Quote:
Originally Posted by laurens
seen the fact that progeny is scarce amongst those with Numenorean descent, and even more so in the case of the royal family, I was wondering whether one cannot pinpoint the descent of this house to certain specific individuals in the line of Elros, but before Numenor was destroyed.
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It would appear that they were more closely related to the Line of Anárion and perhaps at some point married into the Southern line in the 3rd Age. There is a section in the
Heirs of Elendil that states:
"He [Eärnur] left no children. No male descendants of clear title (or nearly pure blood) of Elendil could be discovered... These may be added, for though not in direct line, the Hurinionath, the family to which Pelendur and Mardil belonged, were of Númenórean blood hardly less pure than that of the kings, and undoubtedly had some share in the actual blood of Elendil and Anárion."
Faramir discusses with the Hobbits his line; "We of my house are not of the line of Elendil, though the blood of Númenór is in us. For we reckon our line to Mardil, the good steward, who ruled in the king's stead when he went away to war. And that was King Eärnur, last of the line of Anárion, and childless, and he never came back." [TTT, ch. 5, p.328]
As we can see his house was undoubtedly pretty pure, but purity does not remain exclusive to the house of the Kings. Pure Númenóreans can be outside the house of the Kings. However, it seems not only were they a pure house of Dúnedain, they were at some point in time attached to the line of Anárion. Faramir does contradict the other text it would seem in claiming to not be of Elendil's line, but perhaps this is meant only in the sense of not in any line of succession, rather than in descent.
Since Mardil was the first of the Ruling Stewards this is why Faramir cites him as the first of his line. It is known his family line extends further back even to Pelendur, Steward of Ondoher who, "advised Gondor to reject Arvedui's claim to the crown." Further back there is Húrin who was Steward of King Minardil and from his descendants, from before the Stewardship became hereditary, were all Stewards chosen by the Kings.