Aragorn, the Rangers and life spans

[Imbefana]

I know Aragorn's life was longer than most Men, and I've heard of two reasons why:

1) He is the 38th (or something of the like) generation of Elros, brother of Elrond,who chose a mortal life. Elros lived for about five hundred years, and so the lives of his descendents taper slowly from his life span.

2)After the Great Battle in the First Age, the Valar granted the Dunedain the island of Numenor, along with long life and more powers of the mind and spirit than ordinary Men. After a time they became corrupted by Morgoth and their island was destroyed, and all but the Elendili perished. The Elendili then created the Kingdoms of Gondor and Arnor, and the rest is history. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

I've been wondering whether Aragorn was the only Ranger with long life, or if all the Rangers and those left in the Angle were as mighty and noble as those in Numenor.

And I just realized the lineage of the Edain began with Elros, which connects the two reasons I heard, but still: Is Aragorn long-lived because of the Dunedain or Elros, and do the Rangers have the same life span?

[lathspell]

Aragorn is indeed through long lines connected to Elendil and therefore also to Elros, First King of Numenor! They received long life from the Valar for their aid in the War of Wrath, but were corrupted by Sauron! The Elendili survived and built the Southern and the Northern Kingdom until Sauron showed up again and destroyed many of these works. Then there was the Last Alliance and Sauron was overthrown once again and the Ring was taken.
That is why Aragorn had a longer life-span than other man, and to answer both questions: this quote is from appendix A, the last alinea of Eriador, Arnor, and the Heirs of Isildur and runs thus:

It is the pride and wonder of the Northern Line that, though their power departed and their people dwindled, through all the many generations the succession was unbroken from father to son. Also, though the length of lives of the Dúnedain grew ever less in Middle-earth, after the ending of their kings the waning was swifter in Gondor; and many of the Chieftains of the North still lived to twice the age of Men, and far beyond the days of even the oldest among us. Aragorn indeed lived to be two hundred and ten years old, longer than any of his line since King Arvegil, but in Aragorn Elessar the dignity of the kings of old was renewed.

The whole of Appendix A tells much more about the line of Isildur, Elendil's son, from the point where Isildur is betrayed by the Ring. So many more questions about this subject might find their answers there!

Hoping to have been of help,
lathspell

[lore_master]

the Edain did not beging with Elros. the first men that came to beleriand were called Edain by the Eldar(or at least the house of Beor was)

and i think that Aragorn was 39 heir of Isildur. that would make him something like the 90th to 100th heir to Elros(i think)

[Mahal]

But "if" Numenor still existed in the TA Aragorn would not be a king, altough related to. He would then be a lord of Adunië a counciler(sp?) of the king. But all the rebels from Numenor who came to Middle-earth had a longer lifespan as the normal people. You can also find in the appendix,that the people in Gondor did not want a king that was not "pureblooded". So they then got the kin-strife.

[Finwe]

If Numenor had existed in the Third Age, Aragorn wouldn't have been the Aragorn that we know. It was circumstances that made him the way he was, and if those circumstances had changed, then he would have changed. I personally think that he is a lot like Ar-Pharazon. It's just that Ar-Pharazon made a LOT of bad choices, which brought about the doom of himself and his people. If he had been faithful to the Valar, then Numenor would probably have survived for a much longer time.

[lathspell]

The difference between Ar-pharazon and Aragorn is in my opinion huge! One major difference, and probably the most important, is that Ar-pharazon was corrupted by Sauron. Aragorn doesn't appear to be tempted for power in any way.

It's just that Ar-Pharazon made a LOT of bad choices

Isn't it our choices that makes us to who we are?

[Northman]

So, Aragorn is related to Arwen?!

The increased lifespan was granted to all of the Dunedain, and waned throughout the third age of middle earth. Still, Denethor, no relation to the Kings, was a healthy 88 at the time of the War of the Ring. Elendil's line was descended from Silmarien, daughter of one of the Kings of Numenor, and thus from Elros, Elrond's brother (the fourth I think) Aragorn and Arwen are therefore first cousins, many, many generations removed. I'd guess around 65 if you put a gun to my head and without counting the generations in the book.

[Imbefana]

Thanks you guys, you've been a big help. I think I read the Appendices about two years ago, and currently a friend is borrowing it, so I didn't have the reference. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]