Eldar Trivia Quiz

Answer: 1

Elves age mentally far more rapidly than mortal Men and have an astonishing grasp on language and arts at a very early age. However, they age far slower physically. An Elf, for example, at the age of twenty, might appear to be the same age as a human seven-year-old.

Answer: True

"Elvish 'immortality' is bounded within a part of Time (which [the Elves] would call the History of Arda [the Universe]), and is therefore strictly to be called rather 'serial longevity', the utmost limit of which is the length of the existence of Arda" [Morgoth's Ring - Athrabeth Rinrod Ah Andreth, p. 331].

In other words, the Elves actually just live a very, very, very long time. In fact, if an Elf dies, he is usually given the choice of being reincarnated. For this reason, Elves have little or no fear of death, because they, unlike Mortals, know precisely what will happen to them.

It is the unknown that lies beyond the cessation of Middle-earth they dread.

Answer: 50

Soon after this age, most Elves marry. They marry only once, even if one spouse dies. Possibly the only exception to this rule was Finwe, who remarried after his first wife died. Elves tend to have few children, generally no more than four and then only in times of peace and happiness.

Answer: Elves can appear aged and decrepit due to extreme stress

Few Elves, if any, have willingly aligned themselves with a dark lord and no Elf has ever physically atrophied due to disease. In fact, Elves are natural healers, as evidenced in 'The Lord of the Rings' when Elrond heals Frodo of the knife wound, and later, when the Sons of Elrond and Aragorn (who has Elf blood) heal the wounded of the Battle of Pelennor Field.

Answer: Disease

Elves can be killed by weapons in any manner, though it takes a worse wound to kill them than a Man. Several of them have been recorded as dying of grief, including Arwen Undomiel and Luthien, though Luthien came back to life. Miriel, the mother of Feanor, died of weariness, saying that all her strength had gone into her only son.

However, no Elf has ever died of disease, because they have a natural immunity.

Answer: True

There is some confusion on this point because Tolkien has changed his mind several times on the matter. At one point he said it was 'characteristic of all Elves to be beardless' [Unfinished Tales, The History of Galadriel and Celeborn - Amroth and Nimrodel], yet in 'The Return of the King' he states that Cirdan the Shipwright has a beard. According to Tolkien, only published material is canon, and since one of the few works he himself published (as opposed to being published posthumously) clearly says that Elves can have beards, we must take that stance as the final conclusion.

Answer: Fear and hroar

'Fear' is the spirit, roughly translated, and 'hroar' is the body, also roughly translated. The other words I pulled at (almost) random from a Quenya/English dictionary. 'Loxe' means hair and 'fanga' means beard. 'Ner' and 'hina' mean man and child, respectively, and 'anar' is the sun and 'isil' the moon.

Answer: Silver-golden

Maedhros is known for having red hair (his brothers nicknamed him Russandol, meaning 'Coppertop'), but there are others with that color, such as his twin brothers. It is not unusual for silver hair to be seen among the Teleri and brown is common among the Noldor, Sindar, and Avari.

However, the only character ever said to have silver-golden hair was Galadriel, who is described as stunningly beautiful. Her hair was said to be the blended light of the Two Trees. Feanor begged thrice for a strand of her hair, but never got it, for Galadriel hated Feanor and would go out of her way to spite him.

Answer: All the peoples of Middle-earth have this innate ability, but few of them besides the Elves have sufficient control over their will to accomplish it practically

The Elves have an astounding amount of control over their wills; their bodies are almost wholly subservient to them. Some Tolkienists have proposed that telepathy is a trait of the Maiar, but the fact that several Elves, such as Galadriel, who have no Maiar blood yet use telepathy make this claim fall flat.

Answer: They wander Middle-earth houseless, haunting the places they knew in life

Of course, few Elves refuse the summons anyway, except among the Avari. It is said that the Unbodied -- bitter, grieved, and envious - still desire physical forms, despite the fact that they are unwilling to come by them honestly. And therein lies the great danger in communing with them, and the reason the Valar have forbidden such necromancy. The Unbodied often seek to enter into friendship with the Living and, if once achieved, attempt to eject the fea from its body to use for its own purposes.

I hope you enjoyed my quiz and learned a little more about one of Tolkien's most popular races. Please rate it and feel free to tell me what you thought of my quiz. I used 'Morgoth's Ring' and 'The Silmarillion' for most of my references, and TolkienGateway.net was very helpful. Have a nice day!