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Since Gondor is a kingdom of humans and someone who isn't human (Arwen) became their Queen, I'm curious if that caused any problems with the population of Gondor?

Were there any instances of prejudice or fear as a result? How did the population feel about an elf being their queen?

Kadir Erdem Demir
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  • What do you mean by “disturb any folks in Gondor”? – Janus Bahs Jacquet Apr 10 '16 at 13:39
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    the kingdom of Gondor was founded by descendents of Elros, who was Elrond's brother. Elrond was Arwen's father. So essentially the new queen was already family. I'd say it didn't bother them so much as give them cause to cheer the reunifcation of men and elves. – Kevin Milner Apr 10 '16 at 13:53
  • @KevinMilner - Well, men and elf, given that she's basically the last one at that point since as far as we know, the rest of her species all went to the West... – Darrel Hoffman Apr 10 '16 at 18:30
  • @DarrelHoffman - Plenty of elves stayed, just not the high elves; http://scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/80348/did-all-of-the-elves-leave-middle-earth-after-the-defeat-of-sauron – Valorum Apr 10 '16 at 19:47
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    She's not an elf. She's half-elven –  Apr 11 '16 at 18:48
  • @ATB Half elves and their descendants get to choose which they are. –  Apr 11 '16 at 18:56
  • @Axelrod not true. They had limited choice. Arwen became mortal because she refused to return with Elrond. She lost the life of the Eldar when he left middle-earth –  Apr 11 '16 at 18:57
  • @ATB That wasn't the choice, just a consequence of it. Yes, she was mortal, but no it didn't have to do with not going west. –  Apr 11 '16 at 19:01
  • @Axelrod yes it did. –  Apr 11 '16 at 19:01
  • @Axelrod To him therefore was granted the same grace as to those of the High Elves that still lingered in Middle-earth: that when weary at last of the mortal lands they could take ship from the Grey Havens and pass into the Uttermost West; and this grace continued after the change of the world. But to the children of Elrond a choice was also appointed: to pass with him from the circles of the world; or if they remained, to become mortal and die in Middle-earth (Appendix A, Lord of the Rings)." –  Apr 11 '16 at 19:02
  • @ATB Elros never got that particular choice. It appears to be a case-by-case thing. –  Apr 11 '16 at 19:10
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    @Axelrod Elros and Elrond as brothers got the choice right at the beginning. Elros chose mankind and his descendants lost the choice. The children of Elrond remained immortal while Elrond remained in middle-earth. The children of Arwen were mortal –  Apr 11 '16 at 19:11

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The History of Middle Earth (Vol 12) indicates that Aragorn and Arwen lived long and prospered in their roles as King and Queen of Gondor and that their children were accepted as the heirs to the throne.

King Elessar [Aragorn] and Queen Arwen reigned long and in great blessedness; but at the last the weariness came upon the King, and then, while still in vigour of mind and body, he laid himself down after the manner of the ancient kings of Numenor, and died, in the hundred and second year of his reign and the hundred and ninetieth year of his life.

After Aragorn's death, Arwen left Gondor and went back to her ancestral home. Again, there's a mention that her reign was a welcome one to the peoples of Gondor

But Arwen became a mortal woman, and yet even so it was not her lot to die until she had lost all that she gained. For though she lived with Aragorn for five score years after and great was their glory together, yet at the last he said farewell and laid him down and died ere old age unmanned him.

For the record, there are no indications of any rebellion or strife that occurred during their reign. If anything, his latter years as King were largely uneventful aside from some (highly successful) military campaigns to recover land that had been annexed by the Easterlings.

Valorum
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  • Thanks a lot , but your answer led me to another question. All elves left middle earth right? So where actually Arwen returned? Were there anyone else but her ? (Thanks a lot for editing also, I wish such magic could apply somehow to my master thesis also) – Kadir Erdem Demir Apr 10 '16 at 14:58
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    @karimerdemdemir - That's worth asking as a new question. – Valorum Apr 10 '16 at 15:21
  • Did you ever watch the Fallout Lore series in Youtube, they are awesome. Story-teller always says "This is a story for another day." in the end of each episode. I think you are Story-teller in LOTR universe. – Kadir Erdem Demir Apr 10 '16 at 18:09
  • @KadirErdemDemir About her death: http://scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/54460/did-arwen-actually-die – Mithoron Apr 10 '16 at 21:28
  • @KadirErdemDemir and some info about elves http://scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/23062/why-did-celeborn-not-go-with-galadriel – Mithoron Apr 10 '16 at 21:30
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    Interesting, so Aragorn was still in good health when he died? Numenoreans can kinda just choose when they die by lying down when they're weary of life? – TylerH Apr 11 '16 at 02:11
  • @TylerH - Presumably in much the same way that your will can only be altered it you're of "sound mind and body". That doesn't mean you aren't decrepit and riddled with cancer, just that you're not actually dead yet. – Valorum Apr 11 '16 at 06:24
  • @TylerH It is speculated that part of the Gift of Man granted by Illuvatar upon humanity is the freedom to die - earlier - at a moment of your choosing (Death didn't choose you, you chose Death). It is believed to have been the case for the earliest chieftains of the houses of the Men of the West. Those who fell to Morgoth were corrupted: death to them is now known as the Doom of Man - not clear if Illuvatar actually removed that freedom of choice or if Morgoth's Men are simply so fearful of death that this choice is rejected and subsequently forgotten. – thegreatjedi Apr 11 '16 at 16:17
  • @TylerH Yes, actually. I believe that was covered in the appendices. –  Apr 11 '16 at 18:58
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Technically, Arwen was no longer an elf, since she had made a choice to become mortal when marrying Aragorn.

In the book Lord of the Rings, elves are humans who are blessed with the grace of god (actually, Eru) and with immortality, while 'men' are humans who are mortal. There aren't any physical differences: it is a spiritual difference. Elves do not have pointy ears. Usually, a human is an Elf by inheritance, but sometimes they are given a choice. Elrond had mixed mortal/elven ancestry: he chose to be an elf, while his brother Elros chose to be mortal. Arwen was given the same choice when the elves left middle earth and she wanted to stay.

Doug Moen
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Arwen was never an Elf, just like Elros, the first King if the Dúnedain was never an Elf. Both , however, were allowed to choose their Doom and both chose that of Men. Elros, who had very similar circumstances to Arwen ruled the Dúnedain for about 400 years, however, in his case all of his people were Dúnedain. With Aragorn and Arwen the Dúnedain were few of the people of Gondor. We know the lesser men generally had no problem with their rulers being Dúnedain before, see when Faithful returned to Middle-earth following the Drowning. In fact the Stewards were Dúnedain.

Belegorn
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  • I find it weird that after Elrond chose to live as an Elf, and married an Elf, their children aren't unambiguously Elves. There was no such wishy-wash about his brother's children. In modern terms it's like saying to the child of a native-born mother and a naturalized father, “if your father returns to his country of origin then you have to apply for naturalization.” – Anton Sherwood Apr 28 '17 at 04:00
  • Basically, the fates of Elves and Men aren't of "equal weight". From History of Middle Earth material, the default for anyone with any Mannish blood is the Gift/Doom of Men - the ability to choose their fate is a gift of Manwe/the Valar to Earendil, Elwing, and their children. (So Dior and the children of Imrellas and Mithrazor would have been mortal.) – cometaryorbit Apr 30 '17 at 08:17