# Elves: How Did They Actually Come Into Being?



## childoferu (Jun 21, 2009)

First of all, this is my first official thread(besides introducing myself, of course) so i'm super excited, second of all I only possess the Hobbit, Lotr, and the Sil, so my knowledge base is "limited";

but um, back to topic, we know WHEN and WHERE the elves are born, but is there any info in Tolkien's writings on how they are actually created by Eru, Genesis tells the story of Adam, what about the story of the elf? just curious about that


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## Elthir (Jun 21, 2009)

Welcome! We have a story meant to be an Elf-child's tale mingled with counting lore. It's been published in The War of the Jewels (one of the volumes of _The History of Middle-Earth_ series), and basically tells a story of the awakening of the 144 Unbegotten Elves.

I'm not sure if you want to read it before being told more about it here, but it's not very long in any case, if you want to read it first.

It's called Cuivienyarna and as I say, is: 'Actually written (in style and simple notions) to be a surviving Elvish "fairytale" or child's tale mingled with counting-lore.'


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## childoferu (Jun 22, 2009)

is there a link?


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## Elthir (Jun 22, 2009)

I'm no lawyer but I'm guessing the whole essay on the web (if it exists) would violate copyright.


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## Arvegil (Jun 23, 2009)

One of the things about Tolkien’s story about the original Elves and how they split into the three tribes, and into Eldar and Avari, is that he did this story multiple times; in fact, _Morgoth’s Ring_ has a version of the same events which is radically different from the one I am referring to. The reason why I find this version of interest is that it reflects on the different dispositions of the Teleri and the Noldor, the two tribes which make the Elf history in Middle-Earth. In this version, the interplay of who became Eldar and who became Avari is also quite interesting. It also raises questions regarding who _should_ have been Avari, and why. 

In the _The War of the Jewels_ version of the Elf awakening, the Elves had already split into three tribes by the time Orome found them (note: the two additional tribes mentioned in the “Morgoth’s Ring” version are gone). The Vanyar are the smallest group, and the Teleri are by far the largest. As told in “The Silmarillion,” Orome encountered the Elves, and took their three leaders to Valinor. As in The Sil, the three leaders advise taking the journey into the West. 

This version becomes much more detailed regarding exactly what happened to the three tribes when their leaders start the journey. The Vanyar, predictably, all pack up and move to Valinor. However, the Noldor actually split 50/50! Fully half of the Noldor chose to remain at Cuivenien, and became Avari. 

The Teleri, of all the tribes, were least inclined to go to Valinor. However, the Teleri also had a sense of group cohesion which came into play when it became apparent that their leaders were going to Valinor in any event. The great majority of Teleri started the journey to the West; in the end, the number of Teleri who became Avari were equal to the number of Noldor, despite the tribe being much larger. Of course, not all the Teleri made it to Aman; the Nandor and Sindar were split off from the group which did make it to Aman. 

This version of the “great split” actually details some of what happened afterward. The Avari did eventually drift west and make contact with the Noldor, Sindar, and Nandor. The Noldor did not get along well with their Avari cousins; the Noldor considered them rustics, and the Avari considered the Noldor to be arrogant. By contrast, the Avari who were related to the Teleri mixed in fairly well with the Nandor and Sindar, and integrated themselves within their communities. 

One question which is of some interest, which was raised in this version was: who were truly meant to be Avari? Not surprisingly, the Noldor and Nandor/Sindar pointed fingers at each other. The Noldor, as the loremasters and craftsmen, pointed out what they considered to be the indolence of the Teleri in general. They claimed that most of the Teleri would have been happy to stay in Middle-Earth (true), and that only those who remained to find Thingol really lamented the loss of their chance to live in Valinor. Essentially, the Noldor thought that the Teleri were content with the status quo and did not really desire the enlightenment, skills, and knowledge which the Noldor obtained as a result of living in Valinor; all things that the Noldor perceived as advancement and improvement. 

The Teleri in Middle-Earth, of course, took a different viewpoint. It did not escape their attention that half of the Noldor refused the great journey, far more than the Teleri, percentagewise. Moreover, the Noldor were in Valinor, and came back, not just for the Silmarils, but alsofor lands and kingdoms of their own. Furthermore, the Teleri noted that, compared to themselves, the Noldor were a contentious group, prone to internal disputes and infighting. The largest of these simmering disputes, of course, was the schism between the House of Feanor and the other Noldor, a schism so severe that the Feanoreans removed themselves to the other side of Belariand. In the Telarin view, the Noldor were a quarrelsome lot who needed the wider spaces of Middle-Earth to settle their quarrels.


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## childoferu (Jun 24, 2009)

thx for the input, it really brought some clarity


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## Adanedhel (Dec 21, 2011)

Did the Avari ever leave Middle-Earth?


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