Elrond 1/16 vala?
 

One of my friends said that Elrond was 1/16 vala. How can it be? I think remeber something that his grandgrandgrandgandmother was Melian who was a Maia. But wouldn't that make Elrond 1/16 Maia not Vala?

Elrond is 1/16 Maia. Melian, who was a Maia not a Vala, was Elrond's great-great-grandmother which makes him 1/16 Maia.

There is no difference in kind between the Valar and the Maia. They are both Ainur. The only difference is in their power. The fourteen Ainur that are known as Valar are much more powerful then the rest of the Ainur who are called Maia.

It would be better to say that Elrond was 1/16 Ainur.

As Selmo has pointed out, the terms Valar and Maiar are not really designations of race - they are designations of purpose in Middle-earth. The 14 ruling Ainur are Valar; their people are Maiar - there is no fundamental difference in nature.