One of the funnier things from the Quora Tolkien digests is that, for whatever reasons, I get a lot of answers that are very fixated on Aragorn's descent from Lúthien and will reference Legolas's quote about the line of Lúthien never failing as if Aragorn's accomplishments were entirely attributable to his ancestry and nobody in the houses of Elros or Isildur or Anárion ever failed at anything or were just kind of shitty.
It feels almost unsporting to point out Pharazôn failing so hard he got his kingdom eternally sunk into the sea, so I'll settle for Arvedui of Arthedain, who definitely failed at several things that contributed to his death. There's Eärnur of Gondor, who rode into Minas Morgul to demand single combat with a being prophesied to never be killed by a man and was never seen again. There's the super racist Castamir who kickstarted (and ultimately lost) the Gondorian civil war that devastated Osgiliath.
Oh, and for the "just kind of shitty" contingent, there's Ar-Gimilzôr, an oppressor who forced his wife to marry him despite her unwillingness, along with Herucalmo, who ruled through the authority of his wife Tar-Vanimeldë and upon her death, seized the throne from his own son. Tar-Ancalimë's husband Hallacar (who tried to outmaneuver her with dubious success at best) sucked too, along with her cousin Soronto (who tried to either supplant her as heir or succeed her and achieved neither).
Descent from Elros grants stature and abilities of varying kinds to his descendants. It does not grant success or virtue, though.
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the line of elros ♚ royalty of númenor ♚  headcanon disclaimer
     Ailinel was the elder of Tar-Meneldur’s two daughters. She was a painter of landscapes, and loved the land of Númenor as her brother Aldarion loved the sea. She wed Orchaldor, son of her father’s friend Hatholdir of the House of Hador, and together they had a son, Soronto.
     Though Orchaldor was a humble man most fond of his horses, Soronto was a cunning politician and a member of the Council of the Scepter. As the first cousin of Tar-Aldarion, whose only child was a daughter, Soronto advocated for the changing of the law to allow for inheritance of women, and through the mother’s line, thus putting him next in line for the throne after Tar-Ancalimë. However, Ancalimë disliked her cousin, and though she was reluctant to wed, she did so in part to spite Soronto. Her marriage resulted in one son, Tar-Anárion, who took Soronto’s place as heir.
An opinion: Silmarien and Ancalimë did not get along
Okay, this is essentially 100% headcanon, but my Silmarien is rather different from some of the other interpretations I've seen around. Which is fine, I just wanted to throw some different things into the mix.Â
I've mentioned before that I have lots of headcanon for Meneldur's daughters and their relatives. Here's a short overview: Ailinel and Almiel live with their parents in Forostar until Tar-Elendil retires, then they move to Armenelos when their father takes the throne. The two are quite close, and Ailinel (who is seventeen years older) kind of helps raise Almiel. Ailinel is close friends with Aldarion when they're younger, and Almiel idolizes him when she's a child. However, he and Ailinel grow apart when he begins regularly taking long sea voyages, and as he comes into conflict with Meneldur his sisters tend to side with their father. Aldarion's behavior seems selfish to them, especially when he starts gaining responsibilities as the King's Heir and then leaving NĂşmenor to avoid them. Ailinel marries a member of the nobility for political reasons, but the marriage turns out well and they end up very much in love. Almiel, despite her own desire to travel, continues to live at court and tries to help mediate her family members' disagreements.
Silmarien is extremely competent and practical-minded, and has a lot of affection for her younger siblings. She is good at turning any situation to her advantage with a minimum of fuss, and isn't particularly bitter about not becoming queen. However, she and Meneldur are both quite aware that he's not exactly cut out to rule, and he relies on her a great deal for advice. She also co-rules AndĂşniĂ« with Elatan, and is highly respected and a force to be reckoned with in NĂşmenorean politics.Â
Silmarien is close to both of her nieces, and shares their concerns about Aldarion's behavior. She has a lot of influence on them, and they love and respect her. Silmarien is also an important figure in the life of Ailinel's son, Soronto; she watches him grow up and spends a good deal of time with him. When he shows an early interest in politics, she takes him under her wing and mentors him. He's intelligent and committed and a quick learner, and she hopes he will end up in a position of influence, likely as a member of the Council of the Sceptre. When the possibility arises of him inheriting the throne, Silmarien feels he has the potential to be a better king than his uncle or grandfather.Â
She has a lot less confidence in her niece. In Silmarien's view, AncalimĂ« has had a questionable upbringing that has left her far too headstrong - she spends too much of her energy on petty concerns, and her actions are too often dictated by contrariness. Silmarien sees too much of both her parents in her (Aldarion's fixation on his own desires, Erendis' lack of tact, and both of their unwillingness to compromise).Â
Silmarien has also gotten used to having the ear of the king; Meneldur trusts her judgement a lot, and Aldarion respects her despite their disagreements. She knows Soronto will also listen to her advice, but more than that she has a great deal of confidence in him, and trusts him to rule well even without her help. On the other hand, Silmarien knows she won't be able to have much influence over Ancalimë, and she doesn't trust her niece to do a good job.
(Side note: we know that before the law of succession changed, the heir to the throne after Aldarion was not Soronto but Malantur, a cousin who was the nearest descendant of Elros through the male line. When the law changed, Soronto, the son of the king's sister, moved into the line of succession. Under the new law, he would inherit the throne from Aldarion only if AncalimĂ« refused to marry.Â
I'm guessing Malantur never expected to be anywhere near the throne, even though he was officially next in line after Aldarion. Numenor doesn't seem to have many issues with succession, because of people's longevity and durability, and nobody ever expected Aldarion to die suddenly or fail to produce an heir. Since we never hear much about Malantur, I think he didn't spend much time at court and was shocked when he found out he might have to become king. He probably felt very relieved when they changed the law.)
