[Tar Elenion]

I don't know, sometimes I think we are talking at cross purposes.
Point one: <snip>
Point two: <snip>
Point three: <snip>

I believe we agree on all these points, no?

Correct.

Now, since all with mortal blood, (of whatever proportion) are Mortal then Elrond's children should also have been Mortal dispite their Elven mother. Right?

Correct, _unless_ granted 'other doom' by Manwe.

*However* they, like their father were allowed to choose - and the choice seems to have been had to be made when Elrond departed from Middle Earth - in Arwen's case at least, and frankly I see no reason to assume it was not true of the twins as well.

Arguably Arwen's choice was made and doom appointed earlier when she and Aragorn plighted their troth in Lorien (TA 2980), see The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen in App, A.
You are of course at liberty to Assume the twin's chose mortality. But that is all it is, an assumption. JRRT deliberately (it would seem), chose not to specify their fate. He could easily have said they died in Letter 153, he chose not to. In other words I choose not to make an assumption, I simply state that their fate is not specified and provide a quote from the author to back it up.

Now, why was the right of choice extended to them as well as their father - and *how* were they made aware of it? Elrond married and had his children in the Third Age, after the change of the world and before the arrival of the Istari. So who told them their doom?

Presumably they were informed by Manwe, perhaps through Osanwe (direct thought transmission).

Elrond and Elros made their choices at the end of the First Age, when the Host of Valinor led by Eonwe herald of Manwe were still in Middle Earth. Vardamir's date of birth also suggests that his father was either married or at least in love, presumably with a Mortal Woman, when he made his decision.

Vardamir being born in Second Age 61 suggests that Elros was already married (or in love) when he made his choice some 61 years earlier?

Thus the question of children and their destiny would naturally have arisen at that time. I repeat, Arwen and the twins are *every bit as Mortal by birth as the children of Elros for all their Elven mother. I see absolutely no logical reason why they should have been favored over Elros' brood.

The question did arise and was answered. They are all mortal unless granted other doom by Manwe.
Why grant Elronds children 'other doom' and not Elros' children? Perhaps because of the differing fates of Elves and Men. If Elrond's children were only granted mortality they would be forever seperated from their kindred with out any choice on there part. As for Elros' children remember 'death is the Gift of God to Men'.

Logically Eonwe must have extended the choice to their offspring at the time Elros and Elrond made their own decisions. Telling Elrond his children could delay their final decision until his departure to Aman, and perhaps giving Elros' the option to sail to Aman if they chose too. Possibly none did, certainly none of his sons did. They remained in Numenor as Mortal Men.

Factually they had no children to extend the choice too. What you are saying is 'logical' is merely an unsupported assumption.

Nor do I see the quote from Tolkien's letter as negating this possibility. He says Elros' descendants were long lived kings, and so they were - or rather so *some* of them were. Just as not all his descendants were kings so not all may have been Mortal. Clearly Tolkien was talking about the direct line of the kings here, the line that regretted Elros' decision and tried to reverse it. It doesn't necessarily say anything about the junior lines descended from Elros' younger sons, (who were not kings) or his daughter (who may not have been mortal).

The quote from Letter 153 says:
"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)."

It does not say "Elros' descendants were long lived kings". It says "Elros was a King". It says his descendants are "of a specially noble race". And it quite specifically says:
"all his descendants are mortal".
[emp. mine]
It does not make any exceptions.

[ March 30, 2003: Message edited by: Tar Elenion ]

[ March 30, 2003: Message edited by: Tar Elenion ]