Developmental History of Ardian Races & Creatures
Quendi - High-Elves (Elves of Light) The first intelligent race to appear in Arda. The first children of Arda were created by Lothlómendil, and their existence was not known to the other Ainur for many ages. They were created in secret in order to hide them from the destruction of Raku until they were strong enough to stand alone, and because she loved them dearly, Lothlómendil granted the Elves the gift of partial immortality; life so long as they are not struck down by others. It is for the coming of Elves and Men that the world of Arda was tamed. The term "Quendi" is now only used for the elves that came to Aman during the time of its descent, and it means "those that speak with voices." This was the name the Elves gave themselves, for in their early years, they were the only beings they knew of that were able to speak. They are called the Elves of Light because they have seen the light of the holy land of Aman, and these blessed Elves of Aman are infallible.
Sindar - Elves (Gray Elves, or Elves of Twilight) Elves that never came to Aman, either by refusal to answer the summons, or by losing their way during the migration. This is the current Elven race in Arda. They are called the Gray Elves, or Elves of Twilight, because the light of Aman was within their grasp, but never attained.
Moriquendi - Drow (Dark Elves) Of the Elves that were led astray by Raku, some accepted him as their lord willingly, and were forever changed. They dwelled with him in darkness so long, that if ever they re-emerged, the light of day would blind them. This eventually drove them to dwell underground to escape the brightness of the world they so hated.
Atani - Humans (Men) The second intelligent race discovered in Arda, also created by Lothlómendil. Like the Elves, their creation was in secret in order to protect them from the evils that sought power over Arda's inhabitants. They were discovered in Arda some time after the descent of Aman, but before its reascension.
Paredhel - Half-Elves The Paredhel are the children of Elves and Men. Because the Goddess of Life had compassion for the children of her first born creations, she gave the Paredhel a choice; when nearing maturity, they must choose between their Elven heritage and the heritage of Men. If they choose to be Elven, they keep the partial immortality of the Elves. And if they choose to be Human, their lives are extended to many times that of the full-blooded Atani, but they too are doomed to grow old and perish.
Periannath - Halflings (Hobbits) Little is known about how halflings developed, but it certain that they are an evolution of men.
Naugrim - DwarvesThis is the third intelligent race to appear in Arda. Unlike Elves and Men, they were not made by Lothlómendil. They were creations of the Vala Taminondo, the Stone Forger. He was impatient in his wait for the appearance of Elves and Men in Arda, for he desired other beings with which to live, speak, and teach. He made them of earth and stone, modeled after the image of Elves and Men that had been foretold by the Goddess of Life. But the image was unclear in his mind, and his creations were crude at best. He taught them many of his own skills: mining, forging, gem-working, and other skills that they still possess today. Like him, they were sturdy and full of endurance, because he wanted them to be safe from the destruction of Raku as well.
But Lothlómendil is all-knowing and was not pleased with the Vala's impatience, and she came to Taminondo in the very hour the Dwarves were created. There she spoke to him, reprimanding him for his impatience. He asked for mercy, offering his creations to her to amend his misdeeds, begging she not be angry with him forever and swearing to destroy the product of his folly. Then Taminondo took up his hammer to smite them, and he wept. But Lothlómendil had compassion for Taminondo, because of his humility. The Dwarves shrank away from his hammer and were afraid, and they bowed down their heads and begged for mercy. Lothlómendil stayed Taminondo's hand and told him that their destruction was not necessary, his impatience was pardoned and his creations would be permitted to live in peace in Arda. Taminondo cast aside his hammer and was glad. Though he was forgiven, Lothlómendil would not suffer to have Taminondo's creations coming before the firstborn of her design, the Elves, so the Dwarven kings were put to sleep safe beneath the earth to awaken when Lothlómendil so chose.
Imperial Archangels - High-Celestial The holiest of angels are the children of the Elves that came to Aman and the Ainur that fell in love with them. They are now found only in the land of Aman, or in the temple of the Goddess of Life. In very rare cases, the closest of Lothlómendil's followers are granted a guardian Imperial Archangel to aid them in their journeys through Arda. They to, like the Elves of Aman, are infallible.
Archangels - Celestial After a time, the Imperial Archangels of Aman grew restless and desired to see the world of Arda that was the focus of all the Ainur. They were given an option, to either stay in Aman and never see Arda, or to leave Aman and to lose the privilege of passage on its holy lands. Those that chose Arda over Aman are the current race in Arda known as the Archangels, and have since lost the volume of strength that came from their divine parents. When they came down from the sky, they came to rest in the land where Aman had once touched Arda, and they made it their sanctuary that is today a flourishing city.
Angels - Half-Celestial Of the Archangels that descended from Aman to learn of the world of Arda, some fell in love with Men and the Elves of the world. Their children are now known as the angels, as beautiful as their Celestial parents, but closer in power to their Atani and Sindarin parents.
Fallen Angels - Corrupted Celestial The wayward celestials that have been corrupted by the evils of the world. If ever a celestial of Arda becomes less than holy and pure of heart, thought, and actions, they are considered fallen. The presence of human characteristics, such as greed and abuse, is a common sign of a fallen angel. Though they are corrupted, fallen status does not mean evil in most cases. Because Imperial Archangels are infallible, they are never among the ranks of the fallen.
Urulóki - Dragons The first dragon created was a manifestation of the thoughts of Lothlómendil. It was a small, fly dragon that the goddess first created. Later creations of her own design and the designs of other Ainur were much larger, each changing to take on properties of their individual developers.
Onodrim - Ents (Shepherds of the Trees) The Ents were created before any other living being, to protect the Vala Liara's beloved creations, the trees. It was in the time of the War of the Ainur that she manifested them, for Raku's destruction of the labors of the other Valar left many forests decimated. When first they were made, they were not yet aware, for the Elves of Lothlómendil's favor were to be the first sentient beings, and the task of creating conscious life is too great for most Ainur. Shortly after the awakening of the Dwarves, the Liara gave the Onodrim to Lothlómendil to stir consciousness within them.
Torog - Trolls Evil creations of the god Raku, there is almost nothing known of the creation of trolls. It is said that Raku made them in mockery of Liara's Ents. However, the trolls were too much like their creator, and were beings of darkness. If ever the sun touches these beings, they are turned to stone.
Olog-Hai - Half-Trolls A race of trolls bred by Raku in the time after the Aman returned to the sky. They were superior to other trolls in almost every way: stronger and more powerful, but also showing greater intelligence and skill. Having been cross bred with men, they could exist in direct sunlight, unlike others of their kind.
Yrch - Orcs After the first discovery of the Elves, Raku seethed with jealousy over their beauty and how the other Ainur favored them, especially Lothlómendil. When it was decided to let them into Aman, there was a great gathering, many of the Elves traveling great distances to see Aman. Of those that were lost on the way to Aman, Raku was able to deceive some into following him with promises of being taken to Aman. But they never saw the light of the holy land, and were instead enslaved by the Dark god. They were tortured and experimented on, defiled until the eventual result was the creation of the Orcs. This was Raku's ultimate act of defiance toward the pantheon. After spending so long in the confines of the Raku's lightless prison, they became accustomed to darkness. When they emerged from the dark recesses of Raku's strongholds, they too, like the Moriquendi, were blinded by the sunlight. For this reason, most cannot live or travel by the light of day.
Uruk-Hai - Half-Orcs Raku was not pleased with his first experiments on the Elves because of their weakness against light. In order to increase the strength of his Orcs, they were cross bred with men, creating an elite race of powerful monsters that could go out into the sunlight.
Madágarim - Vampires The Lord of Darkness, Raku, specialized in the dark arts, and it was he who first created necromancy, the art of raising the dead. Unlike resurrection, the dead that rose from his black magic were not returned to life, but instead roamed the world, trapped forever in undeath. In his prime, the Dark god's powers became a part of his very being. With a single bite upon the neck of a hapless human for drink, the first vampire was sired by Raku himself. Being so infected with the evil of the God of Darkness, the man was returned from the dead, doomed forever to live in darkness, feeding off of the blood of others. The Madágarim carry with them the infectious bite, capable of turning other beings into creatures like themselves.
Wargs - Dire Wolves When Arda was still young, there was a powerful but unlawful Vala of the third born, named Gayadraug, the Quenya name for Dread Wolf. He greatly desired his own army of powerful servants, and his fondness of wolves, their strength and agility, inspired him to alter them to increase their power and ferocity. He infected them with a disease he called lycanthropy that made them feral and rabid. In this state they were much stronger and vicious, and he was able to bend them to his chaotic will. These wolves became known as wargs, and after later experiments became larger and more intelligent.
Gaurim - Werewolves When Gayadraug the Vala's infected wargs attacked humans, the humans contracted the lycanthropy disease. Though this was not his intention, Gayadraug used it to his advantage. The infected humans transformed into the feral wolves in the light of the moon, becoming plagued with insanity, and they too fell under his control. These infected humans were the first werewolves in Arda.
Lupine - Wolven Gayadraug, the great Valar that experimented on wolves and eventually created werewolves, was not satisfied with his early experiments like so many other Ainur that chose to meddle with the beings of Arda. He wanted not only strength, but also sharp intellect. After the discovery of the werewolves he had inadvertently created, he realized their potential role in acquiring his desired servants and gathered them to him during the next full moon when they were most susceptible to his influence. He then worked many ages, crossbreeding the werewolves with his wargs until he produced the beings he had so long desired - the first lupines. Unfortunately, once the final lupine creations were developed, they lost the ability to shapeshift into human forms or spread the lycanthropy disease via bites. After Gayadraug was found to be a criminal and bound in Valolvann, the lupines split and went their separate ways. Some escaped completely free of corruption while others became permanently berserk at the loss of their master.
Iltel'kelvar - Lizarian (Lizardfolk, The Unfinished) Jealous of Gayadraug's creations, another third-born Vala, called by the name of Ita, tried experimenting on the reptiles of the world, attempting to match the power of the lupines. However, her abilities in race creation were not yet a match for the brilliance of Gayadraug, and although the Lizarians were very strong and able to adapt to varying habitats, the Vala was not satisfied and abandoned their development. For this reason, their race remains very primitive.
Loki'edan Endor - Land Nagas (Serpentfolk) Ita too felt pangs of displeasure in her first creations, the Lizarians, and moved her focus from the unfinished Lizarian experiment to the serpents of Arda. She was fascinated by their quickness, stealth, and powerful venom, but desired creations that were more intelligent and able to wield the weapons she enjoyed crafting. After years of further experimentation, the Loki'edan were born. Just as she did the Lizarians, Ita taught them the ways of combat and war. But the imprudent Naga knew not how to direct the knowledge she had given them, and turned it upon themselves. Their vast rainforest civilization crumbled as neighbor brutally attacked neighbor. There was a great loss of life among the Loki'edan, and the fighting ended when only the strongest of the Nagas remained. Their war among themselves came to a stalemate, with the remaining champions too evenly matched for a victor to emerge. They took their leave of one another, deciding to live on their own, and spread out across the temperate regions of Arda
Loki'edan Enalu - Water Nagas (Serpentfolk) Only a small group of the warring Loki'edan were wise enough to be aware of the wrongs of infighting, and migrated out of the jungle to avoid the conflict of their brothers. They emerged from the trees to discover a sandy beach, where they caught the first glimpses of Palanean Ocean. They were immediately enamored of it and forever after lived by its ebbing waters. During the passing of many generations, the Naga learned the skills of swimming and fishing, becoming so adept that they developed gills, and the first water nagas evolved.
Rauko - Demons In the first ages after the coming of Elves and Men, there was a powerful, dark Maia that was a follower the the evil God of Darkness, named Irm'kshrauko, the Demon of Evil Desire. His strength was great, and his intentions malicious. He became bent on creating an army of elite creatures of darkness so that he may lead the most glorious army of Raku, and he quickly spread his own seed to begin his legion. His ultimate hope was that his strength and numbers would grant him the favor of Raku, and inspire the Dark god to take him as his Guardian of Evil. The first host of his creation were the most powerful, but did not wish to follow Irm'kshrauko, and turned against him. Those that came later were less powerful, but more faithful to their master. All Rauko are descended from this Maia's lineage, forever bearing the strength and evil of their twisted creator.
Norsaraneae - Great Spiders Mothered by another of Raku's Maia followers, Ungoliant, who disowned her master out of the desire to be mistress of her own pursuits. She took the form of a spider of epic proportions out of adoration for their ruthless beauty. It is uncertain how she first came to spawn offspring, but her descendants now crawl the earth, giant and terrible. But no such creature descended from the Maiar is insusceptible to the loss of strength that comes with time, and these beings are now devoid of their powerful, immortal blood.