Sundering of the Elves

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In

Valinor, on Aman
. That summoning and the Great Journey that followed split the Elves into two main groups (and many minor ones), which were never fully reunited.

Tolkien stated that the stories were made to create a world for his

elvish languages, not the reverse. The Tolkien scholar Tom Shippey writes that The Silmarillion derived from the linguistic relationship between the two languages, Quenya and Sindarin, of the divided Elves. The Tolkien scholar Verlyn Flieger states that Tolkien used the Indo-European type of proto-language as his model. In her view, the sundering of the Elves reflects the progressive decline and fall in Middle-earth from its initial perfection; the highest Elves are those who deviated least from that state, meaning that in Tolkien's scheme, ancestry is a guide to character
.

Context

Author

Elves, carefully designing the differences between them to reflect their distance from their imaginary common origin. He stated that his languages led him to create the invented mythology of The Silmarillion, to provide a world in which his languages could have existed. In that world, the splintering of the Elvish peoples mirrored the fragmentation of their languages.[2][3]

Awakening of the Elves

In

Primitive Quendian.[4][5] The Avari are those who refused the summons.[5] Half of the Avari (meaning "refusers")[6] came from the largest tribe, the Nelyar, but most of the Nelyar went on the journey.[a][T 1]

Sundering of the Eldar

Helcar (right) in Middle-earth, and many of them (green titles for kindreds) migrated (arrows) westwards to Valinor in Aman, though some stopped in Beleriand (top), and others returned to Beleriand later (red arrows). Those who obeyed the summons to Aman were known as the Eldar; the rest, the Avari or refusers. Those who saw the light of the Two Trees of Valinor in the blessed land of Aman were called Calaquendi, Elves of Light; those who did not were called the Moriquendi, Elves of Darkness. Locations are diagrammatic.[5][T 1]

The Eldar migrated westwards across the north of Middle-earth in their three groups. The Minyar became known as the Vanyar, meaning the Fair Elves, with golden-blond hair.[5] The Tatyar who migrated west became known as the Noldor or Deep Elves, with deep knowledge of crafts and skills. The Nelyar who went west were known as the Teleri (Those who come last) or, as they called themselves, the Lindar or Singers. They stayed on the east of Aman, in Tol Eressëa.[5]

Sindar

Nargothrond
are to its northwest and southwest respectively. Ossiriand is in the southeast.

Those of the Teleri who reached

Doriath, and were named the Iathrim or People of the Girdle, for the magical 'Girdle of Melian' that surrounded and protected the kingdom.[T 2]

Those who came to the shores of the Great Sea of

Shore). They were ruled by Cirdan the Shipwright.[5]

Those who chose to remain behind and populated the lands to the north-west of Beleriand were called the Mithrim or Grey People, giving their name to the region and the great lake there. Most of them later merged with the Noldor who returned to Middle-earth, especially those of Gondolin.[T 3] Those who reached Aman were called Amanyar Teleri; they were also called the Falmari, the People of the Waves, expert with ships and the sea.[T 4]

Nandor

Those of the Teleri who refused to cross the

First Battle of Beleriand for example), they were for the most part a simple, peaceful, and reclusive people.[T 1] The Nandor who stayed around Anduin became known as the Tawarwaith, living in Lothlórien and Mirkwood; they were also called Silvan or Wood Elves. They were joined there by those Avari who eventually decided to move to the West.[T 5]

Vanyar

The Vanyar were the fairest and most noble of the High Elves; their name means "the Fair", as they have golden hair. Their small clan was founded by Imin, the first Elf to awaken at Cuiviénen, with his wife Iminyë and their twelve companions: they broadly correspond to the Minyar. Ingwë was the Vanya Elf to travel with the Vala Oromë to Valinor, and became their king. The Vanyar spoke a dialect of Quenya called Vanyarin. Since they stayed in Valinor, they played no part in the wars in Beleriand, except for the

War of Wrath that brought an end to the region.[T 3]

Light and Dark Elves

Elves were associated with light or darkness in Norse mythology.[2] 1866 painting Elfplay by August Malmström
Further information: Christianity in Middle-earth § Light

The Vanyar, the Noldor, and those of the Teleri who reached Valinor are called the Calaquendi (Elves of Light) because they saw the light of the Two Trees of Valinor. In Quenya, the language of the Noldor in Valinor, all other Elves were called the Moriquendi (Elves of Darkness) in recognition of the fact that they did not see (and did not desire) the Light of Valinor, but later the Sindar were counted among neither of these groups. Instead, Moriquendi was used for all other Elves except Noldor, Vanyar, Falmari, and Sindar.[2][8] The Tolkien scholar Tom Shippey notes that the Sundering allowed Tolkien to explain the existence of Norse mythology's Dökkálfar and Ljósálfar, Light and Dark Elves. The Light Elves lived in Alfheim ("Elfhome") and correspond to his Calaquendi. The Dark Elves, who lived underground in Svartalfheim ("Black Elfhome"), Tolkien "rehabilitates" as his Moriquendi.[2]

Noldorin Exiles

Further information: Noldor

Most of the Noldor returned with

March of Maedhros.[T 6][T 7]

Merging of Noldor and Sindar

After the War of Wrath that ended the First Age, the greater part of the surviving Noldor and Sindar (mostly mingled into a single people) returned into the West to dwell in

Eregion, Lothlórien and Rivendell.[T 3]

Sundering of the Avari

After the Separation the Avari became divided even more than the Eldar, though little of their history became known to the Elves and

Rhovanion, and a few even reached Beleriand, though usually remaining on unfriendly terms with the Sindar.[T 1]

Analysis

Further information:
Elvish languages (Middle-earth)
Diagram of the Sundering of the Elves, showing Tolkien's overlapping classifications. The names Calaquendi and Moriquendi, Light-Elves and Dark-Elves, correspond to names used in Old Norse, Ljósálfar and Dökkálfar.[2]

Elvish languages, distinct but related, Quenya for the Eldar and Sindarin for the Sindar, citing Tolkien's own statement that the stories were made to create a world for the languages, not the reverse.[5]

Shippey suggests that the "real root" of The Silmarillion lay in the linguistic relationship, complete with sound-changes and differences of semantics, between the two languages of the divided elves. He adds that the elves are separated not by colour, despite names like light and dark, but by their history, including their migrations.[2]

Telerin language. The lowest Elves, the Avari, fragmented into many kindreds with different languages.[T 1][5]

The Tolkien scholar

Valar, travelling to Valinor, and continuing to speak the highest language, Quenya). Conversely, the lowest Elves, the Avari, fragmented into many kindreds with different languages as they eventually spread out across Middle-earth. Tolkien thus intended ancestry to be a guide to character; the differences between the various Elvish languages mirror both the Sundering and the events of The Silmarillion.[2][3]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ "The proportions, out of 144, that when the March began became Avari or Eldar were approximately: Minyar 14: Avari 0, Eldar 14; Tatyar 56: Avari 28, Eldar 28; Nelyar 74: Avari 28, Eldar 46: Amanyar Teleri 20, Sindar and Nandor 26." (Nandor 8 - p. 412) It can be seen that the Avari are made up of roughly equal numbers of Tatyar and Nelyar.[T 1]
  2. ^ This name evolved into different forms in the language of each kindred: Kindi, Cuind, Hwenti, Windan, Kinn-lai and Penni.[T 1]

References

Primary

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Tolkien 1994, "Quendi and Eldar"
  2. ^ Tolkien 1977, ch. 21 "Of Túrin Turambar"
  3. ^ a b c Tolkien 1977, ch. 24 "Of the Voyage of Eärendil and the War of Wrath"
  4. ^ Tolkien 1977, ch. 3 "Of the Coming of the Elves and the Captivity of Melkor"
  5. ^ Tolkien 1980, "The History of Galadriel and Celeborn", "Appendix A: The Silvan Elves and their Speech"
  6. ^ Tolkien 1977, ch. 13 "Of the Return of the Noldor"
  7. ^ Tolkien 1977, ch. 14 "Of Beleriand and its Realms"

Secondary

  1. OCLC 3046822
    .
  2. ^
    ISBN 978-0261-10401-3
    .
  3. ^
    ISBN 978-0-8028-1955-0
    .
  4. ISBN 978-0-380-46904-8
    .
  5. ^
    ISBN 978-0-415-86511-1
    .
  6. ^ "Avari". Parf Edhellen: an Elvish Dictionary. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  7. ISBN 978-0-345-32436-8
    .
  8. OCLC 222251097
    .
  9. ISBN 978-0-8028-1955-0
    .

Sources
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