This document contains actual excerpts from writings by J.R.R. Tolkien (unpublished during his lifetime) in which he outlines the laws and customs of the Eldar. The excerpts presented here are copyrighted materials from the History of Middle Earth series edited by Christopher Tolkien and should be treated accordingly. These excerpts are presented here under fair use provisions for the convenience of ElendorMUSH users only; if you want a personal copy, please purchase the book. See the prefatory note for bibliographic details.

Note:
A few words on the passages cited:
Words with _underscores_ around them originally appeared in italics in the printed text and are usually words in Quenya.

'fea' = spirit (or soul), 'fear' = plural of fea.
'hroa' = body, 'hroar' = plural of hroa.
Passages encased in parenthesis appeared as such in the printed text. Passages encased in square brackets are either this editors notes, or those of the author, footnoted directly into place.

Page numbering and paragraph references, where they appear, are in accordance with the hardcover Houghton Mifflin edition of _Morgoth's Ring_ (ISBN: 0-395-68092-1) Until it makes it to softcover, the pagination should match all UK versions as well.
A note on the SEVERANCE sections:
The typescript text of 'The Laws and Customs of the Eldar' as it appears in _Morgoth's Ring_ is actually a second version (Version B), which peters out in about the first third of the 'severance' sections. Version A is published in _MR_, and does continue on from the 'breakpoint' (stated at the last few lines of 'severance04'), but is almost better placed as a seperate document, being a Permenant Record of one of the Dooms of Mandos, an article of public record, as it were. Perhaps someday I'll get around to typing that puppy up, but for now...

Sincerely,
Galdor