The Elves
It was foretold by Mandos, one of the Valar that the children of Iluvatar should come forth into the darkness and should look upon the stars.
Varda was one of the Valar and was the creator of many stars in the sky. Many of the elves� songs and poems are prayers to Varda. Before the coming of the elves, she took great labour to create bright shining stars of silver dews in the sky for their coming. When these stars were kindled, the Elves awoke by the lakemirror of Cuivienen.
It was Oromë, when hunting, who found the elves. He was one of the Valar, and befriended the elves. He was so much in awe of them that in their own language, he named the elves the Eldar, meaning "people of the stars". However, this was only the name of the elves who followed Oromë back west. Oromë went back to Valinor and told his fellow Valar that the children of Eru had indeed been found. The Valar then told the Eldar to come and abide in Valinor.
There were three major factions of the elves who followed Oromë. They were the Vanyar, the Noldor, and the Teleri elves. Those who didn�t follow Oromë were called the Avari elves meaning "unwilling". They are also called the Dark Elves and are lost forever.
The Vanyar were the first host of the Eldar who followed the westward road from Cuivienen (where Oromë found them) to Valinor, in the Blessed Realm. They were led by Ingwë who was later named the High King of all the Eldar. Their name means �fair� referring to their golden hair. They entered the Blessed Realm and never set foot again in Middle-Earth.
The Noldor were the second host to travel for Valinor. They were led by Finwë, father of Fëanor, Fingolfin, and Finarfin. The name meant �the wise�. However they weren�t wise when it came to their judgment. Filled with doubt brought on by Melkor, the Noldor refused to listen to the Valar. They left Valinor in pursuit of the Silmarils.
The Teleri elves were the last and greatest host to follow Oromë west. However, many did not go to the Blessed Realm, but stayed in the western part of Middle-Earth in the region known as Belariand. They were led by Elwë (Thingol), father of Luthien Tinuviel, and Olwë, Thingol�s brother. Thingol married Melian, a Maia, and lived in the forest of Doriath until his murder. The name they gave themselves was the �hindar� which meant �singers�. But the name �Teleri� was given to them before they started to head west. It meant �last� or �late coming�. They were also called the �grey-elves� by the returning Noldor. They were named the �grey-elves� because they hadn�t been to the light in the Blessed Realm and they weren�t Avari elves.
The Teleri who stayed in Middle-Earth, split into two groups: the Sindar and the Nander.
The Sindar were the first elves found by the returning Noldor. Thingol was King of the Sindar. The Sindar called themselves �Edhil� and plural, �Edhel�.
The Nander, meaning �those who turn back� were the Teleri who did not cross over the Misty Mountains and resided in Ossariand.
The Dark Elves did not follow Oromë because they believed lies from Melkor who feared and despised them. The elves who came to him were imprisoned and tortured. They were corrupted and enslaved and Melkor used them to breed Orcs, the bitterest foe of the elves. Because of this, the Valar went to war against Melkor. He lost and was put in chains for three ages before what is known as The First Age of the Sun.
The history of the elves is a long and sad one filled with loss, defeat, betrayal, and ultimate victory�and it revolved around one thing: the three jewels known as the Silmarils in the first age, and the Rings of Power in the second and third ages.
It was Fëanor, son of Finwë, who made the Silmarils. Melkor, who, after being released, lusted for the Silmarils and spread lies and unrest and rumors within the Noldor elves to turn the elves against the Valar and to turn the Valar against the elves. When he thought everything was falling into plan, he took the giant spider named Ungoliant, foremother of Shelob from the Lord of the Rings, and used her to poison the two special trees of the Valar and stole the Silmarils and fled to his stronghold in northern Middle-Earth. The Noldor, in their rage, did not heed the advice of the Valar, and vowed to get them back.
The two trees of Valinor had before being poisoned, the only source of light for all of Arda. When Ungoliant destroyed the trees, one of the Vala coaxed the dying trees to bring forth fruit. These fruit were then placed in the sky as the Sun and Moon. Thus did the Ages of Starlight end, and the First Age Under the Sun begin.
Some of the Teleri elves had become ship builders. Fëanor demanded some boats to take him to Middle-Earth, but he was denied. Fëanor led his sons in what is known as �the Kinslaying� where the Noldor killed their Teleri kindred and stole the boats. Because of this, they were cursed by Mandos and were sent into Exile. They were led by Fëanor. In his rage, Fëanor renamed Melkor, Morgoth. The wrath of the Valar on Fëanor and his sons was that they would die and be never be allowed back.
Between the time when the Noldor went into exile to the time when the Valar rescued them, there were many battles and skirmishes with the minions of Morgoth and even with Morgoth himself when Fingolfin confronted him in single combat. Five major battles were fought. Many elves died, but the fifth battle, The War of Wrath, was Morgoth�s last, when the Valar came.
