# Prince Imrahil's Elven Blood



## WizardMagus (Dec 14, 2003)

If I recall correctly, in one of the books, it said that prior to Aragorn and Arwen, only two other Human-Elf couples existed. Then again, it clearly stated that Prince Imrahil, of Dol Amroth, had a fair bit of Elven blood in him. While it is possible that he could just be a descendant of Elros, it seemed to me that Tolkien implied he was more Elven than the other Numenoreans. He made a bigger deal of it than with, say, Faramir. He also talked about some Elves who had passed that way (wasn't one of them called Amroth?), implying that they mated with humans there, leading to Imrahil.

So, that means one of a few things:
A) Prince Imrahil is no more Elven than any of the other Numenoreans, but showed more qualities of it than they did.
B) Tolkien came up with Imrahil's character after the statement of there only being three Human-Elf couples.
C) Tolkien forgot about Imrahil, when making that statement.

I don't have a copy of the book with me, or else I would just reread that section again in hopes it would answer it. Does anyone know whether Imrahil really has more recent Elven blood than Elros?


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## Tar-Elenion (Dec 15, 2003)

It is not Human-Elf couples, but rather Edain-Eldar. Imrazor the Numenorean took Mithrellas, a Silvan Elf, to wife.


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## Niniel (Dec 15, 2003)

Really? I didn't know that. Where does it say that?


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## FoolOfATook (Dec 15, 2003)

> Really? I didn't know that. Where does it say that?



The marriage between Imrazor and Mithrellas is described in UT, in the "History of Galadriel and Celeborn". Their son was Galador, who was the first Lord of Dol Amroth, hence Imrahil's Elvish blood.

As to the other part of the question, in Appendix A of LOTR, in the first section "The Numenorian Kings", Tolkien wrote:



> There were three unions of the Eldar and the Edain: Luthien and Beren; Idril and Tuor; Arwen and Aragorn. By the last the long-sundered branches of the Half-elven were reunited and their line was restored.


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## Bucky (Dec 15, 2003)

I guess that's a bit contradictory saying there was three unions on the one hand & then adding a fourth on the other, but considering the mentioning in ROTK about Imrahil having Elven blood, I guess you would have to conclude Tolkien added that minor union in as a 4th Elven/Edain (Dunedain) marriage. He probably just didn't feel the need to explain it in the Appendices or hadn't thought up names as of their publishing.


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## FoolOfATook (Dec 15, 2003)

> _Originally posted by Bucky _
> *I guess that's a bit contradictory saying there was three unions on the one hand & then adding a fourth on the other, but considering the mentioning in ROTK about Imrahil having Elven blood, I guess you would have to conclude Tolkien added that minor union in as a 4th Elven/Edain (Dunedain) marriage. He probably just didn't feel the need to explain it in the Appendices or hadn't thought up names as of their publishing. *



As Tar-Elenion already pointed out, Tolkien only said that there were only three marriages between _Eldar_ and Edain, not between Elves and Men. Mithrellas was a Silvan Elf.


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## Bucky (Dec 15, 2003)

Damn insomnia.........

3 hours sleep will do that.

Makes perfect sense now.


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## Tar-Elenion (Dec 16, 2003)

Or to be more precise, Mithrellas was a non-Eldarin Silvan Elf (as some Silvan Elves were Eldar).


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## Flame of Udûn (Jan 20, 2004)

I think that all Silvan Elves were Eldar, as they were the part of the Nandor that never crossed into Beleriand but remained near Anduin and Greenwood, at least according to _The Silmarillion_ and _Unfinished Tales_.


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## Inderjit S (Jan 20, 2004)

They were called 'per-Eldar' (Half-Eldar) since they never completed the journey.


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## Ingolmin (Dec 16, 2016)

Elves were eldar, whether they were Silvan or Noldo etc. except the Dark Ones. These Silvans were part of those who refused the great Journey to Valinor.
Imrahil being descended of Mithrellas, an elvish maid and Imrazor(TA 1950-2076) around the beginning of the Third Age. This was not mentioned by Tolkien as a standard union between the Edain and the Eldar because the descendants of these two were mortal and not Half Elven. Yet they had a long life.


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## Ingolmin (Jan 2, 2017)

Actually Imrahil was a very recent descendant of Imrazor, so he had more elvish qualities while the other Numenoreans had a long lineage from Earendil and after some time their lifetime also reduced. Also Imrazor's marriage with Mithrellas was not such of great importance, they were destined to be mortals only, so I think Tolkien would have thought that readers can analyse themselves about Imrahil's lineage. 
Most importantly, that it is not sure that Imrahil was a descendant of Earendil because all Numenoreans were not the descendants of Earendil only(Imrazor was a Numenorean). They comprised of all the Edain who helped the Eldar during the wars against Melkor.
Also there is nothing as full Eldar or half Eldar. Silvan Elves to which Mithrellas belonged were known as Avari.


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