Dates Originated millennia before the first rising of the Moon and Sun1 Location Aman, but a large part of the Noldor later returned to Middle-earth Origins Eldar who completed the Great Journey and saw the Light of the Two Trees Race Elves Divisions Vanyar, Noldor, and a part of the Teleri Culture Elves of Valinor2 Settlements The main cities of the Eldar in the West were Tirion and Alqualondë3 Pronunciation kalaque'ndee Meaning 'Elves of the Light' Other names Elves of the Light; closely equivalent to Eldar of Valinor, Eldar of the West, Elves beyond the Sea, Elves of Valinor (see note 2), High Folk of the West Indexes: Alphabetical: C Elves About this entry: Updated 13 December 2017 Updates planned: 1 The Elves of the Light Quendi(All Elves)   Eldar Vanyar Noldor Teleri Falmari Sindar Nandor Avari The main branches of the Elves, with the branches that formed the Calaquendi shown in bold text. All of the Vanyar and Noldor went into the West, but only a part of the Teleri completed the journey, becoming known as the Falmari. 'Elves of the Light'; a name given to the Vanyar, the Noldor, and that part of the Teleri who travelled to Aman in the youth of the world and saw the light of the Two Trees of Valinor; Elu Thingol of Doriath is also counted among their number. Notes 1 The very first of the Calaquendi were three ambassadors taken to Valinor to judge whether the Elves as whole should travel there. These ambassadors, Ingwë, Finwë and Elwë, were the first of the Elves to see the Light of the Trees, about 3,800 years before the first rising of the Sun. After their return, they persuaded many of the Elves to travel there from Middle-earth. The Great Journey that followed took centuries to complete, with the last of the companies of the Teleri finally making the crossing some five centuries later. (These dates are taken from the Annals of Aman in volume X of The History of Middle-earth, adjusted to solar years.) 2 All the Elves of Valinor were of the Calaquendi, but not all the Calaquendi were strictly Elves of Valinor. This is especially true of those Teleri who made the journey to Aman: they originally settled on Tol Eressëa, and later along the coastlands eastward of Valinor itself. The Light of the Two Trees shone through the Pass of Light to reach these regions, so the Elves who dwelt there were certainly Calaquendi, but they were not, properly speaking, Elves of Valinor. 3 Many of the Eldar in Aman occupied an area known as Eldamar or Elvenhome, and that doubtless contained more settlements than the two main cities of Tirion and Alqualondë. Other Elves occupied areas outside this range, such as Fëanor's fortress of Formenos in the north of Valinor, or the older dwellings of the Teleri on the island of Tol Eressëa. See also... Aman, Elves of the Light, Light in the West, Light-elves, Noontide of Valinor, The Light Indexes: Alphabetical: C Elves About this entry: Updated 13 December 2017 Updates planned: 1 For acknowledgements and references, see the Disclaimer & Bibliography page. Original content © copyright Mark Fisher 1998, 2001, 2008, 2015, 2017. All rights reserved. For conditions of reuse, see the Site FAQ. Website services kindly sponsored by myDISCprofile, the free online personality test.How do your personal strengths fit in with career matching? How can you identify them? Try a free personality test from myDISCprofile. |
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