This allows for the loss of the other 96, or inaccurate division. It is just barely sufficient.
With Scheme 2: Total population at the time of the March would be 48,232 (excluding losses). Avari 1/3 = 16,077, Eldar = 32,154. If we say the total is 48,168 (allowing for 64 future losses), then Avari = 16,056, Eldar = 32,112.
32,112/72 = 446 therefore Vanyar = 3,122, Ñoldor = 12,488, Lindar = 16,502; say Vanyar = 3,100, Ñoldor = 12,400, Lindar = 16,500; total = 32,000.
This allows a future 122 loss. Losses before March will be 64 + 56 + 112 = 232.
Taking the Great March to have begun c. 1070, the oldest Quendi would then have been 1,070 years old = 24 + 1,046/144 (= 7 VY/38) or 31 plus 38 löar. The youngest 1070 – 1031 (third births of the 6th gen.) = 39 years: i.e., 24 and 15 löar. None would be old at all; and divergence between the Eldar and Avari could not much have depended on age as such. But the eldest of the two elder generations (1, 2) would have lived near Cuiviénen for 1,070 to 1,041 years; thus all those born up to FA 300 would have lived then 770 years and more (sc. all gens. 1, 2; first 4 births of gen. 3).
Those who had lived over 600 years at Cuiviénen (sc. were born in or before 470) were:
If we add births up to year 570:
In Scheme 1 therefore none born after 470 but a few, 660, need go.
In Scheme 2, 1,210 beyond the first births of gen. 6 must go.
But this is a purely abstract calculation. All 1st gen. married at the same time. Therefore in FA 189 all of the 2nd gen. – 432 – was complete. But they were born at different times; sc. about:
(The last long after their oldest brothers had married.) Marriages at:
Producing children in series:
So that the last of the 3rd gen. was born while the 4th gen. was well in progress.
These groups of 36 births would marry 96 years later, and begin the 4th gen. 97 years later, sc. in FA 126 to 556.
The table ends here, incomplete; but following the scheme through, there would have been a total of just 5,148 Quendi at the end of the 6th generation: far less than Scheme 1’s 26,270 and Scheme 2’s 55,202.
Providing 5 children each is 180 groups!
1) 26 to 370; 2) 139 to 383; 3) 164 to 408; and so till last group 586 to 800.
The last of the 3rd gen. is born in 800, while the 5th gen. was in progress, so that [?] generations would not keep intact. Plainly a child could be born in practically any year between 4 and 864 or 1070.
Scheme 3
Quendi awake in DB 850, spring = FA 1 spring. Elves awake at Ontavalië, 21/18, and are therefore adult in FA 4 spring. They marry and first births of the 2nd generation are in FA 5 spring. Oromë finds them in DB 864 = FA 2016. The March begins in spring 216 [sun-]years later = FA 2232. There are therefore 2,016 years for propagation.
Let the First Elves, 144, all wed at 24 (men) and produce 4 children in an onnalúmë of 24-year intervals = 4 + 3 × 24 = 76 years.
6th gen. first-born: FA 1186 / 1283 / 1380 / 1477; last-born: FA 1936 / 2033 / 2130 / 2227.
In FA 2016 therefore the 6th gen. would be complete but for the last 3 [intervals of] births. The 5th gen. had 1,536 groups, therefore the last three births = 3/1536 of the total 12,200 or about 24 children.
Subsequently, Tolkien added some notes in red ball-point pen:
Still only 6 generations! Early generations must marry earlier. 1st gen. each 4 [children], next 6 gens. 3, next 6 [gens.] 2.
Tolkien addresses all these concerns in the next scheme:
* * *
see footnote [fn2]
Tolkien subsequently added some rough notes in pencil:
Let “Early Elves” (before the Finding) marry soon after maturity:
(In uncertainty after the Finding they postponed marriages. These were few in the March. In Valinor they had more children, but left greater intervals plus married later.)
* * *
see note [16][17][18][19]
see footnote [fn3]
* * *
see note [20] [21]
Average intervals go up with marriage.
These suggestions were taken up in the next and final scheme. Tolkien made subsequent emendations to this scheme in green and red ball-point pen, increasing the number of pairs in each generation and their marriage rates (from about 98% to about 99%), thus resulting in a higher rate of increase in population (and a total in the 29th generation of 30,522 vs. the original total of 23,640). I give here the final version with all emendations adopted.
On the verso of the first sheet of Scheme 7, Tolkien wrote (in black nib-pen):
If this Scheme is accepted: At the Great March in FA 2232, some of Generations 25–30 would not yet be born. Of gen. 25, probably 16 births would have occurred from 1488 to c. 2223 (intervals 49);[22] of gen. 26 some 12 births from 1609 to c. 2214 (intervals 55); of gen. 27 some 10 births from 1730 to c. 2225 (int. 55); of gen. 28 some 7 births from 1851 to c. 2181 (int. 55); of gen. 29 some 5 births from 1984 to 2228 (int. 61); of gen. 30 some 2 births from 2117 to 2278 (int. 61). It is not possible to tell how many “birth groups” there were, or how many on average in each; but taking 18 as the average number: then of gen. 25, 16/18 were born; of gen. 26, 12/18; of gen. 27, 10/18; of gen. 28, 7/18; of gen. 29, 5/18; of gen. 30, 2/18. These proportions of yield in each generation added to the population of gen. 24 (24,436) make a population of between 27,000 and 28,000. Allowing for losses (in perils before the Finding), 27,000 should be a safe estimate. This will make: Avari = 9,000, Eldar = 18,000. Therefore, since 172 of 18,000 is 250, at the March, Vanyar were 7/72 = 1,750; Ñoldor 7,000; and Lindar 9,250. These are very suitable numbers.
When do Ingwë, Finwë, and Elwë come in? If born before the Finding in FA 2016, they should be then adult, and at least 24: sc. born no later than 1992. Now, this is the date of the last birth of gen. 23; but only gen. 30 is excluded (1992 could be among earliest births of gen. 29). But an Elf born in 1992 would be 240 [sun-]years old at the March, at which time the marriage age was 120; but it is important that neither Finwë nor Elwë should be married. So far in tentative schemes, the Embassy was less than 100 years after the Finding (sc. now before 2116, c. 2110). The three ambassadors should be young, adventurous, but direct descendants or “heirs” of Imin, Tata, and Enel; but they must be at least about 24 (or older!) at the time of their going to Valinor. If born in (say) 2086, they would be 146 at the March – still too old. The Embassy must be later, not more than 20 years before the March, allowing 10 years of absence and 10 years of preparation: say 2212. Let Ingwë be born in 2072; Finwë in 2120 (48 years later); and Elwë in 2126. Then at the Embassy Ingwë would be 140, Finwë 92, and Elwë 86. At the beginning of the March Ingwë would be 160, Finwë 112, and Elwë 106. Ingwë married about 2072 + 108 = FA 2180; his first child (Indis) was born in 2181 (so 51 at the March), his second in 2230, just before the March. Míriel, also in the 25th gen., was born about 2130?
A marginal note partly in broad nib-pen and partly in green ball-point pen reads:
Finwë and Elwë were friends, very adventurous. Olwë, born 2185, was 27 at the Embassy, 47 at the March (Elmo was born on the March). All three were direct descendants or heirs of the Three First Elves and regarded as chieftains.
Ingwë was 24th gen., his children therefore 25th. Finwë was gen. 25, Elwë gen. 25.
Finally, a note in green ball-point pen on the verso of one of the Scheme 7 sheets reads:
At the Finding in 2016 (spring) the oldest Elves would have been 2,015 years old. But they were 21 at the Awaking, and 24 in FA 4. Therefore at the Finding they were 24 + 2011 in years, but 24 + 14 (less 5 years) or practically 38 in age (= vigour and experience!).[23]
XVIII
ELVISH AGES & NÚMENÓREAN
This text is, for the most part, written in black nib-pen, on ten sides of engagement calendar pages for various weeks in May through September of 1965, which Tolkien clipped together. The rectos (only) of each page were numbered 1–8 by Tolkien in green ball-point pen. The te
xt itself is dated by Tolkien in red ball-point pen in the top margin of the first page: “15/Aug/1965”; and again in black nib-pen in the body of the text. All footnotes are in red ball-point pen. In the top left margin of the first page Tolkien wrote in red ball-point pen: “This is the scheme followed in LR and Tale of Years”.
For similar applications of the greatly increased rate of Sun-years to Valian Years of 144 : 1 to specific characters in the legendarium, see the texts presented here as chaps. IX, “Times-scales and Rates of Growth”; X, “Difficulties in Chronology”; and XI, “Ageing of Elves”, above.
Elvish Ages
& Númenórean[1]
Elves’ ages must be counted in two different stages: growth-years (GY) and life-years (LY). The GYs were relatively swift and in Middle-earth = 3 löar. The LYs were very slow and in Middle-earth = 144 löar.
Elves were in womb 1 GY. They reached “full speech” and intelligence in 2 GY. They reached “full growth” of body in 24 GY.[fn1]
They then had 48 LY of youth, and then 48 LY of “full age” or “steadfast body”,[2] by which time their knowledge ceased to increase. After that the “fading time” began – of unknown duration (very slow) in which (as they say) the fëa slowly consumed the hröa until it became merely a “memory”.
If we neglect the difference of speed and call each unit a “year”, we then see that an elf[fn2] reached maturity at 24, end of “youth” at 72, and “old age” at 120.
In mortal equivalents the age in physical and other characteristics indicated can be found approximately by multiplying by ¾: “full speech” in 18 months, full growth in 18 years, end of youth approximately at 54, and old age approximately at 90.
The Elves thus (in their own scale) were grown up swiftly. They reached “full speech” in 18 months and physical maturity in 18 years. In actual time, however, reckoned in löar (Sun-years) the figures are these:
In womb: 3 years.
“Full speech” at 6 years old.
Full growth at 72 years old
Years of youth lasted 48 × 144 löar = 6,912 years
“Maturity” or standstill was not therefore reached till they were 6,984 years old.[3]
“Fading” began at 13,896 years old.
Thus after 72 years an Elf could be reckoned equal to an 18-year-old Mortal. But he was not 19 years old till he had lived for 216 years. In the “course” of the Second Age the elves (if of full growth when it began) aged only at the equivalent of a little less than 23 years (or in mortal equivalent less than 18). In the course of the Third Age they aged less than 21 years (or in mortal equivalent about 15).
The “resting time” for women[fn3] after childbirth was, however, reckoned in GY units: it was seldom less than 1 (= 3 sun-years), usually 2 (= 6 sun-years).7 An indefinite period could, however, elapse between births, depending only on the length of “youth”. In times of peace the Elves usually set apart a bearing-time and then had no more children.
It may be noted that Elven women did not in fact usually bear children (never a first child) as late as 72 “end of youth” (mortal equivalent 54). The latest date for a first (and usually last) child was mortal equivalent 48 = 64 elf life-years.[fn4]
Examples of application to Narrative
Galadriel was born in Aman: “young and eager” at the beginning of the Exile; not yet full-grown: say 20. The March [back to Middle-earth] took a whole life-year of the survivors at whatever rate they were living, sc. to the young [but] “grown” it added 1 growth-year (3 löar); to the older and full-grown 1 life-year (144 löar). Therefore Galadriel was 21 when she reached Middle-earth. She became full-grown therefore (24) in 9 löar after arrival. By the end of the First Age – the overthrow of Thangorodrim and the ruin of Beleriand – she had added (600-9LY)/144 = approximately 4 LY. She was thus about 28 (or in mortal equivalent aged 21). Early in the Second Age she married Celeborn, and dwelt first in Lindon. In TA 1 she had added 23 years and was 51 (mortal equivalent 38). In TA 3021, when she sailed West, she was about 51 + 21 = 72 (mortal equivalent 54) and had just passed her “youth” and entered “maturity”. This fits well.
Celeborn was older than Galadriel. It is difficult to be sure of any person whose origin goes far back into the First Age. Celeborn was in the 2nd generation of the three Elf-kings that led the March: he was by tradition the son of a younger (2nd) brother of Elwë (Thingol), called Elmo.[4] But the relative ages of the Kings Ingwë, Finwë, and Elwë is not known. Elmo probably was much younger than Finwë. Galadriel was of the 3rd generation, being the daughter of Finarphin (4th child), the son of Finwë (5th child). However, Galadriel was young at the Exile (which, whatever scale of ageing is assumed for the Elves while dwelling in Aman, means relatively near to the end of the Days of Bliss, and to the Exile). According to Elvish calculations, the period between the arrival of the Eldar in Aman and the end of the First Age in the Overthrow of Morgoth, was 3,100 löar. If that is correct,[fn5] then Celeborn was of unknown age when he entered Beleriand, but certainly 24 and full-grown, added in 3,100 löar nearly 21 life-years and was 45[fn6] at the end of the First Age. He married Galadriel shortly after when she was 28 (21 [mortal equivalent]). In TA 3021, when bereft of Galadriel he was 68 + 21 = 89 (66+ [mortal equivalent]) and advanced in “maturity”.
Celebrían was born in Lindon at least 1 GY (3 löar) after the beginning of the Second Age; but probably (according to Elvish custom) 3 GY or 9 löar: say SA 9. Celebrían will be therefore full-grown (24 = 18) in SA 81 (9 + 72). When she weds Elrond (if the date is correct) she will have added life-years (3,441-81+100)/144 = 3,460/144 = 24 and will be 48. Her marriage was delayed by the wars against Sauron.
But if (as seems a probable tale) Amroth was the son of Celeborn:[5] the following calculation is possible.[6] Celeborn and Galadriel were not married (though betrothed) during the dreadful years of the “Battle of Wrath”, nor for some while afterwards in the confusions of the Second Age (i.e., not till SA 24).[7] Amroth their first child was born in SA 33: he was full-grown in SA 105, and at the founding of Eregion (SA 750) he was nearly 4½ years older: 29. At the time of the sack of Eregion (1697) he was 35. At the end of the Second Age he was 47+ (47⅙). At the time of the disaster in Moria, and the loss of Nimrodel, TA 1981, he was 60–61: nearing the end of youth, but (in mortal years) about 45. This is possible. The story was probably that Nimrodel would not give her love to the incoming non-Silvan elves, and hid herself in the mountains, not wishing to “go West”.
In that case Celebrían could be younger? She was born in Lindon (say) SA 45, and was full-grown in SA 117. She would then be at wedding (3,441-117+100)/144 (= exactly 24) + 24 = 48.[8] Evidently this shift of 37 years makes insignificant difference. In TA 2510 [her departure from Middle-earth] she would be 48 + 2,510/144 (= 17½) = 65 (mortal equivalent 49).
The marriage would however be suitable since Celebrían would be 48 (mortal equivalent = 36) and Elrond (see next) nearly 57 (mortal equivalent = nearly 43). Mortal equivalent 36 was a frequent age in the troublous times for an Elven woman to bear a child.[fn7]
Elrond. The “Half-elven” should age slower than ordinary Men, before the “doom” of the Valar was spoken.[9] Probably at rate of 1 to 5 as for Elros, the only one who lived his life out as Half-elven. (Full growth being achieved at Elvish rate of 24 but reckoned in normal löar.)
Elrond was present (see LR I 256)[10] at the fall of Thangorodrim. Eärendil his father wedded Elwing in FA 525,[11] being then 23. Elrond[fn8] may have been born about 527–530. He was thus at least 70 at the fall of Thangorodrim in c. FA 600.[12] But this would be the [mortal] equivalent of 24 + 46/5 = approximately 33.
He was made Elven soon after, and would then slow down to the Elvish rate of 144 SY = 1 life-year. In SA 3441 he would be 56. In TA 100 he would be nearly 57, but still in youth (= mortal equivalent nearly 43).
The dates of Elrond’s wedding (as in LR III 366) and of the births of his children are perfectly possible, but not likely.[13] For the present (Aug. 15, 1965
) they are left unchanged, since they cannot be fixed until a decision is taken about the story of Celeborn and Galadriel, and their connexion with Lórien.[14]
The best story seems to be that outlined under “Galadriel”,[15] in which they take part in the settlement of Eregion, and later of its defence against Sauron. But another possibility is that hinted at in the proposed emendations to the “Tale of Years” (LR III 366), by which they did not come to Lórien till TA 1060.[16] ☞ NB: alterations of the dates of Elves (including Elrond) only affects their lives at a rate of about 8 months = 100 years!
The case of Arwen. Taking her birth as TA 241, she will then be “full-grown” in TA 313 (241 + 72). In 2951, when she first meets Aragorn, she will be (in Elven Growth- and Life-years) 24 + 18⅓ (nearly); (2,951-313)/144 = 42⅓ = mortal equivalent 31¾. Aragorn was only 20.
In 3019, when they were married, she would have aged very little and would be nearly Elvish 43 (24 + (3,019-313)/144) = mortal equivalent 32–3. But Aragorn would have lived 88 years and 4 months. His “age” would however be about “45”. (See the note below on the Númenórean life-scale.)
At marriage Arwen became “mortal”: she would then join her husband’s scale of “expectation of life”. ☞ This would not alter her “age” of 43 = approximate mortal equivalent 32–3. But for the purpose of reckoning her expectation of life (as a mortal), she would count as having lived 81 years (24 + (19 × 3)), and her further “permitted life” would be about 153 years (to total 234). She might have lived on to about Fourth Age 151. Aragorn as 88 at wedding would have a permitted life of 146 more years and could have lived to about 4A 144. When Aragorn “resigned life” in 4A 120 he thus resigned 24 years of life. He had lived 210 years and was already within his “decline”.[17] Arwen was reckoned as 203 years at that time and also in the beginning of her decline. Aragorn resigned on the day of his birth, March 1, 4A 120. Arwen apparently “resigned” life and died on Cerin Amroth on March 1 in the following year, at Númenórean age 204 (mortal equivalent = 84). So she was now and felt. (Had she remained Elvish she would have been only 3,020 – 241 + 1 + 120 = 2,800 Sun-years old, giving an Elvish age of (24 + 2,800-72)/144 = almost exactly 43 (mortal equivalent about 33).
The Nature of Middle-earth Page 12
