Avari (Middle-earth)
Encyclopedia
In the fictional works of J. R. R. Tolkien
, the Avari are an ethnic group of the Elves
.
word meaning 'Refusers' or 'Recusants'. When the vala
Oromë found the Elves who had awakened in Cuiviénen (see: Awakening of the Elves), he asked them to come with him to Valinor
. All the Elves of the First Clan (Vanyar
) and many of the Elves of the Second and Third Clans (Noldor
and Teleri
) were persuaded to follow Oromë into the West on a Great Journey. The remainder of the Elves of the Second and Third Clans remained suspicious of the Lords of the West, seeing them only in their wrath, or they simply refused to depart from their own lands. They were after known in Quenya by the name Avari because they refused the summons. Later, they spread throughout the wide lands of Middle-earth
.
Having never come to Valinor, the Avari remained a "wild folk", often dwellers of forests and caves. Little is known of them, as they do not appear often in the tales. Some of them merged with the Nandor and Sindar
in Eriador
and the Vale of Anduin
and became known as Silvan Elves
. The Avari were the first other sapient race encountered by the Men. The Avari taught them many of the basic crafts of civilization, though the craft of the Eldar surpassed that of the Avari even more than that of the Avari surpassed primitive Men.
Since the Avari, unlike the Eldar, refused the invitation to the Undying Lands and preferred to stay in Middle-earth to the end of Time, it is assumed they did fade away.
In "Quendi and Eldar", the Elf Eöl
is said to be an Avar of the Second Clan. He is notorious for luring an elf lady, Aredhel
, into his home and making her his wife.
In "Quendi and Eldar", names of six tribes of Avari in their own languages are given, all being cognates of the Quenya word Quendi (the Elves): Kindi, Cuind, Hwenti, Windan, Kinn-lai, and Penni. The last one is the word used by the Silvan Elves of Mirkwood
and Lórien.
J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...
, the Avari are an ethnic group of the Elves
Elf (Middle-earth)
In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, Elves are one of the races that inhabit a fictional Earth, often called Middle-earth, and set in the remote past. They appear in The Hobbit and in The Lord of the Rings, but their complex history is described more fully in The Silmarillion...
.
History of the Avari
Avari (singular Avar) is a QuenyaQuenya
Quenya is a fictional language devised by J. R. R. Tolkien, and used in his Secondary world, often called Middle-earth.Quenya is one of the many Elvish languages spoken by the immortal Elves, called Quendi in Quenya. The tongue actually called Quenya was in origin the speech of two clans of Elves...
word meaning 'Refusers' or 'Recusants'. When the vala
Vala (Middle-earth)
The Valar are fictional characters in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. They are first mentioned in The Lord of the Rings, but The Silmarillion develops them into the Powers of Arda or the Powers of the World...
Oromë found the Elves who had awakened in Cuiviénen (see: Awakening of the Elves), he asked them to come with him to Valinor
Valinor
Valinor is a fictional location in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, the realm of the Valar in Aman. It was also known as the Undying Lands, along with Tol Eressëa and the outliers of Aman. This is something of a misnomer; only immortal beings were allowed to reside there, but the land itself,...
. All the Elves of the First Clan (Vanyar
Vanyar
In the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, the Vanyar are the fairest and most noble of the High Elves. They are the smallest of the three clans of the Eldar, and were the first to arrive in Aman. According to legend, the clan was founded by Imin, the first Elf to awake at Cuiviénen, his wife Iminyë, and...
) and many of the Elves of the Second and Third Clans (Noldor
Noldor
In the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, the Noldor are Elves of the Second Clan who migrated to Valinor and lived in Eldamar. The Noldor are called Golodhrim or Gódhellim in Sindarin, and Goldoi by Teleri of Tol Eressëa. The singular form of the Quenya noun is Noldo and the adjective is Noldorin...
and Teleri
Teleri
In the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, the Teleri, Those who come last in Quenya were the third of the Elf clans who came to Aman...
) were persuaded to follow Oromë into the West on a Great Journey. The remainder of the Elves of the Second and Third Clans remained suspicious of the Lords of the West, seeing them only in their wrath, or they simply refused to depart from their own lands. They were after known in Quenya by the name Avari because they refused the summons. Later, they spread throughout the wide lands of Middle-earth
Middle-earth
Middle-earth is the fictional setting of the majority of author J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy writings. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings take place entirely in Middle-earth, as does much of The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales....
.
Having never come to Valinor, the Avari remained a "wild folk", often dwellers of forests and caves. Little is known of them, as they do not appear often in the tales. Some of them merged with the Nandor and Sindar
Sindar
In the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, the fictional Sindar are Elves of Telerin descent. They are also known as the Grey Elves. Their language is Sindarin...
in Eriador
Eriador
Eriador is a large region in J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional world of Middle-earth. In the Second Age, and possibly much earlier, it was largely forested, but the Dúnedain felled most of the forests to build ships. Much of it was encompassed in the early Third Age by the kingdom of Arnor, which...
and the Vale of Anduin
Anduin
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional Middle-earth, Anduin is the Sindarin name for the Great River of Wilderland, the longest river in the Third Age . The ancestors of the Rohirrim called it Langflood. It flowed from its source in the Grey and Misty Mountains to the Mouths of Anduin in the Great Sea...
and became known as Silvan Elves
Silvan Elves
Silvan Elves are an ethnic group of Elves in J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional universe of Middle-earth, mainly the Elves of Mirkwood and Lothlórien.In the First Age the Elves of Ossiriand, or Laiquendi, were also referred to as wood-elves....
. The Avari were the first other sapient race encountered by the Men. The Avari taught them many of the basic crafts of civilization, though the craft of the Eldar surpassed that of the Avari even more than that of the Avari surpassed primitive Men.
Since the Avari, unlike the Eldar, refused the invitation to the Undying Lands and preferred to stay in Middle-earth to the end of Time, it is assumed they did fade away.
In "Quendi and Eldar", the Elf Eöl
Eöl
Eöl, called the Dark Elf, is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He is introduced in The Silmarillion as an Elf of Beleriand and is a character existing in some form from the earliest to the latest writings....
is said to be an Avar of the Second Clan. He is notorious for luring an elf lady, Aredhel
Aredhel
Aredhel Ar-Feiniel is a fictional character created by J. R. R. Tolkien.She is called Ar-Feiniel, the White Lady of the Noldor. She is the daughter of Fingolfin and Anairë, sister of Fingon, Turgon and Argon, and mother of Maeglin...
, into his home and making her his wife.
Avarin, the language of the Avari
According to the Comparative Tables of the Elvish languages, there were three groups of Avarin languages, not connected.- The West Avarin group was nearest to the Eldarin languages (SindarinSindarinSindarin is a fictional language devised by J. R. R. Tolkien, and used in his secondary world, often called Middle-earth.Sindarin is one of the many languages spoken by the immortal Elves, called the Eledhrim or Edhellim in Sindarin....
, TelerinTelerinTelerin is a constructed language devised by J. R. R. Tolkien. It is one of the many fictional language set in his Secondary world, often called Middle-earth....
, Quenya). - The North Avarin group was very peculiar, with no initial groups of consonants.
- The East Avarin group.
In "Quendi and Eldar", names of six tribes of Avari in their own languages are given, all being cognates of the Quenya word Quendi (the Elves): Kindi, Cuind, Hwenti, Windan, Kinn-lai, and Penni. The last one is the word used by the Silvan Elves of Mirkwood
Mirkwood
Mirkwood is a name used for two distinct fictional forests in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. In the First Age, the highlands of Dorthonion north of Beleriand were known as Mirkwood after falling under Morgoth's control. During the Third Age, the large forest in Rhovanion, east of the Anduin in ...
and Lórien.
See also
- AdûnaicAdûnaicAdûnaic is a fictional language in the fantasy works of J. R. R. Tolkien.One of the languages of Arda in Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium, it was spoken by the Men of Númenor during the Second Age.-Fictional history:...
- Elvish languages (Middle-earth)
- Languages constructed by J. R. R. Tolkien
- MaeglinMaeglinMaeglin or Meglin is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium, featured in The Silmarillion.He was an Elf, the son of Eöl the Dark Elf and Aredhel daughter of Fingolfin. He lived in the First Age of Middle-earth, and was a lord of Gondolin...
- Sundering of the ElvesSundering of the ElvesIn J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, the Elves are a sundered people. They awoke at Cuiviénen on the continent of Middle-earth , where they were divided into three tribes: Minyar , Tatyar and Nelyar . After some time, they were summoned by Oromë to live with the Valar in Aman...