以下这段文字来自托尔金去世后他儿子整理译稿发表的著作
魔苟斯的指环：精灵宝钻后记，第一部分（中土世界的历史第十卷）morgoth's ring:the later silmarillion,part one(the h**tory of middle-earth-volume 10）the vanyar are the blessed elves,and the spear-elves,the elves of the air,the friends of the gods,the holy elves and the immortal,and the children of ingwe;they are the fair folkand the white.凡雅精灵是蒙福精灵，矛精灵，天空精灵，诸神之友，神圣精灵，不朽者，英格威的孩子们。他们是最美，最白皙的一族。（英格威是凡雅族西迁时的至高精灵王，也是所有精灵的最高精灵王）the noldor are the w**e,and the golden,the valiant,the sword-elves,the elves of the earth,the foes of melkor,the skilled of hand,the jewel-wrights,the companions of men,the followers of finwe.诺多精灵是智者，金发之民，英勇者，剑精灵，大地精灵，魔苟斯的敌人，巧手者，珠宝制作者，人类的同伴，芬威的跟随者（芬威是诺多族西迁时的至高精灵王，魔苟斯则是天魔王，索隆的前任boss）the teleri are the foam-riders,the singers of the shore,the free,and the swift,and the arrow-elves;they are the elves of the sea,the ship-wrights,the swanherds,the gatherers ofpearl,the blue elves,the people of olwe.贴勒瑞精灵泡沫骑士，海岸歌者，自由者，迅捷者，箭精灵；海精灵，造船者，天鹅牧者，珍珠采集者，蓝海精灵，欧尔威的族人。（欧尔威是贴勒瑞族西迁时的双王之一）the nandor are the host of dan,the wood-elves,the wanderers,the axe-elves,the green elves and the brown,the hidden people;and those that came at last to ossiriand are the elves of the seven rivers,the singers unseen,the kingless,the weaponless,and the lost folk,for they are now no more.南多精灵是浮标的主人，木精灵，漫游者，斧精灵，隐匿的民众；他们是最晚来到欧西瑞安（七河之地）的精灵，七河精灵，看不见的歌者，无王之民，缺乏装备之民，走失的族群。the sindar are the lemberi,the lingerers;they are the friends of osse,the elves of the twilight,the silvern,the enchanters,the wards of melian,the kindred of luthien,the people of elwe.辛达精灵是lemberi（这个什么意思我也不解）徘徊者，欧希的朋友，微光精灵，银一般的民众，令人着迷者，美丽安的保护对象，露西安的族人，埃尔威的民众。（埃尔威是欧尔威的大哥，次级神美丽安的丈夫，他的女儿露西安是古往今来最美丽的生灵，为**贡和阿雯的共同祖先；欧希是海神乌欧牟手下最重要的次级神）
魔戒中的精灵在物种上没有差异，只有文化差异，最早被独一之神伊露维塔创造出来后沉睡于觉醒湖边的144只精灵苏醒后分为三大族群：凡雅，诺多，贴勒瑞。精灵后来受到众神的邀请西迁，在路上有逐渐分化，那些西迁的精灵就是艾尔达精灵，拒绝西迁的是阿瓦瑞精灵，西迁过海亲眼看到金银双圣树的为光明精灵，没有见过双圣树的都是黑暗精灵凡雅精灵和诺多精灵几乎全部西迁过海，前往蒙福之地瓦林诺，而贴勒瑞精灵在迁徙中分化最大，西迁没有通过迷雾山的就是南多精灵，西迁过了迷雾山但没有过海的是辛达精灵，西迁过海的就是法拉玛瑞精灵第一纪时大部分诺多精灵重返中土，从此精灵的杂居更加明显，南多精灵为主体与部分阿瓦瑞精灵，部分辛达精灵混居产生了新的族群—西尔凡精灵，他们是罗斯罗瑞安和幽暗密林的主要居民，而瑞文戴尔的精灵以辛达精灵和诺多精灵为主，精灵的灰港则以辛达精灵为主由于精灵族群中通婚频繁，所以魔戒时代的精灵大多有别族血统，埃尔隆德父女便是融合了精灵三大宗族和人类三大家族的半精灵，埃尔隆德的丈母娘盖拉缀尔属于诺多精灵，不过她也有另两族血统，她的丈夫凯勒博恩则是纯粹的辛达精灵，莱戈拉斯本人属于西尔凡精灵，值得一提的是电影中他的金发（也就是凡雅血统）在原著中没有任何支持