elves of arda ◆ misc. noldor ◆ headcanon disclaimer
Veryo and Sarnë were elves of the Tatyar who awoke upon the shores of Cuiviénen. In short time they were wed, and Sarnë brought forth a son, Manyaro, whom his parents praised as a blessing from the One. He was raised upon the starlit shores in peace, and was nearly full-grown when his father vanished into the Wild Wood to a fate unknown, though many whispered he had been taken by the Shadow. Manyaro and Sarnë were deeply shaken by Veryo’s loss, turning to the stars for answers, and in the moment of their grief their prayers were answered by the arrival of the Great Hunter Arômêz among the Quendi. Manyaro placed all his hope in the Valar and was one of the loudest voices advocating for the Quendi to make the Journey to Aman. He deeply admired Finwë, who alone of the Tatyar had seen the Blessed Land, and followed eagerly in his train when they departed. Along the way, Sarnë’s fëa grew weaker and weaker from the grief of Veryo’s loss, and even Manyaro’s desperate attempts to share the flame of his hope with her were not enough to save her from her sorrow. Sarnë’s hröa faded away before the Eldar reached the lands that would come to be known as Beleriand, and her fëa was lost as surely as her husband. Yet this did not sway Manyaro’s faith in the Valar. Indeed, he became more devoted in his religiosity, leaving the Tatyarin host to join with the Minyar at the front of the train. There he met Lindalëa, an Unbegotten Minyarin singer whose music soothed his sorrow, and slowly they fell in love. After a long, romantic courtship, Manyaro and Lindalëa were married in the bliss of Aman, and together had three daughters. The eldest was Sendiel, who took more after her mother in creativity than her father in faith, expressing herself in magnificent paintings. She never married, though she deeply appreciated the female form and strove to recreate in her art. Sendiel’s younger sister was Anairë, ever her father’s student; she devoted herself to Nessa Melestamma, the Vala of dance, and became an incredible performer. And youngest of the sisters was Lúnalótë, ever more energetic and practical, who ran often to the fields to play. Eventually when she was grown, Lúnalótë wed the farmer Nermindil, and gave him three children of her own. Manyaro returned to the court of Finwë, taking his family with them to Tirion where they were among those favored by the King, for Manyaro was one of his closest friends and advisors. Indeed, Finwë and Manyaro arranged a betrothal for their middlest children, encouraging Ñolofinwë and Anairë to become acquainted with the hope they would find happiness together. Though their courtship was not a passionate one, Anairë and Ñolofinwë did come to love one another and were wed, elevating Anairë to a Princess of the Noldor. They had four children together, all of whom were beloved by their mother’s family, especially their Aunt Sendiel, though it was their father’s kin to whom they were the closest. When the Darkening descended upon Valinórë and Finwë was slain, Manyaro turned as he always did to the Valar, unswayed by Fëanáro’s fierce words of flight and freedom. Bitter were the partings amid the Darkness, for while Lindalëa and Anairë remained in Aman, Anairë’s husband and children departed, as did Sendiel, and Lúnalótë’s whole family. Yet after the Kinslaying at Alqualondë and the proclamation of the Doom of the Noldor, Sendiel’s horror was too great to continue, and she turned back with Arafinwë, seeking forgiveness from the Valar and her family both. But Lúnalótë and her family marched on, each meeting their own dooms in the end. Yet as the Valar lifted the Moon and Sun into the skies, freeing Arda from utter darkness, they fulfilled also other long-awaited promises. Even as Manyaro mourned the loss of Lúnalótë and his grandchildren, his parents were at last reembodied and returned to him. Veryo had indeed been taken by the Shadow long ago, and in the pits of Utumno he was twisted fëa and hröa into a horrific beast of darkness, but shortly after his transformation was completed he was killed in a brawl between his fellow thralls, slaying no elf himself. Thus he was the first of the orcs to be healed and granted a second chance at life, returning with his beloved wife Sarnë at his side, for her spirit had been rescued by a Maia of Námo wandering the outer lands and brought to heal in the Halls of Mandos. Though his family was yet sundered, Manyaro lifted his heart in thanks to the Valar, ever more devoted to their majesty, and trusting in the mercy of Eru Ilúvatar and his servants he joined Lindalëa his wife in song and Anairë his daughter in dance to praise the mighty Powers he adored.