: 1. Who was Erestor?

I have often wondered this myself. In Tolkien's drafts of the Council of Elrond (see HOME 6) he is described as "a kinsman of Elrond" (p.395) and "a man of the half-elvish folk known as the children of Luthien" (p.400). Of course none of this made it into the published LOTR.

Complicating the matter is a note on page 412, which says that at that stage in the development of Middle-earth in Tolkien's imagination the term Pereldar (Half-eldar) was applied by the Noldor to the Laiquendi (the Green-elves of Ossiriand), who were also called Lovers of Luthien (see HOME 5:215).

It is not possible to fit Erestor into the known family tree of the half-elven. All the descendants of Beren/Luthein and Tuor/Idril are accounted for - there is no room for Erestor. The only place where we could possibly make room for him is if Beren and Luthien had other, unrecorded, children besides Dior - but that is unlikely.

So I think it is more likely Tolkien envisaged Erestor to be a elf of Ossiriand, one of the Laiquendi who had remained in Middle-earth.

However, personally, I don't think that making Erestor one of the Laiquendi gives him enough rank or power to sit on the White Council (let alone be Elrond's chief counsellor). So I think he must have a more august lineage, with, no doubt, some Laiquendi blood.

In my own imagintaion (and this is just me) Erestor is a grandson of Feanor: a son of a daughter of Maglor, whose husband was a chieftan of the Laiquendi.