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cellurdur · 03-26-2014, 09:36 PM

Finally on the topic of Elvish maturity.

I will first address the brief note that we have in the Unfinished Tales, where Tolkien says that the Eldar aged much the same way as the Numenoreans.

"Thus (as the Eldar) they grew at much the same rate other Men, but when they had achieved 'full growth' they then aged, or 'wore out', very much more slowly."-Unfinished Tales, Line of Elros.

This comment here certainly implies that Elves and Men aged MUCH the same and would certainly dismiss the notion of the Eldar taking 3000 years to mature. However, what does Tolkien mean by 'much the same'? Is an elf taking 50 years to mature, a Hobbit taking 33 years and a Dunedain taking 33 years that different? Without any further elaboration I am not convinced that this is enough to dismiss the detailed essay he wrote about Elvish aging.

I am unaware of any other source we have from Christopher Tolkien, which further addresses the issue except for 'Laws and Customs' and the part in the Children of Hurin.

The Children of Hurin was compiled much later than even the HOME. Christopher Tolkien had even more time to evaluate his fathers notes and take out things he did not think would quite fit.

Christopher Tolkien also tells us that Tolkien completed most of the Children of Hurin after the publication of LOTR.

"By far the greater part of this work, if not all of it, belongs to the time following the actual publication of The Lord of the Rings. In those years the Children of Hurin became for him the dominant story of the Elder Days, and for a long time he devoted all his thought to it."-The Children of Hurin, Appendix

As we can see the quote Hurin and Sabdor supports a similarity between the maturity of Elves and Men, but the Elves having the long childhood.

Personally I think it's a very big jump to assume that Tolkien dismissed the idea of Elves maturing at 50 given Christopher Tolkien never commenting on this one note. It becomes an even bigger stretch when we see how the mortal (an ultimately descendant from Man) Hobbits have evolved to reach full maturity at 33.

03-26-2014, 09:36 PM	#11
cellurdur Shade of Carn Dûm Join Date: Dec 2012 Posts: 276	Finally on the topic of Elvish maturity. I will first address the brief note that we have in the Unfinished Tales, where Tolkien says that the Eldar aged much the same way as the Numenoreans. *"Thus (as the Eldar) they grew at much the same rate other Men, but when they had achieved 'full growth' they then aged, or 'wore out', very much more slowly."*-Unfinished Tales, Line of Elros. This comment here certainly implies that Elves and Men aged MUCH the same and would certainly dismiss the notion of the Eldar taking 3000 years to mature. However, what does Tolkien mean by 'much the same'? Is an elf taking 50 years to mature, a Hobbit taking 33 years and a Dunedain taking 33 years that different? Without any further elaboration I am not convinced that this is enough to dismiss the detailed essay he wrote about Elvish aging. I am unaware of any other source we have from Christopher Tolkien, which further addresses the issue except for 'Laws and Customs' and the part in the Children of Hurin. The Children of Hurin was compiled much later than even the HOME. Christopher Tolkien had even more time to evaluate his fathers notes and take out things he did not think would quite fit. Christopher Tolkien also tells us that Tolkien completed most of the Children of Hurin after the publication of LOTR. "By far the greater part of this work, if not all of it, belongs to the time following the actual publication of The Lord of the Rings. In those years the Children of Hurin became for him the dominant story of the Elder Days, and for a long time he devoted all his thought to it."-The Children of Hurin, Appendix As we can see the quote Hurin and Sabdor supports a similarity between the maturity of Elves and Men, but the Elves having the long childhood. Personally I think it's a very big jump to assume that Tolkien dismissed the idea of Elves maturing at 50 given Christopher Tolkien never commenting on this one note. It becomes an even bigger stretch when we see how the mortal (an ultimately descendant from Man) Hobbits have evolved to reach full maturity at 33.