There’s a debatable exception to this - in the original Fall of Gondolin tale (in BoLT 2), there’s an Elf named Legolas - and he’s pretty clearly NOT the Legolas son of Thranduil we see in LotR. Of course, Legolas of Gondolin doesn’t make it into the published version of the Silmarillion, so he might not count…
I’d think at least SOME plants must have been growing under the starlight in Middle Earth before the sun rose. Otherwise, what were the Elves eating before the sun rose? And where did they get their oxygen? (It seems unlikely that the plant life growing just in Aman could produce all the oxygen required to sustain the animal life of Endor as well as Aman.)
Chronos, you forget Gelmir of Nargothrond, who was slain in front of his brother, Gwindor before the Battle of Nirnaeth Arnoiediad in FA 472, vs. Gelmir companion of Arminas, who ran errands for Ulmo in FA 495, and was one of Earendil’s companions.
Also Haldir of Nargothrond, son of Orodreth, who was hung by Orcs and died in FA 488 vs. Haldir of Lothlorien in the 3rd age.
Also Rumil of Tirion, in the days of the trees, who first devised the written Quenya letters vs. Rumil brother of Haldir and Orophin of Lothlorien.
Also Legolas the jewelmaker of Gondolin in the FA, vs. Legolas the Sindar prince we all know and love.
I’m not saying that we have two separate Glorfindels. I’m just saying JRRT was less than conclusive in saying whether or not Glorfindel returned to middle-earth. Frankly, I think Glorfindel did return.
As for Starlight, JRRT himself wrote that he’d erred in leaving the world in darkness for the early days, and wanted to re-write things so that light was in the entire world from near the beginning. (Sorry, Arien!)
As for Arwen’s choice, if you read my cite above, we have JRRT himself stating: * Arwen chose mortality, Arwen died like a mortal and left the world*. No extant writing I am aware of indiated he wished to redo this aspect of the story.
Well, you can make all the disclaimes you want, and we’ll pretend to believe you, but the evidence is there. Look at the username you picked, and the fact that you live in the Sunshine State! :dubious:
You see it that way because you are mortal, of the fate of Men, who call our fate the “burden”. Among the Valar, it is known as the “gift”. The Elves live for as long as does the world, but when the world ends (and it is a “known fact” that it will eventually end) they will end, completely, utterly, extinguished with the world of which they are a part.
Men, on the other hand, “pass beyond”, with the hint that they will go on past the end of Arda. Thus, Elros’s descendents inherit this great gift, or at least that’s the theory.
I have recently embarked on the long journey from mere have read LOTR and the Silmarillian a half dozen times geekdom to have read entirely through HOMES and know not only all established “facts” about ME, but also the chronological evolution of the facts over Tolkien’s lifetime geekdom.
In pursuit of this, I have come across some quotes in Morgoth’s Ring that pertain to where reincarnated elves end up:
(emphasis mine)
I think that this passage makes it pretty unambiguous that if, say, Legolas had been killed in LOTR, and he were reborn while Thranduil’s people were still inhabiting Greenwood, then Legolas would have been reborn in Middle Earth.
Of course, this passage appeared among Tolkien’s unpublished work; it may be contradicted by other writings of which I’m not aware.
Your journey to the geek side is now complete! Welcome!!
JRRT did vacillate between the “reborn among their own kin” idea and the “eh, just slap 'em into a new adult body and turn 'em loose” idea, the latter I always took to mean having them walk out of Mandos bodily. But certainly the concept is open to speculation.