Thingol

Ambassador of the Valar Thingol was born at Cuiviénen in the days before the Sun and the Moon, when Middle-earth was lit only by starlight. After the Chaining of Melkor, the Vala Oromë took three Elves, Ingwë, Finwë, and Elwë, to Valinor to convince the Elves to join the Valar in the Blessed Realm. Upon their return, the Elven ambassadors convinced many to join them on the Great Journey to the West. During the thousand mile journey, the Elven host separated into three groups, the Vanyar, the Noldor, and the Teleri.[8] The Teleri were the largest folk and they were divided in two hosts, led by Elwë and his brother Olwë. Elwë was more eager than his brother to see again Valinor, and wished to catch up with the Noldor because of his friendship with Finwë; but the Teleri were also the slowest and were the last to reach the western shores of Middle-earth. After many years the Teleri crossed the Blue Mountains and stayed for some time in East Beleriand.[8] During this time Elwë returned from a meeting with his friend Finwë, and wandered into the Forest of Nan Elmoth, where he met and fell in love with Melian the Maia. Caught in an enchantment of their own making, Elwë and Melian could not be found by the searching Teleri. When the Valar returned to take the remaining Elves to Valinor, only some of them followed Olwë across the Great Sea. The rest had come to love the lands of Beleriand and refused to leave without their missing lord. In Y.T. 1152, Elw? awoke from his trance and reappeared with his bride Melian.[10] He was much changed since his people last they saw him: while he had been fair and noble before, he now stood like a Maia above them as the tallest of the Children of Ilúvatar. He gathered his people together and founded the Kingdom of Doriath. His subjects would become the Sindar, or the "Grey Elves", and their language was Sindarin. From then on Elw? was known as King Elu Thingol, and he claimed lordship over all the lands in Beleriand.