Edain/Eldar marriages

[Maerbenn]

Diamond18, I knew that was coming. [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

OK, your quote is from the infamous Ruin of Doriath chapter, which was written by Christopher Tolkien. That means you have to be extra careful. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

I believe the passage you are quoting was derived from this passage in the old Quenta Noldorinwa (of c. 1930), published in HoMe IV: The Shaping of Middle-earth:

Thereafter was Dior Thingol's heir, child of Beren and Luthien, king in the woods, most fair of all the children of the world, for his race was threefold: of the fairest and goodliest of Men, and of the Elves, and of the spirits divine of Valinor; yet it shielded him not from the fate of the oath of the sons of Feanor.

Then we have this paragraph in the Quenta Silmarillion (of c. 1937), published in HoMe V: The Lost Road and Other Writings:

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.'

Christopher's commentary says this about the paragraph:

It is to be observed that according to the judgement of Manwë Dior Thingol's Heir, son of Beren, was mortal irrespective of the choice of his mother.

Also notice that Christopher states Dior appeared as of threefold race, not that he was. [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

But after all I think it's really a matter of canon; whether you regard the published Silmarillion edited by Christopher Tolkien or J.R.R. Tolkien's own unedited texts as canon.

[ February 24, 2003: Message edited by: Maerbenn ]

[ February 24, 2003: Message edited by: Maerbenn ]