Green-elves, elves of Teleri origin who grew tired of the westward journey and wandered off by the wayside. They were at home in the woodlands, and mostly settled in the area of Beleriand known as Ossiriand. They were elusive and wary of strangers, and a
human or a Noldorin or Sindarin
elf could wander through Ossiriand for days and
never encounter one of them.
It is unclear whether the Sylvan Elves of the Third
Age (who make up the bulk of the elves in the
Hobbit and Lord of the Rings) are Laiquendi, but it seems likely since they have similar habits (they are elusive and distrust strangers), have their own language and live in areas similar to Ossiriand (forests and wooded dells), including Lindon, which is basically Ossiriand in the Third
Age. Thus, the elves of the Woodland Realm such as Thranduil the Elvenking and Legolas, the non-Sindarin elves of Lorien and the elves of Rivendell are probably Laiquendi.
Although they apparently have their own language, the name Laiquendi is of the language of the Sindar.
Of all Tolkien's Elves, the Laiquendi most closely resemble the standard
Elf of
fantasy literature and
RPG's.