They don't usually marry their own blood. Among both Elves and Men, it was condemned to marry anyone as close as a first degree cousin (and second etc. degrees were avoided, too).
Aragorn and Arwen do not share more common blood than any two members of an ethnic variety today. For example, practically all Europeans can claim to be descendants of Karolingus Magnus in one way or another, and he lived just well over a millenium ago, while Elros has been dead for six thousand years when Aragorn II married.
Personally, I think that within the given mythology, we need not call the degree of relation between Celebrían and Elrond disturbing. Elrond's great-great-grandfather was Elwë; Celebrían's great-grandfather was Olwë, Elwë's brother. This relation is far more removed than, say, usual royal weddings in our ages, and after all, we are dealing with nobles here. Also, I'd waguer that such a degree of relation would hardly be recognized among mortals at all.
[ July 10, 2002: Message edited by: Sharku ]
|