Noldor

History and context

Finwë leads the Noldor in the Great Journey, and those who reach Aman establish themselves at Tirion. Their skill develops in close association with the knowledge available in the Blessed Realm, especially the teachings of Aulë. Fëanor’s making of the Silmarils is their most consequential artistic achievement, but the history of the kindred extends far beyond his household. Finwë’s descendants include the lines of Fëanor, Fingolfin and Finarfin. Their rivalries and loyalties shape the return to Middle-earth. Many Noldor depart Aman following Morgoth’s theft of the Silmarils; others remain or turn back.

Literary context and distinctions

The word does not denote every Elf, and the Noldor should not be confused with the Sindar, the Vanyar or the Teleri as a whole. Their return leads both to extraordinary achievements and to grave wrongdoing, including violence against other Elves. Tolkien does not make learning or craftsmanship inherently evil. The tragedy repeatedly concerns the separation of skill from humility, and legitimate attachment from possessiveness. Noldorin was also the name of a language in earlier phases of Tolkien’s linguistic work; its relationship to later Sindarin requires historical explanation rather than a simple statement that all Noldor always spoke one unchanged language.

Primary references

• The Silmarillion, “Of Eldamar and the Princes of the Eldalië”, “Of the Flight of the Noldor” and “Of the Noldor in Beleriand”.
• The Lord of the Rings, Appendix F.