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{{merge|Nandor}}
{{people infobox
[[Image:SBG - Wood-elf command.jpeg|right|thumb|200px|'''Wood-elves''' in the [[Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game]]]]
| name=Silvan Elves
The '''Silvan Elves''', or '''Wood-elves''', were an elvish race.
| image=[[File:Rob Alexander - Elven Cloak.jpg|250px]]
| caption="Elven Cloak" by Rob Alexander
| pronun=
| othernames=Wood-elves
| origin=
| location=[[Edhellond]], [[Lothlórien]], [[Mirkwood]]
| affiliation=
| rivalry=
| language=[[Silvan Elvish]], [[Sindarin]], [[Westron]]
| members=[[Nimrodel]], [[Mithrellas]], [[Galion]], [[Haldir]], [[Rúmil (Elf of Lórien)|Rúmil]], [[Orophin]]
| lifespan=Immortal
| distinctions=Secretive, lovers of the forests and animals
| height=
| hair=
| skin=
| clothing=
| weapons=
}}
The '''Silvan Elves''' ([[Sindarin|S]] '''''Tawarwaith'''''), or the '''Wood-elves''', was a name used to refer to the reclusive, forest-dwelling [[Elves]] of [[Middle-earth]]. In the late [[Third Age]], the Silvan Elves mostly belonged either to the [[Galadhrim]] or to the [[Elves of Mirkwood]].<ref name="SE-UTa"/>


==History==
==History==
===Origins===


Long before the beginning of the [[First Age]], the [[Elves]] of the [[Great Journey]] travelled westward through the lands of [[Middle-earth]]. Coming to the Great River [[Anduin]] and the high peaks of the [[Misty Mountains]], some of the Elves of the clan of the [[Teleri]] fell away from the journey, and settled in the woodlands east of the Mountains. These were the original [[Silvan Elves]], who lived on either side of the River. At this time in their history, all of this people still lived close together, with some dwelling in the land that would later be called [[Lórien]], and the others settling around the hill of [[Amon Lanc]] in the far south of [[Greenwood the Great]].  
The Silvan Elves were descendants of the [[Nandor]] (and thus in origin [[Teleri]]), who had lingered in the [[Vales of Anduin|Anduin Vales]] during the [[Great Journey]] of the [[Eldar]] in the [[Elder Days]]. The Silvan Elves hid themselves in their woodland realms beyond the [[Misty Mountains]] and became a scattered folk hardly distinguishable from [[Avari]].<ref name="SE-UTa">{{UT|6a}}</ref> While some of the Nandor continued to [[Eriador]] and later entered [[Ossiriand]], some remained in the Vales of Anduin, and from these latter originated the Wood-elves.<ref name="SE-UTa"/>


It must have been in the time these Elves were living closely together that the Silvan Elvish language appeared. As history passed, the Elves would move away from one another, and mingle with other Elvish peoples, so that the Silvan branch of [[Elvish]] would eventually become extinct. Nonetheless, relics of that ancient tongue survived in some well-known place-names and personal names, such as [[Caras Galadhon]], [[Amroth]] and even [[Lórien]] itself.
In the early [[Second Age]], after the [[War of Wrath]], [[Oropher]] of [[Doriath]] (father of [[Thranduil]] and grandfather of [[Legolas]]) along with few of the [[Sindar]] came to forest realm east of [[Misty Mountains]]. He became the King of the Silvan Elves and established the Wooldland Realm of [[Mirkwood|Greenwood the Great]] ([[Sindarin|S]] '''Eryn Galen'''). The culture of Silvan folk were rude and rustic compared to the [[Beleriand|Beleriandic]] culture of the Sindar.<ref name="SE-UTb">{{UT|6b}}</ref> But soon the Sindar merged with the Silvan Elves and adopted their language, took names of Silvan form and style. This language was a dialect of Sindarin known as [[Silvan Elvish]].<ref name="SE-UTb"/> On the eastern side of the Misty Mountains, [[Amdír]] (father of [[Amroth]]), another Sinda leader came to the land known as [[Laurelindórenan]] (or Lórinand) and ruled over the Silvan elves as their King.  


The Silvan Elves dwelt in their twin woodland realms for many centuries, but in the [[Second Age]] the emerging power of [[Sauron]] began to drive them apart. Oropher was the ruler of the Elves who dwelt in the Greenwood, and he began to seek safety by moving his people northwards, away from [[Amon Lanc]] and away from the Silvan Elves who lived to the west of the [[Great River]].  
It is also told that the some of the western [[Avari]], dwelling in Eriador and the Anduin Vales, were friendly to the [[Eldar]], and came to merge with the Wood-elves. These were [[Nelyar|Nelyarin]] Avari ([[Penni]]), from the third Clan (and therefore remotely akin to the Nandor and Sindar).<ref>{{WJ|C}}, pp. 381, 410</ref><ref group=note>It is not known if this merge occurred during the Elder Days, or during the Second or Third Ages.</ref>


In the early [[Third Age]] remnants of the Noldorin realms such as [[Lindon]] and [[Eregion]] sought new dwellings in more eastern lands and the Silvan Elves of [[Lothlórien|Lórien]] experienced an influx of [[Noldor]] (and Sindar) who had survived the [[War of the Last Alliance]] and the [[Sack of Eregion|fall of Eregion]].<ref name="SE-UTa"/>
==West of Anduin: the Silvan Elves of Lórien==
Unlike their cousins in the east, the Silvan Elves of Lórien remained settled in their land throughout their known history. We know little of their existence well into the Second Age, where we find them ruled by a Sindarin Elf named [[Amdír]]. After the destruction of [[Eregion]] in the middle Second Age, many of its exiles had escaped through [[Khazad-dûm]] into the east, and had joined the Silvan Elves of Lórien and ultimately mingled with them.  


Amdír was lost in the wars at the end of the Second Age. In the time of his son [[Amroth]], [[Durin's Bane]] was unleashed in Khazad-dûm. After this time, especially with the power of Sauron growing in [[Dol Guldur]] to the east, many of Lórien's people fled into the south. Amroth himself was among them, and he was drowned in the Bay of Belfalas far from his kingdom. It was at this time, a little more than a thousand years before the [[War of the Ring]], that [[Galadriel]] and [[Celeborn, Lord of Lórien|Celeborn]] became the Lord and Lady of Lórien.
==Etymology==


The English adjective ''[[Wiktionary:silvan|silvan]]'' means "of, characteristic of, or consisting of woods or forests" or "living or located in woods or forests".<ref>"[http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/silvan silvan]" at [http://dictionary.reference.com Dictionary.reference.com] (Collins English Dictionary; accessed 17 July 2011)</ref>
==East of Anduin: the Silvan Elves of Mirkwood==
The Elves of Greenwood the Great, soon to become known as [[Mirkwood]], had a much less settled existence than their fellow Silvan Elves in the west. Their original dwellings were in the far south of the great Wood, but as Sauron's power grew, they gradually withdrew farther and farther northward. Eventually Sauron chose to settle within the Forest itself, and in fact built his fortress of Dol Guldur on the hill of Amon Lanc, where the Silvan Elves had originally dwelt. Though his identity remained secret during this time (he was known simply as the '[[Necromancer]]') he brought darkness and shadow to Greenwood the Great, and the Elves retreated farther still.


In the later years of the [[Third Age]], their King Thranduil (the son of [[Oropher]], who was slain in the [[War of the Last Alliance]]) dwelt with his people in the far northeast of Mirkwood, in underground dwellings protected by magic. Their history of fleeing from Sauron's darkness had made them a suspicious and unwelcoming people, as [[Thorin]] and his companions discovered during the [[Quest of Erebor]]. It was from [[Thranduil]]'s underground halls that his son [[Legolas]] journeyed at the end of the Third Age, to play a great part in the War of the Ring.
==Names==


An [[Elvish]] name for the Silvan Elves was '''''Tawarwaith'''''. It has been suggested that ''Tawarwaith'' is a [[Sindarin]] name, consisting of ''tawar'' (wood, forest) + ''[[gwaith]]'' (people).<ref>[http://www.tolkiendil.com/langues/english/i-lam_arth/compound_sindarin_names Compound Sindarin Names in Middle-earth] at [http://www.tolkiendil.com Tolkiendil.com] (accessed 17 July 2011)</ref><ref>[[Didier Willis]], [http://www.jrrvf.com/hisweloke/sindar/online/english.html Hiswelókë's Sindarin Dictionary] at [http://www.jrrvf.com/haut.shtml Jrrvf.com] (accessed 17 July 2011)</ref>
==The War of the Ring and beyond==
In the War of the Ring, Sauron's forces attacked both Silvan realms. By the power of Galadriel and her Ring, Lórien was protected against three waves of assault from Dol Guldur. Thranduil had no Ring to protect his realm - it was invaded and the trees of the northern forest set alight, though he was at last able to drive back the enemy.


With the fall of Sauron, Dol Guldur was destroyed, and Mirkwood renamed again: [[Eryn Lasgalen]], the [[Wood of Greenleaves]]. Now the Silvan Elves once again dwelt in the south of the Wood, but these were not Thranduil's people, but Elves of Lórien, who crossed the Great River to live in a new land named East Lórien. Though the original land of Lórien faded after the passing of Galadriel and Celeborn, the Silvan Elves of the Wood lived peacefully under their trees for many long years.
{{references|note}}
[[Category:Elven peoples]]
[[Category:Silvan Elves| ]]


[[Category:Nandor]]
[[de:Waldelben]]
[[fr:encyclo/peuples/elfes/teleri/tawarwaith]]
[[fi:Tawarwaith]]

Revision as of 22:38, 17 December 2017

Silvan Elves
People
Rob Alexander - Elven Cloak.jpg
"Elven Cloak" by Rob Alexander
General Information
Other namesWood-elves
LocationsEdhellond, Lothlórien, Mirkwood
LanguagesSilvan Elvish, Sindarin, Westron
MembersNimrodel, Mithrellas, Galion, Haldir, Rúmil, Orophin
Physical Description
LifespanImmortal
DistinctionsSecretive, lovers of the forests and animals
GalleryImages of Silvan Elves

The Silvan Elves (S Tawarwaith), or the Wood-elves, was a name used to refer to the reclusive, forest-dwelling Elves of Middle-earth. In the late Third Age, the Silvan Elves mostly belonged either to the Galadhrim or to the Elves of Mirkwood.[1]

History

The Silvan Elves were descendants of the Nandor (and thus in origin Teleri), who had lingered in the Anduin Vales during the Great Journey of the Eldar in the Elder Days. The Silvan Elves hid themselves in their woodland realms beyond the Misty Mountains and became a scattered folk hardly distinguishable from Avari.[1] While some of the Nandor continued to Eriador and later entered Ossiriand, some remained in the Vales of Anduin, and from these latter originated the Wood-elves.[1]

In the early Second Age, after the War of Wrath, Oropher of Doriath (father of Thranduil and grandfather of Legolas) along with few of the Sindar came to forest realm east of Misty Mountains. He became the King of the Silvan Elves and established the Wooldland Realm of Greenwood the Great (S Eryn Galen). The culture of Silvan folk were rude and rustic compared to the Beleriandic culture of the Sindar.[2] But soon the Sindar merged with the Silvan Elves and adopted their language, took names of Silvan form and style. This language was a dialect of Sindarin known as Silvan Elvish.[2] On the eastern side of the Misty Mountains, Amdír (father of Amroth), another Sinda leader came to the land known as Laurelindórenan (or Lórinand) and ruled over the Silvan elves as their King.

It is also told that the some of the western Avari, dwelling in Eriador and the Anduin Vales, were friendly to the Eldar, and came to merge with the Wood-elves. These were Nelyarin Avari (Penni), from the third Clan (and therefore remotely akin to the Nandor and Sindar).[3][note 1]

In the early Third Age remnants of the Noldorin realms such as Lindon and Eregion sought new dwellings in more eastern lands and the Silvan Elves of Lórien experienced an influx of Noldor (and Sindar) who had survived the War of the Last Alliance and the fall of Eregion.[1]

Etymology

The English adjective silvan means "of, characteristic of, or consisting of woods or forests" or "living or located in woods or forests".[4]

Names

An Elvish name for the Silvan Elves was Tawarwaith. It has been suggested that Tawarwaith is a Sindarin name, consisting of tawar (wood, forest) + gwaith (people).[5][6]

Notes

  1. It is not known if this merge occurred during the Elder Days, or during the Second or Third Ages.

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "The History of Galadriel and Celeborn", "Appendix A: The Silvan Elves and their Speech"
  2. 2.0 2.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "The History of Galadriel and Celeborn", "Appendix B: The Sindarin Princes of the Silvan Elves"
  3. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The War of the Jewels, "Part Four. Quendi and Eldar: C. The Clan-names, with notes on other names for divisions of the Eldar", pp. 381, 410
  4. "silvan" at Dictionary.reference.com (Collins English Dictionary; accessed 17 July 2011)
  5. Compound Sindarin Names in Middle-earth at Tolkiendil.com (accessed 17 July 2011)
  6. Didier Willis, Hiswelókë's Sindarin Dictionary at Jrrvf.com (accessed 17 July 2011)