#tatyar

[spiced-wine-fic]

“It had been said in their old lives that the Minyar were less tied to the earth than any of the other clans, were more apt to dreams and prophecy. ‘One to the stars and the over-sky. (The Minyar) One to the fires of the earth and the deep burning. (The Tatyar). And One to the winds and the waters. (The Nelyar). So went the old saying.”

The Once and Future Kings.

Chapter Twenty-one. Opening the Sky.

[celegormworm]

I feel like the Tatyar loved piercings - so many places to put cool baubles! - and it became a custom that survives in both Avari and Ñoldor. I also feel like the Elves pierced bits on a whim and didn’t really regard piercings as permanent, given that they live forever and heal from wounds better than humans. If an Elf gets tired of a piercing, they can just take it out and it will heal as if it was never there, in a relatively short time! I’m all for blingy sparkly Elves

[feanoryen]

Elven tattoo headcanons

I think tattoos will never be fully permanent for elves, they fade every hundred years, maybe they'll last a few hundred if your ink is of the highest quality & your tattoo artist is exceptional. It's not a flaw with the tattoos that they're never permanent permanent, elven biology just doesn't allow for it.

Miriel, being brilliant with a needle as ever & Finwe, who was a patron of the arts, invented tattoos in Cuiviénen.

Most of the Minyar weren't so fond of them but they were appreciated by several of the Tatyar & Nelyar.

It started out as Finwe just… painting on himself & his GF because why not? He started out using henna commonly used by his friend Elwe & the Teleri but he liked color so then he & Miriel decided to be ✨experimental✨ & *boom* tattoos! He developed the ink & she learned how to work a needle in skin.

Finwe has one on his back that Miriel did right before she got pregnant with Feanor that he never let anyone touch it up after she died even though it was fading, until Feanor got older and asked for his dad’s permission to do it himself.

Miriel used to have a tattoo on her back as well like Finwe’s but she didn’t get it redone after getting reembodied. She also used to have a few on her arms and legs and was overall quite bohemian before what happened, happened. She doesn’t regret co-creating tattoos but they don’t fit her anymore.

Feanor has 1 segmented tattoo along his collarbone. He has 2 stars about an inch tall/wide closest to his heart representing his parents, a slightly smaller but almost as big one near them representing himself, and seven even smaller ones trailing his left collarbone representing his sons.

Nerdanel doesn’t have tattoos, she’s chill if her kids want them but they’re personally not for her.

Fingolfin doesn’t have any for several reasons, they don’t fit him, he’s half Vanya & they’re not really into tattoos, & they were partially invented by Feanor’s mother so it’s weird. Findis doesn’t have any for the same reasons.

Finarfin despite also being half Vanya & closer to that side of his family than Fingolfin, is actually open to them despite not having any yet. He just does not gaf about what other people think.

Earwen has a ton of aesthetically pleasing sea themed motifs on her body.

Fingon has an eagle tattoo.

Maedhros has the star of Feanor tattooed on him but that’s it.

Maglor has a bunch of well put together gorgeous tattoos including both music motifs and symbols honoring his family like the Feanorian star and something for Elrond & Elros as well. They fade after he starts wandering the shores but he gets most of them redone in Valinor.

Celegorm used to have tattoos symbolizing Orome’s hunt but he lets all of them fade away in middle earth. If he ever joined the hunt again after getting reembodied, I imagine he only ever got 1 more tattoo symbolizing Orome. He’s accepted a part of his old life again but it’s not going to be the same.

Aredhel has a bow & arrow tattoo.

Curufin also has the star the Feanor & that’s it.

Caranthir used to have some in the equivalent of his teenage years but cringes looking back at them. They didn’t actually look bad at all and were quite nice but he just gives off the impression of someone who’d be unimpressed with his old self. He has none now.

Amrod & Amras get whatever they’re feeling whenever they’re feeling and change up their tattoos every couple centuries.

Galadriel has none because she thinks Feanor would feel smug if she did get them & she can’t let him be satisfied. (She loves henna though!)

Finrod has a bunch of different motifs representing all 3 of the clans that make up his heritage.

[theneverfadinglands]

Theoretical Noldorin Hair Colour Genetics

Hello, long time no see. I was busy studying, I hope it would make Fëanor proud. Perhaps he would be displeased with my grades but he may find my baby research work at least a little bity interesting. However I might at least put my biology degree to some use, so I did this hair colour inheritance chart. Fëanor and Nerdanel are straightforward and easy to conclude, there is only some doubt about the genotypes of Caranthir, Curufin and Maglor. It is possible for them to be both Mr and Mc genotype. But it creates interesting possibility, Celebrimbor as rc – red hair. I think red-haired Celebrimbor is my new favorite Celebrimbor. His mother would have to be cc – silver haired Teleri/Sindar.

Some difficulties arrose in the Finarfin's family tree. Finarfin himself must be Lc – golden haired heterozygot, because Finwë can be only Mc (which also creates this alternative possibility for cc Fëanor, but it would change the colours of all his offspring's hair to silver or red). Eärwen should have golden hair herself, because then it is:

F1: Lc x Lc

F2: 1LL : 2Lc : 1cc

fenotype: 3 gold, 1 silver

If Finafrin is Lc and Eärwen cc then

F1: Lc x cc

F2: 2Lc : 2cc

fenotype: 2 gold, 2 silver

I came to the conclusion that Eärwen has gold hair.

Another interesting thing I found out is the fact that if Elrond and Celebrián have had more children they might get a surpirse blonde or silver haired child, because Elrodn is either Mc or ML if Nimloth is cc. Which I assumed since her father is Galathil, brother of Celeborn. Although there is a possibility that Galathil is Mc, if his mother is Tatyar Avari descendant Mc, then Celeborn cc and Galathil Mc is plausible. Therefore Nimloth might be Mc or even MM.

I also added Gil-Galad. I think if he would be blond it would actually be interesting explanation for all of that parentage confussion. He might be considered Fingon's son, looking similar to him but with gold hair, which would be possible if Fingon is ML and mother is LL, Lc, cc, rc. So he might pass as Fingon's son, same for Orodreth who has blonde daughter. If Lalwen is ML and Círdan cc, then Gil-Galad might be Lc. If Lalwen is Mc then he might be Mc or cc, black or silver fenotype.

[polutrope]

For the first sentence prompts:

It was adding the fourth that caused the trouble.

“No, I’m sorry, only one Ambassador per clan, those are my directives — but your husband is going, do you not trust his judgement on behalf of you and your people?”

“Of course not,” replied the silver-haired elf, a woman of slight build but mighty presence. Then she spun to face the sea of dark heads gathered around and cried, “Do you, O Tatyar, trust Finwë alone to make this choice for you?”

“Nay!” they cried. “Míriel must go too!”

“There, you see,” she said, thrusting her chin up defiantly.

Oromë sighed, recognising that this being’s spark of determination burned as hotly as Varda’s stars, and consented to bring Míriel to Aman, thus setting in motion a revolution with consequences far more sweeping and profound than any the Music had foresung.

[send me a sentence]

[softmoonlightmelody]

The Avari Peoples

First off, this is entirely based on headcanon. None of this (except for a little bit about the Númer) is canon.

However, it is said that 2/3 of elves went on the Great Journey and 1/3 made it to Valinor. This leads me to the conclusion that there has to be a lot of Avari, and it's more than likely that they multiplied a lot throughout the years.

The Avari are separated into five types: the Lembi, those who never left Cuiviénen; the Númer, those who went west; the Formeni, those who went north; the Rómer, those who went east; and the Hyarmeni, those who went south.

Names are in Quenya for easy use, and you can use anything here for your fics or headcanons as long as you credit me first (just putting my user is fine)

The Lembi

The Lembi are those who never left Cuiviénen. Now mostly Nelyar, they have a long-standing connection to the inland sea. They are known as great healers, creating potion-drinks for health out of Cuiviénen's waters. They are matriarchal and property passes through the mother's line. They are quite small, with only around fifty families - the head of each family is given a seat on a council which decides the community's policy and future.

The Númer

Númerin Clans The Númerin Clans number six - the Kwenti, the Cuind, the Hwenti, the Windan, the Kinn-lai, and the Penni. They also tend to be matriarchal. However, each clan has a different culture.

Runyarili Named for the garnet they so prize, the Runyarili live just east of the sea of Rhûn. Descended mostly from the Tatyar, they are semi-nomadic and live in the plains. Like most nomadic peoples, the Runyarili have lavish personal adornment. Besides just garnet, they use diamond, chicken bloodstone, and turquoise. They are also matriarchal, but their property falls through the male line.

The Formeni

The Ruiner The only Formeni are the Ruiner, a people which prize animal skins. Like the Runyarili, they have lavish personal decoration, but it is less extravagant and obvious due to the cold of where they live. Fire is their most precious thing, they believe that fire is where they come from, and they worship their idea of what is kind of like if the Flame Imperishable was also Eru and everyone at the same time. They are patriarchal but property falls to whoever the previous owner wanted, although generally that's through the male line. They're divided into many clans but they share holy places and holidays.

The Rómer

The Aiquar The Aiquar are the part of the Rómer who refused to cross the Steep Mountains. They are known for being a sort of Avarin Ñoldor, that is, they are smiths descended mostly from the Tatyar. They also are known for fabrics like the other Rómer. They are patriarchal, but everyone belongs to their mother's family and property passes through the female line. The Aiquar are also fairly centralized under one government and have large cities, some of which are in caves.

The Samini The Samini are the part of the Rómer who continued to cross the Steep Mountains to the eastern sea. They are perhaps best contrasted with the Teleri, as they are also shipbuilders. However, like the Aiquar, they focus a lot on fabrics, and the Samini name themselves after silk. Like the Aiquar, property passes through the female line and they belong to their mother's family, despite being patriarchal. Unlike the Aiquar, however, they are not centralized at all and have many autonomous city-states.

The Hyarmeni

The Kemeni The Kemeni live at the conjunction where several rivers become one. They are known for both their detailed pottery and horse breeding, and they are descended mostly from the Nelyar. They are matriarchal, and have no concept of marriage. Their property passes through the women.

Thanks for reading all of that - I've had this written down in the backburner but I figured I'd never use it in a fic. Perhaps I should write something. Maybe Maglor goes exploring? Nonetheless, I have more fleshed out that I didn't think was necessary to add.

[dalliansss]

oh!! I am so sorry I didn’t see the tags in the anon who asked for thingol and finwe, and wanted to know the lore around them in your headcanons

I am sending a separate ask, can you tell us all about them?

For proper context: [From Cuiviénen with Love]

First and foremost this is a collab AU with my good friend @skaelds. Special shout-outs to @elentarial and @antares0606

Basic premise is, during the days of Cuiviénen, Finwë is a the most skilled hunter of the Tatyar of his generation. He is an eligible bachelor in a society that's all about providing for family and perpetuating their numbers. He is eyeing to take as wife and husband Míriel, also of his kindren, and Elwë, an equally accomplished elf of his generation from the Nelyar.

Life in Cuiviénen is hard. The elves do not advance much, because their society is beset from all sides by the threat of Morgoth and his creatures, but they do have a way of life already. For one, elves of that time were encouraged to have as many children as they can to keep up their numbers. An elf usually has two or more spouses. An ellon is expected to take two wives first, sire his children, before he can marry whom he likes afterward. Finwë is a bit of a radical in this regard, because he wants to go for Elwë when he has no wife yet and has no children of his own. His Great Ancestor Tata would not have approved, and neither would Enel of the Nelyar.

Anyway-- the elves had large families with many children, but only the strongest survive to adulthood. Disappearances and deaths were very common at that time, and the elves of Cuiviénen were of a different strength that their later, Amanyar counterparts.

Finwë eventually succeeds to have his wish, marrying both Míriel and Elwë. They establish a household of their own near the shores of the great lake, because Elwë is a fisherman by trade. Eventually, Elwë relocates his little brothers Olwë and Elmo to also live with them. Olwë and Elmo grow close to Finwë and Míriel.

Míriel is actually able to achieve three prior pregnancies before Fëanáro, but all these births were either miscarriages or stillbirths. This is one of the strongest motivations of Finwë and Elwë in eventually volunteering as ambassadors of the elves, and eventually leading the Great March from Cuiviénen.

Later, when they reach Beleriand, Elwë urges Finwë and Míriel to take their people and go with Ingwë and his numbers. The Teleri are prone to dawdling because of their whimsical nature and great numbers. Finwë and Míriel reluctantly go ahead with the Noldor.

Melian the maia was sent precisely to delay Elwë, or outright prevent him from reaching Valinor. Because Elwë is the more strongly-opinionated of Finwë's spouses and even before the Quendi set out from Cuiviénen, Elwë was among the strongest and loudest advocates of the elves having the right to retain their old way of life, and that no sudden changes be imposed on their people.

If we go on more canon routes, Melian succeeds. But in this AU, Elwë eventually breaks free from Nan Elmoth, but fifty years has passed. He manages to sail west. Again, the Valar waylay him, this time, sending Ossë. Ossë manages to delay him again for two decades, but Salmar discovers this and helps Elwë escape. Elwë at last reaches Valinor, but he is too late: Míriel has died, Fëanáro is born and grew up with no knowledge of him, and Finwë is wed again to Indis, having previously given up hope that Elwë would come to Valinor.

[baddybaddyadardaddy]

Tolkien OC Week: Canon/OC Relationships 

Erenyë, wife of Adar [Eren]. One of the Tatyar, who awakened at Cuiviénen. 

For the first time, his eyes are opened.

The first thing he sees is the blue-black sky, pulled over top of him like a cloak of velvet, comforting and vast. Glimmering in the deeps of this heavenly fabric, he perceives points of light that shine, radiant and sharp, like sparkling eyes that watch and wink. 

He is mesmerized as they dance before him, twinkling beacons of celestial fire.Their light touches something inside him—he becomes aware of a deep, sudden ache, and he connects it with their beauty. From around him, he begins to hear voices, calling out: “Elen! Elen!”  

He makes another connection: the word—elen—with the lights in the skies. 

Stars.

The voices and the light inspire movement—he is curious now, desiring to draw closer, to see more. He perceives his body: the hands that help him rise, pushing against soft grass and solid earth, and the feet that allow him to stand, bringing him ever so slightly nearer to the stars above.

There are others like him, standing further up the gently sloping hillside, their eyes also transfixed by the sky. He studies them closely. They stand in pairs—tall ones, with bodies like his, and next to them, slightly shorter ones with longer hair that seem somehow softer than their partners.

His eyes fall to the place beside him, and he finds it empty. A new feeling rises—cloudy and uncomfortable, a sense of incorrectness. Confusion.

Was not there a companion for him?

While the others hold their places, so taken as they are with the stars, he begins to move, to search.

His feet carry him down the hill toward a vast lake, glassy and calm. On the bank are trees with long, wispy branches that wave in the night wind, and diverse blossoms of purple and blue and white. He winds through the branches and vines, running his fingers over silken petals. Something invisible guides his step—a feeling, an instinct, that draws him through the trees. He comes to an inlet where the water breaks its gentle curve along the shoreline and juts sharply into the land.

He sees her there, and he knows, somehow, that she is meant for him.

She is standing in the glassy water, bending down to touch it, to capture it briefly in her cupped hand before letting it trickle out again. There is starlight in her long, dark hair, and as he watches her manipulate the water, he feels the ache again—similar to the one he’d felt when he’d first beheld the stars—and he understands that it must come from beholding a sight of surpassing beauty.

Read more on Ao3

[elejahfanfic]

The Ring of Fire

_fanfiction

*

a/n: just something that has been on my mind forever. Sparked by Lotr but especially by 'The Rings of Power' series. This very AU. Doesn't follow Lotr history exactly.

It is centered around Elara Starfire, a Tatyar, or better known as Deep Elves, the people of Finwë; the friends of Aulë. They posses great skill with metal and gems, deep knowledge. They are known to have very fair skin, and very dark-brown or black hair. The Tatyar's are very skilled warriors, using swords as their prime weaponry.

And Thorsten Oakland He is a Northman. They are said to be the most noble Men on Arda, and believed to have been descended from the same group of Men as the Edain, the Atanatári.

*

"Nothing is evil in the beginning. And there was a time when the world was so young, there had not yet been a sunrise. But even then there was light. We had no word for death. For we thought our joys would be unending. We thought our light would never dim. So when the Great Foe, Morgoth, destroyed the very light of our home... we resisted." Elara read what Galadriel once wrote.

Once again the dark shadow of Morgoth unfurled its wings. The defeat od Sauron brought peace. But there not all was defeated. What lingered were spiders of Mirkwood, the Barrow Wights, perhaps some sleeping dragons or balrogs, the Watcher in the Water, perhaps Shelob, rogue orcs, and corrupt men. None of these beings appear capable of gathering any great power individually. But the pathway into evil begins as small acts of cold heartedness, yet as with any journey those small steps become more significant as they amass.

"Northman, Thorsten Oakland has set up camp at the Forest River." the Lieutenant Darian informed Elara, who held Galadriel's dagger passed onto her by the king.

"Thank you. Can you please ask the shield-bearer to saddle up my horse."

"Yes, Commander." the Lieutenant made a small nod.

...

[eleneressea]

Some Míriel Headcanons

Born among the Nelyar, 'switched' (so to speak) to the Tatyar (as discussed by this anon)

Big mad scientist energy. Fëanor gets it from his mama.

Constantly constantly in motion. Could not sit still without fidgeting with something—grass, tree bark, hair, rocks, whatever

An eye and memory for details

A bit of a dream-team with Finwë, since she had the better ability to read people, but not his charisma

Personally quite popular—a number of Noldor were following her as much as Finwë

Very stubborn and particular

Not actually the greatest textile artist ever, she'd be surpassed after her death, but always revered as the first

After Elrond and Galadriel sail, she leaves Vairë's halls and spends time with Nerdanel and slowly starts meeting people again

(Solitude and rest can exacerbate depression, no wonder Míriel wasn't getting better in Lórien and Mandos)

The shortest in the family by far. Genuinely tiny.

She and Finwë were childhood sweethearts and very much in love with each other. That Fëanor wasn't born on the Journey was a big surprise to everyone

Loved new things and learning

Not in the habit of seeking anyone's council before acting

[thelordofgifs]

Obscure Tolkien Blorbo: Round 1

Silmariën vs Tata

Silmariën:

The eldest child of Tar-Elendil, the fourth King of Númenor.

She missed out being a Ruling Queen by *one* generation!! But she inherited the Ring of Barahir and other heirlooms and the Lords of Andunie descended from her :)

Tata:

One of the first Elves to awaken.

Second elf to wake up, and the first of the Tatyar (the Avarin ethnic group that includes the Noldor.) Honestly the least-characterised of the three elvish ancestors in my headcanons, but she’s still my girl. Probably the first elf to actually be interested in her surroundings, naming trees and grasses and lake fish while Imin was droning at the stars. The least reckless Tatya you’re ever likely to meet, and has the scars to prove why. The first elf to see the darkness rising in the east, and the first to sharpen a spear against it. Again, the old man says she’s male and has a satellite wife named Tatie, but that’s boring so I made her a lady. Headcanon that when Finwe heads off to Aman, she stays at Cuivienen to guard their rear. She’s still out there, somewhere, slinking through the night to battle the darkness, and though her form has changed much the point of her spear is always pointed at evil.

Round 1 masterpost

[undercat-overdog]

What are some headcanons that you have for the Vanyar? I wish Tolkien wrote more about them; it’s hard for me to get a good feel of their culture compared to the Noldor, Teleri, and Sindar. You seem to know a lot about canon so I thought I’d ask about any thoughts you may have. (Yes I know headcanons are not canon, but there’s so comparatively little written about them)

Thanks for the question, anon!

Oh man, all my thoughts about the Vanyar are pure headcanon. And most of those thoughts are actually @kazaera's thoughts; I really love their take on the Vanyar and they are totally the person to ask.

One broad thought, courtesy of the aforementioned Kaz, is that while the Tatyar and Nelyar split up into different groups from the very beginning but the two groups that made it to Aman seemed to stay as one (well, two, one of each), the Vanyar stayed together from the decision to leave for Aman and throughout the great journey... and then (this is where it moves from canon to headcanon) split to live in many different places in Aman and develop different cultures (and different languages; I have a conlang of one in my head, broadly sketched out). So there are Vanyar that live in plains and ones that live in jungles and a few that live in Valmar, with divergent lifestyles and languages. I think they'd still consider themselves one people, even if the word for their people - Minyar in Quen(d)ya - is pronounced differently by different people.

One minor headcanon, which is entirely my own, is that the Vanyar have eyes without any grey in them, instead brilliant browns and blues and greens, etc, (whereas the Tatyar and Nelyar always have grey eyes, sometimes blue-grey or violet-grey or green-grey, but always some grey). This is based in how the Vanyar are the group with divergent looks while the Tatyar and Nelyar are said to resemble each other physically (Quendi and Eldar, in which what distinguishes the Noldor from the Sindar is the Treeboost the Aman-born Exiles got and the LIght in their eyes, but how otherwise you couldn't tell by their looks). But it wouldn't surprise me if there's a mention somewhere of a Vanya having grey eyes, because Jirt. They don't in my head though.

[xiphoid-processing]

The Descent of the Tatyar

Finally finished them! the Tatyar in all their glory! Name stuff below cut!

Primitive Elvish = PE, Early, Middle, Late Quenya =EQ, MQ, LQ. Anything with a ? is speculation

Tata [PE?] - Two? (Masc)

Tatiē [PE] - Two? (Fem)

Miwsrawā [PE] - Small-Bodied

Slaiwā-Mbarat [PE] - Ill-Fated

Lugniþexē [PE] - Blue-eyed

Banistirē [PE] - Fair face

Lĭmbĭek [PE] - Quick Spear

Mukudōmē [PE] - Silent Night

Dērāñgur [PE] - Difficult Death

Tankādel [PE] - Firm/Fixed will

Taltāsāmo [PE] - Steady-Minded

Gwiliēr [PE] - One of Peace

Koyyan [PE] - Life-Giver (In the sense of a good healer)

Lisyānībē [PE] - Sweet face

Galmāer [PE] - Flowered One

Ēllilt [PE] - Star-dancer

Ancalimél [EQ-LQ] - Brighest star

Maqaël [EQ] - Handy/Skilled One

Qitinpë [EQ] - Tight Lipped

Tengenwë [EQ] - Knowing

Ruawë [EQ] - Steady

Rainemo [EQ-LQ] - Peaceful one

Illiceníte [EQ-LQ] - All-seeing

[yellow-faerie]

Avari Headcanons

(I believe @electroniccollectiondonut @adhd-edward-teach and @someoneinthestars showed interest :))

So, this is somewhere between a meta and me being entirely self indulgent - however, I want to share with you all my Headcanons for how the six tribes of the Avari function (and also how I write them when I do)!

(Everything underneath because it did get rather long)

So firstly, I looked at good old Tolkien Gateway page for the Avari. Most of the page describes things that are in the published silm, that the Avari were the elves who refused the Valar's summons and went their own way. I don't have all the relevant HoME books that are referenced in regards to Nurwë and Morwë and a few other bits, but I shall trust that Tolkien Gateway is reputable. (I'll link any character pages, if you wanted to check out anything for yourself).

So from what I gather, Nurwë was of the Nelyar and Morwë was of the Tatyar before the Great March. And there were two particular groups of Avari - those who refused the summons and those who lived far enough away from Cuiviénen that they did not truly believe the summons to be real/not a ploy by the Enemy.

Now with the Nelyar being greater in number than the Tatyar, I'd imagine spreading out would be more likely for them and so how I imagine the initial split of the Avari to go is like this:

Morwë is vehement and stubborn (a trait of the Nelyar in particular) that they do not need the Valar and he and Finwë, being respected members of their clan (and possibly even cousins), end up splitting the Tatyar (who love much closer together than the Nelyar due to being a smaller clan) in two - those who are willing to go and those who aren't.

Finwë obviously leads the newly named Ñoldor West and, almost to be contrary and also because Morwë accepts that Cuiviénen is becoming more dangerous to live at as time goes on, Morwë's people move East, walking until they come upon a shore far beyond the control of Morgoth.

This group of people would later be known as the Hwenti. It says on the Gateway page, quoting from HoME, that the Avari were distrustful of the Eldar - which I headcanon mostly to be because of their distrust of the Valar in general - but the Tatyarin Avari (under Morwë) were said to dislike the Noldor most, which stems a lot from this argument and rather eventful severing on the banks of Cuiviénen.

Now the names of the Avari tribes is interesting (and there's a link here to an interesting short article on the linguistics of them) because they appear to be variations on the Primitive Elvish word Kwendî which means 'the Speakers' - which is the way that elves refer to themselves.

So the question I've asked myself is - do the Avari refer to their tribes using their words for the Elvish collective (which seems strange) or is this a misinterpretation by another elvish scholar - as Watsonian reasoning, of course - which lead to the Elvish tribes being referred to by these names in Valinorean records?

I think it's more likely to be the latter as elves - even back in Cuiviénen - seem to have a distinct interest in having names that describe who they are in some way.

But back to Morwë: his people are called the Hwenti by Valinorean records but they called themselves Alacínos. Better linguists than me could develop this using the rules that the word Hwenti would bring to the Tribe's language, but it is meant to vaguely mean People of Protection (which is a bit of a fuck you to the Tatyar who left for Valinor, a way of saying they are perfectly fine without the Valar's protection.

On a note about the Avari languages: due to the fact that I am not at all a linguist, I'm just vaguely interested in it's development, and due to the fact that I have No Time in my life right now, I am using some of Tolkien's much older languages that he didn't develop too much.

For Morwë's tribe, I am using the Solosimpi language as it is a bit less developed than Gnomish - which I use for Nurwë's tribe - and I write less for Morwë's Avari. It's a purely practical use and not the most ideal solution but I don't know enough about linguistics to even think about starting to conlang the Avari languages.

Now Morwë's tribe is pretty much happy where it is: they grow their settlements all along that Eastern coast until they're a fairly large tribe as they are relatively undisturbed by Morgoth (who is either captured by this point or else, too distracted by the West) and don't have many other worries.

They are by no means experts on the sea but they become very good at glass making and farming mussels and other shellfish and other beach-like things, as well as getting to know the terrain close to the coast as well.

They are very much crafters, like the rest of the Tatyar though, so a lot of their interest springs from there (hence the glass-making: later on, they will be renowned for their glassmaking skills throughout all the Quendi). Not yet worked out all the ins and outs of the coastal crafts, but they definitely happen!

The Alacínos end up living by the coast for pretty much the rest of the world. They partly integrate with Men when they come (there are a lot of peredhil on the East Coast) but for the most part, they live separately in their small settlements quite happily. Some may fade or succumb to injury but for the most part, they are content.

However, some of the younger elves - lead by an elf by the name Aiwala, and Morwë's granddaughter-in-law - are curious about the West and grew restless in their haven on the coast sometime after the sun rose. So Aiwala - a very good public speaker - took a group of the younger elves (a fairly sizeable portion of the Alacínos) and started the journey West.

Now travelling was inherently a lot more dangerous than staying on the coast. They are aiming for Cuiviénen, hoping to follow their ancient kinsmen to the land in the West but they never make it - instead, they find themselves near the southern end of a mountain range.

At the north of this mountain range is where the Stonefoots reside and to the south is where the Blacklocks, and it is the Blacklocks that end up finding the bedraggled group of elves at their front doorstep.

The elves were taken in for the winter and then they just...didn't leave. The dwarves were an entirely new people and the Avari got rather interested in them - they lived in the land around the mountains, providing food and other natural things the dwarves were uninclined to producing and they created a sort of symbiotic relationship that's unaffected by the issues the West have.

I like to think that due to this inclination towards the dwarves, which Eöl is said to have, that this is a tribe Eöl originated from somehow. Not that he is a good example of any group of people, and this also would not explain how he is a kinsman of Thingol.

Aiwala's tribe is the Penni and I imagine that their language is both influenced by the Alacínos, Khuzdul and also general linguistic drift. As for their collective name, I think it would be something along the lines of dwarf-friends - I'm tempted by a name that means Mountain Friends or Mountain People - but as their language is so far non-existent to me, I shall have to continue to refer to them as the Penni.

The Penni continue to live there well into the third and fourth ages but with how much time they had spent around mortals, and as their dwarven neighbours started to spend more and more time beneath ground, the Penni started to fade.

Some found themselves wandering West towards the call of Mandos and the heart of Elvendom (or something), others found themselves wandering back to the East from whence they came and the rest stayed put until they had all but faded from memory.

It is said by the Men who dwell in the area in the modern day that the place is haunted by laughing spirits who will guide you on the safest path through the mountains and will lead dangerous animals from your path, but only if you're respectful of the land.

Again, this is kind of playing off the idea of fading, and dying for elves in general. If fading is like what Míriel Therindë did, then it is much more like dying than what this seems like, but as the Avari are so tied to the land, I like to believe that a lot of them choose to ignore the Call of Mandos for quite a while (if not forever) to dwell as ghosts.

Anyway, that's pretty much the host of Morwë. As for Nurwë, she ends up spawning the other four clans.

Initially, after the Eldar had gone West and Morwë had gone East, Nurwë and the rest of the Avari stay on the banks of Cuiviénen. It's quite dangerous as Morgoth's still sort of out there hunting them - at least, even if Morgoth is captured, he still has lackeys doing his job on the downlow - but they make do until there is a proper all-out fight and they are forced to leave.

Nurwë leads them north with her sons Nunë and Nuin, and their sister Niwen and once they finally settle in these very northern forests, the people scatter again into small groups, only occasionally coming back to Nurwë's forest stronghold when they are in need of something.

These are the Kindi, who refer to themselves as Parnoth in their own tongue. It means People Who Speak to Trees or something similar (and I used Tolkien's old language of Gnomish to get the words). The Tree Speak is important as this is how the very spread out Parnoth communicate with each other - they are very close with the Ents of this forest who are all Evergreen Ents as the forest is something like the forests you might find in Alaska or one of the poles.

Anyway, it turns out that while this new forest hideout is good at hiding from Morgoth, it's not the ideal for hiding from the elements and so there are two definite drifts away from Nurwë in the time after they settle in the forest.

The first, before the sun rose, was one led by Nunë after Niwen was killed by a small group of orcs who had found their forest and her daughter, Idralas, was taken by them into thralldom.

(By the way, Idralas is what spawned this whole series of headcanons because I wanted a cultural background for the thralls of Angband so I could develop her relationship with Maedhros as his right hand)

Nunë takes this small group West for two reasons: one, to search for safety among their kin and perhaps even take the Valar's protection (as they do not yet know of what occurred with the Eldar); and two, to perhaps be able to rescue their stolen kin from Morgoth's hands.

This group of Avari is the Cuind, although I think their name for themselves would be West Wanderers or West Wandering People (although, again, not sure what sort of word that'd look like).

It should be noted that the Gateway page for the Tatyar says that it is Avari of Tatyarin descent who arrive in Beleriand during the First Age, not those of Nelyarin descent. However, I have elected to ignore this because it developed differently in my head - I did want to point this out though, in case someone wanted to argue with me over this.

They don't have a set place where they live and drift in and out of other Elven society in the search for a way to rescue their kin. They are only a small group and they end up - for the most part - integrating into other parts of society. For example, Nunë's daughters Crinthammos and Lindwil, end up married to Caranthir and Orodreth respectively.

However, they do have a language! It's a disgusting amalgamation of Quenya, their mother tongue of Parthin and Sindarin which they use for communications between each other (mostly in letter form) as they can no longe rely on the trees for communication as they don't all live in the same forest anymore.

Later on, a fair few of them who remained end up travelling East again to join up with the remains of the Parnoth, who had moved to join the Nandor in the Greenwood.

However, before the Parnoth moved, there was another split that occurred. The people known as the Kinn-Lai, led by Nuin, moved South-East, hoping to find Morwë and their kin out there (in a similar fashion to Nunë's decision to move). I like the idea of them being called Hisildi (Twilight Elves) as that is what Nuin and Tû's people were called in the BoLT.

There are quite a lot more of them following Nuin than followed Nunë as there is not a lot of trust in the Valar/west in most of the Avari and so they are slower going (and also remain spread out - it is apparently custom for the Nelyar to meander and split up on a regular basis).

Nuin is in some sort of relationship with the wayward Maia Tû, which is also gives him a bit more political clout over his brother.

Nuin is the one who wakes the first of the Men up (despite Tû's warning) and so, for a while, the Hisildi stay with the Men. Due to this close proximity to Men, their (initial) language is very closely linked with the early Mannish ones.

There is a definite drift away though as the Men drift off in their different directions. Most of the Hisildi go off in their own family groups, becoming the wanderers that a lot of Valinorean scholars say all Avari are, particularly as Morgoth's influence picks up and he sends his darkness out past the Blue Mountains.

A small subsect of the elves (later called the Windan), led by Tinfang (Tû and Nuin's child), goes together to hide in the small valleys from Morgoth's influence. They called themselves Banathin, which meant Half Burrow, for their houses where made partly in the ground, almost like a rabbit's burrow. They find themselves there with the remaining petty dwarves and with wayward men and over the years, they all rather disappear.

With the exception of Tinfang and a few of the older elves who had died early on due to misfortune or bad luck, no-one knows what happened to them and their language, one that developed a lot with Mannish and a few Dwarven loans added in, is known to very few.

It should be noted that around the mid to late second age, nearly an age after the Banathin went missing, the first few rare sightings of the people known as Hobbits was recorded. There language, Westron, closely resembled something that might have once been the language of the Banathin. There houses, too, had a tendency to burrow in the ground.

Anyway! That's the six clans for you! If anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask, I am always happy to answer questions about the things I love!