The Elves were a powerful force in the First Age, though many of them were much embroiled in many wars and battles with Morgoth. In this lesson, we will be looking at the various groups of Elves who established themselves in Middle-Earth, that is, all of those other than the Eldar who were living in The Undying Lands. Also you will notice that this lesson, I am going to begin using some numerical dates with the events to help and give you a time frame of when everything happened. Look for these dates in parentheses () after events. They are all in the First Age, unless otherwise stated. This is the first real lesson that Im giving on family lineage, and its a little bit confusing, so Ill try to keep it short. We will continue with this next month as well, delving into the lineage of men and how they connect with the Elves, which should bring us to the end of the First Age.

As I mentioned last lesson, the Wars of Beleriand concerned the ongoing battles fought between the Noldor and their allies the Sindar and the Edain, and the Forces of Morgoth in the First Age. There were five main battles in the Wars of Beleriand:

1. The First Battle - actually fought just after the destruction of the Two Trees in Valinor, before the first age. Morgoth attacks Thingol and Cirdan, the two greatest lords of Beleriand at the time.

2. Dagor-nuin-Giliath (1) - the starlit battle fought before the rising of the Moon in Middle-Earth. Morgoth attacks Fëanor as he returned to Middle-Earth from Valinor.

3. Dagor Aglareb (75) - the armies of Fingolfin and Maedhros beat back the army of Orcs at the Pass of Sirion and Maglor's Gap.

4. Dagor Bragollach (455) - for more than 400 years, the Noldor had besieged Morgoth in his fortress of Angband. During this battle, the Siege was broken and Morgoth roamed at will through the northern lands.

5. Nirnaeth Arnoediad (471) - the final battle, in which the Noldor and their allies finally defeated Morgoth, but were themselves nearly destroyed.

Fingolfin was the second son of Finwë and half-brother to Fëanor; Fëanor's mother was Miriel, who died after giving birth, and Fingolfin was born to Finwë and his second wife, Indis.

When Fëanor was killed (1), his eldest son Maedhros should have become High King of the Noldor, but Maedhros refused the position which passed to Fingolfin. He ruled the lands to the northwest of Beleriand with his sons Fingon and Turgon. Fingolfin was killed in combat with Morgoth after Dagor Bragollach (455), the fourth of the five great battles in the Wars of Belleriand.

Turgon, the son of Fingolfin, had long been the ruler of Nevrast, a mountainous coastal land on the northwestern boarders of Beleriand. Nevrast was home to Turgon's people from the beginning of the First Age (1) until sometime in the first century (126). The Elves left Nevrast to inhabit the newly built city of Gondolin (126). Gondolin was hidden from friend and foe alike throughout most of the First Age. It was located in the hidden valley of Tumladen, and Turgon only discovered it with the aid of Ulmo, one of the greatest of the Valar.

It was not until Nirnaeth Arnoediad (471) that the existence of Gondolin became known to other Elves, when Turgon finally rode to war with his people and helped his Noldor kin to defeat Morgoth in this battle. Gondolin stood until 510, when Morgoth sacked the city. Many, including the great king Turgon, were lost in the Fall of Gondor, but some few managed to escape, including Turgons daughter Idril, with her husband Tuor (a man of the Edain) and their half-elven son Eärendil.

If you recall, Elu Thingol (originally called Elwë) was the leader of the Teleri, along with his brother Olwë. As the Kindred neared the western coasts of Middle-Earth (before the First Age), Thingol came upon Melian, the Maia of the wood of Nan Elmoth. Long years passed and eventually, Thingol chose to remain in Beleriand with Melian, though many of the Teleri chose to complete the Great Journey.

With Melian, Thingol founded the woodland realm of Doriath, the greatest of the realms of the Sindar in Beleriand, and there ruled the Sindar Elves for many years. It was here that Lúthien was born to Thingol and Melian, two ages before the Return of the Noldor in the First Age.

When Beren fell in love with Lúthien (463) and sought her father's approval, he was sent on the near-impossible quest for the Silmaril. With the help of Lúthien, Huan the Hound and Finrod Felagund, Beren recovered a jewel from Morgoth's Iron Crown (469). He presented it to Thingol in exchange for Lúthien's hand, and Thingol in turn gave it to the great craftsmen, the Dwarves, so that it might be set into the necklace Nauglamir. However, the Dwarves so admired their work that they kept the necklace and treacherously killed Thingol in his own treasury (502).

In their short life togeather, Beren and Lúthien had one son, Dior half-elven (475). After Thingol was killed by the Dwarves, Dior went to rule in Doriath with his wife Nimloth (an Elf maiden). At the passing of Lúthien and Beren (505), the Silmaril that Lúthien had worn was brought to him. However, the jewel was taken by the Sons of Fëanor (who were corrupted by their need for the Silmarils), and Dior was killed in the Ruin of Doriath (505). Both of Dior's sons were also killed in the Ruin of Doriath, and his only daughter Elwing would marry Eärendil and give birth to Elrond and Elros. If you recall, it was Eärendil who bore the Silmaril to Aman and brought the Valar to Middle-Earth to battle Morgoth in the War of Wrath.

Finarfin was the youngest son of Finwë and his second wife Indis, brother to Fingolfin and half-brother to Fëanor. When Fëanor went back to Middle-Earth in pursuit of Morgoth and the Silmarils, Finarfin chose instead to remain in Valinor and rule over the Noldor there.

His five children: Finrod, Orodreth, Angrod, Aegnor and Galadriel, all chose to follow Fëanor into the east, and there found their own paths. Only the history of Finrod and Galadriel will be discussed.

Finrod founded Minas Tirith, the stronghold at the Pass of Sirion, which was captured by Sauron in the First Age (471). Finrod also created his citadel at Nargothrond (100), which remained unknown to Morgoth until the Elves there decided to attack Morgoth's allies. Morgoth then sent out an army under the dragon Glaurung to destroy the city (495)

Finrod himself accompanied Beren on the Quest of the Silmarili and was lost in the pits of Sauron on Tol-in-Gaurhoth, the Isle of the Werewolves (468), leaving the rule of Nargothrond to his brother Orodreth. Finrod produced no children.

Galadriel was born in Valinor while the Two Trees still flourished. She travelled to Middle-Earth at the beginning of the First Age. She went often to the Halls of Thingol in Doriath, where she met Celeborn. Galadriel and Celeborn remained in Middle-Earth after the War of Wrath at the end of the First Age (583).

The couple had one child, their daughter Celebrían, who was probably born sometime in the Second Age, but it is uncertain. In the third age Celebrian would marry Elrond and give birth to Elladan, Elrohir and Arwen, the noble wife and queen of Elassar.