The First Elves

[Captain Stern]

Hi I was extremely intrigued when i read a post here mentioning the very first Elves to awaken.

Seeing as I have none of the HOME books ( I'm working on changing that by the way :) ) could you tell me how many there were, their names and especialy what happened to them.

Were they 'normal' like other Elves? Why weren't they kings of the Eldar instead of Finwe, Elwe and Ingwe?

[Ñólendil]

I am by nature a lazy person, but maybe I could push myself to type it out. It is a text, an Appendix I guess attached to Quendi and Eldar in Vol. XI, War of the Jewels. (It may be called The Awakening of the Quendi). For the moment I will say that the first Elves were Imin, Tata and Enel ('one, 'two', 'three', respectively), and their spouses were Iminyë, Tatië and Enelyë. Imin came to rule the first of the Minyar ('firsts'), who later became the Vanyar, Tata came to be chief of the Tatyar ('seconds') of whom came the Ñoldor and Enel the Nelyar ('thirds') of whom came the Teleri.

Actually a summary is given in Michael Martinez's essay Elves by the numbers (http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/tolkien/54681) and it's implications discussed. If you still wish a full account, I will put forth an effort and type it out, it is not long, or some other person with pity will.

As for 'why were they not Kings instead of Ingwë etc.', that is a good question. Externally from the world we're talking about, I would say because Ingwë, Finwë and Elwë existed long before Imin, Tata and Enel did. Internally, I would say they must have not been around when Oromë found them. Undoubtedly the very first chieftains would have been the chieftains in the Great Journey, had they elected to embark upon it. Some evil fate must have occured, taken by one Hunter or another and corrupted, or slain and never returned from Mandos, or slain and enslaved by Melkor, etc., etc., etc.. Lots of things could have happened. I think it is covered briefly in the essay above, whether or not Ingwë, Finwë and Elwë are simply to be equated with Imin, Tata and Enel is also dealt with.

[Captain Stern]

My ISP changed their Internet packages so I've been without The Internet for a week or so but now I'm back on line so I'll read Michael Martinez's essay.

I'm looking to buy the HOME books in the very near future so I'll spare you the task of copying the passage, I sympathise, I'm a lazy person too :( I look forward to reading it, thanks for the offer though.

[Ñólendil]

I'm glad! :D About the buying-the-book, not the laziness. We have to work on that.

[Elvellon]

Well, I don’t recall my readings very well but I think I remember that the elvish population didn’t grow after the early Years of the Sun.
It seems that, (if I recall it right), that this was one of the main reasons for the “fading” of the elves, as the ever-growing human population outnumbered them.

If this is true then it may be true that the human population became more numerous than the elves somewhere during the late Third Age or the beginning of the Fourth. Note that this population shift must have included all elves and not just those of Middle-Earth. :)