It can be said that Cirdan was indeed from the Cuiviénen times (Years of the trees). So it can be said that Cirdan may be the oldest of the elves.
Olwë to my knowledge was a lord in Aman, which was indeed the Blessed Realm or Undying Lands. From this i gather that Cirdan was older than Olwë. But Olwë was born in the Years of Trees at the Cuiviénen
Not much information is given on Ingwë regarding his age. But as i know he was the lord of the Vanyar (the fair elves). It is also said that the Vanyar made their way to Valinor a long time before the first age and resided there. I dont know what can be seen from this information, but if the Vanyarin elves left for Valinor long before the first age, Ingwë may be much older, Meaning he could have been born during the Years of Trees as well.
Finwë awoke at Cuiviénen, but since the Years of Trees do not have specific dates like the Ages do, its very hard to track down the earliest elf. So basically not much of the information i know is certain.
It is in my knowledge that Elwë was the ancient name to King Thingol. Here is a quote from the Silmarillion:
Quote:
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Elu Thingol, Lord of Beleriand, whose life began by the waters of Cuiviénen.
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As i mentioned before it is difficult to track down specific dates when talking Years of Trees times. But i know for a fact that Thingol has two brothers, Olwë and Elmo. Both brothers (Olwë and Thingol) were born by the waters of Cuiviénen, but the date is unknown to me.
As for Eöl (the dark elf), he was Kin to Thingol, meaning he was younger than Thingol. Thats what i presume.
As for other elves what about Oromë? Didnt he come to Arda at its very beginning? Im not too sure
I have looked into many sites for a detailed family tree for the elves and have found one at
The Encyclopedia of Arda Just click on Elves if it doesnt give you the page right away.
I hope i have helped in a way, but please correct me if i am wrong anybody [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]
-Iargwath
[ October 03, 2002: Message edited by: Iargwath ]