elves of arda ֎ vanyar ֎ headcanon disclaimer
Elenwë was an elf of the Minyar who woke upon the shores of Cuiviénen. Upon first seeing her soul-sibling, Elenwë’s sister Calima perceived him as a nér, and for many cycles of the stars Elenwë let this aspect of his fëa lie unexamined. Thus it was that he acted as Calima’s brother throughout the Great Journey to Aman, always at a slight remove from himself, unknowing what it was that left his spirit unquiet. While the Quendi yet dwelt upon the starlit shores, Calima fell in love with the Nelyarin elf Terenwë. He was a wandering soul from the moment of his Awakening, preferring his own company and that of the forest to those of his fellow elves. But Calima was kind and good and fair, and Terenwë was moved by her love to wed her. Yet Terenwë and Elenwë disliked one another, competing for Calima’s affection and attention, and thus even in the earliest days of her marriage Calima was unhappy. They quarreled over the most trivial things, including the similarity of their names, and to appease them both Calima renamed her brother Elemmírë and her husband Terenlaimo, the star-jewel and the slender shadow. Then came the Great Hunter Arômêz, and while all the Minyar loved him, Terenlaimo distrusted him. When it came time for Elemmírë and Calima to embark upon the Great Journey to Aman, Terenlaimo refused to accompany his wife, and in great sorrow Calima chose to follow the her kindred rather than her beloved. But before long Terenlaimo repented of his pride and hurried after his wife, reuniting with her just before the Minyar were to cross the Sundering Sea. Calima was overjoyed to see her husband once more, and in their passion and gladness they conceived a child, though the little spark of fëa within her was not yet bright enough to detect when on the morrow Calima purposed to join the rest of the Minyar upon Tol Eressëa and embark upon the final voyage to Aman. At the prospect of leaving the starlit lands he loved forever, Terenlaimo balked once more, for in his heart he had proudly taken the moniker of the Avari, and had hoped his reappearance would sway Calima to remain with him: but alas, her mind was set, and the couple parted once more in great bitterness and sorrow. It was not until the Isle had begun its slow movement across the Sea that Calima realized she was with child, and her grief at her separation from her husband and her babe’s father grew only deeper. Soon whispers began to spread of Calima’s misfortune, and she earned the epessë Hóndil, shadow-lover, for the faithless husband she left behind. Elemmírë was determined not to let his sister sink into her despair, and vowed to support Calima through every trial. In gratitude, Calima promised to name her child after her brother: and so it was that first of all the Eldar in Aman, Calima brought forth new life into Valinórë, and named her daughter Elenwë after Elemmírë’s first essë at Cuiviénen. Calima, Elemmírë, and little Elenwë accompanied Alcariniel to the holy city of Valmar, settling into their new home as an unconventional family. Elemmírë entered the service of Varda Elentári, singing praises to the Queen of the Valar and becoming the greatest minstrel among the Vanyar. Calima raised Elenwë to be kind and wise, and though she never knew her father and had no ataressë, Elenwë was a joyful child and grew into a contented adult. As the Eldar of Aman grew in number and in skill, Elemmírë won great renown for his musical talent, attracting even the attention of the Noldor. Findis, daughter of King Finwë and his Vanyarin bride Indis Vanima, befriended Elemmírë while visiting her grandmother Alcariniel upon Taniquetil, and when her nephew Makalaurë showed great musical talent in his youth she introduced him to Elemmírë in hopes of finding him a good tutor. Though Makalaurë’s father Fëanáro was at first reluctant to allow a Vanya teach his son, Makalaurë’s enthusiasm won him over, and he agreed upon the condition that Elemmírë move to Tirion to teach him. Elemmírë nearly refused, unwilling to abandon Calima, but centuries had passed since Elenwë’s birth and Calima encouraged her brother to find his own life. Findis, who had been living among her mother’s people, offered to move back to the city of her birth so Elemmírë might have a companion, and in the end an arrangement was reached that suited everyone. Findis and Elemmírë removed to Tirion together, though they visited Valmar frequently and often took Makalaurë with them, where he met and was briefly infatuated with Elenwë. As Elemmírë tutored young Makalaurë and became better acquainted with the House of Finwë, he began to realize there was a discordant chord within the Song of his fëa. At long last Elemmírë discovered that they were, in fact, a nís who had awoken in a hröa that Ilúvatar most commonly granted to néri, and she hesitantly shared this revelation with Findis her friend. Findis supported her wholeheartedly and urged her to seek the counsel of Varda to guide her next steps, and though the Queen of Stars did not fully understand the change in her servant’s heart, she accepted her nonetheless and allowed Elemmírë to transition from nér to nís. Calima was glad to at last know her sister for who she truly was, and remarked that she had chosen wisely in naming her daughter after Elemmírë, for “Elenwë” had always been the name of a nís, even when it had not been obvious. Soon Elemmírë realized something else profound about her fëa: she was in love with her dearest friend. Though two níssi were not permitted by the laws of the Valar nor the customs of the Eldar to wed, the confusion around Elemmírë’s true identity allowed for a loophole wide enough for Findis and Elemmírë to join in marriage with the blessing of Manwë and Varda, and none spoke against their love. Within only a matter of years, Elemmírë and Findis were blessed with a child: Laurefindil Alcarinquë, named like his mother for a shining star. Elenwë doted on her younger cousin, and through him grew close to the House of Finwë, where she met Turukáno Ñolofinwion, a princely young nér who in time would become her husband and Laurefindil’s liege. When the Two Trees were killed and Valinórë fell into Darkness, Findis and Elemmírë clung to one another in their grief. To their great sorrow, Laurefindil and Elenwë both chose to depart with the Noldor into exile, but Findis remained in Aman with her mother and their Vanyarin kin. Elemmírë was especially distraught by the loss of the Trees, and wrote a haunting lament in their honor: the Aldudénië, most famous of all her songs.
