And, ummmm...if the Fëanoreans are there, how is anyone not killing them for the attacks on Doriath and the Havens?
I think they didn't want to become kinslayers themselves by going on the offensive. It's one thing to kill Elves to defend yourself. But as Luthien said, to start the war against even a kinslayer isn't right. It's also possible that the Feanorians outnumbered them. Some people could advocate for attacking them, and there can be arguments about it... at the very least, the two camps would
not be talking or exchanging news.
Gil-galad and Elrond need to meet prior to the War of Wrath
They could, but why do you say they must? There'll be plenty of time afterwards.
As for the childhood of Elrond and Elros, I think we are most likely to go with the published Silmarillion version, where they were fostered by Maglor. That is such an intriguing story, and the narrative remark, 'as little might be thought' says so much. Can't leave that out!
Yes, there is so much potential there to interesting things with a fostering story. How did they get from fear and hate to forgiveness and even love? Was there teenage rebellion? (Though we can tell the same story with Maedhros... )
And what happened to the other survivors of the Havens? Did all of them escape with Cirdan's rescue mission, or did some have to live with the Feanorians? Did some get captured while trying to rescue Elrond and Elros, and stay with the twins to try to protect them from the Feanorians?
That being said, it is most certainly true that the half-elven mature as mortals and (prior to whole concept of 'choice' in the matter being introduced), would most likely have aged and died as mortals as well.
Elrond doesn't look like a middle-aged mortal during the Third Age, so I do not think they aged to look like 58-year-old mortals. I think the Valar must have put them in a sort of unaging in-between-state after Manwe declared they would have a Choice, to prevent them from dying of old age before they got a chance to make their Choices.
I don't think you can use the reasoning of Tolkien, not coming up with a character as a reason for why Elrond and Elros would not have looked for them.
That wasn't what I meant. I meant that they probably weren't prominent famous heroes who everyone in Beleriand had heard of. They don't even get names.
Further there are mentions of descendants of the House of Hador such as Orchaldor
I did not remember this person. Can you please point me to where they are described or named? I thought Orchaldor was the nickname or title of Galdor. In any case, I thought there was a statement somewhere that Elrond and Elros were the only descendants of the heroic chieftains of the Edain. I wish I could remember where I read it.
Why would any relative of Thingol, be the king of Doriath over his grandson and heir Dior?
Because Elmo, Galadhon, and Celeborn were all millennia older than Dior. If they were alive they would be more likely to be kings than Dior, who was very young. It seems to me the Sindar would have picked the eldest royal, like the Noldor did.
And why did Tolkien include that part about the elves of Beleriand not participating in the War of Wrath - what was the thematic reason for that restriction? (Most likely, to prove the Doom of Mandos true, that *nothing* the Noldor did in Middle-earth prior to the arrival of the Valar's aid was successful in any way.) Is there any 'wiggle room' there, to preserve the overall stance that the Noldor in Middle-earth have been thoroughly and utterly defeated, but not to take it so far as forbidding *any* of our surviving characters from taking part?
I don't see that Tolkien said they were forbidden. Eonwe summoned all the Elves and Men to his banner. Why would he summon them, but make a law banning them from doing anything?
If they had stayed with Maedhros and Maglor until the end, then they would not have been healers, but doing nothing for 30 years of the war, where they could have acted.
I don't think Elrond and Elros did nothing. I don't think Maedhros and Maglor were doing nothing. I don't think anyone chose to hide and do absolutely nothing during the War of Wrath, because why would anyone want to do that? They were not cowards or pacifists. I think Gil-galad, the Feanorians, the Sindar, the Edain, the Exiles, and the Dwarves were all fighting against Morgoth's hordes. I can't see any reason why any of them would refuse to participate. They hate Morgoth, and finally have hope of his defeat.
The Exiles need not be effective or accomplish anything significant in the War. They certainly don't have many forces left. I don't think that's a reason to make them refuse to even try.