The civilization of the elves is a historical reality! Where and when did the elves live? History of the Elves.
He is best known for his Lord of the Rings trilogy. Its plot develops in the vastness of the fictional world inhabited by different races, including elves. Middle-earth, thanks to the efforts of the author, received rich history. The elven people play a key role in it.
Tolkien's inspiration
Contrary to the prevailing stereotype, Tolkien is not the creator of elves. He borrowed this image from Germanic and Scandinavian pagan myths. In them, elves are spirits of the forest. From there Tolkien took the dwarves and other characters of his fictional world.
The writer supplemented the mythological image with his own ideas. In Tolkien, the elves became an intelligent, powerful race. Representatives of this people look similar to people, but have their own characteristics. Elves live so long that by human standards their life expectancy approaches infinity. However, they can be killed by force, and in this they are no different from people. In Tolkien's world there are no ailments that elves could suffer from. Middle-earth is home to many peoples, but it is this race that has the most acute sense of smell, sight and hearing.
History of the Elves
According to the chronicles that Tolkien left, elves appeared in his world long before people. Chronologically, this event belongs to the First Age. The elves were awakened by the gods before the Sun and Moon were created. So they woke up under a clear starry sky.
Elves originally appeared in Middle-earth. At this time, the world was inhabited by the ancient gods of the Valar. They called the elves to Valinor - a mythical country that was radically different from Middle-earth. It was at this moment that the united people were divided into clans. Some of them agreed to go to Valinor, others remained in their native land.
In the Second Age, an elven state was created, which was located in Mirkwood. This is what appears in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.
Elves names and languages
Interestingly, Middle-earth has several pronunciations. The fact is that Tolkien was a linguist by training. He taught at universities and was interested in creating which were the quintessence of languages of different human cultures. The author of The Lord of the Rings wanted to create a realistic world in which representatives of each nation would have not only their own culture, but also a dialect. Tolkien created several languages for the elves, including Quenya and Sindarin. Their use depended on belonging to a particular clan of this numerous people.
For each language, Tolkien created its own phonetics, grammar and other rules of use. The names of the elves of Middle-earth were written depending on what dialect the speaker spoke.
Life cycle
The author of "The Lord of the Rings" and the story "The Hobbit" wrote many books dedicated to his fictional world. Many of them can be characterized as chronicles that tell the history of Middle-earth and its inhabitants. Tolkien paid a lot of attention to elves. He talked about their life and habits not only in his works, but also in his work correspondence with colleagues.
The elves' immortality was also complemented by their biological ability to quickly heal their own wounds. If a representative of this people did die (for example, in battle), then his soul went to the Halls of Mandas in distant Valinor. This was necessary in order to be cleansed of all the worldly evil that haunted the elf during his life in Middle-earth. After the spirit of the deceased underwent the purification procedure, he again received a body that was outwardly similar to the one he had in past life. Theoretically, the elf could return to Middle-earth, but in practice no one did this, preferring to remain in Valinor. The only exception was the character Glorfindel, who appeared on the pages of The Lord of the Rings. His name completes the list of elves of Middle-earth who participated in the war against Mordor. At the end of the novel, all these people decided to sail on ships back to Valinor.
Journey to Valinor
The reason why the Elves left Middle-earth is that after the War of the Ring, which was described in The Lord of the Rings, their physical strength began to gradually fade away. The only place, where they could continue to live, became Valinor - a distant land in which there had never been people.
The elven kingdoms existed thanks to the rings, which were powerful magical artifacts. All of them were destroyed, and the last of them was carried to Mordor in Tolkien's main novel. Because of this, the elves had to sail overseas, leaving the entire continent to people.
Those who remained in Middle-earth after the events of The Lord of the Rings became increasingly degraded over time until they became primitive people, inhabiting caves and valleys. They also lost many of the traits inherent in their ancestors - immortality, wisdom. Crafts and arts were forgotten, including music, which the elves of Mirkwood loved very much.
Numerous fairy tales speak of amazing elves who are distinguished by their fragile physique, short stature, long ears pointed shape. The main difference between elves is their magical abilities. Did elves really exist? Who are they?
The chronicles of an ancient monastery say that in the 15th century, in the mountainous region of Scotland, people found a man who was dying of wounds. The man spoke in an unknown language. He was weak and thin. After the doctors were able to cure him, the man surprised with his dexterity in archery and fencing. The stranger made no mistakes! Soon he was able to learn the language. It was then that he said that he belonged to the people of the Elves, who lived very far away. It is important to note that the guy had pointed ears, like real Elves. However, people who lived in the Middle Ages were confident that this was a sign of belonging to those who served the devil.
You can also study family chronicle Norway, which tells the story of how, in the 16th century, a young girl became the wife of a tall and handsome guy, who was a representative of the elves. The young man showed amazing abilities in archery. The guy was persecuted out of envy. The man was able to become the father of two beautiful daughters, which also had pointed ears.
It is important to note that representatives various peoples For centuries, elves have been described in almost the same way. If all the records were compiled correctly, then thanks to them you can find out what the elves really were like.
Most often, people encountered elves from the twelfth to the sixteenth centuries. Based on the information studied, two versions were put forward. According to the first hypothesis, elves are human beings with additional genes. Thanks to special genes, they are able to develop paranormal abilities. According to the second hypothesis, elves are creatures that can come from a parallel world to ours.
Approximately from the 7th-6th millennium BC. human memory preserved, at the same time as the giants, the elves - white and black.
In the Scandinavian “Elder Edda” it is noted that the gods first created miniatures - gnomes, and then elves: They met at a meeting, sat down on benches, all the high gods held council: someone should make dwarfs from the blood of Brimir from the bone of Blain; Motsognir was made and named the first among the Tsvergov people.
But here is the genealogy of Lovar's ancestors - the descendants of Dwalin, whose family appeared from the stone of the earth, came from the quagmire to the sandy earth...
Later, the Younger Edda added details about the country of the elves - Alfheim: “Creatures called light elves live there. But the dark ones live in the earth, they have a different appearance and a completely different nature. Light alvas are more beautiful in appearance than the sun, and dark ones are blacker than tar. “The first belong to the day, the second to the night; the first - through the air, the second - into the underground world.
Unlike black elves, white elves could change their height and appearance according to at will, become visible or invisible - you just had to take off or put on a cap with a silver bell.
In fairy tales, elves are most often portrayed as frivolous creatures who adore music, singing, dancing, noisy feasts and celebrations, and willingly join any procession or round dance. It is as if they never cause harm to people, and respond to insults only with good-natured tricks. They just don't like loud noise: bell ringing, thunder, piercing whistle.
Oxford University professor John Tolkien, author of the famous “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, strongly objected to such a simplified interpretation of the elven people. In his work “About magical stories“The scientist wrote: “... Babies fluttering through the flowers are a consequence of our “rationalization”: we explained the charms of the Elven Land with simple tricks, and invisibility - with the tiny size of fragile creatures that can hide in a primrose flower or behind a stalk of grass. ...Elves, fairies are a relatively new word. It first appeared in 1450 in a poem by the poet Gower:
His curls were combed. On them lay a circlet with precious stones, or a green leaf,
Which just fell from the branch:
And everything about it seemed fresh.
And he was looking for flesh.
How a hawk looks at a bird. Which I would like to grab.
He carried himself like that
It was like he was from Faerie.
...The description of the beautiful young man gives best performance about the inhabitants of the Elven Land, ... and for the peoples of Faerie do not always take (to our chagrin) their true appearance; they appear to us as proud and beautiful as we ourselves would very much like to be... Elves are no less real than us, and we, in turn, are no more real than elves. But our paths rarely cross, our destinies have long been divided.”
In accordance with his own understanding of the nature of the Elves, Tolkien described their birth in the epic The Silmarillion:
“...At that very hour the Children of the Earth, the First Born, awoke, ...they woke up from sleep: and while they - still in silence - lived with Kuivianen, their eyes saw the stars, and star Light became dearest to them... They lived for a long time in their first house under the stars and wandered the Earth in wonder: and they began to speak and give names to everything they saw. They called themselves Quendi - “those who speak,” because they had not yet met other creatures with the gift of speech or singing. And it happened that Orome, while hunting, drove to the east and, looking at the elves, was filled with amazement, as if they were strange, wondrous and unexpected creatures... Initially, the Elder Children were stronger and taller than they became now: but no more beautiful..."
Elves are not only known from the Scandinavian epics and the works of Tolkien. The Celts called them Sids, the Poles and Vends called them Ludki and Ludsha (little people). The Russians distinguished the “white-eyed chud” - skilled underground farriers and volunteer helpers: Little Thumb, Little Peasant. The Romans in the time of Nero believed that elves (they were called incubo) would willingly reveal the location of treasures in exchange for their lost cap. The Scots and Irish guessed the presence of these creatures from the column of dust on the road and bowed respectfully to it, welcoming the invisible crowd of elves marching to their new home. In later times, the Bavarian spirit Ekerken galloped along country roads in the form of an oak root, overturning carts and stopping carriages as they galloped. In the antics of this spirit it is easy to recognize the pranks of the elves.
So, are elves just a figment of popular imagination?
Perhaps Tolkien answered this doubt best: “Everything said is true even when we call Faeris a creation of our imagination; in this case, we have before us another way for a person to comprehend the Truth of the World.” Indeed, the Truth of the World, about which the English scientist, mythologist and creator of a new direction in the literature of “fairy-tale fiction” writes, is in the variety of forms of intelligence on Earth. We must learn to understand dissident, differently-feeling and different-looking brothers in this life. In this, perhaps, main lesson our existence.
Despite the fact that many of Tolkien’s works are perceived exclusively as fairy tales, it was he who, in his books of the Lord of the Rings series, was able to convey to our civilization the greatness of these creatures. Today, no one can say with certainty whether elves lived among people or were guests from other worlds. However, it should be remembered that all mythical creatures, described in the legends of one nationality or another, were often found in other countries, even if we are talking about the opposite part of planet Earth.
Many complain that the film adaptation of books leaves much to be desired, since at this point the screenwriters omit many details and facts presented by the author. However, the history of the elven people as brave, intelligent and sophisticated creatures in the best possible way demonstrated in the Lord of the Rings film trilogy.
Legolas, who fought bravely for his people. The king of the elves, who at the right time decided not to stand aside and fight evil. A fragile dark-haired princess who was ready to sacrifice herself for the love of Aragorn. All these characters are imbued with valor, honor, and loyalty, because this is exactly how Tolkien saw this amazing people.
Elves appeared after Chaos, as the embodiment of Light. They were tall and majestic, like the trees from which they were born.
The elves believe that they were the first born in the world when the Dream was awakened. They are scattered across the earth like stars across the sky. The Gray Jewel of Gargath changed some of the land elves into sea elves - Dimernesti and Dargonesti. Both developed cultures, independent of the main elven stories. They live in distant darkness and peace, although they continue to trade with each other.
The elves of the land sought peace with the world, and yet peace was not always possible on Ansalon. When good and evil dragons awakened, the First Dragon War began.
The Ogre Wars gave rise to the Second Dragon War (3500-3350 DK), which began when the elves settled in the dragons' territory. Over the course of the war, Silvanos evolved from a warrior into a tireless traveler, visiting almost all of Ansalon with his kender companion Balif. Silvanos decided not to allow any more wars.
He rallied the elves of the forest and convinced them to unite. He proposed creating a single elven nation. Thus, Silvanos gathered the elves scattered throughout the world. He forged a nation whose ideals and practices have endured for over two millennia, and are still upheld today in the Silvanesti courts.
During the Second Dragon War, Silvanos convened a Council of Great Ones on a hill called the Fallen Sun. There, many clans, including the Silvanesti, swore allegiance to Silvanos, a fledgling youth. Balif became the general of the elven armies. In 3350 DK, after the elves were victorious, a second Council of Great Ones was convened. After this, Silvanos builds Silvanost in the old Dragon Forest. He created the elven kingdom of Silvanesti, which bordered the ogre territories.
Silvanos marries Quinari. Their first son, Sitel, assumed leadership of the elves after the death of Silvanos in 2515 DK. He buried his father in a crystal tomb. Sitel erected a tower in honor of Silvanos in the heart of Silvanost. In 2308 DK, Sitela gave birth to twin sons. They were named Sitas and Kit-Kanan; Sitas was a few minutes older.
At the same time, the Ergothian Empire began to invade Silvanesti territory. The wild elves, led by Kit-Kanan, first came into contact with the developing human civilization. Kit-Kanan established trade relations between the wild elves and human settlements on their borders. At that time, marriages began between humans and wild elves. Sitel regarded these marriages as dangerous. In 2192 DK, he traveled west and reached the kingdom to study the diplomacy of Kit-Kanan.
While hunting in the border areas, Sitel was killed. Some say the human arrow that killed him was accidental. Others say the humans killed Sitela to continue their expansion. Regardless of this, the Fratricidal War began.
The Fratricidal War lasted until 2140 DK. The Silvanesti tried to remove the humans from their land, while the elves married the humans from Ergoth. Thus, the western forces of Kith-Kanan, led by Silvanesti, had to fight against his own family. The war ended with a truce between Ergoth and Kit-Kanan.
By this time, the western elves had become tired of the Silvanesti's rigid caste system. They declared their independence and started a civil war.
In secret negotiations with the Ergoth Empire, Sitas resolved several problems at once. In 2073 DK a peace treaty was signed and the Qualinesti race was formed. Kit-Kanan accepted this act as an exile, but could find no other hope for his people. Qualinesti reached new homeland after the Great Migration, which lasted from 2050 to 2030 DK. Thus, the Qualinesti were born into grief and hope. Kit-Kanan built a kingdom of elves and did not return to the east.
After the formation of the Qualinesti, the Silvanesti remained in self-isolation until the arrival of King Lorak Caladon, under whom trade with the northern Istar Empire began to flourish. The cataclysm temporarily sealed the borders of Silvanesti, and the elves withdrew from the rest of the world.
Because of the arrogant Istrian King-Priest, the Silvanesti elves blamed humans for the Cataclysm. But their own isolationism made them also guilty. After the Cataclysm, the Silvanesti's distrust of humans only intensified. The Qualinesti were also affected by the Cataclysm. Other races often raided their lands for food. Their dreams of building cities other than their magnificent capital remained forgotten as their lives became a struggle to preserve what they already had.
Fifth Era
The forests of Qualinesti were captured by the green dragon Beryl, and filled with the knights of Takhisis, who collected taxes for Beryl. Beryl discovered a way to dry vitality elves, and after her appearance many elves disappeared. A magical Shield was built over the Silvanesti forest, protecting Silvanesti from outside invasion, although there are rumors that the Shield itself drains the life force from the elves.
War of Souls
During the War of Souls, the green dragoness Beryl attacked the elven city of Qualinost. The defense of the city was led by Marshal Medan, the leader of the knights Takhisis and Lorana Kanan. At this time, Thorbardin's dwarves are digging a long tunnel so that in case of defeat the elves can freely leave the city. However, under the weight of Beryl, the tunnels collapse, and Qualinost is flooded by the river of "White Wrath", transforming the once a beautiful city into what the elves called the "Lake of Death".
Mina and Silvanosh (Silvanos) managed to expose the dragon Cyan the Bloodbane, who created the magical Shield in Silvanesti. The shield was removed, and Cyan himself was killed. Mina's troops occupied the elven capital. Gilthanas Kanan crosses the Plain of Ashes and joins Elhana Starwind's army fighting against Mina's army. At this time, an army of minotaurs invades the elven lands and easily occupies Silvanost, expelling Silvanesti and Qualinesti from their historical homeland.
Many fairy tales and legends tell about elves, humanoid creatures that are practically no different from us, except for their fragile physique, elongated ears, and they have magical abilities.
The monastic chronicles mention that in the 15th century, in the mountains of Scotland, a man speaking an unknown language was found, who was seriously wounded. He looked very fragile. Having come to his senses a little, the stranger surprised everyone with archery and fencing agility. He never missed!
After some time, having mastered the Scottish language, he said that he belonged to the Elwe people. According to him, these people live very, very far away. U young man there was one peculiarity: he had pointy ears! It is known that pointed ears are a sign of belonging to the tribe of Satan. And the poor man would have burned at the stake of the Inquisition, but what saved him was that they managed to carry him, wounded, to the church. And since nothing happened to him (the devil would have died immediately within the holy walls), no one touched him. Unfortunately, nothing more is known about the mysterious stranger.
Similar stories about the existence of elves can be found in other countries. For example, in the chronicles of Norway there is a mention that in the 14th century one girl married a handsome and tall foreigner who was an unsurpassed archer. But he was accused of witchcraft and, in modern terms, repressed. During his married life, he had two daughters who were distinguished by their extraordinary beauty. In addition to beauty, the daughters inherited pointed ears from their father, which made their further existence difficult. The stranger always called himself Helwe.
You can find other evidence if you dig deep into the chronicles. It is interesting that different peoples, different storytellers over the course of many centuries describe the mysterious elve and helve almost identically. This suggests that the image of the average elf was actually copied from life.
Where did these same elves come from and do they exist now? Researchers put forward several hypotheses. First: elves are the same people, only they have an extra gene that allows them to pass on magical abilities by inheritance. Perhaps these are the descendants of the ancient Atlanteans or a “branch of development” that separated from people in the 11th century and retained their communities only in inaccessible places. Another hypothesis is quite fantastic and is based on possible theory that elves are aliens from another world. This theory explains, for example, the eternal youth of elves. After all, in parallel worlds time can flow completely differently, here - years, there - minutes.
Are there any representatives of the Yelwe people today? In principle, this is possible. But even if this mysterious race completely disappeared from the face of the earth, the “gene pool” remained. There are still children with pointed ears in the world, and some people have “elven” abilities.
For example, Kenneth O'Hara, an American resident, picked up a bow for the first time and realized that he was able to hit the target every time, never missing. He was examined by doctors and then consulted with psychics. It was found that during the shot, O’Hara “splashes out” a large stream of mental energy. Is this harmful to his health? No one could say for sure, but just in case, by decision of the sports commission he was prohibited from participating in competitions. Having heard about the elves, O'Hara spent a lot of energy studying his ancestry and reached the 15th century in his research. According to surviving sources, it was possible to find out that one of his ancestors took a girl from the Helwe people as his wife. No matter how incredible it may seem, elven genes showed themselves after 5 centuries. How else can one explain O’Hara’s amazing gift?
Folk beliefs have long mentioned elves. They are magical people in Germanic-Scandinavian and Celtic folklore. Also known as al-you(Swede.), sidhi(Irish). Descriptions of elves in different mythologies differ, but, as a rule, they are beautiful, bright creatures, spirits of the forest, friendly to humans. Many myths and writers do not differentiate between elves and fairies.
Elves are very timid creatures and avoid communication with people. They are attracted to more peace plants. Among the flowers and bright spots sunlight they feel safe. But their good deeds help people stay in difficult moments life. Often it is the elves who provide invisible help.
Elves were depicted as little men with wings on their backs. Fluttering from flower to flower, they resembled colorful butterflies.
This is how Scandinavian myths tell about the appearance of fairies and gnomes on Earth.
“From the day when the Sun first lit up in the sky, life on Earth has become more fun and joyful. All the people worked peacefully in their fields, everyone was happy, no one wanted to become more noble and richer than the other.
In those days, the gods often left Asgard and wandered around the world. They taught people to dig the earth and extract ore from it, and also made for them the first anvil, the first hammer and the first tongs, with the help of which all other tools and instruments were later made. Then there were no wars, no robberies, no thefts, no perjuries. A lot of gold was mined in the mountains, but they did not hoard it, but made dishes from it and household utensils- that's why this age is called golden.
Once, while rummaging in the ground in search of iron ore, Odin, Vili and Be found worms in it that had infested Ymir’s meat. Looking at these clumsy creatures, the gods couldn’t help but think. “What should we do with them, brothers? - Be finally said. - We have already populated the whole world, and no one needs these worms. Maybe they should just be destroyed?”
“You’re wrong,” Odin objected. - We inhabited only the surface of the Earth, but forgot about its interior. Let's better make little people out of them - gnomes, or black elves, and give them ownership underground kingdom, which will be called Svartalfheim, that is, the Land of the Black Elves." “What if they get tired of living there and want to go up to the sun?” - asked Vili. “Don’t be afraid, brother,” Odin answered. - I will make sure that Sun rays turned them into stone. Then they will always have to live only underground.”
“I agree with you,” Be said. - But we forgot not only about the subsoil - we forgot about the air. Let us turn some of these worms into black elves, or dwarves, as Odin said, and others into light elves, and settle them in the air between Earth and Asgard, in Llesalfaheim, or the Land of the Light Elves.” The other gods agreed with him.
This is how elves and gnomes and two new countries appeared in the world: Svartalfaheim and Llesalfaheim. The black elves, usually called dwarves, soon became the most skilled craftsmen. No one knew how to process better than them gems and metals, and, as you will learn later, the gods themselves often turned to them for help. While their brethren worked in the bowels of the Earth, the light elves worked on its surface. They learned to grow the most beautiful and fragrant flowers and since then every year they cover the earth with them so that it is even better and more beautiful.”
THEIR ARCHIVE OF EVENTS.
In 1989, researchers at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, using an ultra-sensitive video camera, discovered a little-understood atmospheric phenomenon. It got the name elves.
A device aimed at a thundercloud in the Lake Superior region recorded short-term flashes (up to 30 milliseconds). The flashes shot from the top of the cloud to a height of up to 65 km. Since then, elves have been registered several times. Researchers have not yet found an explanation for this phenomenon.
A particularly curious aspect is that the energy of the elves far exceeds that of thundercloud, and therefore it is completely unclear: the thunderstorm provokes strange outbreaks, the nascent elves initiate the thunderstorm, or some third unknown factor causes the emergence of both the thunderstorm front and the fiery torches above it.
Myths also include fairies as creatures that only occasionally appear in the human world. Once upon a time, belief in fairies was widespread; these supernatural beings were considered, with rare exceptions, to be good helpers for humans.
In the mythology of Western European peoples, fairies are supernatural creatures in the guise of beautiful young women or disgusting old women (sometimes with wings). Endowed with the ability to work miracles and change their appearance. There are both good and evil.
Their name is related to the Latin the word fatum(fate, lot). Fairies are considered the most numerous, the most beautiful and remarkable of all minor supernatural creatures. Belief in them is not limited to any one country or era. The ancient Greeks, Eskimos and Indians tell stories of heroes who won the love of these creatures of fantasy. In such luck, however, there is a danger: when the fairy’s whim is satisfied, she can easily destroy her lover.
Fairies spend all their time free from dancing and singing, sitting at yarn or weaving. The speed, subtlety and beauty of their work are proverbial. Their skillful hands, says legend, produce those cloaks and carpets, endowed with all sorts of wonderful properties, those hats, invisibility caps and thin shirts that protect the body better than any chain mail, which fairies often bestow on their favorites. Villagers in Norway say that “... as you walk past the hills in the morning, you very often hear fairies spinning there: the wheel creaks - it’s clear that it does not stagnate, and the work is not going our way.”
All fairies and elves, without exception, are gifted with the ability to instantly appear, instantly disappear and become invisible or take the form various kinds animals or inanimate objects. The first two properties - instant appearance and disappearance - are contained in their magical clothing.
The fairy world is, in the words of Evans Wentz, “... an invisible world into which visible world“immersed like islands in an unexplored ocean, and the creatures inhabiting it are much more varied in nature than the inhabitants of this world, since their capabilities are incomparably more varied and wider.”
There are many ancient legends about people who found themselves in clearings where fairies held their holidays. As a rule, some miracles happened over time. For example, after dancing the night away, people returned home and found out that years had passed! Some legends also mention a strange fog. Plunging into it, a person seemed to find himself in another world.
INFORMATION FOR CONSIDERATION.
Italian researcher L. Boccone photographed the sky above his laboratory for three years. Some photographs showed clusters of translucent monsters with fanged mouths and clawed paws. Boccone named them criteria, what does it mean in translation creatures.
According to the scientist, these are ethereal life forms that live in our space.