Leisure Activities The Eldar are often associated with one art only; either they are said to be brave warriors, fair bards, great craftsmen, or restless wanderers. Each of these has some truth; as with any race, each elf is unique and we each decide what draws us most. Humans for years have seen us has having a great appetite for leisure and games; this is a broad, sweeping generalization, that like most generalizations is only partly true. As you read this scroll, you will come to understand the fun, playful side of our nature. Let us begin with the art of storytelling. My kin have always loved the telling of tales. Indeed, we have many that tell of great deeds and valour, or of sorrow and defeat. The Hall of Fire in Imladris is the best place both for listening and telling; a fire burns throughout the year, and on special occasions it is full of elves. Our love for stories, perhaps as great as our love for food, is well known; no one has to ask us twice to share or to hear. Closely knit to storytelling is our love for lore. The long lives of the Eldar leave much time for learning about the world around us. The greatest knowledge of both plants and animals is possessed by the Nandor. The Noldor also possess great knowledge of lore, having been taught by Aulë. Many elves have become renowned for their lore knowledge, such as Celegorm son of Fëanor, who learned the languages of bird and beast. We must also mention Rúmil of Tirion, who devised the first written letters; it is thanks to him that our many scrolls enrich the libraries of elves and humans alike. Fëanor son of Finwë developed these runes further into the tengwar, still used in Middle-earth today. Our scrolls tell of both plant and animal lore, and also of the history of the elves from our Awakening until the present; remembering our past is another of our great loves. Renowned as well are the poems and songs of the elves; indeed, most of our tales come to life in song form. Among the greatest singers of my kin are counted the Teleri, who now live in Alqualondë. They learned the skill from Ossë and Uinen in the days when they still made their home on the Western shores of Middle-earth. They are counted the fairest singers among the Eldar, and their music is as the sound of waves on the shore. Close to them in musical talent are the Sindar. The musical instruments that we use for accompaniment are usually invented by our men, although this is not always the case. Our men are also our chief poets, for they delight in the feel and taste of languages, and ever seek to fit the right words together as they write. Even among such a musical people, some of our number stand out in our hearts and memories. None have ever sung as Lúthien, daughter of King Thingol. Her song woke the spring and later touched even the heart of Mandos, in such a way as has never happened before or since. Daeron, the minstrel of Thingol, was also well-known for his music; all of his love for the king's fair daughter was woven into what he wrote, and he fled Doriath in despair when she left with Beren. Finrod Felagund, King of Nargothrond, is known as the one who went among the Edain and sang and played for them, teaching them the art of music. Our songs touch on many subjects both merry and sad. Some songs we sing of nature and its ways, of the plants and beasts around us, and of all those things in which we delight. Other songs honour those elves who are no more – of Gil-Galad we sing, and of the battle between Glorfindel and the Balrog when the refugees flew from Gondolin. The loss of Nimrodel and her beloved Amroth, the great love of Beren and Lúthien that crossed even the barriers of death, the beauty and longing for the land of Valinor from those who had lost all hope of regaining its deathless shores... All of these and more call song from our hearts, and sometimes dancing too. How could we listen to music brimming over with mirth and not feel a stirring in the soles of our feet? Great is our love of wandering as well, and indeed our people have traveled since the summons of the Valar. Even in the land of Valinor some, such as Fëanor and his sons, rarely stayed in one place for long. Aredhel, sister of Turgon and White Lady of Gondolin, also loved to wander, which brought much grief to her kin in the hidden city. Not content merely to travel, she also enjoyed riding and hunting. This last delight was shared by Amrod and Amras, twin sons of Fëanor; Celegorm as well accompanied them on their hunts. King Felagund also rode out to hunt with Maglor and Maedhros. Sea voyages are another thing that has brought joy to the elves, and nothing calls to our hearts like the cry of the gulls. Our greatest sailors are the Teleri, and it is said that they still sail their ships in the far West. No sailing craft have ever been made to equal the white ships they fashioned in Alqualondë, Haven of the Swans, nor shall they ever be again. Many evils came from the rebellion of the Noldor and the Kinslaying in Alqualondë; yet the destruction of the Teleri ships, if not equal to the grief of elf slaying elf, was nonetheless no small loss. The greatest of all mariners, of whom many songs are song, is Eärendil son of Idril and Tuor. All know of how he and his wife Elwing sailed to the Undying Lands with the Silmaril bound on his brow, and how through its great power they found the path to Valinor; none other had managed as much in the centuries since the Valar had closed the way. Even now as I write this scroll, Eärendil makes his way through the sea of stars with Silmaril still bound upon his brow. Cirdan of the Havens is another sailor of whom many tales are told. He is a Teleri elf who remained in Middle-earth when the rest of his kin traveled into the West; he it is that passes down the knowledge of ship-building. This same knowledge was given to the Teleri by Ossë, vassal of Ulmo. Elven tribes throughout the land of Arda have found delight in all that we do. Even those tasks normally considered work can be a joy and a passion for us. For example, my native tribe the Noldor are considered the greatest builders. We revel in building large towers and other beautiful buildings. The Noldor followed Aulë and learned much from him of the earth and its shaping. We were the ones who first devised the tools for cutting gems, which we used to enrich our homes. We also delight in the carving of wood and of stone. Many among the Noldor are great smiths as well. Maeglin, son of Aredhel, is counted one of the best smiths from the fair city of Gondolin. In Eregion, while it still stood, lived the Gwaith-i-Mirdain, the jewel-smiths; they were surpassed in their skills only by Fëanor. The greatest among them was Celebrimbor, son of Curufin. Fëanor, firstborn of Finwë, must be mentioned separately. He it was that made the Silmarils, of which two are lost, and one still sails across the skies. All of his knowledge and craft went into these two gems, and he became the greatest of all smiths save only Aulë himself. Alas! He shall never again walk in Valinor nor in Middle-earth; his sins have condemned him to remain without cease in the Halls of Mandos. Let it not be said that we work only with wood and stone and gem, however. Many among us, particularly among our women, have great skill with weaving, spinning, and the adornment of cloth. All of course have heard of the cloaks woven in Lothlórien by Galadriel and the elven maidens of that fair country. Their love of their land, of the trees, water, and stone within that land, they weave into their garments, and the cloaks afterwards both protect from the elements and hide the wearer. Nor can it be said that only the elves of Lothlórien hold the skill of weaving. The lady Arwen made the banner that Aragorn displayed for the first time after the battle outside the walls of Minas Tirith. Fëanor's mother, Míriel, was also a skilled Noldor; she was named Serindë, or “needlewoman”, for none could surpass her in the skills of weaving and needlework. Elves need not only clothing, of course, but food as well. Elven women are usually the ones who work in fields and gardens raising the food we need. They also traditionally make most of our bread, including the lembas bread which sustains us so well on long journeys. Most other dishes are prepared by elven men, who consider this task a pleasure. Now we shall consider one last beloved custom of the elves. Our feasts are great to behold, and those who take part in them remember them for the rest of their lives. In Valinor it is said that at the gathering of the first fruits, the High King of Arda calls a feast for the praising of Eru and his work, and all gather together for singing and dancing upon the mountain slopes. We have had many other feasts throughout our history; Fingolfin threw a feast at the reuniting of the Noldor, and Felagund in honor of the building of Nargothrond, to name just two. Few feasts have been like that of Idril and Tuor's wedding feast, still remembered thousands of years later. And last but not least we must mention the Gates of Summer, a Gondolin festival. On the first day of summer all my people would gather upon the walls of the city and await the rising of Anar. We would sing many songs and rejoice all day and far into the night. Those of you reading this account can never again say the elves are always serious or sorrowful, and never play. Long after we have sailed to the Undying Lands and our people have become just a whisper of a memory, may you remember and pass down these things that have brought us delight. By Anárië Research Back to the top