Head of the family? Earendil or Luthien? Dark or Golden?

[Gondolin23]

Why don't they go further back in time? It seems to me that the more ancient your ancestry is, the more impressive it is. No one seems to claim Finwe as their forefather, or Olwe or Ingwe. One could say that's because they all lived in Valinor, but surely the Eldar knew who they were, and for mortal men, Luthien was as much a part of the distant past as Finwe. I suppose there's no Lay of Finwe to remember him by, however.

But if you stick to people who lived in Middle-earth, I wonder why no one claims descent from Fingolfin, who was the brave and noble High King of the Noldor while he lived, and who died in heroic personal combat with Morgoth, which the Elves remember but don't sing about, because their sorrow is too deep. That means it left a lasting impression on them, so men would be as likely to learn his story from Elves as Luthien's and Earendil's.

I'm not saying there's anything wrong with claiming descent from Earendil or Luthien, but I wonder why others aren't included.

[cellurdur]

Originally Posted by Gondolin23

Why don't they go further back in time? It seems to me that the more ancient your ancestry is, the more impressive it is. No one seems to claim Finwe as their forefather, or Olwe or Ingwe. One could say that's because they all lived in Valinor, but surely the Eldar knew who they were, and for mortal men, Luthien was as much a part of the distant past as Finwe. I suppose there's no Lay of Finwe to remember him by, however.

But if you stick to people who lived in Middle-earth, I wonder why no one claims descent from Fingolfin, who was the brave and noble High King of the Noldor while he lived, and who died in heroic personal combat with Morgoth, which the Elves remember but don't sing about, because their sorrow is too deep. That means it left a lasting impression on them, so men would be as likely to learn his story from Elves as Luthien's and Earendil's.

I'm not saying there's anything wrong with claiming descent from Earendil or Luthien, but I wonder why others aren't included.

I think it's because Luthien and Earendil are held as the greatest of their ancestors. Luthien is the most beautiful, the most noble, the most powerful and achieved the greatest deed.

Earendil was a great power in his own right and was the saviour of Elves and Men.

These two had the greatest influence on Middle Earth, were (the?) two of the powerful and the most loved.