Quote:
Originally Posted by Ivriniel
Is anything else known about the fate of his wife?
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Although not spot on to motifs employed in folklore where mortal men marry netherworldly maidens (selkies and mermaids, for instance, who escape marriage after retrieving their skins), in many cases the netherworldly wife often becomes disenchanted and leaves husband and child after a short time, never to be seen again (usually returning to Faery). Tolkien, known to borrow various folklorish motifs, seems to have engaged just such a retelling in this case. Elvish post-partum depression, perhaps.
Mithrellas meaning "grey leaf" indicates flightiness, capriciousness or variability in a certain sense.