Ask anyone what an Elf looks like, and the description will likely be tall, thin, beautiful, dexterous, and usually an archer or magic user. This is an image that comes to modern media through the mind of J.R.R. Tolkien. Most people are familiar with Elves as they appear in books like The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, but aside from that, there's a huge pile of glittering lore that would make a dragon jealous.
Fans of The Lord of the Rings who have read the books know the amount of literature on the subject is impressive. They are familiar with some heroes of Elvish lore and history that fans of the games and movies probably missed.
Considering their place in history, it wasn't feasible to include them in the movies, but that doesn't make them any less important. That's why some of the following names are about to step out of obscurity and into pop culture fandom thanks to the upcoming Amazon series.
7 Gil-Galad
A pivotal character of Elvish history and a leader during a chaotic time, Gil-Galad had several titles and names, so he appears even more often in the lore than it first appears. The Last Alliance of Elves and Men, which is referenced in movies, was a bond forged between himself and Elendil. It was he who led the Elves to war alongside their allies at this time.
One of Gil-Galad's titles was High King of the Elves of the West because different clans of elves throughout Middle Earth considered him to be their leader. Although the character did appear in The Fellowship of the Ring, the short battle scene in which the character appeared was deleted. Gil-Galad is played by Mark Ferguson in the upcoming Amazon series, in which he gets considerably more screen time.
6 Glorfindel
Plenty of movie fans might have heard this name, but they don't know why it's famous or important, and the part he plays in the initial flight to Rivendell in the book is taken by Arwen in the movie instead. This is the mighty Elven warrior who lived in the First Age and took on the title of Lord of the Golden Flower. He died in a battle against a Balrog, but like Gandalf, was sent back by the Valar and his powers were made even stronger than before.
This is why Elrond sent him to fetch Frodo when the Fellowship was in need of help, which makes his brief appearance in the book a thrilling callback to an earlier time. The Nazgul almost caught up to him several times but were actually afraid to get too close to an Elf that was thousands of years old and back from the dead after killing a Balrog.
5 Idril
The love of Arwen and Aragorn was an immortal story that began with the legendary tale of Beren and Luthien. This cycle would repeat in the mythology of Middle Earth several times. An earlier fulfillment of this prophecy revolved around an Elf named Idril and her husband, Tuor.
Also known as Celebrindal, Idril was an Elf from Gondolin who lived during the First Age. She fell in love with a hero of Men, named Tuor, and in their union Men and Elves were also made one family again. Her real claim to fame, however, was her talent for farsight, or the ability to predict the future. Thus, she foretold the Fall of Gondolin, and thanks to some preparation in advance, survivors were able to escape and live in exile.
4 Elenwë
The mother Idril and the wife of King Turgon of Gondolin, Elenwë was born well before the first age, during the time of Valinor. She left for Middle Earth with her husband in an attempt to aid the House of Fëanor in recovering the precious Silmarils. The entire House of Elrond traces their ancestry back to her, including Arwen and her two brothers.
Elenwë's ending is a tragic one. She was one of many Elves who didn't survive the journey across the Helcaraxë, a deadly stretch of frozen wasteland between the land of Aman and Middle Earth.
3 Thingol
Thingol has a number of claims to fame. He was born in Arda during the Time of the Trees, the first King of the Elven Kingdom of Doriath, and a trusted ambassador to Valinor. What he is most famous for, however, is his legendary daughter Lúthien.
It was partly Lúthien's love for Beren that involved Thingol in the war with Morgoth, but the Oath of Fëanor was also a deciding factor. Thingol was against the couple's marriage and demanded a price from Beren that he didn't think he could pay - a Silmaril from the crown of Morgoth. Thus the star-crossed lovers set out to do the impossible.
2 Turgon
Glamdring, the Foe-Hammer, is a famous name in the movies. Everyone knows that's Gandalf's sword, and we know the Trolls had it because they stole it from somewhere. You might have heard Elrond's brief description of the sword that was once worn by the King of Gondolin. This was Turgen, who lost his wife Idril on the Helcaraxë.
King Turgon successfully hid the kingdom of Gondolin from Morgoth and his forces for 500 years, tucked away in a hidden valley and shielded by a ring of mountains. He was betrayed to Morgoth by another elvish lord, Maeglin, who wanted revenge after being spurned by the King's daughter Idril.
1 Fëanor
Considering how much influence this one character has on the entire story and even the whole history of Middle Earth, it's surprising his name isn't more well known. It's barely even mentioned in the various adaptations. Fëanor was the master smith and craftsman who made the Silmarils and the Palantíri, so even if movie fans haven't heard of him, they're familiar with his work.
Fëanor is a divisive name among the Elves, which might explain why he doesn't get mentioned very often and isn't held in high esteem by everyone. He lived during the time of Valinor and was seduced by the deceptive words of Melkor, eventually turning against his own family. After being exiled by the Valar, Fëanor realized that Melkor just wanted to steal the Silmarils. It was he who christened Melkor by the name of Morgoth, forged the Oath of Fëanor with several other Elvish leaders, and led them to Middle Earth.