Of The Sun (The Hobbit/The Lord of the Rings/LOTR)

Elven Information

So, I am by no means an expert. I love Tolkien and I definitely know more than you're average person and I can probably help in answering any questions you might have... but I'm not a pro, my knowledge is quite limited and I'll never be able to go into depth about Middle Earth law.  

For this book I do want to touch on bits of it because I have created a character who should theoretically know the histories backwards. It's not like she'd had a limit amount of time to learn plus she's well travelled and with a friend like Gandalf and a mother like Galadriel plus with her own gifts even if she suppressed them... she should in theory know just about everything except that which is yet to happen.

But I will be keeping it simple. So here it is, a reference for me as I write and for you if you care to read. 

I'm putting it up now because I may need it before I start writing chapters again, but I'm also not procrastinating, it's keeping me motivated while I wait for the weekend when I can actually get into it hopefully if not and I get called into work or my friends drag me out of my shell then Monday night for a surety. 

Elven Kinds.

The species or different types of elves is something well over my head. There are so many and so many branches so I will only be sticking to the simplified version. I pulled my information off a reddit page, it may not be entirely accurate, but I'll stick to that one for the sake fo my own continuity. The rest of the law will still exist around it, but this is all I'll reference.

There are three kinds of elves, in simplified form.

The High Elves or the Elves of Light, correctly called the Calaquendi. They are more powerful, the most spiritual and in general pretty much better than anyone and anything. They're meant to be the best warriors, the most beautiful, the most intelligent, the best craftsman blah blah blah. Those infuriating people that people like me look at go "please do something wrong in life or fail at something just once." They're this way because they were the elves that travelled to Valinor (before going back to Middle Earth). They saw the these two trees of light. The light of these trees I think was stollen by the original bad guy before Sauron. I'm a  bit hazy on this, feel free to correct me, I probably won't reference it anyway. But I think they were blessed and their descendants after them with all these amazing skills and abilities. Which probably means that when the rest of the elves go to the Undying Lands, they've sort of missed their opportunity to become "Elves of Light." Some sailed back to Middle Earth though, obviously, but they will be the first branch of elves to completely leave and never return from the Undying Lands when their time comes. I think they're pull to Valinor is stronger as well but also their abilities are kind of a curse in Middle Earth because of the evils there. They can never quite find inner peace.

Their talents vary and these variations create the branches of other kinds of elves. The Vanyar, the Noldor and the Teleri. The Vanyar are more spiritually gifted, closest to the Valar (gods) and are more gifted with poetry and music. The Noldor are the best craftsman especially with weapons and gems. Any High Elves in Middle Earth are in some way part Noldorin. They were the only ones who went to and returned from left Valinor. The Teleri lived on the shores and are the shipbuilders. HOWEVER not all Teleri are High Elves as not all of them made it to Valinor. So there are the superior ones in Valinor and then there are the standard ones in Middle Earth that are Grey Elves.

High elves aren't common by any means, they sort of need to be full blooded or close to full blooded Noldor. Celeborn probably barely makes the cut as does Elrond, but his gifts of foresight lift him up a bit more and make his Noldor blood stronger. 

Galadriel is both Noldor and Teleri, but she has Vanyar ties through her grandmother. Celeborn is Teleri and Noldor. Elrond is Noldor, but also part human. Both his parents were half human and half Noldor and that's why he and his children have the choice of becoming mortal at some point. I'm not clear if there is a time stamp on this, once you reach a certain age you can no longer decide or if you have to make the decision and there's no going back. So Arwen is yet to make hers, but Elrond chose immortality a long time ago? Don't know. Glorfindel is Noldor. He won't be an overly important character, but I thought it worth a mention. That's perhaps why he can sense Anariel more than others. So the twins are part human while he is full blood Noldor which is why he knew she was there and they did not. Anariel, my character, is obviously largely Noldor and Teleri, but through Galadriel she also must be Vanyar. She has never been to Valinor, but she is a descendant of those who have been and their blood is still strong enough in her as is the power so she is considered a High Elf. 

The Grey Elves or the Sindar or Sindarin. They are not as "angelic" I suppose as the Elves of the Light. But they are a far cry from being Dark Elves.... so... grey. Easy to remember. They are the Teleri who did not sail to and return from Valinor. They began the journey, but were waylaid and never completed it. Some were persuaded into staying, others had quests, but they were kind of on the fence about it and ultimately didn't go. But don't be fooled into thinking this makes them less important. Many can be mixed with the High Elves because obviously they returned. Like Celeborn. He's sort of both, I think, but his history can change depending on your source. Tolkien went back and forth with him a bit (which he also did with Galadriel, I believe, but this is how it is for my book). This mixture, though, is only really common in Lothlorien and perhaps a very small amount in Rivendell. In Mirkwood it is essentially non existent. Thranduil I think has always been jealous of the High Elves because he's not one. He was a King and then they came back with all their glory so he may not want his people to mix with them too much lest they rise above him, but he still likes to keep a good relationship with them and he obviously still respects their power. 

Legolas is Sandarin as is Thranduil and probably Legolas's mother. 

The Elves of Darkness officially named Moriquendi. They never began the Great Journey and abandoned the whole idea of it very early on. Those who refused it entirely, like the second it was mentioned are called Avari (Unwilling), but they never really appear and have probably fled somewhere not often travelled in Middle Earth. Those who accepted but quickly abandoned the idea are called the Nandor, their only real talent is with Nature. This group includes Silvan and Green Elves and they're much less skilled in crafting and warfare etc. They aren't really well respected by those high up and it is probably the reason behind Thranduil's disapproving nature of Tauriel who is mentioned as being Silvan. Silvan elves probably make up the bulk of places like Rivendell, Lothlorien and Mirkwood. High Elves are the rarest and then Sindarin and because they're more gifted they are usually your ones in power like Elrond, Galadriel, Celeborn and Thranduil. The "common people" are your Silvan elves. Don't be fooled into thinking that because they're called Dark Elves that makes them evil, it just means they really don't have any of the spiritual elven "light" in them. They have immortality and better senses and are more gifted with nature than humans, but that's it. It's enough to make them different, but not quite special.

I think there are many languages of the elves, the only one I will use and the most common in Middle Earth that they all speak is Sindarin. The other predominant language is Quenya which is only really spoken in Valinor. I don't know if there are any more or even if Quenya is spoken really at all beyond Valinor, but for the sake of my book I'm just going to use Sindarin and probably not even mention the other.

I could not find a decent dwarvish (Khuzdul) translator. If you know of one please send me a link int he comments or something. I may not need it as I may not write any, I don't know yet, but the option would be nice. Anariel can understand them so there is less of a reason to when it's not her language and I won't need to write it in a way where the rest of the company can't understand. Words like kinsmen or friend, brother, cousin etc. They would be nice to have.