Luthien: Maia or Elf.

[davem]

Luthien was born of the body of Elf Melian, but what about her spirit, what was that?

My initial thought is that fea is fea, & that it doesn't differ across 'species': ie, the 'fea' of Man, Elf or Valar/Maiar is of the same nature, but of greater or lesser power. The difference between the different 'species' is down to the 'relationship' of fea with hroa. For Valar, & Maiar generally (with obvious exceptions) hroa is an optional accessory. For Elves, it is a permanent state, to the extent that if their body dies they take on a new one exactly like the old. For Men the fea is only temporarily bound to the hroa.

So, the 'choice' of the peredhil does not involve a change in their fea but rather a change in the 'relationship' of their fea to their hroa: they can choose whether they will accept the inevitable future sundering of their fea from their hroa (ie die at some point & leave the circles of the world) or whether they will accept a permanent 'union' ('marriage', which none may put assunder??) with the stuff of Arda.

In the case of Luthien, I suppose that her choice would have been either to accept her father's state (permanent union of her fea with her hroa) or her mother's (optional union of the two as it suited her) but either way she would have been bound within the circles of the world, which only men could pass beyond.

Of course, not having my books with me, I could be completely wrong, so its probably best to ignore me....