Of Elves, Dwarves and Men.
In Middle-Earth, the imaginary world created by J.R.R. Tolkien, there are many races. But most important and dominant of those are the Elves, the Dwarves and the Men. Who are they? What are they? Where did they come from and where are they going?? Let's start with the beginning.
Of their creation
'There was Eru, the One, who in Arda is called Ilúvatar; and he made first the Ainur, the Holy Ones, that were the offspring of his thought, and they were with him before aught else was made.'
Ilúvatar revealed to the Ainur a mighty vision and showed to them the world as it was to be. The task of the Ainur was to fulfil that vision and make that world, called Arda. So they did. They prepared the world for the coming of the Elves and Men, who were to be the inhabitants.
One of the Ainur, Aulë, the god of mining and smith-craft, could not wait for the Elves, and created his own race: the Dwarves. Like their creator, they loved delving and forging and they preferred to live underground in great cities hewn out of the rock.
Ilúvatar was aware of Aulë's deeds and he decided to put the Dwarves to sleep, until it was their time to awaken and walk upon the earth.
Seven Fathers of the Dwarves Aulë made, and these slept through many ages until after the Awakening of the Elves.
When the world was ready, Ilúvatar gave life to the Elves, 'and while they dwelt yet silent their eyes beheld first of all things the stars of heaven. Therefore they have ever loved the starlight'.
Thousends of years later, the race of Men was awakened by Ilúvatar in the eastward regions of Middle-Earth.
Of their appearance
The Men in Middle-Earth looked like the men we know nowadays.
Most men had a life-span of approximately 70 or 80 years. The exception to this are the Númenoreans, who were fair of face and tall. The span of their lives was thrice that of normal Men."
The Elves were the tallest of all the races, taller than Men, especially in the beginning, when their race was still young. After that, their size kept decreasing, until in the third age, they were almost as small as Men. Apart from a few who had lived since the beginning, none of the Elves had beards.
The gift of Elves was to have eternal life. They did not show any signs of age, but retained their fair appearance.
Dwarves were short: about 3/5 of human size. Practically all Dwarves had long beards. It is said that even the Dwarf women had beards. They were a tough and sturdy race, build to endure harsh circumstances.
haven't written more yet, working on it.
Thanks Psycho
