Imrahil

[Manwe Sulimo]

Imrahil, the Prince of Dol Amroth in Gondor, is the center of a question that has been bouncing around in my head ever since I had reread Return of the King.

At length they came to the Prince Imrahil, and Legolas looked at him and bowed low; for he saw that here indeed was one who had elven-blood in his veins. 'Hail, lord!' he said. 'It is long since the people of Nimrodel left the woodlands of Lórien, and yet still one may see that not all sailed from Amroth's haven west over water.'

But if

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

than where did Imrahil's elven blood come from? He was a "kinsman of the steward", so his family was originally from Númenor, so he must be descended from either Elros or an unrecorded union of Dúnedain and Elf. If he was descended from Elros, then he was also an Heir of one of the Kings of Númenor (not Silmariën, but another sibling of a King). So, if the Heir of Anarión (Eärnur) and the Heir of Isildur (the fathers of Aragorn) were both killed, wouldn't Imrahil be next in the line of succesion? I'm really confused....

[ July 29, 2002: Message edited by: Manwe Sulimo ]