Editing Half-Elf (section)

===The second, non-biological possibility===

Tolkien directly stated that, as far as half-elves were concerned, the difference between human and elf was more a matter of divine patronage than genetics (which again weren't even fully understood yet at the time); since Half-Elves had claim to two possibilities of such patronage, and such patronage was usually exclusive, they needed to choose between them. The [[Dresden Files]] setting has something similar going on for Changelings (half-Fae).

In other words, in these settings, half-elf is (1) a purely transitory state; either they go fully human, or fully elf, and (2) a matter of belonging to two somewhat mutually exclusive groupings, a bit like how some people have [[wikipedia:Multiple citizenship|Dual Citizen status]].