Sindar

The Sindar were Elves who belong to the kin of the Teleri. They were a distinct sub-class of the Teleri clan, separated from the major group. This is because they remained in Beleriand and willingly forsake the Great Journey. The Noldor outlanders, who left and partake on the Great Journey, named those who remained in Middle-earth as Sindars to distinguish them. The term Sindar means Grey People while Sinda is the singular term which they rarely use. The Sindar were Grey Elves as they are not considered Elves of the Light, meaning they have not sailed on the voyage to the West. The Sindar were also not Avari, the Elves who forsook Valinor, as they embraced the invite and agreed to embark on the journey. Therefore, they belong to the Eldar. Sometimes they used Elves of the Twilight. But they always refer to themselves as Edhil, which means “Elves” and Edhel in singular.

The Teleri were the most prominent among the Eldar. King brothers led them, King Elwë Singollo who later gained the name Elu Thingol, and his brother King Olwë. At the time the Teleri arrived in Beleriand from Cuiviénen, Elwë roamed in the vast woods. There he encountered Melian who belong to the Maiar and the two fell deeply in love. Melian mesmerized Elwë, and there he remained enchanted in Nan Elmoth for many centuries. On the other hand, Olwë and most of the Teleri were weary of waiting for Elwë, thus they sailed for Aman, leaving Elwe’s followers. The Teleri [1] who were loyal to Elwë remained in Beleriand and continued looking for their king. Finally, when Elwë released himself from the enchantment, he built a kingdom within Beleriand and called it Eglador, Land of the Elves, and Land of the Forsaken. The Dwarves living in Belegost and Nogrod amid the Blue Mountains served in Menegroth’s creation in Elwë’s kingdom. Many of the Teleri remained, especially those who were close to one of the Maia called Ossë. Since they adored the seacoast of Middle-earth, they stayed behind. Cirdan ruled over them and built the cities of Brithombar and Eglarest. These Elves gained the name Falathrim, the Elves of the Falas [2] (a Sindarin word that means “shore”). Although they were not a constituent of the domain of Eglador, they still proclaimed their High King as Thingol.

There were other wandering groups of the Teleri who lived in Hithlum and Nevrast, areas in Eglador’s north. However, they did not establish any kingdom. And so Eglador’s Teleri from the north and those from the Falas were collectively called Sindar. The Sindar created their society and culture that evened out with the Calaquendi. The final inhabitants of Beleriand were the Teleri called Laiquendi. They were heirs of the Nandor, who separated from the Great Journey before the Hithaeglir, then headed south traversing Anduin, the Great River. Denethor who was the son of Lenwë lead some of them across the Blue Mountains and lived in Ossiriand, after which became Lindon. These groups were separate for many years and most of those under Thingol’s reign left when Denethor perished.

It was Ossë who convinced Elwe Singollo’s loyal subjects, who stayed awaiting his return, and the Elves of the Falas to dwell along the seacoast. Afterward, the Laiquendi and the remaining Nandor also arrived in Beleriand and likewise regarded as Sindar. The Sindar who have not reached Aman were then called Moriquendi Elves. But they gained a wealth of knowledge in the Sleep of Yavanna through the guidance of Cirdan, Melian, and Elwë, then returning as the High King Thingol, Lord of the Elves. The kingdom of Thingol was the capital of Sindar rule and civilization. The Sindar lived in the Falas and Mithrim, and few continued roaming the woods.

Before the Noldor’s return, the Dark Lord Morgoth reclaimed his known fortress in Angband, and his forces awakened. Thingol requested Melian to cast an encirclement of confusion in Eglador so that only the king could allow entry into his realm. From then on they called their realm Doriath. Then the Noldorin outlanders re-emerged in Middle-earth to establish their realms and oppose the Dark Lord Morgoth. With the return of Morgoth and the Noldorin Eleves, Thingol continued as High King of the Sindar and appointed as the Lord of Beleriand. Although the Noldor did not desire his title, they dismissed Thingol as he was Sindarin and only yield to the crown of the Noldorin High King. The Sindar and the Noldor had a feisty relationship.

The Noldors disliked the Sindar while the Sindar regarded them as invaders who provoked the return of Morgoth. The Sindarin Elves did not actively start attacks during the Battles of Beleriand and the War of the Great Jewels. Still, they bear great losses from the army of Morgoth. The Noldor perceived themselves greater than the Sindar. They further despised the Sindar’s lack of interest and participation in the war against Morgoth. The Sindar detest their arrogance and charged the sufferings of the war to the Noldor’s fault. At the end of the First Age, most of the Sindar voyaged to the Great Sea.

This continued in the following Ages, therefore it was a constant emigration of the Sindarin Elves for the West. The Sindar who stayed in Middle-earth inhabited Lindon, the Woodland Realm, and the other realms of Elves. Later on, the Sindars completely united with the Eldar. They were all content in their realms in Middle-earth. Still, the Sindar’s longing to sail awakened, and they could not rest until their voyage far west to Eldamar. Even though they could not match the knowledge and power of the Calaquendi, even the Noldor in artistry and crafting, the Sindars were wonderfully musical and sang with the most beautiful voices.

The Sindarin Elves introduced the Sindarin language and also created Cirth. Over time, the widely spoken Telerin Elvish split, which formed the language of the Sindar. This goes with the fact that the Sindarin folk also arise from the division of the Teleri. And when the Noldorin Elves returned to Beleriand, Telerin and Sindarin languages had turned incomprehensible to them. Still, the Noldor immediately caught up and eventually spoke the languages. From the Second to the Third Age, Sindarin transformed into the Noble dialect and the common Elvish language in all of Middle-earth. The language prevailed and eventually spread when Thingol banned the usage of the Noldorin language in his realm. The Numenoreans also embraced Sindarin as their daily language and kept it as the common tongue in their exiled cities of Gondor and Arnor. Sindarin finally displaced the Noldor’s Quenya as the common tongue of the Noldorin Elves in Beleriand. The Noldorin continually spoke Sindarin in prevailing territories of the Noldor like Gondolin, although Quenya remained only as a language of historic folklore and overall wisdom.

The two High Kings of Sindar were Elu Thingol and Dior Eluchil. There were also Half-Elves with Sindarin blood, the brothers Elrond and Elros whose mother was Elwing. Thingol and Melian’s daughter was Luthien. Luthien then had a son Dior who was the father of Elwing.

1. ^The Third Clan.
2. ^Elves of the Falas.