Chapter Text
Well! With all the hustle and bustle and new guests arriving, it shall be all I can do to remember everyone’s names, and while Frodo seems to be muddling along well enough, I fear poor Sam is in the same boat as I, and he has had even less time to learn the oddities of elvish naming conventions. To that end - and for the benefit of any future travelers in Aman who find themselves in rather over their heads - I have constructed the following guide. Hopefully it shall do us all some good.
The House of Feanor:
Feanor, also called Feanaro, or, rarely, Curufinwe: His first two names at least have the benefit of being similar to each other, and he stands out in a crowd nicely. It seems rather trite to say that you’ll know him when you see him, but I find that it is indeed true. If you are in any doubt, I personally recommend dropping the use of Þ and replacing it with ’s’ while speaking in Quenya in his earshot; if he flinches and visibly restrains himself on the basis that you are a mere hobbit and cannot possibly know better, then it is almost certainly Feanor.
The main difficulty here lies in his title. It is as of yet unclear whether he should be referred to as ‘High King,’ “King,’ ‘Prince,’ ‘Lord,’ or if perhaps all titles ought to be dropped altogether, and picking one to use makes a rather large political statement. I recommend pretending to be old and confused enough to refer to him as ‘Mayor’ and then using whatever you’re corrected with, although admittedly this strategy may work better for some of us than others.
Nerdanel: If she has other names, I’ve never heard them, which makes her rather unique among the elves here in Aman. If she has preferences on titles, she’s yet to make a sufficient fuss about it for the gossip to reach me, so just figure out what you’re going to call Feanor first and then call her the feminine form of that. She’s almost as easy to spot as her husband; just look for the red-headed woman with the rather impressive muscles, presumably from hauling around all that stone for her sculptures.
Maedhros, also called Maitimo, also called Russandol, also called Nelyafinwe: There is no one alive who needs that many names, and I stand by that point firmly.
That said, the names provide several useful descriptors of him, so, in order: Maitimo apparently means well-formed, and although I suspect most mothers would say the same upon seeing their first child, apparently there are a fair few maidens in Tirion who agree despite everything that’s passed since. Russandol is a reference to his red hair, which matches his mother’s very well, and Nelyafinwe means “third Finwe” and seems to be regarded as a backhanded insult to Feanor’s two half-brothers, so I recommend avoiding that one unless you intend to wade far deeper into elvish politics than good hobbitish sense would dictate. Maedhros seems to be safe enough and even the preferred form, so it might be best to stick with that.
He has been a king, a prince, and a lord, and although no one seems to be keen on calling him the first, the rest are still up in the air, and I’m hearing now that they’re considering making up some brand new title for former kings, of which they seem to have an abundance. I recommend repeating the mayor trick, or, if they seem to be catching on to that, coughing in the middle of mumbling your pick of titles. This has the added advantage of the nearest elf usually offering to fetch you a beverage.
Maglor, also called Kanafinwe, also called Makalaure: If you don’t recognize him after all this time in Elrond’s house, I can’t help you. Personally, I think it best to just stick with calling him Maglor, as that’s what we’re all used to, but I’ve written a brief etymology of his other names in case you hear anyone calling him something else.
Kanafinwe means strong-voiced of Finwe. The strong-voiced bit sounds like another name that would occur to a great many new parents, but it also turned out to be rather prophetic, so it suits him. Makalaure, on the other hand, means gold-cleaver, which makes little sense to me, as I’ve yet to see him cut anything in half, much less gold, but apparently it is meant to refer in some manner to his skill with a harp.
You may also hear a few people with more voice than sense call him ‘Elrond’s pet kinslayer’; I recommend giving these people your best look of disappointment and/or disapproval until they look ashamed of themselves and stop.
Celegorm, also called Turcafinwe, also called Tyelkormo: I am told Turcafinwe means ‘strong Finwe’ which is appropriate enough, given his skill at hunting, but it seems to leave a rather poor implication towards the original Finwe’s comparative strength. (This observation is probably best left kept to yourself, however.) There seems to be some disagreement about what hair color to expect from him (I have no idea why; perhaps he likes to dye it), so if you miss his introduction, try bringing up hunting and seeing who looks most enthusiastic about it. Alternatively, see who looks most awkward around Elrond - I imagine there will be some lingering difficulty about the whole Luthien affair. Goodness knows there was in the Shire after Poppy turned down Otho, and this is a good deal more awkward a situation than that.
I would try not to bring that up though as his mother name when translated reveals itself to be a prediction of a quick temper which, combined with his strength, might be best not to provoke.
Caranthir, also called Morifinwe, also called Carnistir: Morifinwe translates to ‘Dark Finwe’ which has led to some calling him “Caranthir the Dark” which contrasts rather nicely with those that call his older brother “Celegorm the Fair.” Said darkness is a reflection upon his hair, not his character, although since he is hardly the only dark haired Feanorian, I am not sure why it was considered worth commenting upon.
It still strikes me as a better name than Carnistir which as best I can make out means “red-faced.” I have no doubt that this was indeed true upon his birth, but as this is true for most healthy babes it seems rather pointless to make a name of it.
But I suppose I am being rather harsh; the duty of naming a child never fell to me as Frodo was already well secure in his name by the time he came to me, and I suppose upon being handed a newborn babe, it might be easy to panic and just say the first thing that came to mind.
Curufin, also called Curufinwe, also called Atarinke: If you look around and see someone that looks almost exactly like Feanor but who is deferring to the person that’s actually Feanor, that’s Curufin. Feanor passed down his less used name to Curufin, but it still seems best to stick the Sindarin form in order to help avoid confusion.
Atarinke means ‘little Father,’ a name that must have been wonderfully appropriate in childhood but seems a little less so now as Curufin has managed to surpass his father in height by approximately the width of a thumb, at least according to Maglor. I am also told that I ought not to bring this up.
Still, I suppose ‘little Father’ remains somewhat appropriate as he is the only son of Feanor to have actually achieved the state of fatherhood.
I think. I am still not entirely clear on which kings Gil-Galad is descended from, exactly.
Celebrimbor, also called Telperinquar: According to elvish naming customs at the time of his birth, he should have at least one more name, given to him by his mother. I can find no one willing to tell me this name, or, for that matter, to talk about his mother. I will continue searching what records I can but will decline from further questioning as, despite what the Dunedain might have thought, I am actually capable of tact in these things.
Telperinquar means silver-fist which works well enough for a smith, and, in an additional stroke of luck, he is the only who currently has a clear title: Lord of Eregion. The fallen state of that city appears not to matter in this case, so Lord Celebrimbor or Telperinquar it is.
This is additionally important as while you may not end up talking with all the Feanorians during this visit, a long talk with Celebrimbor seems rather unavoidable. Hopefully it shall be good for all of us.
Amrod, also called Pityafinwe, also called Ambarussa, also called Ambarto, also called Umbarto and Amras, also called Telufinwe, also called Ambarussa: I recommend calling them both Ambarussa as apparently even their own brothers sometimes can’t tell them apart, in which case, we haven’t a chance. Supposedly Amrod’s hair is a shade darker than Amras’s, but unless they’re standing next to each other, I’m not sure how we’re supposed to tell the difference.
As they’ll be arriving first, it seemed best to go ahead and give you this collection of notes as it stands; a continuation of the guide shall be presented shortly before the arrival of Fingolfin and Finarfin’s clans.
…
Dear Master Baggins,
I was delighted to make your acquaintance last night. I was slightly less delighted when I discovered this packet which appears to have fallen from your pocket.
- [ink blot over title] Feanor
…
Dear most honorable and hopefully most forgiving [ink blot over title] Feanor,
Oh, dear. In my defense, I never intended anyone other than my nephew and his good friend to read this; I assure you I would have made it far more polished if it were for public consumption.
Please forgive any lines that may have given offense. In the hopes of more readily attaining this forgiveness, I have enclosed copies of my notes on your half-brothers’ families.
- Bilbo Baggins
…
Dear Master Bilbo,
Your second set of notes was delightful; all is most certainly forgiven.
- [ink blot] Feanor