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Elthir
Grey Havens
Feb 18 2013, 5:48pm
Views: 1200
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The notion that it took about 50 (or for some 100) years for an Elf-child to becomes an adult is only part of the story in my opinion.
It seems in the later 1950s Tolkien imagined that (this is my interpretation based on the texts Aman, the Athrabeth, and Laws and Customs all published in Morgoth's Ring): in their beginning in Middle-earth, it took roughly 3000 years for an Elf Child to grow to be an Elf-man or Elf-woman, or around 21 yéni.
A yén is an Elvish Long Year equal to 144 Sun Years, as noted in The Return of the King and as used by Galadriel. This slow rate appears to have also been the case in Aman (see Aman for the text I'm basing this on). And in this conception, the Valian Year equals the Elvish yén, incidentally.
However Laws and Customs states that it took 50, and for some 100 years, for Elves to attain the body in which they would afterwards endure. This is obviously significantly lesser than 3000! Yet in the Athrabeth Finrod Ah Andreth, Finrod seems to say he notices the change of Elvish bodies is swifter -- in Middle-earth -- than it was in the beginning (and one of the texts here had 'growth' instead of 'change').
So despite the major difference in years, I'm wondering if these three texts possibly represent the same concept -- they appear to be written at about the same time (late 1950s or early 1960s) in any case.
Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? At this point Tolkien might have also been thinking of a much greater amount of time between the awakening of the Elves and the return of the Noldor -- much greater than that imagined when one Valian Year was 'only' around 10-ish Sun Years -- which might help account for the drastic reduction in the Elvish maturity rate, allowing more years in which it could arguably occur in Arda Marred.
But that said, Tolkien appears to have dropped this idea in any case, as this...
quote:
(...) nette meant 'girl approaching the adult' (in her 'teens': the growth of Elvish children after birth was little if at all slower than that of the children of Men). The Common Eldarin stem (wen-ed) wendé 'maiden' applied to all stages up to the fully adult (until marriage).' JRRT
... is dated to 1967-70, written after all the three texts I just noted here.
I tend to doubt all these ideas were intended to be part of the same conception -- that is, even the 50 or 100 had itself internally (within the story) later reduced to Elves growing at about the same rate as Men -- of if so, had this not happened yet by the time Elfwine was being instructed?
Wait... 'Elfwine'? 
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Subject
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User
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Time
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The Elves' Ages
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CathrineB
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Feb 17 2013, 1:56pm
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My version of book-verse Elves
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Súlimë
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Feb 17 2013, 3:38pm
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I imagine them the same way!
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Eowyn3
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Feb 17 2013, 9:03pm
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Book-elves vs. movie-elves...
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Otaku-sempai
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Feb 17 2013, 3:49pm
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I always wanted to see elf children.
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Kimtc
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Feb 17 2013, 6:36pm
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I like to think of it as outside elements playing a role in how old Elves look.
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Boromir Stark
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Feb 17 2013, 8:27pm
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grief
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Nerven
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Feb 17 2013, 9:07pm
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pain
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Aragalen the Green
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Feb 18 2013, 3:24am
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Elven Appearances
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Mahtion
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Feb 18 2013, 4:23am
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Lets not forget Cirdan was probabaly born at Cuivineien
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malickfan
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Feb 19 2013, 2:38pm
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Wow that was one impressive blog post!
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imin
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Feb 19 2013, 3:06pm
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Maybe this?
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Elthir
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Feb 19 2013, 4:45pm
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Cirdan vs Treebeard
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CuriousG
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Feb 19 2013, 5:30pm
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Ents
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dreamflower
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Feb 20 2013, 9:19pm
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That does make good sense. Thanks.//
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CuriousG
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Feb 20 2013, 10:04pm
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I thought Arwen was the last elf born in Middle Earth
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PattyJB
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Feb 23 2013, 5:03am
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That would certainly explain it.
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Kimtc
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Feb 23 2013, 4:25pm
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Arwen born last High Elf
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Mahtion
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Feb 24 2013, 12:37am
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Elf-child to adult
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Elthir
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Feb 18 2013, 5:48pm
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