: The problem is do we care about what his latest thoughts on the subject were? Well, certainly we should care. But sometimes we care more about
: what his latest thoughts on the subject *should* have been... Or would have been had he been living in an Earth Unmarred... :-)

: Anyway, the point I've rambled so long to make is that I'd *prefer* Gil-Galad to be the son of Fingon. I feel it fits. I know that practically certainly it's not the choice Tolkien made in the end... but dammit it's the choice he *should* have made... :-)

There are several problems with Fingon as father. First, it appears only once as a pencilled note in the margin of Grey Annals. On the other hand, Gil-galad as a Finarfinian (i.e. either as son of Finrod or as son of Orodreth, who himself was either brother or nephew of Finrod) was a consistent position for decades. In fact for most of the time he was son of Finrod and he only moved to Orodreth when Tolkien decided Finrod would be single and childless.

: My reason for this preference:

: 1. I find it balances more the geneological tree of Finwe's house
: to have Fingon also have a son... Thus, all three of Fingolfin's
: children have a child each, and (with the exception of Angrod)
: the (younger) children of Finarfin don't have children. On the
: other hand having Angrod have grandchildren, while all his siblings
: and the older Fingon aren't even married... it creates an
: imbalance...

Actually, it seems to balance it the other way with the scion of Finwe from each branch NOT having a child: Fingon and Finrod.

: 2. I'd like it that all the High Kings were of Fingolfin's house...
: A matter of preference - I wouldn't much care for the High Kingship to pass to Finarfin's house: I don't know why. But having the Last High
: King be also the last male-line descendant of Fingolfin appeals to
: me. After all, Fingolfin and Gil-Galad were the two Noldor who held
: the High Kingship more than anyone else...

I think it's key that it passes to the Finarfinian line. Remember that Gil-galad was not just High King of the Noldor; he also had to be able to be High King of the Elves of the West, as reported in LOTR, and have the loyalty of the Sindarin population of Lindon and Eriador during the Second Age. Only a Finarfinian, who were descended from the Telerin royal line through Earwen of Alqualonde could hope to have such loyalty especially since the line of Fingolfin was regarded by the Sindar as having some guilt in the Kinslaying of the Teleri at Alqualonde.

: 3. I feel it's more nice (storywise) that the Kingship passes from
: Fingolfin to a son to a brother to a nephew, rather than from Fingolfin
: to a son to a brother to a first cousin twice removed. Come on - "first
: cousin twice removed"? Moreover this makes a non-issue of Galadriel
: not having become High Queen... :-)

This happens quite often: look at the how the crowns passed in Numenor and Gondor. I think it's nice that all the lines of Finwe got a shot at the High Kingship. I think that's quite appropriate.

Russ