Sprites

The sprites and fays were part of what apparently was a three-fold division of the lesser Ainu spirits: sylphs (spirits of the air), sprites (spirits of the earth), and water spirits:

The poem An Evening in Tavrobel mentions tiny, gleaming spirits that appear dancing alluding to sprites or fays.

While "sprites" and "fays" seem to have been the most common names for these creatures, other names were also used: brownies, pixies, and leprawns.

A basic division of four groups of sprites and fays, with their Elvish names, are given as follow:

1. Nermir: "fays of the meads"; Gnomish nermil: "a fay that haunts meadows and riverbanks"
2. Tavari: "sprites of trees and woods", or "fays of the woods"; Gnomish tavor: "a wood fay" (Qenya tavar, tavarni "dale-sprites", root TAVA; the plural noun tavárin, nominative of tavārin "fay(s) of the woods")
3. Nandini: "fays of the valleys"; Gnomish nandir: fay of the country" (Qenya nandin)
4. Orossi: "fays of the mountains"

In a poem appear the oromandi, "wood-spirits".

Some other mentions of fays seem rather to be referring to individuals:

• Ailinónë, a fairy who dwelt in a lily on a pool
• Nardi, a flower-fairy
• Sacha, a fire-fay
• Tavros, "chief wood-fay, the Blue Spirit of the Woods"
• Tethil, a fay who dwelt in a poppy
• Tevildo, an "evil fay in beastlike shape"
• Tinfang, the flutist (surnamed Gwarbilin, Birdward); a fay
• Tû, a fay, and the king of the Hisildi
• Uolë, a Moon-fay
• Velindo, a fay of Aulë's folk
• Wendelin, a fay, and the Queen of the Woodland Elves

Sprites and fays are not mentioned in the later versions of the legendarium. Many of the classes of beings referred to in The Book of Lost Tales were superseded by the concept of the Maiar, which were not introduced until the reworking of the Annals of Valinor into the Annals of Aman.

Tolkien had said that as a child (and his children in turn) he always disliked "flower-fairies and fluttering sprites with antennae", a tradition that he traced back to Michael Drayton's Nimphidia, the Court of Faery, which he considered "one of the worst ever written". In his youth he had written the poem Goblin Feet for Oxford Poetry 1915, mentioning "fairy lanterns", gnomes and leprechauns; at some later point Tolkien mentioned that soon after (c. 1915) he "started to fervently dislike" such whimsical elements and denounced his poem as an "unhappy little thing".

1995-8: Middle-earth Collectible Card Game:

The Warrior Ally card "Lindion the Oronín", portraying a unique character, is given the following description: "The fays of the mountains pipe melodies that harmonize with wind and weather, pleasing to the ears of all creatures aloft on wings", apparently inspired by the Orossi (see above). Lindion is playable at the site Stone-circle in the region Old Pûkel Gap.

1. Esta ficha se ha importado inicialmente de TolkienGateway.net el día 29/05/2026.