Posted: August 24, 1999 at 01:06:39: by Estel
: : It seems to me that Tolkien was a staunch believer in "hybrid
: vigor". Many of the greatest heroes of the first age came from
: cross-marriages between peoples: Fingolfin, Finarfin, Turin,
: Tuor, Earendil, Elros, Elrond, Finrod, Galadriel. That is not a
: complete list; I'm sure I left a few off. Most of them were
: simply mixtures of different sub-races, so I think that Tolkien
: thought that a mixture of the Edain and the Eldar would yeild
: some of the greatest people of all. I see all of the
: inter-marriages of the first age as culminating in the bond
: between Earendil and Elwing.: Yes, I think Tolkien was thinking along those lines himself in
: terms of Arwen: through her father of the line of Fingolfin, and
: through her mother of the line of Finarfin, plus the descendent
: of Elwe and Olwe, and indirectly related to Ingwe (directly, to
: his niece, Indis). see note 53, shibboleth of Feanor HOME vol.12
: Then, she also has the blood of Melian, and the three houses of
: the Edain.
: Although, for such a combination of races, Arwen doesn't seem to
: be a model of heroic vigor.
: ------------ Hello,
I'm a new poster so please don't be too harsh
I'm enjoying this thread very much!Arwen may not appear to be a model of heroic vigor in the traditional sword-weilding manner. As written, she's given no direct need or opportunity, however this may change in the films. (We can only hope it's not too far out of character!) Tolkien did indeed place great emphasis on these genealogical "reunions", as well as the rare unions of Elf and Human. Aragorn and Arwen represent the culmination of nearly(?) all the great houses of Eldar and Edain. In the dynastic perspective, Arwen and Aragorn are obviously the founding union of the Fourth Age, just as Earendil and Elwing were before them. In addition to Eldarion, she had "several" daughters (it always irks me that they are both un-named and un-numbered!). We know little of what happened, but I'm sure the marriages of these children (and their heirs) forged and strengthened both family and political alliances within Gondor and its allies for many generations to come. In a purely genetic sense, Arwen's elven blood reinvigorated the royal line of the Edain, as did her uncle Elros so many generations before. Humbly yours, Anne Shepard
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