups apart.
To overcome this barrier, the Noldor quickly learned Sindarin. While
it was just more practical this way (the Sindar far outnumbered the
Noldor, and Sindarin was much easier to learn than Quenya), lan-
guage use officially entered the realm of cross-cultural relations
when Thingol, king of the Sindar, outlawed Quenya entirely.
While the Sindar in general were happy to see the Noldor, Thingol
was immediately uneasy, since there was now a slew of Noldorin
princes looking to establish their own realms in what Thingol consid-
ered his land. Finarfin had married Thingols niece, so Thingol con-
sidered his children to be kin. So, soon after arriving, one of Fi-
narfins sons, Angrod, travelled to Doriath to greet Thingol. Being a
pretty smart man, Angrod didnt mention anything about Fanors
oath, or the Kinslaying at Alqualond. Thingol gave them permission
to settle anywhere in the north, leaving the south free for the Sindar.
When Angrod relayed this to the rest of the Noldor, they thought that
this was a pretty cold greeting from Thingol. And while Fingolfin re-
15
spected Thingols leadership, the sons of
Fanor were less impressed, and for the
most part ignored Thingols order. Caranthir,
especially, was angered by Thingols greet-
ing, and it was his reaction (calling Thingol
a dark elf - referring to the Avari - and in-
sulting Angrod) that spurred Maedhros to
move the Fanorians east.
Despite Thingols less than welcoming atti-
tude towards the Noldor, most of the Noldor
actually get along pretty well with most of
the Sindar. The Noldor helped build walls
around Cirdans coastal cities. And outside
of those cities and Doriath itself, the Sindar
and the Noldor usually lived together in
mixed communities led by the Noldorin
princes. The Noldor even altered their termi-
nology for the Sindar to avoid offending
them - when the Noldor arrived, they re-
ferred to the Sindar as Moriquendi (Dark
Elves), since they hadnt seen the light of
Valinor. But the Sindar didnt like being
lumped together with the Avari. So, instead,
the Noldor started calling them Umanyar
(not of Aman, or Valinor.)
Meanwhile, Melian (Thingols wife) grew sus-
picious of the Noldor. Galadriel (Finarfins
daughter) lived in Doriath, and Melian often
questioned her about what happened to the
Noldor before they returned to Middle Earth.
At this point, Morgoth starts spreading ru-
mors (that happened to be true) about the
Fanors oath, and about the Noldor attack-
ing the Teleri at Alqualond. Eventually
these rumors reach Cirdan. Cirdan recog-
nizes that these rumors (true or false) were
started with malicious intent. But Cirdan ac-
tually thought that the rumors were started
by the Noldor themselves, as part of their
inter-house conflict. Which says a lot about
how the Sindar viewed the Noldor, I think.
Cirdan relayed the rumors to Thingol, who
confirmed them with Finarfins children. An-
grod, still angry about Caranthirs words, ex-
plains the truth of the situation, making no
effort to sugar-coat the deeds of the Fanori-
ans. Thingol is furious, and bans the use of
Quenya in Beleriand.
Things continue on like this, relatively peace-
fully, for the rest of the First Age. But, to-
wards the end of the Age, things deteriorate
pretty rapidly. Not to get bogged down in
details, but in their quest to reclaim the sil-
marils, Fanors sons attack both Doriath
and the mixed Sindarin/Noldorin community
in the Havens of Sirion. These are called the
Second and Third Kinslayings. Soon after
the War of Wrath occurs, and Beleriand is
destroyed in the battle. Most of the Noldor
return to Valinor when their exile is lifted, but
some remain in Middle Earth.
16
NOLDORIN RELATIONS IN THE LATER AGES
Though most of the Noldor had returned to Valinor, they still had a
presence in Middle Earth. By this point, Gil-galad is High King of the
Noldor. After the War of Wrath, he establishes his kingdom in Lindon,
and led a mixed community of Noldor and Sindar. From what we can
tell, everyone lived together in Lindon pretty peacefully. Gil-galad
also didnt seem to hold any sort of anti-Sindarin bias, as his closest
advisors were Cirdan (Sindar), and Elrond (of mixed heritage.)
After about a millennia of this, though, the elves start shifting. First, a
small faction of strongly anti-Noldorin Sindar leave Lindon. Lead by
Oropher, an elf from Doriath, they head east of the Misty Mountains,
where they establish dynasties in the Silvan communities at Lorien
and Greenwood (now known as Mirkwood.) These elves were bi-
ased against the Noldor because they saw them as the source of all
the suffering the Sindar had gone through in the First Age. They
wanted to return to a more natural elvish lifestyle, free from
Noldorin influence. Theres no mention of Gil-galads reaction to this,
but it seems that he didnt object too strongly.
Soon after the small Sindarin faction leaves Lindon, many of the
Noldor in that kingdom also leave. These elves, made up primarily of
craftsmen, establish a realm west of Moria after hearing that the
dwarves there have started mining mithril. This Noldorin realm,
called Eregion, never had a king, so it sounds like the elves of Ere-
17
gion still recognized Gil-galad as their ulti-
mate leader.
However, the old prejudices werent entirely
forgotten. When Sauron appeared, dis-
guised as the fair Annatar, Gil-galad and his
advisors mistrusted him from the beginning,
and wouldnt let Annatar enter Lindon. In-
stead, Annatar turned to Eregion, where he
was welcomed by those eager to learn from
him. But its said that Annatar used his
knowledge of the strained relationships
among the Noldor in order to first gain the
trust of Eregion. He claimed that Gil-galad
was warning the elves not to trust Annatar
because he didnt want their realms to be-
come as wonderful as his own. Obviously,
this was something that the elves of Eregion
believed on some level, since they ended
up ignoring Gil-galads warnings.
Despite this, Gil-galad does not abandon
Eregion. When Annatar (now revealed to be
Sauron) attacks Eregion. Gil-galad sends
Elrond with Lindons own army to help, but
the realm is destroyed anyway.
The anti-Noldorin Sindarin faction also suf-
fers for their lack of trust in Gil-galad. At the
end of the Second Age, Lorien and Green-
wood send armies to fight in the Battle of
the Last Alliance. All the elvish armies ulti-
mately fell under Gil-galads control, which
Amdir and Oropher (the kings of Lorien and
Greenwood) resented. Tired of taking or-
ders from one of the Noldor, Amdir and Oro-
pher led their armies in a charge before the
rest of the armies were ready. The Silvan ar-
mies were crushed, and both Amdir and
Oropher died in the battle.
Gil-galad also died in that battle, and the
Noldor didnt take another High King. This
was mostly because nearly all the Noldor
left Middle Earth at the end of the Second
Age. Those few that were left in Middle
Earth generally lived in Lindon under Cir-
dans rule, or in Rivendell under Elrond.
While the Sindarin dynasty in Greenwood
remains strong, Loriens Sindarin king
leaves shortly after Moria is abandoned. Ga-
ladriel, a Noldorin elf, and her husband Ce-
leborn, a Sindarin elf, move to Lorien and
assume leadership of the elves there. Thran-
duil (the new king of Greenwood) moved his
people north and away from Lorien, partly
in order to avoid Galadriels Noldorin influ-
ence.
Further Reading:
The Grey Annals by JRR Tolkien, in The
Histories of Middle Earth vol. 11
Artwork by Ted Nasmith
(tednasmith.mymiddlearth.com)
18
ELVISH CROSS-CULTURAL RELATIONS

THE TELERI
THE BEGINNING, AND THE TELERI IN VALINOR
Like the Vanyar and the Noldor, the Teleri originated in one of the
three first tribes of elves to awake at Cuivienen. The Teleri were origi-
nally called the Nelyar, meaning the Thirds, since their leader,
Enel, was the third elf to awake. Since Enel was the youngest, he got
the last choice of companions, which actually worked in his favor,
since each group of elves they found was larger than the one be-
fore. So, in the end, the Nelyar were the largest group.
The Nelyar were, as a group, the most reluctant to leave Cuivienen.
But they were also a very cohesive group, and always saw them-
selves as separate from the Vanyar and the Noldor (more on that
later.) So, when their leaders (Elwe and Olwe) were determined to
travel to Valinor, many who had at first wanted to join the Avari and
stay instead decided to travel west. Even so, a little over a third of
the Nelyar joined the Avari.
The Nelyar were especially fond of water and singing (and in fact
learned to sing before they learned to speak.) Because of this, they
called themselves the Lindar (the Singers.) However, the Noldor
called them the Teleri (the Last or the Lingerers) because they
were so reluctant to travel west, and made the journey more slowly
than the Noldor and Vanyar. And, because most of Tolkiens stories
are told from the Noldorin point of view, the Teleri is the name most
commonly used.
20
Since they outnumbered the Noldor and From the Teleris point of view, their king van-
Vanyar combined, the Teleri saw them- ished, and no matter how much they
selves as separate, and were especially searched for him, they couldnt find Elwe.
conscious of their own cultural identity. This
While the Teleri were still in inland Beleri-
feeling of difference only increased during
and, looking for their king, Ulmo (one of the
the journey west. In fact, they so strongly
Valar) used a floating island to bring the Van-
felt their own uniqueness and developed
yar and Noldor over the ocean to Valinor.
such an Us vs. Them mentality that the Te-
When the Teleri realized that their friends
leri didnt even develop their own word for
were gone, they rushed to the coast, sad to
elves-in-general until they came into contact
be parted from them. At this point, they took
with non-elves (meaning dwarves.)
Olwe (Elwes brother) to be their new king.
The Teleri made most of the journey west And while waiting for Ulmo to return, they
alone, separated from the Noldor and Van- learned sea-lore and sea music from
yar. This is because the Teleri traveled more Ulmos servants, Osse and Uinen.
slowly, and tended to stop and settle in dif-
Eventually, Ulmo returned with the floating
ferent places temporarily, generally slowing
island to bring the Teleri to Valinor. However,
down the entire trip. In fact, after reaching
not all of the Teleri decided to complete
the eastern side of the Misty Mountains, sev-
their journey. Some stayed because they
eral of the Telerin elves decided that they
still hadnt found Thingol, and were unwill-
didnt want to travel any further. This group
ing to abandon him. Others decided to stay
became known as the Nandor (more about
because theyd learned so much from Osse
them later.)
and Uinen, and didnt want to leave them.
The leader of the Teleri (Elwe) was good These elves that remained behind were
friends with the Noldorin leader (Finwe), known as the Sindar (more on them later.)
though, and so when the Teleri finally ar-
While the Noldor and Vanyar built the city of
rived in Beleriand the two groups lived
Tirion together, the Teleri didnt even arrive
close to each other. During this time, Elwe
in Valinor until the city was finished. And
was traveling to visit Finwe when he came
even then, they actually stayed on the float-
upon Melian (one of the Maiar.) They fell in
ing island (which came to be known as Tol
love, and for lack of a better word froze
Eressea) for another century. When they fi-
in the woods together for over 20 years.
21
nally arrived on the shores of Valinor, though, the Noldor greeted them
happily, and helped them to build their own city of Alqualonde. Its
around this time that the Vanyar leave Tirion, and afterwards the
Noldor were closer to the Teleri than they were to the Vanyar. There
were also a few intermarriages between the Noldor and the Teleri (no-
tably, Finwes son Finarfin and Olwes daughter Earwen.) There are no
recorded marriages between the Vanyar and the Teleri, though.
The Teleri were sort of outsiders in Valinor when the Valar held their
great feasts, the Vanyar and Noldor would attend, but never the Teleri.
Its said that they just didnt care much about the Valar.
When Feanor came to Alqualonde, he at first tried to persuade the Te-
leri to join him in Middle Earth. Not only were their people friends, but
he needed their ships to transport his own people across the sea. The
Teleri, however, werent interested. They wanted instead to convince
the Noldor to stay in Valinor, and wouldnt help them in their defiance
of the Valar (and trusted in the Valar to deal with Morgoth themselves.)
Feanor became angry, and said to Olwe Thou renouncest thy friend-
ship, even in the hour of our need. Yet fain were ye of our aid when ye
came at last to these shores, fainthearted loiterers, and wellnigh emp-
tyhanded. In huts on the beaches would ye dwell still, had not the
Noldor carved out your haven and toiled on your walls. Now, Feanor
is hardly the kindest of the Noldor, but theres a chance that his words
were based in some truth, as far as the Noldorin perception of the Te-
leri went. Olwe denied that he was renouncing his friendship.
After thinking over his options, Feanor tried stealing the ships from the
Teleri, and when the Teleri resisted, the Noldor attacked. Not all of the
Noldor took part in the battle, and some that did didnt understand
how it started. But this the First Kinslaying is considered one of the
darkest events in elvish history. Even centuries later, when the Host of
the West was preparing to fight in the War of Wrath, the Teleri refused
to take part, agreeing only to ferry the Vanyar across the ocean.
22
THE SINDAR
Once the rest of the Teleri travelled to Vali- Second, there were the Mithrim, who trav-
nor, the Sindar were the only elves in Bele- elled to the northwest of Beleriand. This
riand. Because of this, they never both- group, more than the other two, ended up
ered creating a unifying name for them- intermingling with the Noldorin exiles, and
selves. They did refer to their Telerin cous- for the most part lived alongside them as
ins in Valinor as the Gwenwin, meaning a single community
the Departed. Instead of a single name,
Thirdly, there were the Iathrim, the elves of
the Sindar referred to each other by the
Doriath, who lived in the inland forests un-
region they lived in because early on,
der the leadership of their king, Elwe (who
the Sindar themselves broke up into three
was, after his convenient return, known as
different groups:
Thingol.) The elves of Doriath were always
First, there were the Falathrim (Falmari in the most hostile towards the Noldorin ex-
Quenya), who lived along the southern iles, mainly because of their outrage over
coast of Beleriand, under the leadership news of the Kinslaying at Alqualonde.
of Cirdan. These were elves who had
Because of their relationship with Osse
stayed in Beleriand reluctantly (some, like
and Uinen, as well as their leadership
Cirdan, were still out searching for Thingol
from Thingol (and Melian, their queen),
when the other Teleri left, and so hadnt
the Sindar became the fairest, wisest, and
had a choice in the matter.) Because of
most skilled of the elves of Middle Earth.
their desire to go to Valinor, the Falathrim
They were always recognized even by
were later known to be the most friendly
the Noldor as more advanced than the
to the Noldorin exiles. They also saw
Avari, or even the Nandor (who were
themselves as quite separate from the in-
rude and rustic in comparison.) How-
land Sindar, and Tolkien mentions at one
ever, the Sindar maintained much better
point that they didnt consider themselves
relationships with their Avarin cousins
to be Sindarin at all, and instead contin-
than the Noldor did.
ued to see themselves as purely Teleri.
23
Things in Beleriand were quite peaceful haired, just like the Noldor.) Others think
for a while, but when Morgoth returned to it was simply because of Thingols name
Middle Earth, he sent his armies to at- (which means Greymantle.) And still
tack the Sindar. The elves won the First others believe that its a reference to the
Battle of Beleriand, but sustained heavy Sindars place between the Avari Dark
losses. It was right after this, though, that Elves and the Light Elves of Valinor.
the first of the Noldorin exiles arrive, and
At the beginning of the Second Age,
soundly defeat Morgoth in the second
most of the Sindar ended up in Lindon
battle, the Dagor-nuin-Giliath. The Sin-
along with the other refugees of Beleri-
dar were very impressed with their
and. Gil-galad ruled a mixed Noldorin/
mighty kindred, and were thrilled to
Sindarin population there, though its
have such powerful help in their fight
mentioned that the southern region, Har-
against Morgoth. In fact, they first be-
lindon, was predominantly Sindarin.
lieved that the Noldor had been sent by
the Valar in order to help the Sindar in However, there were several groups of
their time of need. It wasnt until much Sindarin elves that left Lindon in order to
later that they learned the story of the live away from the Noldor. One group left
Noldorin exile and Feanors oath. early on (after learning about ship-
building from Cirdan) and founded Edhel-
I talked in more detail about the
lond, an elvish haven in what later be-
Noldorin/Sindarin relationship in the
came southern Gondor. This community
Noldorin section of this series, but its
had mostly sailed to Valinor by the mid-
worth mentioning here that the Noldor
Third Age, though. A more famous group
were the ones to give the Sindar their
of Sindarin elves left around the first one
name. It means the Grey or the Grey-
thousand years of the Second Age and
Elves. The origin of this name is a little
travelled east to live among the Silvan
unclear. Some believe it was because of
elves of Lorien and Mirkwood (more on
the silvery hair that Thingol and some of
them later.
his relatives had (though it wasnt actu-
ally all that common a hair color among
the Sindar, who were typically dark-

24
THE NANDOR IN THE FIRST AGE
The Nandor were those elves who decided to stop and settle east of
the Misty Mountains, instead of completing their journey to Valinor.
They were entirely made up of Telerin elves. The Nandor settled
along the river Anduin, while some went south and west into Eriador.
Their name was given to them by the Noldor, and it meant the Re-
turners. Even though none of the Nandor actually returned to Cuivie-
nen, the Noldor saw their refusal to go on as a sign that they were
Avarin at heart. In fact, the Nandor were seen as virtually Avari,
having not seen the sea or any of the Maiar. They also tended to in-
termingle with those Avari they encountered while wandering
throughout Middle Earth.
Eventually, some of the Nandor arrived in Beleriand, under the lead-
ership of Denethor. The Sindar called them the Danwaith (which is
basically just Nandor in Sindarin), but the actual Nandor were still
calling themselves the Lindar (suggesting that they saw themselves
as pure Teleri.) Denethors elves settled in Ossiriand (the southeast
region of Beleriand), and came to be called the Laiquendi, which
meant Green-elves. This new name was a reference not only to the
green country of Ossiriand, but also to the Laiquendis tendency to
wear green clothes, so as to help them camouflage themselves in
the forest.
The Laiquendi came to the Sindars aid during the First Battle of Bele-
riand, with disastrous results. The Laiquendi had been lightly armed,
and many of them died in the battle (including their lord, Denethor.)
Afterwards, some returned to Ossiriand, and told their people of the
horror of war. After that, the Laiquendi refused to take another king,
or go into open battle again, instead relying on stealth and secrecy
to defend their territory. Not all of the Laiquendi returned to Ossiri-
and, though. Some went to live in Doriath with Thingols Sindarin
elves. They didnt really get along with the Sindar, though, and in-
stead stayed in mostly isolated communities away from Menegroth.
It was said that some of them were darkhearted, and tended to
give in under great strain. Tolkien suggests that Eol was actually one
of these Laiquendi elves that moved to Doriath.
25
THE SILVAN ELVES (NANDOR IN THE LATER AGES)
At some point, the Nandor become Noldorin domination. Beyond that, they
known as the Silvan elves (when this tran- had also come to a new ideological
sition took place, and why, is unknown.) standpoint: they wanted to join the Silvan
The Silvan elves lived mostly in Lorien and return to the simple life natural to
and Mirkwood (which was known as the Elves before theyd ever been ap-
Greenwood until midway through the proached by the Valar.
Third Age), and there they lived simple
Because of this, the Sindar in Mirkwood
peaceful lives without princes or rulers.
adopted the Silvan culture. In Lorien the
However, both the Silvan communities of
experience was very similar, except for
Lorien and Mirkwood came to be ruled
an influx of (Sindarin-speaking) Noldor,
by Sindarin elves. Sometime in the first
who arrived in Lorien as refugees from
thousand years of the Second Age, a
Eregion during the War Between the
relatively small group of Sindarin elves
Elves and Sauron midway through the
left Lindon and travelled east, where they
Second Age.
established Sindarin dynasties in the pre-
existing Silvan communities. Despite the original intention of assimilat-
ing in Silvan culture, the end result was
We dont know much about the elves that
that the Silvans were themselves Sindar-
moved to Lorien, but we do know that
ized by the Beleriandic influence of their
Oropher, the new king of the Silvan elves
new Sindarin and Noldorin members. Its
in Mirkwood, was a Sindarin elf originally
even said that, by the end of the Third
from Doriath. He and his companions left
Age, the Nandorin language was rarely
Lindon for various reasons. They didnt
used. From what we can tell, though, the
want to be merged with the other Sindar
relationship between the Silvan elves
of Beleriand, and they wanted to avoid
and their Sindarin rulers was a peaceful
26
one. While the Sindar were actually more closely related to their Te-
lerin cousins in Valinor than they were to the Silvan elves, the Silvan
had always viewed themselves as fellow members of the Eldar, and
so welcomed the Sindarin and Noldorin elves who joined their com-
munities in the Second Age.
Under Sindarin rule, the Silvan elves became more ordered and wise.
But they also became less isolated and protected from the wars and
dangers of Middle Earth. Because of this, a few Silvan elves (most no-
tably Nimrodel of Lorien) disliked the Sindar because they blamed
them for bringing war and danger to the Silvan lands. Meanwhile,
their Sindarin rulers disliked the Noldor for these very reasons.
The strained relationship between the Noldor and the Sindarin rulers
of Lorien and Mirkwood came to a head at the end of the Second
Age, during the War of the Last Alliance. While the Silvan elves
wanted nothing to do with war, they recognized that Sauron was an
evil that had to be dealt with. So Oropher and Amdir (the king of Lo-
rien) led their armies to Mordor. However, the Sindarin kings were in-
dependent, and didnt like following the orders of Gil-galad, the High
King of the elves. Because of this, and because the Silvan elves were
less well-armed than the elves of Lindon, their casualties in the war
were much higher. Oropher himself died early on in the war, because
he and part of his army charged before Gil-galad had given his or-
ders, and so were out-numbered. All in all, barely a third of the Silvan
armies returned home at the end of the war.
Further Reading:
The History of Galadriel and Celeborn by JRR Tolkien, in The
Unfinished Tales
Artwork by Ted Nasmith, Alan Lee, and John Howe
27
THE TELERI IN THE LATER AGES
As you can see, the Teleri split into many smaller subcultures dur-
ing their history. Most of this happens before the Third Age,
though, so it seems appropriate to do a quick summary of where
all these groups end up in the later ages:

The Teleri of Valinor: Still in Valinor, as far as we know, having

a wonderful time.

The Sindar: Many have, at this point, traveled to Valinor them-

selves. Some remained in Lindon, especially at the Grey Ha-
vens, where Cirdan helps other elves sail west themselves. Oth-
ers live in Rivendell, a mixed Noldorin/Sindarin community. And
some others still live in the predominantly Silvan communities of
Lorien and Mirkwood.

The Nandor: At some point we stop referring to them as the

Nandor, and start calling them the Silvan. So...

The Silvan: Their population becomes increasingly mixed with

Avarin, Sindarin, and Noldorin elves. Their main communities in
Lorien and Mirkwood remain ruled by Sindarin or Noldorin lead-
ers, and much of the pure Silvan culture is lost to Sindarization.

The Laiquendi: After the First Age, they lived mainly in Lindon.

(Also, because of the complicated nature of the Telerin sub-

cultures, theres no timeline included in this section. I hope you
understand.)
28