In time the hosts of the Eldar came to the last western shores of the Hither Lands. In the North these shores in the ancient days sloped ever westward, until in the northernmost parts of the Earth only a narrow sea divided the land of the Gods from the Outer Lands; but this narrow sea was filled with grinding ice, because of the violence of the frosts of Morgoth. At that place where the elfin hosts first looked upon the sea in wonder a wide dark ocean stretched between them and the Mountains of Valinor. Over the waves they gazed waiting; and Ulmo, sent by the Valar, uprooted the half-sunk island upon which the Gods had first had their dwelling, and drew it to the western shores. Thereon he embarked the Lindar and the Noldoli, for they had arrived first, but the Teleri were behind and did not come until he had gone. The Lindar and the Noldoli he bore thus to the long shores beneath the Mountains of Valinor, and they entered the land of the Gods, and were welcomed to its glory and its bliss. The Teleri thus dwelt long by the shores of the sea awaiting Ulmo's return, and they grew to love the sea, and made songs filled with the sound of it. And Osse loved them and the music of their voices, and sitting upon the rocks he spoke to them. Great therefore was his grief when Ulmo returned at length to take them to Valinor. Some he persuaded to remain on the beaches of the world, but the most embarked upon the isle and were drawn far away. Then Osse followed them, and in rebellion, it is said, he seized the isle and chained it to the sea-bottom far out in the Bay of Faerie, whence the Mountains of Valinor could but dimly be descried, and the light of the realms beyond that filtered through the passes of the hills. There it stood for many an age. No other land was near to it, and it was called Tol Eressea, or the Lonely Isle. There long the Teleri dwelt, and learned strange music of Osse, who made the seabirds for their delight. Of this long sojourn apart came the sundering of the tongue of the Foamriders and the Elves of Valinor.
To the other Elves the Valar gave a home and dwelling. Because even among the Tree-lit gardens of the Gods they, longed at whiles to see the stars, a gap was made in the encircling mountains, and there in a deep valley that ran down to the sea the green hill of Kôr was raised. From the West the Trees shone upon it; to the East it looked out to the Bay of Faerie and the Lonely Isle and the Shadowy Seas. Thus some of the blessed light of Valinor came into , the lands without, and fell upon the Lonely Isle, and its , western shore grew green and fair. There bloomed the first flowers that ever were east of the mountains of the Gods.
On the top of Kôr the city of the Elves was built, the white walls and towers and terraces of Tun. The highest of those towers was the tower of Ingwe, whose silver lamp shone far out into the mists of the sea, but few are the ships of mortals that have ever seen its marvellous beam. There dwelt the Elves and Gnomes. Most did Manwe and Varda love the Lindar, the Fair-elves, and holy and immortal were all their deeds and songs. The Noldoli, the Deep-elves, that Men call Gnomes, were beloved of Aule, and of Mandos the wise; and great was their craft, their magic and their skill, but ever greater their thirst for knowledge, and their desire to make things wonderful and new. In Valinor of their skill they first made gems, and they made them in countless myriads, and filled all Tun with them, and all the halls of the Gods were enriched. But the love of the outer earth and stars remained in the hearts of the Noldoli, and they abode there ever and in the hills and valleys about the city. But the Lindar after a while grew to love rather the wide plains and the full light of Valinor, and they forsook Tun, and came seldom back; and the Noldoli became a separate folk and their king was Finwe. Yet none dwelt in the tower of Ingwe, nor ever came there, save such as tended that unfailing lamp, and Ingwe was held ever as high-king of all the Eldalie.
Since the Noldoli afterwards came back into the Great Lands, and these tales tell mostly of them, here may be said, using the names in form of Gnomish tongue as it long was spoken on the earth, that King of the Gnomes was Finnwe. His sons were Feanor, Fingolfin, and Finrod. Of these Feanor was the most skilful, the deepest in lore of all his race; Fingolfin the mightiest and most valiant; Finrod the fairest and most wise of heart. The seven sons of Feanor were Maidros the tall; Maglor a musician and mighty singer whose voice carried far over hill and sea; Celegorm the fair, Curufin the crafty, the heir of well nigh all his father's skill, and Cranthir the dark; the last Damrod and Diriel, who after were great hunters in the world, though not more than Celegorm the fair, the friend of Orome. The sons of Fingolfin were Fingon, who was after king of the Gnomes in the North of the world, and Turgon of Gondolin; and his daughter was Isfin the White. The sons of Finrod were Felagund, Orodreth, Angrod, and. Egnor.
In those far days Feanor began on a time a long and marvellous labour, and all his power and all his subtle magic he called upon, for he purposed to make a thing more fair than any of the Eldar yet had made, that should last beyond the end of all. Three jewels he made, and named them Silmarils. A living fire burned within them that was blended of the light of the Two Trees; of their own radiance they shone even in the dark; no mortal flesh impure could touch them, but was withered and was scorched. These jewels the Elves prized beyond all the works of their hands, and Manwe hallowed them, and Varda said: 'The fate of the Elves is locked herein, and the fate of many things beside. The heart of Feanor was wound about the things he himself had made.
Now it must be told that the Teleri seeing afar the light of Valinor were torn between desire to see again their kindred and to look upon the splendour of the Gods, and love of the music of the sea. Therefore Ulmo taught them the craft of shipbuilding, and Osse, yielding to Ulmo at last, brought to them as his last gift the strong-winged swans. Their fleet of white ships they harnessed to the swans of Osse, and thus were drawn without help of the winds to Valinor. There they dwelt upon the long shores of Fairyland, and could see the light of the Trees, and could visit the golden streets of Valmar, and the crystal stairs of Tun, if they wished - but most they sailed the waters of the Bay of Faerie and danced in those bright waves whose crests gleamed in the light beyond the hill. Many jewels the other Eldar gave to them, opals and diamonds and pale crystals that they strewed upon the pools and sands. Many pearls they made, and halls of pearl, and of pearls were the mansions of Elwe at the Haven of the Swans. That was their chief town, and their harbour. A marvellous arch of living rock sea-carven was its gate, and it lay upon the confines of Fairyland, north of the pass of Kôr.