Sangafia was adopted by a Rivendell elf by the name of Faenangol as a babe, and was raised as his own but as a human. So that one day she could return to her own people and find her roots without appearing strange. Because of that and despite living among elves, she knows little of their culture. While she does have a human name, she doesn't know how her father knew of it, he gave her a name of his own choosing for her life among the elves.. Firverilin, meaning Mortal Nightingale. His reasoning behind it was a sad one, she would live only for a blink of an eye from his and the other of his kind's perception. It did not take long for her to be nicknamed Merilin, Nightingale, for it was less depressing.

As she grew older Faenangol taught her his trade, healing, and encouraged her to sing and play instruments as she loved to do. She would often play in the grassy fields and the rivers surrounding the Elven city, imagining going on a great adventure. This began to worry her father when she spoke of going on a real adventure, she was small and much to fragile to travel he thought and Middle-Earth was becoming a more dangerous place by every passing day.

Her gentle life continued on until she was an adult by Man standards, and when it became obvious that Faenangol was against her wish to travel the world she instead decided to learn what she could from Elrond's Library. But this did not help sate her wanderlust, in fact it only fanned the flames. It wasn't until she read of Thorin Oakenshield's quest, that had a part in Rivendell itself, did she throw caution to the wind. By this time her father realized he would never dissuade her from becoming an adventurer. In the end all he could do was teach her to defend herself from the world that she knew nothing of.