One of three faithful companions who accompanied Eärendil on his mighty sea-voyages. He was with his captain when the ship Vingilot made its epic journey into the distant West, to reach the Blessed Realm itself.
While Eärendil and Elwing journeyed ashore, Falathar remained aboard the ship with his fellows Erellont and Aerandir. After Eärendil had delivered his embassy to the Valar, their emissary Eönwë came to the three mariners and set them in another boat. The Valar sent a wind out of the west to blow Falathar and his companions back across the Great Sea and, presumably, they landed again somewhere in Middle-earth, though their ultimate fate is not recorded.
Notes
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Neither Falathar nor his companions Erellont and Aerandir are specifically identified as being Men or Elves, and in principle they might have belonged to either people. Certainly their names are Elvish, which might imply (though hardly conclusively) that they were Elves. On reaching the Blessed Realm with Eärendil, however, they were forbidden from leaving the vessel, and the three were ultimately returned across the Great Sea by the Valar, facts that tend to suggest that they were mortal Men.
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2 |
Falathar's name is not explained, but it must surely contain an element related to falas, meaning 'coast' or 'shore'. The final segment of the name is far less clear, but it might conceivably be connected to thar, 'across' or 'between'. This is speculative, but it would give Falathar's name a meaningful interpretation something like 'one who crosses between shores'.
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- Updated 1 July 2023
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