File:Edwin_Landseer_-_Scene_from_A_Midsummer_Night's_Dream._Titania_and_Bottom_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
Middle-earth elf
Sign in to saveAlso known as Firstborn, Quendi, Elves, Elv
humanoid species from J.R.R. Tolkien's legendarium
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- Middle-earth race
- Part of
- Children of Ilúvatar
- Has part
- Avari
- Based on
- elf
- Image
- Elvenlord.jpg
Show 5 more facts
- Commons category
- Middle-earth Elves
- topic's main category
- Category:Middle-earth Elves
- home world
- Arda
- from narrative universe
- Tolkien's legendarium
- present in work
- The Silmarillion
Sources (1)
via Wikidata · CC0
~31 min read
Encyclopedic overview
In J. R. R. Tolkien's writings, Elves are the first fictional race to appear in Middle-earth. Unlike Men and Dwarves, Elves do not die of disease or old age. Should they die in battle or of grief, their souls go to the Halls of Mandos in Aman. After a long life in Middle-earth, Elves yearn for the Earthly Paradise of Valinor, and can sail there from the Grey Havens. They are prominent in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and their history is described in detail in The Silmarillion.
Tolkien derived Elves from mentions in the ancient poetry and languages of Northern Europe, especially Old English. These suggested to him that Elves were large, dangerous, beautiful, lived in wild natural places, and practised archery. He invented languages for the Elves, including Sindarin and Quenya.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Middle-earth elf” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.