The first Elves awoke in three distinct clans, from which would emerge the people known as the Vanyar, the Noldor and the Teleri. Of these, the Vanyar were the smallest group, while the Teleri were by far the most populous. When Oromë proposed that the Elves should remove to Valinor, these Three Kindreds first sent three ambassadors, one from each kindred, named Ingwë, Finwë and Elwë. After their return, these ambassadors encouraged the Elves to make the Great Journey into the West and, divided into their Three Kindreds, a great part of the Elves set out.1 These were the people who would be known to history as the Eldar
| Vanyar |
Also called the Fair Elves and the Light-elves, the golden-haired Vanyar were the most dedicated of the Elves to the Valar. They followed Ingwë - considered to be the High King of all the Elves - into the West. They dwelt for a time in the city of Tirion alongside the Noldor, but later removed to dwell on the slopes of Taniquetil at the feet of Manwë. |
| Noldor |
The dark-haired Noldor followed their leader Finwë to Valinor, and dwelt there in peace with the Vanyar for many long years. They were skilled at the making of things, and none more so than the great Fëanor, son of Finwë, who was the creator of the Silmarils and many other marvellous things. Spurred by the lies of Melkor, after the Darkening of Valinor and the theft of the Silmarils the Noldor rebelled against the Valar, and most of them followed Fëanor on his quest for revenge. Thus the greater part of the Noldor returned to Middle-earth, and fought the Wars of Beleriand against the first Dark Lord. |
| Teleri |
The Teleri were by far the most populous of the Three Kindreds, said to have been more than five times as numerous as the Vanyar. Many of the Teleri abandoned the Great Journey into the West and remained in Middle-earth, giving rise to peoples such as the Nandor and the Sindar. Those that finally reached Aman dwelt by the western shores of the Great Sea, and became expert ship-builders and sailors. |
The term 'Three Kindreds' is almost universally used to describe the three major divisions of the Eldar, but there is a single exception: on one occasion, Aragorn used the phrase with a different and much broader meaning. As he prepared to set off with Legolas and Gimli to rescue the captured Merry and Pippin, he spoke of the Three Kindreds as representing, not divisions of the Elves, but the three distinct peoples of Elves, Dwarves and Men.
Notes
1 |
Not all of the Elves chose to journey into the West, but we are told little of those that remained, who were known as the Avari or Unwilling. The division into Three Kindreds dated back to the very earliest days of the Elves, long before the Great Journey, so the Avari would already have been divided into distinct kindreds of their own. We're told that all of Ingwë's followers, the Vanyar, made the journey into the West, so there would have been none of that kindred among the Avari. However, some of the followers of both Finwë and Elwë chose to remain behind, so there would - at least at one time - have been equivalents of the Noldor and Teleri among the Avari as well as the Eldar.
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See also...
Eldar, Elves, Elves of the High Kindred, Elves of Valinor, Great Journey, High Elves, Lady of the Noldor, People of the Stars, Sea-folk, Singollo, Tareldar, Water of Awakening
Indexes:
About this entry:
- Updated 27 June 2026
- This entry is complete
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