The elves in Lord of the Rings. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard people say “the elves are cool but the elves aren’t important”.
They were the greatest race in Middle Earth. They had their own kingdoms, their own languages, their own histories, their own religions. They had their own legends and myths and histories. They were the Eldar, the Children of Ilúvatar, and they were just as important as Man or Hobbits or any other race.
They were just as important as any of the Valar or Maiar or Ainur. They were just as important as any other race in Middle Earth.