Day by day passed. Month by month changed. Year by year flowed like the river of time. Silmalorë taught these elves with love and patience. He taught them how to hunt, love nature, cook, keep warm, protect themselves from darkness, and even craft better tools.
He also taught them simple musical instruments like flutes, drums, and beautiful songs. Through these acts, Silmalorë and the elves grew closer. They no longer saw him as a distant god, but as a teacher and protector.
Silmalorë also taught them about the seasons, star patterns for navigation, and the importance of maintaining balance in nature. He taught cooperation: that though we are different, we can complement one another—not distrust each other.
And there was much more that Silmalorë taught the elves who had awakened from Lake Cuiviénen. He passed on all the foundational knowledge he had gathered over 400,000 years. During this time, the elves also began to multiply. Many elf children were born and grew up. Seeing this, Silmalorë felt content. The elves had evolved. They would be able to survive on the planet Azeroth.
Silmalorë felt the elves were now capable of journeying to the continent of Valinor. He selected ambassadors from among them to travel to Valinor and speak on behalf of their people. They were Ingwë, Finwë, and Elwë—who would each become kings.
He would follow the original storyline from the book The Silmarillion regarding what Oromë would do. Now, Silmalorë took his place—after all, these elf children were born from his own life energy, and this was Azeroth, not Tolkien's world.
And when they arrived, Silmalorë told the elves everything about the continent of Valinor as it was now. They were filled with awe at Silmalorë's majesty and grandeur, and deeply longed for the light and splendor of the trees—both the world tree of Silmalorë visible in the distant sky, and the two trees of silver and gold in Valinor.
Then Silmalorë brought them back to Cuiviénen, and they spoke before their people. They urged all elves to heed the call of Lord Silmalorë and move westward. Because these elves had studied under Silmalorë for many years, they no longer appeared as primitive elves. Thus, the title "tree god" now shifted to "Lord Silmalorë."
Then came the first great parting of the elves. The family of Ingwë, and most of the families of Finwë and Elwë, chose to go. Some elves loved Middle-earth deeply and chose not to leave. Some were willing to follow Silmalorë. These became known as the Eldar, bearing the name Silmalorë had given them at the beginning, in their own language.
But many rejected the call, preferring the starlight and vast expanse of Middle-earth over rumors of the beauty of Silmalorë's world tree. These were the Avari—the unwilling—and they were separated from the Eldar at that time, never to meet again for centuries, until Silmalorë came to retrieve them once more. But Silmalorë also told these elves, "Your home will always be in Valinor. If you wish to go there, I will welcome you gladly. Visit often."
The Eldar now prepared for the great journey from their first home in the East. They marched in three separate hosts. The smallest host, and the first to depart, was led by Ingwë, the High King of all Elves. He entered Valinor and sat at the feet of the Powers. All Elves honored his name, but he never returned, and never again saw Middle-earth until the war against the Burning Legion. His people were the Vanyar, the Fair Elves, pure in the light.
Next came the Noldor, the people of Finwë, known as the folk of wisdom. They were renowned in song, for they fought and labored long in the ancient lands of the North. They possessed strong spirits, and a deep love for knowledge and craft.
The largest host came last, and they were named the Teleri, for they delayed their journey and were not fully willing to pass from twilight into the light of Valinor. They loved water dearly, and those who finally reached the western shores were enchanted by the sea. Thus, they became the Sea Elves of the land of Aman, the Falmari, for they played music beside the breaking waves. They had two leaders, for their numbers were great: Elwë Singollo, which means Grey Mantle, and his brother Olwë.
These were the three great families of the Eldalië who eventually departed Cuiviénen and journeyed westward, though some of them remained in Middle-earth.
In the age when the Elves awakened, those who answered Silmalorë's call and reached Aman were called the Calaquendi, the Elves of Light. Yet there were other Eldar who set out for the West but never arrived in the Land of Aman, having strayed, wandered, or lingered along the shores of Middle-earth. Most of these were kin of the Teleri. These Elves were called the Úmanyar, for they never reached Aman nor saw the Light of the Two Trees. Alongside the Avari, who had refused the call from the beginning, they were all classified as the Moriquendi, the Elves of Darkness, for they had never beheld the Light before the Sun and Moon.
It is said that when the host of the Eldalië departed Cuiviénen, Silmalorë rode at the front on Nahar, his white horse shod with golden hooves. After passing northward and circling the Sea of Helcar, they turned west. Before them, great clouds still hung black in the north, above the ruins of war between Silmalorë and the old gods, and the stars in that region were hidden. Many among them grew afraid, repented, turned back, and were eventually forgotten.
The journey of the Eldar to the West felt long and slow. The lands of Middle-earth were vast beyond measure, exhausting, and without paths. The Eldar did not wish to hurry, for they were awestruck by all they saw. They wished to linger in many lands and beside many rivers. Though all were still willing to wander, many feared the end of their journey more than they hoped for it. Thus, whenever Silmalorë departed—sometimes to attend to other matters, such as checking the state of Kalimondor—they halted and would not continue until he returned to guide them again.
After years of traveling in this manner, the Eldar passed through forests and arrived at a great river, wider than any they had seen. Beyond the river stood mountains whose horns pierced the realm of stars. It is said this river was later named the Great Anduin, and it forever marked the western boundary of Middle-earth. The mountains were the Hithaeglir, the Misty Towers at the border of Eriador.
The Teleri lingered long on the eastern bank of the river and wished to remain there. But the Vanyar and Noldor crossed it, and Silmalorë led them into the passes of the mountains. As Silmalorë advanced, the Teleri gazed into the dim heights and grew afraid.
Then came one from Olwë's host, who had always remained at the rear of the march. He was called Lenwë. He abandoned the westward journey and led a large group southward along the great river. They departed without Silmalorë's knowledge.
Silmalorë remembered Olwë, as written in The Silmarillion, which he had read in a previous life. Olwë was the brother of Elwë Thingol, and he would part ways at this point. Silmalorë also knew that Olwë would become the grandfather of Galadriel in the future. Thus, Silmalorë did not stop Olwë, for he knew this separation was part of the history that would shape the Elves' future.
From their kin who remained on the banks of the Anduin, over the passing years, a people emerged known as the Nandor. They became a folk separated from the Teleri, not continuing the journey westward, and unlike their kin in many ways—except that they still loved water and settled closest to waterfalls and flowing rivers. Their knowledge of living things, trees and plants, birds and beasts, was deeper and broader than that of any other Elves. They lived simply, yet with profound understanding of nature.
Years later, Denethor, son of Lenwë, finally turned westward and led part of the Nandor across the mountains into Beleriand, before the Moon rose in the skies of Arda. They crossed the Hithaeglir and entered the valleys that would later become the land of Ossiriand, and settled there, becoming the Laiquendi, the Green Elves, who walked silently among the trees.
Meanwhile, the Vanyar and Noldor, who continued to follow Silmalorë, finally reached Ered Luin, the Blue Mountains, which stretched between Eriador and the far western lands of Middle-earth. This region was later named Beleriand by the Elves. The foremost host crossed the Valley of Sirion and arrived at the shores of the Great Sea, between Drengist and the Bay of Balar, where river met ocean.
The host of the Teleri, who had lagged behind, eventually crossed the Misty Mountains and traversed the vast lands of Eriador, urged on by Elwë Singollo. He wished to return to Valinor and the Light he had once seen, and did not want to be separated from the Noldor, for he shared a close friendship with Finwë, their lord. Thus, after many years, the Teleri arrived at Ered Luin and entered the eastern lands of Beleriand. There they paused and settled for a time beyond the River Gelion, awaiting word and signs from the Powers.
As time passed, the hosts of the Vanyar and Noldor arrived at the final western shores of the Hither Lands. In the north, this coastline—long ago after the Battle of the Powers—curved westward, until at the northernmost edge of Arda, only a narrow sea separated Aman from the Hither Lands. But that narrow sea was filled with grinding ice, the result of a devastating frost born from Silmalorë's magical attempt to calm the Northern storm. Because of this, Silmalorë did not lead the Eldalië northward, but instead brought them to the beautiful lands around the River Sirion, which would later be named Beleriand.
From the shores where the Eldar first gazed upon the Sea with fear and awe, stretched a vast, dark, and deep ocean between them and the Mountains of Aman. Silmalorë spoke to the Eldar as they rested there, watching the dark waves. Through his words and the music he created for them with the horns of his shells, their fear of the sea turned into longing and desire.
The elves, hearing Silmalorë's song—and Silmalorë, seeing the yearning in the Eldar—he uprooted an island that had long stood alone in the middle of the sea, far from either coast. With the help of his servants, he moved it like a great ship and anchored it in the Bay of Balar, where the waters of Sirion poured out. The Vanyar and Noldor boarded the island, and it was drawn across the sea until they finally arrived at the long shores beneath the Mountains of Aman. They entered Valinor and were welcomed into its joy.
But the eastern horn of the island, embedded deep in the shoals off the mouth of Sirion, broke apart and remained behind. It is said that this was once Silmalorë's dwelling during his journey with Treebeard and Thorondor, and he still visited the place often, remembering the days of wandering.
The Teleri remained in Middle-earth, for they had settled in Eastern Beleriand, far from the sea, and did not hear Ulmo's call until it was too late. Many of them were still searching for Elwë, their lord, and without him they were unwilling to depart. But when they learned that Ingwë, Finwë, and their people had gone, many of the Teleri pressed on to the shores of Beleriand, and afterward dwelled near the Mouth of Sirion, longing for their friends who had departed. They raised Olwë, Elwë's brother, as their king.
They lived long upon the western shores of the sea, and the Maiar Ossë and Uinen came to them and befriended them. Ossë taught them, sitting upon the rocks near the edge of the land, and from him they learned all manner of sea lore and ocean music. Thus the Teleri, who from the beginning were lovers of water and the most beautiful singers among all the Elves, fell in love with the sea, and their songs became filled with the sound of waves upon the shore.
After many years had passed, Silmalorë heard the prayers of the Noldor and Finwë, their king, who mourned their long separation from the Teleri, and begged him to bring them to Aman, if they were willing to come. Most of them now were. But Ossë was deeply grieved when Silmalorë returned to the shores of Beleriand to bring them to Valinor; for his heart was set upon the seas of Middle-earth and the coasts of the Hither Lands, and he was displeased that the voices of the Teleri no longer rang out in his domain.
Some of them he persuaded to remain. These were the Falathrim, the Elves of the Falas, who later settled in the harbors of Brithombar and Eglarest—the first sailors of Middle-earth and the first shipwrights. Círdan the Shipwright was their lord.
The kin and friends of Elwë Singollo also remained in the Hither Lands, still searching for him, though they wished to go to Valinor and seek the light of the Trees, if only Silmalorë and Olwë would stay longer. But Olwë would depart; and at last the main host of the Teleri sailed to the island, and Silmalorë drew them away. Elwë's companions were left behind, and they called themselves the Eglath, the Forsaken People. They dwelled in the forests and hills of Beleriand, rather than by the sea, which brought them sorrow; yet the longing for Aman remained ever in their hearts.
When Elwë finally awoke from his long trance, he emerged from Nan Elmoth with Melian, and afterward they dwelled in the forests at the heart of the land. Though he greatly desired to see the light of the Trees again, in Melian's face he saw the light of Aman as in a cloudless mirror, and in that light he found peace. His people gathered around him joyfully, and they were amazed; for though he had been beautiful and noble before, now he appeared as a lord of the Maiar, his hair silver-grey, the tallest among all the Children of Silmalorë. And a heavy fate awaited him.