In our exclusive interview with Robert Aramayo, we dug deep into Elrond's in-canon storyline. At one point, the "Game of Thrones" alumnus referenced the pressure on his character to live up to his past. From there, he launched into a description of Elrond's backstory that would make the most die-hard Tolkien fan proud, specifically discussing how Tolkien talks about Elrond as being "counted amongst" the immortals.
This hesitation over calling him outright immortal is warranted. Elrond's ancestors are a mixed group of Men and Elves. His great-great-grandmother is even a Maiar, a spiritual being closer in makeup to an angel than a physical person. His brother, Elros, becomes the first king of the Men of Númenor. His father and mother are also half-Elven, and together, they save the world from the original Dark Lord Morgoth. Everywhere you turn, Elrond has a rich, complicated ancestry that sports mortals, immortals, and even Middle-earth angels amongst their ranks.
It's awesome and awe-inspiring, but it's also confusing — something that Aramayo is well aware of. "Technically, he's immortal, but to me, it suggests something interesting about what mortality means to him, and literally what mortality is inside of him. If you had to cut him up, he's immortal, but 'What does half-elven mean?' was one of the most interesting questions about creating him."
