“Eärendil was a mariner
that tarried in Arvernien;
he built a boat of timber felled
in Nimbrethil to journey in;
her sails he wove of silver fair,
of silver were her lanterns made,
her prow he fashioned like a swan,
and light upon her banners laid.”
-- Bilbo's recital in Rivendell
J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings:
Fellowship of the Ring
(Book Two, Chapter 1: Many Meetings)