October 24, 2002

Aragorn's Age
Teiwaz

Aragorn is indead in his eighties at the time of the Fellowship of the Ring and he lives to be around 200 yrs old.

How is that he is so youthful, appearing in his 30s, yet 80? The explaination is found in Appendix A, where a shortened, concise telling of the Silmarillion and Akallabêth are told.

The pertinent points are thus:
* He is a direct descendant Elros, Elrond's brother. Elrond and Elros where Half-elven, and at the end of the First Age they given a choice of which kindred they would belong: either the Elven-kind or Man-kind. Elrond chose Elven-kind, while Elros chose Man-kind.
* By choosing Man-kind, Elros became mortal, but as granted a life span of about three times that of normal man.
* Aragorn lived about three times that of a normal man

Not so pertinent information:
* The marriage of Aragorn and Arwen was the third union of elves and man-kind. The first was between Lúthien, daughter of Thingol of Doriath and Beren, son of Barahir of the First house of Edain (a man). The second was between Idril daughter of Turgon, King of Gondolin and Tuor son of Huor, of the House of Hador, the Third house of the Edain.
* Elrond and Elros are sons of Eärendil and Elwing. Eärendil is son of Idril/Tuor, while Elwing is granddaughter of Lúthien/Beren.
* Eärendil sailed to the Uttermost West to seek the aid of the Valar at the end of the first age. He was guided there by a silmaril, taken from the crown of Morgoth (Sauron's boss of old) by Lúthien and Beren.
* Eärendil was not allowed to return to Middle Earth, but instead travels the sky as the EveningStar.
* Galadriel gives Frodo a phial with the captured light of Eärendil's star. (Which you will be able to see morning sky again starting in mid-November - we call is Venus).
* References to Númenor refer to the kindom started by Elros, on the Island of Elenna, westernmoset of all mortal lands.
* Elendil and his two son's, Isildur and Anárion, fled Númenor when it was destroyed by the Valar (Sauron had a hand in this coming about). They ended up in Middle-Earth. Elendil started the kingdom of the North, Arnor, while the sons started the realm of Gondor.
* The statutes of the two HUGE kings are statues of Isildur and Anárion. They also built Minis Tirith and Minus Morgul.
* Elendil and Anárion where both killed in the siege of Barad-dûr.

OK, I got a little carried away, but what a story! If you haven't read the Silmarillion, it explains all this and much more.

Teiwaz/Spiritual Warrior