Of the three clans of the Elves that departed from Cuiviénen to make the Great Journey into the West, it was the third of these that had been most touched by the music in the waters of Ulmo. Under this influence, they not only came to love the waters of Middle-earth, but learned to make mournful but beautiful music of their own, from which they named themselves Lindar, translated as the 'Singers'. Larger by far than the other two clans (the Vanyar and the Noldor), they often fell behind on the westward road, and so they gained the name by which history knows them best: the Teleri or 'last-comers'.
Many of the Lindar fell away from the Great Journey as they travelled; from them came the Elvish peoples of western Middle-earth, including the Nandor, the Silvan Elves, the Sindar and the Falathrim. These last were so enamoured by the Great Sea when they came upon it that they chose to remain behind, learning its ways from Ulmo's vassal Ossë. For those who completed the journey to Aman, their bond with the Sea remained unbroken, and for long they lived apart on the Lonely Isle of Eressëa. Even after they made their way to Aman, the Lindar continued to make their sad music on the shores of the Great Sea, rather than entering into Valinor itself.
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