lives of nuemenorens?

[lore_master]

i was just wondering, how long CAN a Nuemenorean live, or if there is realy a time limit that they have to follow?.

if not what would keep them fromm living from say the 1st age to the 4th age and THEn die?


thanks ahead this has been buging me for a while

[Jurion]

The Numenoreans were not seemingly immortal. They are still mortal, even though they live a longer time than normal mortals. Even though they were granted lives longer than other mortals by the Valar, they were still bound by the 'gift' of men (death).

I think that Elros Tar-Minyatur was the longest lived, 500 hundred years: from I. 525 till II. 442.
EDIT: Elros Tar-Minyatur ruled Numenor for 410 years, from II. 32 till II. 442.

[ February 11, 2003: Message edited by: Jurion ]

[HCIsland]

Okay, this is from memory (which is always scary), but at their height they lived hundreds, not thousands of years.

The certainly don't live ages?

H.C.

[Naldoriathil]

Aragorn (elessar) was around 210 when he passed away and he was apparently one of the longest living Men of his time. Hope that helps. smilies/biggrin.gif

[Ultimatejoe]

There is a certain ambiguity in the dates provided, but the numbers I always go by is like this:

Before the Fall:
Line of Elros: 300-325 years or so
Other Numenoreans: 200-215

After the Fall:
Line of Elros: 250 to 300, but clinging on into senility
Other Numenoreans: 150-200

Elendil (The Tall), the last surviving lord of Andunie lived 322 years, recapturing the vigor of the unfallen Lords of Numenor; but after his death the lives of the Numenoreas wained until the average Dunedain in M.E. would probably barely make it to 100 and only the healthiest of Royal Houses would see 150 by the end of the Third Age.

Bare in mind that without cataclysmic events like the Fall and the Black Death the lifespan of the Numenoreans especially in M.E. shortened to a degree with every generation. Only Elessar recaptured the uncorrupted glory of the Numenoreans and he lived to an age of 210, far longer than any of his forebarers for many generations, but only to the span of a 'regular' person of Numenor uncorrupted.

[lore_master]

thanks you guys, I had always thought that Aragorn had lived only to 120 years, but oh well. thanks again

[Gorwingel]

Yeah, I knew Aragorn was old, but I didn't think he was that old.

[Arvedui III]

Yep. What really weird is during the War of the Ring Aragorn is 83. smilies/eek.gif

[Ultimatejoe]

Regular excercise man... works wonders.

[Inderjit Sanghera]

Plus that freaky Numenorean blood....

[Frodo Baggins]

That "freaky" Numenorian blood has elven in it, I'm sure that helps ages too. At least those descended from Elros Tar-Minaytur.

[Ultimatejoe]

It didn't seem to make a difference to the men of Dol Amroth. All the descendants of Elros were counted solely as mortals. The extended lifespan was a gift from Iluvatar/The Valar.

[Jurion]

The Numenoreans were given the extended lifespan because their forefathers opposed Morgoth in the First Age and fought against him with the elves. Not all of them were descended from Elros, so most of them were normal humans.

The line of Elros Tar-Minyatur were given an even longer lifespan partly because of the elvenblood that flowed in their veins, but they were still mortal because Elros chose to be mortal.

Normal Numenoreans lived less long than the line of Elros.

[Grimbold]

Yes, I believe the Numenoreans were granted a life-span three times that of a normal man by the Valar. Does that sound right?

[Naldoriathil]

Yes, I am sure that that is correct. I recently read that in The Silmarillion, but I can't remeber where, sorry! I will get back to you on that one. smilies/smile.gif