~ Migrations of The Elves ~

Contents	~ The Sundering ~ First Migrations ~ Later Migrations ~	Bottom
At the rising of the Stars, the Firstborn Children of Illuvatar awake by Cuivenen, the Lake of Awakening. They are eventually discovered by Orome the Hunter, of whom they are afraid, for Melkor has found them first & put fear into them. The Valar decide to summon them to Aman for their safety. To allay their fears Orome takes Ingwe, Finwe & Elwe to Valinor as ambassadors. On returning, they persuade most of the Firstborn to follow Orome to Aman. Thus begins both the Great Journey & the Sundering of the Elves.

~ The Sundering of The Elves ~
Ingwe's folk go straight to Valinor Finwe's followers also go to Aman Elwe & Olwe's followers (the main host) tarry; some reach Aman later Some Elves are unwilling to leave Cuivenen Some of The Teleri stay in Beleriand under Elwe     The Sindar themselves divide Some of The Teleri leave Cuivenen under Lenwe but stop at the Anduin     Many of The Nandor eventually cross into Ossiriand	The Vanyar The Noldor The Teleri The Avari The Sindar The Grey-Elves and Falathrim The Nandor The Laiquendi / Green-Elves
The Vanyar, Noldor & Teleri who march West are The Eldar Those who do see the Light of The Trees are The Calaquendi / Tareldar Elves of The Light / High-Elves Elves who set out but do not reach Aman are The Umanyar Those Not Of Aman Elves who never reach Aman so do not see the Light of The Trees are The Moriquendi Elves of The Darkness

~ The Sundering ~ First Migrations ~ Later Migrations ~
 

~ First Migrations of The Elves ~
The Vanyar
The Vanyar under Ingwe crossed Middle-earth & reached the shores of Beleriand. Thence they were taken to Aman by Ulmo on the island which became Tol Eressea & settled in Valinor. Ingwe remains High-King of the Eldar (Vanyar, Noldor & Teleri) in Aman.
The Noldor
The Noldor under Finwe were drawn from Beleriand to Aman by Ulmo on the same island as The Vanyar. The main body of the Noldor settled at Tirion. On Feanor's banishment from Tirion he & Finwe removed to Formenos.
After many of the Noldor left Aman in the Flight of the Noldor: Finarfin became King of the Noldor in Aman at Tirion. Fingolfin became High-King of the Noldor in Beleriand. The sons of Finarfin & Fingolfin became Kings in West Beleriand. The sons of Feanor became Kings in East Beleriand.        (See Elven Trees for their distribution in Beleriand) Galadriel married a Sinda & settled in Doriath. The Noldor who initially settled in Nevrast began first to merge with the Sindar / Grey-Elves. Following the disastrous Nirnaeth Arnoediad campaign, survivors of the Noldor of Hithlum joined the few Falathrim left, in the Isle of Balar. The surviving Noldor of East Beleriand fled to Ossiriand & joined the Green Elves / Nandor. At the end of the First Age the majority of the Noldor left Middle-earth. Some of those who remained merged with the Sindar and Nandor. The relatively few pure Noldor / Tareldar who remained finally took ship back to Aman at the end of the Third Age.
The Teleri
Sindar / Grey-Elves    Fakmari / Falathrim    Nandor    Laiquendi / Green-Elves
The main host of the Eldar under Elwe travelled slowly & split when they got to the Anduin: Some were afraid of the size of the Anduin & of the Hithaeglir beyond (Melkor having raised the Misty Mountains to stop the March). Under Lengwe a number turned south & settled in the Vale of Anduin or wandered down-river, along the eastern banks. They became The Nandor & little was heard of them for many years. When the main host reached Beleriand they had long missed Ulmo's 'boat' to Aman. It did not help that Elwe suddenly went missing, bewitched by Melian in Nan Elmoth. The Teleri who reached the shore of Beleriand, between the Bay of Belfalas & Firth of Drengist, were mostly amazed & were called the Falmari as they sang songs of wonder about the sea. But they did not all tarry there. Some did not like the look of the sea or were unwilling to depart without their Lord, Elwe. They either settled in Nevrast or eventually rejoined Elwe in Eglador (Doriath) as The Sindar or Grey-Elves. Some were persuaded by Osse to remain in Beleriand. They settled by the coast as The Falathrim of Falas with Cirdan The Shipwright as their Lord. The rest, under Olwe, hung around until Finwe persuaded the Valar to send Ulmo back to get them. They sailed on the same island, but Osse again intervened & they asked Ulmo to stop. Tol Eressea was thus anchored off-shore in the Bay of Eldamar. Some of the Teleri stayed there & built Avallone. The majority finally decided they wished to land in Aman. Osse taught them to build ships & they settled in Alqualonde (Swan-Haven) under Olwe, becoming shipwrights & sailors. Meanwhile, some of the The Nandor - under Lenwe's son, Denethor - decided to move west of Anduin & finally reached Beleriand, settling in Ossiriand as the Green-Elves, being skilled in woodland crafts. They were welcomed by the Sindar. However, following their disastrous experience against Orcs in the 1st Battle of Beleriand, many moved to Doriath & merged with the Grey-Elves. The remainder hid in the woods of Ossiriand, avoiding conflict & contact with others (except when Beren led them in an attack on the Dwarves of Nogrod to recover the stolen booty from Doriath, by which time they had been reinforced by Noldor fleeing the wreck of North Beleriand).
The Avari
Wood-Elves
The Avari (The Unwilling) were the Elves too frightened to leave the Lake of Awakening. Some were taken by Melkor. Of those who remained in the East little is known; they wandered far & became Wood-Elves, mostly living in the edges of forests for safety & avoiding sunlight & Men, though some Dark Elves were encountered by the first of the tribes of Men in their westward journeying. Eol the "Dark Elf" was a Sinda, so-named due to his solitary ways & liking for the darkness of Nan Elmoth.

~ The Sundering ~ First Migrations ~ Later Migrations ~
 

~ Later Migrations of The Elves ~
~ High-Elves/Elf-Lords - Galadhrim - Silvan & Wood-Elves ~
After the War of Wrath & destruction of Beleriand, many of the surviving Noldor sail to Avallone on Tol Eressea, the Doom of The Noldor having been lifted when the Teleri of Alqualonde forgive the Kinslaying. Those unwilling to leave Middle-earth gather in Lindon (the remains of Ossiriand) under Ereinion Gil-Galad.   Celebrimbor & his smiths move further east to Ost-in-Edhil in Eregion / Hollin.   Later, Elrond founds Imladris, which becomes the 'capital' of the surviving Noldorin High-Elves / Elf-Lords on the death of Gil-Galad, after which Lindon & Eriador are largely deserted except for the Grey Havens & Wandering Companies living in the woods. Cirdan & the Falathrim had previously been driven out of Falas to the Isle of Balar & Mouths of Sirion. They resettle at Mithlond (The Grey Havens), in Lindon. The surviving Sindar & Laiquendi migrate into Eriador. Some survivors of the wars against Sauron find refuge in Imladris; others cross the Misty Mountains & merge with the Nandor of the Vale of Anduin as the Silvan Elves / Wood-Elves, holding sway in Lorinand / Lothlorien as The Galadhrim under a Sindarin King (Amdir), eventually under Galadriel & Celeborn.   Some of the Nandor (Wood-Elves) remain in Greenwood The Great to the east of Anduin, retreating gradually to Northern Mirkwood under another Sindarin King (Oropher), a refugee from Doriath. Finally, with Sauron & the One Ring destroyed & the protective powers of the three Elven Rings diminished, the last of the High-Elves leave Middle-earth. They are followed by other Elves, like Legolas.   How long ship-builders & ships able to sail to Avallone remain is not told.

~ The Sundering ~ First Migrations ~ Later Migrations ~
~  Elven Trees  ~  Elves Alphabetical List  ~  High-Elves  ~