Middle-Earth Role Playing
Quendi
Elves were the first to awaken and venture onto the Middle-earth. They are a graceful and noble race of immortal beings who resemble men, but shine with an inner glow which betrays the spirit of unique thoughts and gifts. No race has been blessed more, or cursed so much by the hand of Fate.
Though basically similar to mortal men in most ways, Elves have several important, if subtle differences. As a race they are taller than humans but they are uniformly slender and have less body hair. Elven men have no beards. Fine features and fair, unmarred skin combine with sparking eyes five the elf an enchanted aura. A strange deftness and ease of movement give them a graceful quality and it is not surprising that they are very agile and so light afoot; they leave few traces of their passing and can walk on the surface of freshly fallen snow. Their gently physical appearance belies great strength, however, for they are highly resistant to the crippling effects of extreme temperatures, and are immune to disease and illness.
They are also immortal, and age in a graceful, nearly impeccable manner. Elves commonly die from only two causes, through violence, or as a result of weariness of the world. In the later case an Elf is simply overcome with grief over the course of time, thereby losing the will to live. All the Elves who pass away are gathered in the Halls of Mandos, the Place of Awaiting, in the far west of Aman (Valinor). There they wait the End of the World, or are released back into the world to replace another of their line who has perished. In a sense, Elves are often reborn as descendants of themselves.
The Elves revere the Valar and many know their nature well. Still, they have no formal religion; instead they show their respect through poetry and song and gather to celebrate life and the gifts from on high. This respect for the way of things is largely tied to their acceptance of their close ties to the Fate set down in the Song of Creation, although much of it also stems from an understanding of joy regarding the creations of nature which have been handed down and overseen by the Valar. Above all but Eru they worship Varda, Queen of the Valar and fairest of all creations. She is the bringing of light and they call her “Lady of the Starts” (Elentari or Elbereth ).
Elves do not sleep. Instead, they receive rest through meditation involving memories, past events they recall with remarkable vividness. Normally they go into this trance-like state for approximately two hours each day, although they can function for many days with little or no relief. While in their meditative state, Elves are extremely difficult to awaken; their rise at a point previously decided. This manner of rest is in keeping with the Elven fondness for the night. Men often referred to them as people of the stars for a good reason, for Elves see as well on a starlight evening as a man would at the height of day. Elven sight is ideal for the partial darkness of the shadowy forests of a cloudy sky. And allows them mobility unlike that of any other race. In absolute darkness, however, they suffer as others do; they can not see at all.
Their sense of hearing is also superb, and no doubt accounts for the Elven skill with music. Their reverence for song is unparalleled as has affected their language and way of keeping precious records. The Elves were first to use spoken words and have taught the other races of the gift of speech; thus their own name for their kind: “Quendi” – the “speakers”. All of their speech has a musical quality when spoken properly, leading itself well to verse. Elven Bards, then, have had little trouble in maintaining the histories and epics of their race as a collection of wondrous songs and spoken poetry.
There are two major grouping of elves in Middle-earth. There split in the early First Age formed the basis for the development of two separate Elven cultures. The most exalted group is the Eldar, the three kindreds (Noldar, Vanyar, and Teleri) which made the Great Journey across Middle-earth during the first age. Most settled for a time in Aman (The Undying Lands) or along the shores of now-sunken Beleriand. Only the Noldor and Sindar (a group of Teleri) remained in Middle-earth following the War of the Wrath that ended the First Age. All other folk are called Avari or Silvan Elves. They are commonly called wood-elves.
From these cultures came the three groups which form the elven races of Middle-earth: (1) the Noldor, (2) the Sindar, and (3) the Silvan Elves.
The above information was taken from the Middle-Earth Role Playing . All of this information here has been copyrighted Iron Crown Enterprises.
