Tolkien Lore Tricks and Tips

The Problem of Half Elves

Half elves. Aka Peredhil.

Half human half elf, right?

Wrong.

Welcome to Elven Genetics part three.

First, let me start by outlining who our players are. Who count as half elves?

Half-Elves:

Dior

Elwing

Eärendil

Elrond

Elros

Elrohir

Elladan

Arwen

Prince Galador**

For a definition, a half elf is any descendant containing both the blood of Men and the blood of Elves. Percentages do not matter. What matters is what they do with it. For the special thing about half elves is their ability to choose their fate.

Men and Elves share two different types of souls, or fëar. Elves are inherently bound to Arda, to the world. Even upon death they remain in the world. Men are the opposite. Mortality is their gift, for they are not bound to Arda and upon death only Eru Ilúvatar knows where they reside. Half elves can choose mortality or immortality, until their parent chooses mortality that is.

Take for example the twins, Elrond and Elros. Given the choice, Elrond chose the life of the Eldar and became immortal. His descendants, Elladan, Elrohir, and Arwen, were thus gifted the choice as well. But Elros, his brother, chose mortality. All of his descendants became mortal and were not given choice. They became the Kings and Queens of Númenor.

Now, where did half elves come from? Well that IS a story now, isn't it. It all started with Beren and Lúthien. The greatest love story ever told, might I add.

Lúthien, daughter of Thingol and Melian, most beautiful of all children of Ilúvatar, liked to dance in the forest of her home. It was enchanted to not allow anyone in by her mother, Melian the Maia, but one day as she danced a man, human, fled into the forest and found her. Long story short they fell in love. After many adventures where they both save each other, Beren dies tragically. Lúthien, so incredibly overcome with grief and despair, lays down and dies an elven death (she basically fades into nothingness from weariness). At her death, her spirit goes to Mandos (a waiting place for elves for reembodiment). There, she sings to Mandos the Vala of her love for Beren and begs to see him again.

Mandos, so overcome by her grief and moved to pity, agrees to restore them both to life at a price. She must promise to live a mortal existence, sundered forever until the world's end from her people and her family. She agrees, and both she and Beren return to Middle Earth alive. Eventually they die of old age, but not before they have a son, Dior the Beautiful. He marries Nimloth, choosing a life of immortality, and they have a daughter named Elwing.

Now, on the other side of Middle Earth is another couple. Idril, daughter of High King Turgon, lord of Gondolin, falls in love with Tuor son of Huor. They marry, much to the chagrin of her lustful cousin Maeglin, and bear a son named Eärendil. However due to Morgoth attacking and ransacking the hidden city, they are forced to flee. Tuor and Idril sail West, and it is said that he alone of mortal men becomes immortal, given the gift of the Eldar. But they leave behind Eärendil.

Eärendil, half elven, and Elwing, half elven, fall in love and marry. They have twin sons, Elrond and Elros. As outlined above, Elros chooses mortality and becomes King of Númenor. Elrond becomes immortal and marries Celebrían, daughter of Galadriel. They have three children: twins Elladan and Elrohir, and a daughter Arwen.

Of Elladan and Elrohir we do not know what they chose. They were “allowed to delay their choice” after Elrond left. But considering how dramatic Arwen choosing mortality is, I choose to believe they sailed West as elves. We all pretty much know the deal with Arwen.

Arwen, famously considered a sort of second Lúthien, fell in love with Aragorn (a descendant directly from Elros). They marry and she chooses mortality. Thus the line of those half elves ends, for Elrohir and Elladan are not recorded as marrying, and she chooses to sunder herself from the world and her people.

**Prince Galador of Dol Amroth.

In the Lord of the Rings, it is revealed that Imrahil of Dol Amroth looks like he has elven blood, especially noted by Legolas. It is revealed in the Unfinished Tales that Mithrellas of Lothlorien and Imrazor of Dol Amroth are believed to have married and that their child, Galador, Prince of Dol Amroth, is thus half elven. I definitely believe this is true. Evidently he chose mortality.

So there we go!

Half-Elves 101, class dismissed.