Bloodlines

[Earendilyon]

I agree with you, that Melian was indeed special. But her 'specialness' was a specialness of her spirit, her fea, and not of her body, which was Elvish. So, I stay with my opinion, that her genes were also Elvish and hence her blood also.

[Elennar Starfire]

But what of Luthien's magic? She was able to weave a sleep-spell, and disguise herself as a bat and Beren as a wolf. Was this ability normal for elves? Or was it from Melian?

[NightKnight]

Many elves seem to have had magic abilities, even those who didn't have a maia as mother. Finrod disguised himself and his company as orcs, Galadriel captured light in a bottle etc. So Luthien's magic talents don't have to come from Melian.

Melian did take a physical form, but is it stated somewhere that it was an elvish body (can't remember, and I haven't got Silm here)? Remember, the Valar took physical forms as well, and maybe that's what Melian did. If so, her descendants have maia-blood in them. I did a calculation once, and found out that Arwen has 1/16 maia-blood. I posted it somewhere in the ME Mirth forum, if you're interested.

[Firefoot]

Earendilyon, you say that in taking the form of an Elf, Melian's body became that of an Elf. However, her genes would still be those of a Maia. She was still Maia, just in Elvish form.

... and now he [Dior] appeared as the fairest of all the children of the world, of threefold race: of the Edain, and of the Eldar, and of the Maiar of the Blessed Realm.

Now Elros and Elrond his brother were descended from the Three Houses of the Edain, but in part also both from the Eldar and the Maiar;...

It does not include Melian as an Elf. Also, I think you might be taking it a little too literally - by saying they have Maiar blood in them probably just means that they are descended from Maiar.

Edit - cross-posting with NK. It does say she took an Elvish form:

she took upon herself the form of the Elder Children of Ilúvatar, and in that union she became bound by the chain and trammels of the flesh of Arda.

[Earendilyon]

Originally Posted by Firefoot

Earendilyon, you say that in taking the form of an Elf, Melian's body became that of an Elf. However, her genes would still be those of a Maia. She was still Maia, just in Elvish form. It does not include Melian as an Elf.
(...)
Also, I think you might be taking it a little too literally - by saying they have Maiar blood in them probably just means that they are descended from Maiar.

Firefoot, my point is exactly to point out, that Melian had an Elvish body, so she did not have Maiar blood nor Maiar genes, because those are physical, whereas Maiar are spiritual, discarnate. The blood and genes Melian clothed herself in when clothing herself in a body, were Elvish.
Maybe I do take it a little too literally, on purpose, to make clear this difference between fea and hroa and between discarnate and incarnate. I do agree (of course!) with Tolkien when he says that Dior was of threefold race, but only his fea was, not his hroa: his fea descended from a Maia, from Elves, and from Men; his hroa from Elves and Men, because there is no such thing as a Maiar hroa.