#alqualonde

Because when you work on a ship the ship is like, your lifeblood. The center of your world. You're never NOT thinking about it, you're always mending sails or doing a soapy deck wash or doing rig checks or whatever

It's yours and you're its and it's everything and it is ACTUALLY NOT a really easy prospect to hand it off to some asshole for god knows how long 😭 and the swanships of the Teleri were major cultural symbols too, that's even MORE meaningful and important

Ossë

@tolkienfashionweek day two | cultures | the falmari

The greatest host came last, and they are named the Teleri, for they tarried on the road, and were not wholly of a mind to pass from the dusk to the light of Valinor. In water they had great delight, and those that came at last to the western shores were enamoured of the sea. The Sea-elves therefore they became in the land of Aman, the Falmari, for they made music beside the breaking waves. Two lords they had, for their numbers were great: Elwë Singollo (which signifies Greymantle) and Olwë his brother.

—The Silmarillion, “Of the Coming of the Elves and the Captivity of Melkor”

Like, Thingol may be a Sindarin king, but he’s still ethnically related to the Teleri! He, the Iathrim, and all of the Sindar are all ethnic descendants of the Teleri, which means that some of them probably had Telerin relatives who were killed in Alqualondë! Hell, I'm pretty sure Thingol also had Telerin friends who were slaughtered in the First Kinslaying! He had to do something for the sake of his people, or they would be angry at him for letting the Noldor off the hook!

Also, Thingol has every right to be angry about the First Kinslaying. After all, the Noldor basically slaughtered the Teleri for refusing to hand over their ships, took the ships anyways, and then they lied to him about their reasons for coming to Middle-earth, too. They literally took advantage of his hospitality while hiding such a horrible crime from him, and they're basically disrespecting his authority and trying to assert their own claim over Beleriand! No wonder he gets so upset about them lying to him!

And yet, despite everything, he doesn’t lash out. He maintains his dignity throughout this whole crisis, even though he was surely furious at being deceived by his potential allies. All things considered, Thingol handles this situation with quite a lot of grace, and he still manages to maintain an alliance with both Finrod and Fingolfin's people.

Teleri -- Pros: this is what they're called in the published Silmarillion. Cons: actually an exonym from the Vanyarin/Noldorin perspective, with vaguely derogatory connotations? Not something they called themselves. Also, the term is way too broad, technically including the Nandor and the Sindar as well.

Lindar -- Pros: this is what they called themselves, and it's a very pretty name. Cons: they aren't actually referred to this way in the Silmarillion, so no one will know what you're talking about. Could also technically refer to other members of the Nelyar.

Nelyar -- that's way too broad.

Falmari -- Pros: finally, a term specific to them and only them! It even appears once in the Silmarillion! Cons: Except for the text where "Falmari" and "Falathrim" both refer to Círdan's people.

Solosimpi -- Pros: unambiguously refers to them. Cons: ... only at their stage of development in The Book Of Lost Tales, and is thus mostly useless to any discussion.

Veaneldar -- Pros: "Sea-elves" is a very fitting and unambiguous term for them. Cons: doesn't fit into the same schema as the other sub-categories of the Quendi, also, will inspire reactions such as "what the fuck are you talking about?

Nendili -- Pros: pretty easily parse-able, with the link to water specifying which group of the Teleri this most likely refers to. Cons: what the FUCK are you talking about

Glinnil -- Pros: yay, a Sindarin term! Cons: same problem as "Teleri", with the additional problem that even in-universe only loremasters used this.

Lindai -- Pros: pretty sure this is the plural of "linda" within their own Telerin language, which is actually grammatically distinct from Quenya. Cons: you will have to explain this every time you use this word.

Foam-riders, ship-wrights, people of Olwë -- Pros: awesome names. Cons: no attested translation in Quenya, Sindarin, or Telerin.