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Fiber Camp this weekend was awesome! But before I post about all the cool things I learned, I wanted to share this e-mail I sent Rachel the other day.
I'm the kind of nerd who, when given a choice of canonical peoples from which my LotRO character comes, has to pinpoint exactly where in Middle Earth they grew up, and where their parents came from, if applicable. For example, if you choose to play an Elf character, you can decide whether they came from Mithlond (the Grey Havens), Lothlorien, Rivendell, or Edhellond. Rachel's main character, Faethuil, comes from Lothlorien. Rachel doesn't share quite my level of obsessive fannishness, but she's certainly interested in background development for her characters, so I sent this to her the other day: my ten-cent bicycle tour of the varieties of Elf Faethuil could plausibly be. It also serves a quick-and-dirty summary of some of the events in the Silmarillion, with a focus on the Elves still around by the time of the War of the Ring.
~
SO. VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATIONS XD You have several choices if you wanted to decide what kind of Elf Faethuil is (based on his being from Lothlorien).
- Silvan: Silvan or Wood Elves are Elves of the "Less Awesome But Still Awesomer Than You (tm)" variety who are pretty populous (as Elves go) in Eriador, the part of Middle Earth we're concerned with. Silvan Elves are descended from a mixture of Elves, but mostly those Elves who, when the Valar summoned them to the Undying Lands, got as far as the Misty Mountains before saying "Uh, no thanks, those are rather tall and it's nice here." In Silvan Elves' ancestry are also Elves who refused the summons entirely (Wild or Dark Elves, who we know next to nothing about) and some Elves who got farther toward Valinor (and some who actually made it). Silvan Elves make up the people of Mirkwood and Lothlorien but are ruled by a Sindarin noble class.
- Sindar: Sindarin Elves are the "Not Quite the Awesomest but Still Extremely Awesome (tm)" variety. They left on the journey to Valinor when summoned, but lost their king on the way (no really, they misplaced him*) and stopped to look for him. Years passed, and once they found him again, the boat to Valinor had already left. Others of the Sindar who were not particularly attached to the king just really liked it there and didn't want to leave. They established Kingdoms of Awesome and, centuries later, the Elves who DID go to Valinor mingled with them after being kicked out. A humongously big battle occurred in the place where they all lived and pretty much the entire country was drowned - its eastern border had been the Ered Luin, which is now the western border of Middle Earth. After this, the Sindar went east of the Ered Luin and settled in various places (Lothlorien, Mirkwood, Eregion). More Sindarin Elves arrived in Lothlorian after the destruction of Eregion some centuries later.
- Noldor: Elves of the "Would Be Awesomer Than Anyone Had They Not Massively Effed Up (tm)" variety. These Elves answered the summons and went to Valinor, but were arrogant and caused trouble and wanted to be masters of their own destinies, so they got kicked out. They returned to Middle Earth, although the Sindar - with whom they mostly got along sometimes - had already established the dominant culture there. Like the Sindar, some Noldor moved to Lothlorien after their country was drowned and some moved first to Eregion and then to Lothlorian after Eregion fell. These are the least populous of the Elves still in Middle Earth at the time of LotR.
For reference! Haldir is a Silvan Elf. Legolas and (usually) Celeborn are Sindarin. Elrond is Sindarin, though he has both Noldor and Vanyar (those who went to Valinor and never left) in his lineage via his human side (I KNOW I KNOW). Galadriel has Noldor and Vanyar in her ancestry, but is all Noldor in attitude.
IN MY UNDERSTANDING, Sindarin Elves tend to have gray eyes and dark hair. Noldorin Elves have the same, but there are some instances of red-, golden-, or silver-haired elves among them. The only absolutely-for-sure-blond elves are the Vanyar, who all went to Valinor and stayed put there. And, uh, strangely enough, Thranduil. But whatevs.
*He was on a date with a Maia. A long date.
I'm the kind of nerd who, when given a choice of canonical peoples from which my LotRO character comes, has to pinpoint exactly where in Middle Earth they grew up, and where their parents came from, if applicable. For example, if you choose to play an Elf character, you can decide whether they came from Mithlond (the Grey Havens), Lothlorien, Rivendell, or Edhellond. Rachel's main character, Faethuil, comes from Lothlorien. Rachel doesn't share quite my level of obsessive fannishness, but she's certainly interested in background development for her characters, so I sent this to her the other day: my ten-cent bicycle tour of the varieties of Elf Faethuil could plausibly be. It also serves a quick-and-dirty summary of some of the events in the Silmarillion, with a focus on the Elves still around by the time of the War of the Ring.
~
SO. VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATIONS XD You have several choices if you wanted to decide what kind of Elf Faethuil is (based on his being from Lothlorien).
- Silvan: Silvan or Wood Elves are Elves of the "Less Awesome But Still Awesomer Than You (tm)" variety who are pretty populous (as Elves go) in Eriador, the part of Middle Earth we're concerned with. Silvan Elves are descended from a mixture of Elves, but mostly those Elves who, when the Valar summoned them to the Undying Lands, got as far as the Misty Mountains before saying "Uh, no thanks, those are rather tall and it's nice here." In Silvan Elves' ancestry are also Elves who refused the summons entirely (Wild or Dark Elves, who we know next to nothing about) and some Elves who got farther toward Valinor (and some who actually made it). Silvan Elves make up the people of Mirkwood and Lothlorien but are ruled by a Sindarin noble class.
- Sindar: Sindarin Elves are the "Not Quite the Awesomest but Still Extremely Awesome (tm)" variety. They left on the journey to Valinor when summoned, but lost their king on the way (no really, they misplaced him*) and stopped to look for him. Years passed, and once they found him again, the boat to Valinor had already left. Others of the Sindar who were not particularly attached to the king just really liked it there and didn't want to leave. They established Kingdoms of Awesome and, centuries later, the Elves who DID go to Valinor mingled with them after being kicked out. A humongously big battle occurred in the place where they all lived and pretty much the entire country was drowned - its eastern border had been the Ered Luin, which is now the western border of Middle Earth. After this, the Sindar went east of the Ered Luin and settled in various places (Lothlorien, Mirkwood, Eregion). More Sindarin Elves arrived in Lothlorian after the destruction of Eregion some centuries later.
- Noldor: Elves of the "Would Be Awesomer Than Anyone Had They Not Massively Effed Up (tm)" variety. These Elves answered the summons and went to Valinor, but were arrogant and caused trouble and wanted to be masters of their own destinies, so they got kicked out. They returned to Middle Earth, although the Sindar - with whom they mostly got along sometimes - had already established the dominant culture there. Like the Sindar, some Noldor moved to Lothlorien after their country was drowned and some moved first to Eregion and then to Lothlorian after Eregion fell. These are the least populous of the Elves still in Middle Earth at the time of LotR.
For reference! Haldir is a Silvan Elf. Legolas and (usually) Celeborn are Sindarin. Elrond is Sindarin, though he has both Noldor and Vanyar (those who went to Valinor and never left) in his lineage via his human side (I KNOW I KNOW). Galadriel has Noldor and Vanyar in her ancestry, but is all Noldor in attitude.
IN MY UNDERSTANDING, Sindarin Elves tend to have gray eyes and dark hair. Noldorin Elves have the same, but there are some instances of red-, golden-, or silver-haired elves among them. The only absolutely-for-sure-blond elves are the Vanyar, who all went to Valinor and stayed put there. And, uh, strangely enough, Thranduil. But whatevs.
*He was on a date with a Maia. A long date.
