Craziest Tolkien Theories

[Morthoron]

Originally Posted by William Cloud Hicklin

hS- there is however the sentence "Bright Earendil was then lord of the people that dwelt nigh to Sirion's mouths:" which as a practical matter meant all the surviving west-Elves of Middle-earth other than the rebel Feanorians.

Eärendil did not claim high-Kingship for much the same reason Elrond remained "Master" of the Last Homely House. They are Peredhil and it seems fairly obvious from Tolkien's frame of mind that the line from Eärendil to Elros was more important to the Numenoreans than for the Elvish line under Elrond. Hence, the full-blooded Elven Gil-Galad is high-king of the Noldor, and that claim dies with him, even though Elrond certainly had the bona fides to claim it, but didn't.

If we weren't following whatever pseudo-Salic male primogeniture, Galadriel as the child of Finarfin probably was a better claimant to the throne than Elrond's watered-down birthright. And the power to take it, if she so chose.