Talk:Orchaldor

Hello,

I didn't really know how else to post this, but some of the information given on the pages of Orchaldor/Soronto are incorrect. Before Tar-Aldarion created the laws concerning succession, the sceptre was passed on to the king's eldest son. In case a king did not leave a son upon his death/abdication, the sceptre would pass on to the next male relative of male descent, meaning the son of an uncle would inherit over the son of a sister. This was not based on some law, either, but custom/tradition. According to this, Soronto would have been ineligible as heir before the new laws were passed, as he was the son of a princess and not a prince.

The new law created by Tar-Aldarion then declared that the king's eldest child (regardless of sex) would inherit the sceptre, moving Ancalime before any of her distant cousins in the line of succession. Additionally, the new law dictated that, in case a king would leave no heir, or a queen would not marry and produce an heir before reaching a certain age, the sceptre would pass to the nearest male relative (in this case, Soronto). Therefore, the new law made Soronto Ancalime's heir apparent until she gave birth to her son.

Source: Unfinished Tales: The Tale of Aldarion and Erendis, p 268

It is noted that this contradicts what is said in The Lord of the Rings, however, I believe it is safe to assume that a line of succession based on male descent would be more practical in a world where women wed into different families/houses (like the marriages between House Hador and House Beor). Besides, it is nowhere mentioned that Ancalime supplanted Soronto as heir to Tar-Aldarion. He only laid claim to the throne when Ancalime refused to marry at first.

Aylatha

80.123.63.83 20:04, March 2, 2016 (UTC)