Immortality and the sons of Elrond

[cellurdur]

Originally Posted by Ivriniel

I re-read an excerpt from the Silmarillion, and it actually does state that Mandos made the decree, just to Earnedil's and Elwing's **male** offspring.

There is an immediate difficulty here, in Arwen, who was not male, and who had the opportunity of immortality. I am also wondering if there are other materials about the Peredil that I have read and forgotten about, but which challenge the other aspect of Mandos's decision, binding the Choice to two blood lines.



Was it her beauty? I'm not sure about that one. Mandos brought her back to life, who was somehow moved, and I would suspect because of her heroism and sacrifice, for love, and because she succeeded, with Beren, in gaining a Silmaril. She was restored as a Mortal, and she and Beren had a rather short life. I believe they lived with the Silmaril nearby for a while, before Dior (who must have been mortal) returned to Doriath to become lord there, after Elu Thingol was slain. Entre Elured, Eluren and Elwing.



I'm not so sure about Imrahil's blood line. The part-elven offspring were reared by Edain, which makes it very likely they defaulted on any potential immortality because of that.

Let me do some research on Mandos's decree. I may unearth further materials about the Choice of the Peredhil

Irvriniel

Quickly I meant the beauty of Luthien's SONG and not son.

Mandos made the decree about Earendil and Elwing son's because they were the only descendants alive at the time. It would be cruel to allow Elrond to live like an Elf, but doom his children to be mortal.

Eärendil is Túor's son & father of Elros (First King of Númenor)and Elrond, their mother being Elwing daughter of Dior, of Beren and Lúthien: so the problem of the Half-elven becomes united in one line. The view is that the Half-elven have a power of (irrevocable) choice, which may be delayed but not permanently, which kin's fate they will share. Elros chose to be a King and 'longaevus' but mortal, so all his descendants are mortal, and of a specially noble race, but with dwindling longevity: so Aragorn (who, however, has a greater life-span than his contemporaries, double, though not the original Númenórean treble, that of Men). Elrond chose to be among the Elves. His children – with a renewed Elvish strain, since their mother was Celebrían dtr. of Galadriel – have to make their choices. Arwen is not a 're-incarnation' of Lúthien (that in the view of this mythical history would be impossible, since Lúthien has died like a mortal and left the world of time) but a descendant very like her in looks, character, and fate. When she weds Aragorn (whose love-story elsewhere recounted is not here central and only occasionally referred to) she 'makes the choice of Lúthien', so the grief at her parting from Elrond is specially poignant. Elrond passes Over Sea. The end of his sons, Elladan and Elrohir, is not told: they delay their choice, and remain for a while.-Letter 153

It's in a very early draft of the Quenta Silmarillion we get this statement.

'Then Manwë gave judgement and he said: 'To Eärendel I remit the ban, and the peril that he took upon himself out of love for the Two Kindreds shall not fall on him; neither shall it fall upon Elwing who entered into peril for love of Eärendel: save only in this: they shall not ever walk again among Elves or Men in the Outer Lands. Now all those who have the blood of mortal Men, in whatever part, great or small, are mortal, unless other doom be granted to them; but in this matter the power of doom is given to me. This is my decree: to Eärendel and to Elwing and to their sons shall be given leave each to choose freely under which kindred they shall be judged.'


It's also possible that the story of Mithrellas and Imrazor is just a legend made up to explain the distinctly elvish appearance of the Princes of Dol Amroth. It's possible that as in the alternative account they were descendants of Elros, who happened to retain the elvish look more than most.