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| Laiquendi |
Named Green-elves because of their garments, which were green to hide them from their foes and for their love and knowledge of all that was green and grew. They were second only to the Shepherds of the Trees, the Ents, as protectors of the Olvar of the forest, and of the Kelvar too, for they did not hunt the creatures of the woodlands.
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| Lairelosse |
In the lost land of Numenor, in the forested westlands of Andustar, was a part that was so filled with a multitude of scented evergreen trees that it was called Nisimaldar, or land of 'the Fragrant Trees'. Among the many trees that grew there was the fragrant flowering evergreen called Lairelosse, meaning 'summer-snow-white', which was first brought to Nuemenor by the Sea Elves of the island realm of Tol Eressea.
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Between Mirkwood and the Iron Hills lay the Long Lake and the city of Esgaroth, and it was hwere that Lake Men lived in the Third Age of the Sun. These were Northmen who had been traders upon the lake and the Running River. They had become wealthy trading with the Elves of the Woodland Realm in Mirkwood and with the Dwarves of Erebor, the Lonely Mountain. Esgaroth was built upon pylons driven into the lake bottom and a wooden bridge stood between the city and shore. It was not proof against the winged Fire-drake Smaug, who in 2770 came to Erebor. In 2941 Smaug attacked Esgaroth and, though the warrior of Dale called Bard the Bowman slew the beast, the city was ruined. Yet the Lake Men were saved from starvation, for with a part of the Dragon's hoard of jewels, the town was rebuilt. The ruler of the Lake Men, called the Master of Esgaroth, was an elected merchant. In the time of the slaying of Smaug, the Master was cowardly and corrupt, but a new Master followed him who proved to be honest and wise, and the Lake Men prospered again.
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Eagle of the Misty Mountains. Landroval was the brother of Gwaihir the Windlord, the lord of the Eagles of Misty Mountains. Landroval and his brother were the largest Eagles of the Third Age, and often came to the aid of the Free Peoples against the evil servants of Sauron. Landroval flew with Gwaihir on many of his adventures, notably, the Battle of Five Armies and the battle before the Black Gates of Mordor. After the destructioin of the One Ring, Landroval and Gwaihir rescued Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee from the fiery lava floes on the slopes of Mount Doom.
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Ent of Fangorn Forest. Leaflock was the Westron name for one of the three oldest Ents still surviving on Middle-earth at the time of the War of the Rings. Leaflock's Elvish name was Finglas. By the end of the Third Age, he moved about very little for he had become sleepy and 'treeish'.
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Elven prince of the Woodland Realm. Legolas (whose name meant 'green leaf') was the son of Thranduil, the Sindar Elf king of the Woodland Realm of Northern Mirkwood. In 3019 of the Third Age of the Sun, Legolas became a member of the Fellowship of the Ring. His keen Elf eyes, his woodland skills and his deadly bow all proved of great value to the Fellowship in their many adventures. After the War of the Ring, Legolas started a colony of Woodland Elves in Ithilien. After the death of Aragorn in the year 120 of the Fourth Age of the Sun, Legolas, along with his friend, Gimli the Dwarf, sailed to the Undying Lands.
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The tale of the Great Journey tells how most of the Vanyar, Noldor and Teleri reached the shores of the Undying Lands in the time of the Trees of the Valar. There they dwelt in Eldamar and were tutored by the powers of Arda, the Valar and their people, the Maiar. The Elves grew wise and noble and learned many skills: the making of jewels and precious metals, the building of majestic cities and the finest arts of music and language. These people were called the Light Elves for they were shining in both body and spirit, and, of all the peoples to live within the Circles of the World, they were the fairest by all accounts.
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As is told in the 'Ainulindale', all things that came into the World came out of the grand themes of the Music of Ainur. Elves were the fairest of all beings and their singing was almost a match for the beauty of the Great Music. Among the Elves, the loveliest singers were the Teleri, who listened tirelessly to the sounds of water against the river banks and on the sea shore, and their voices became fluid, subtle and strong. Because of their skill in singing they were sometimes known by the name Lindar, which means the 'singers'.
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After the War of Wrath and the destruction of Angband, all but a small part of Beleriand sank into the Western Sea. This was a part of Ossiriand just west of the Blue Mountains called Lindon. Its name means the 'land of song' because the Laiquendi Elves, famous for their singing, had from the earliest time made these woodlands their home.
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Many of the most beautiful of the flowers of Middle-earth were brought as gifts to mortals from the shores of the Undying Lands by the High Elves of Eldamar. Such was the case of the sweet-smelling flower Lissuin, for the histories of Numenor tell how the Elves of Tol Eressea brought the flower Lissuin and the golden star-flower Elanor into mortal lands. The two flowers - one because of its fragrance, the other because of its colour - were woven into garlands and were worn as crowns at wedding feasts.
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The Hobbits were known to be the smallest peoples of Middle-earth in the Third Age of the Sun. In height they measured between two and four feet, and, though quick and nimble, they were of far less strength than Dwarves. Both Men and Elves often called them the Little Folk.
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To the ears of Elves, the loveliest of the song-birds of Arda are the Lomelindi, the 'dusk-singers', whom the Elves have also named Tinuviel and Men have called Nightingales. The names of these fair creatures is woven into many tales and the voices of the most beauteous women of Elf-fame, Melian, Luthien and Arwen, are compared to Lomelinde's song.
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In Valinor, the land of the gods, is the garden of Lorien, the Vala who is Master of Dreams, and in that vast garden is the lake called Lorellin. Surrounded by these wonderful gardens and with the misty, wooded isle of Este, the Healer, in the middle of its glimmering waters, Lorellin is considered the fairest lake on Arda.
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During the Second and Third Age of the Sun, the Elf-realm in the Golden Wood to the east of the Misty Mountains was often called Lorien, but its true name was Lothlorien, and its history is told under that name. The true Lorien was a far more ancient place in the Undying Lands. Lorien, which means 'Dreamland', was a vast garden of extraordinary beauty in southern Valinor where the Valar, Maiar and Eldar came for physical and spiritual restoration of their powers. It was the garden of the Vala, Irmo, who was himself most often called Lorien, the Master of Dreams. It was a gentle, restful place filled with silver trees and multitudes of flowers. The waters of its crystal fountains magically refreshed all visiting Valar and Eldar. In the midst of this most beautiful of gardens were the glimmering waters of the lake Lorellin and in the midst of that lake was the isle of tall trees and gentle mists that is the home of his wife Este, the Healer, the Vala who grants rest to those who suffer. Lorien's brother is Mandos, the Master of Doom and his sister is Nienna, the Weeper.
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On the icy Cape of Forochel to the north of the Westlands there lived a people called the Lossoth, in the Third Age of the Sun. They were a reclusive peaceful folk, wary of all the warlike Men of Middle-earth. In the common tongue of Men they were called Snowmen of Forochel and they were said to be descended from the Forodwaith of the Northern Waste. The Lossoth were poor people of little worldly knowledge, but they were wise in the ways of their cold lands. They built their homes from snow and in sliding carts and skates of bone, they crossed the ice lands and hunted the thick furred animals from which they fashioned their clothes. It is claimed that the Lossoth could foretell the weather by the smell of the wind.
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The fairest Elf-kingdom remaining on Middle-earth in the Third Age of the Sun was to be found in the Golden Wood just to the east of the Misty Mountains beyond the Gates of Moria. It was called Lothlorien, the 'land of the blossoms dreaming', which was also called Lorien, 'dreamland', and Laurelindorinan, 'land of the valley of singing gold'. In this wooded realm the golden-leaved, silver barked Mallorn trees grew. They were the tallest and fairest trees of Middle-earth and upon their high branches the Elves of Lothlorien, who were called the Galadhrim, or 'tree people', made their homes on platforms called telain or flets. Here the Noldor Queen, Galadriel, and the Sindar King, Celeborn, ruled. The Fellowship of the Ring entered Lothlorien. Fleeing the servants of Sauron, they found rest and shelter, and by Queen Galadriel they were granted magical gifts that renewed their strength and will.
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Elven princess of Doriath. Luthien was the daughter of the Sindar Grey-elf king, Thingol and Melian the Maia. She was born during the Ages of Starlight and was considered the most beautiful maiden of any race ever born. In the year 465 of the First Age of the Sun, she met the mortal Edain hero Beren and the couple fell in love. King Thingol did not approve and set Beren an impossible task: the Quest of the Silmaril. Despite many perils, Luthien also embarked on this quest. Although the quest was achieved in the end, it cost Beren his life. Luthien was filled with such remorse, she faded and died. However, when she stood before Mandos, Lord of the Dead, she sang a song of such sadness that in pity he granted the couple a second mortal life. United at last with Beren, Luthien soon gave birth to Dior, their only child. The two lovers lived quietly for another forty years in Ossiriand, before they were granted their second and final death.
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