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In Tolkien's legendarium he was very clear that there were three unions of elves and men. Which were those of:

  • Beren and Lúthien
  • Tuor and Idril
  • Aragorn and Arwen

Tolkien also describes at least two other potential/actual relationships between elves and men.

  • Túrin and Finduilas
  • Imrazôr and Mithrellas

The union of Imrazôr and Mithrellas, ultimately led to the birth of Imrahil, the Prince of Dol Amroth, who was an important figure at the end of the third age.

Did Tolkien ever explain or discuss these other unions between men and elves and the inconsistency this causes with the statement that there were only three unions?

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  • Eldar and men
    – AKA
    Commented Oct 5, 2022 at 21:39
  • Uh, Galadriel and me. Sadly, died during childbirth. 😕
    – KorvinStarmast
    Commented Oct 14, 2022 at 0:46

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There's (probably) no inconsistency.

The three "important" unions involved the two families from which Elros descended, and two of his descendants.

There was no "union" between Túrin and Finduilas; she loved him, but he did not reciprocate.

Mithrellas was a Silvan Elf, possibly one of the Eldar, but not one of the two more important branches (the Noldor and the Sindar) in Middle-earth. She was either one of the Nandor (those of the Teleri that abandoned the Great March) or one of other Moriquendi that never started on the Great March.

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    All Sindar were considered Eldar, as a branch of Teleri. The Eldar included all Elven peoples who participated in the Great Journey, even those that stopped part way.
    – suchiuomizu
    Commented Oct 4, 2022 at 20:16
  • The term for what you are describing is Calaquendi or "High Elves", but Lúthien is not one of them.
    – OrangeDog
    Commented Oct 4, 2022 at 20:19
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    Yeah, kind of ruins my distinction for Mithrellas, who was (probably) one of the Nandor. I wonder if the most that can be said is that she and Imrazor were not an "important" union, in that their offspring did not involve an ancestor or (direct) descendant of the House of Elros.
    – chepner
    Commented Oct 4, 2022 at 20:24
  • Arwen was half-elven, so perhaps she and Aragorn shouldn't count.
    – Spencer
    Commented Oct 4, 2022 at 22:13
  • @suchiuomizu: I don't think the Silvan Elves were counted as Sindar, because they left the Great Journey too early. They also did have their own language, separate from Sindarin. But I guess merely starting out made you one of the Eldar?
    – Shamshiel
    Commented Oct 4, 2022 at 22:13

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