A question of Hobbit and Human ages... - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Azaelia of Willowbottom · 12-22-2001, 04:37 PM

I'm not sure if this has been asked before, but here goes: If I wanted to figure out how old I was in, for lack of knowledge of a better term, Hobbit years, how would I go about it? I know that they age at a different rate. Does anyone know?

Elanor · 12-22-2001, 05:08 PM

Well I'm not aware of any precise scale, but in Hobbit terms, 33 was the coming of age (so around 18 for humans.) 50 was still young, and average life expectancy would be between 100-120. That's what I can tell anyway, maybe someone else can be more precise?

Orald · 12-22-2001, 11:59 PM

Actually Hobbits and Men age at about the same rate and die around the same age as well. That would make sense since Hobbits are a distant relation to Men. To reach the age of 111 was a very rare occurrance for Hobbits, and it would be the same for us today. But it seems that they assigned different ages for rites of passage than we do today. Comparative ages seem to me to be our teens and their tweens, 18 to 21 being adulthood to us and 33 for them. We normally begin marrying in our 20's they started this custome much later.

Airetelluma · 01-01-2002, 11:15 AM

Quote:

To reach the age of 111 was a very rare occurrance for Hobbits, and it would be the same for us today.

Yes, true, but I could have sworn that I read somewhere (maybe in the prologue to Fellowship) that hobbits generally live to be around 100, and the human life expectancy is somewhere around 80, 85, I believe. But if you really wanted to take it a step further, I'm sure that the human life expectancy was even less in Tolkien's time.

Quote:

But it seems that they assigned different ages for rites of passage than we do today.

They didn't just assign it, though. Hobbits in their tweens seemed to act like humans in our teens; it's not like they really became mature and adult-like at 18-21 and 33 is just for show. Of course, though, I'm only going by Pippin here, because he's the only hobbit that we see a lot of that's still not come of age.

If our coming of age is 18, and hobbits' is 33, then there's 15 years difference there, and there's 15-20 years difference in the regular hobbit and human life expectancies.
Anyway, to try to answer Azaelia's question, I think there's about a 15 year age difference between hobbits and humans. Example: If a human was 52, they'd be about 37 in hobbit years.

I don't know about you, but I just royally confused myself... [img]smilies/confused.gif[/img]

[ January 01, 2002: Message edited by: Airetelluma ]

Yaish · 01-01-2002, 04:20 PM

To make matters worse, men in ME could be extremely long-lived themselves, were they of numenorian blood. Aragorn for example.

Azaelia of Willowbottom · 01-27-2002, 04:07 PM

Well, thanks for the help. [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

Aralaithiel · 01-29-2002, 04:29 PM

OK...how about Elven years?
Thanks to Elrond being half elven, those of his twin brother's line (Elros, the 1st king of the Numenoreans) got blessed with very long life. Aragorn gets to be 120 before he passes.
I don't think hobbits are foolish, unless yo're a Took!
Elves Rule! [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

Maeglin · 01-30-2002, 12:26 PM

Somewhere in Minas Tirith in ROTK someone says that the humans in Gondor get's shorter lives...
And that Hobbit's being young at the age of 50 and with 15 years difference... that means that a 50 years old Hobbit would be as old as a 35 years old human. Is that so young?
My appologies to anyone at that age [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img].

Orald · 01-30-2002, 01:54 PM

Try and look at their lifespans this way; they are all different species, and must age differently then. A dwarf is considered young at 100 and an elf who is immortal has a childhood somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 years, IIRC. Also, a hobbit leads a rather stressless life, maybe that helps out in the aging process. Humans come in all shapes and sizes, and can lead very stressful lives or very dull ones.

Certain variables in the humans life are going to affect how they age and when they die. I think the humans lifespan is the biggest problem in this thread, it is all a gamble with them.

Carannillion · 01-30-2002, 05:34 PM

Okaaay.... Um, I got a bit confused here.

The way I see it, a Hobbit who is 50 years old is also 50 years old to a human, BUT while a human is counted soon to be old among other humans when he/she is 50, the Hobbit is counted to have just recently become an adult, right? (and of course the same thing goes for elves and dwarves)

A year is a year, but since the different races have different life spans, they don't count themselves as grown up at the same ages. That's how I see it.

Maeglin · 01-31-2002, 01:51 PM

Well that's pretty clear. But a Hobbit should be considerd as an adult after 33 and not 50. uhumm... [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

Nazgûl Queen · 02-01-2002, 04:13 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Aralaithiel:
<STRONG>Aragorn gets to be 120 before he passes.
</STRONG>

<center><font color="red">
Actually... he rules as king for 120 years after the war of the ring.
He was already 88 by the time he was crowned.
Which means he lived to be 208 years old!

Glim Iceholder · 02-01-2002, 07:45 PM

Yes Aragorn dies at the age of 210 IIRC. He is of strong numenorian blood and they have lifespans thrice that of normal men.

And like it has been said before substracting 15 from a Hobbits age is what they would be at an normal man age so to speak.

Narya · 02-04-2002, 11:58 AM

I think if you compare a hobbit s age to our life span, you can say you have to subtract 1/3 of the hobbit- age to get his "humen-age".

Humans would come of age with 22 than.

Well, maybe to subtract 15 years works better after all...
You can also say that two years in a human life are like 3years in a hobbit life

Maeglin · 02-05-2002, 01:53 PM

If hobbit's would age 3 years in 2 human lifes they woul die at the age of around 65!

What do you mean. Plz forgive me if I'm just to stupid to get it.

Narya · 02-07-2002, 12:14 PM

I meant that a hobbit ages 2 "human years" in three years of time. so you can compare a 30 year-old hobbit, with a 20 year old human.Maybe it´s a bit confusing [img]smilies/rolleyes.gif[/img]

12-22-2001, 04:37 PM	#1
Azaelia of Willowbottom Shade of Carn Dûm Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: By the Sea Posts: 446	A question of Hobbit and Human ages... I'm not sure if this has been asked before, but here goes: If I wanted to figure out how old I was in, for lack of knowledge of a better term, Hobbit years, how would I go about it? I know that they age at a different rate. Does anyone know? __________________ "Wherever I have been, I am back."

12-22-2001, 05:08 PM	#2
Elanor Shade of Carn Dûm Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: my own corner of the Shire Posts: 316	Well I'm not aware of any precise scale, but in Hobbit terms, 33 was the coming of age (so around 18 for humans.) 50 was still young, and average life expectancy would be between 100-120. That's what I can tell anyway, maybe someone else can be more precise? __________________ "When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading." Henny Youngman (1906 - )

01-27-2002, 04:07 PM	#6
Azaelia of Willowbottom Shade of Carn Dûm Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: By the Sea Posts: 446	Well, thanks for the help. [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] __________________ "Wherever I have been, I am back."

01-29-2002, 04:29 PM	#7
Aralaithiel Ghost Eldaran Queen Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: A remote mountain in Valinor Posts: 353	OK...how about Elven years? Thanks to Elrond being half elven, those of his twin brother's line (Elros, the 1st king of the Numenoreans) got blessed with very long life. Aragorn gets to be 120 before he passes. I don't think hobbits are foolish, unless yo're a Took! Elves Rule! [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] __________________ A lelyat, wen! (Quenya Elvish for "You go, girl!"

01-30-2002, 12:26 PM	#8
Maeglin Wight Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Nan Elmoth Posts: 136	Somewhere in Minas Tirith in ROTK someone says that the humans in Gondor get's shorter lives... And that Hobbit's being young at the age of 50 and with 15 years difference... that means that a 50 years old Hobbit would be as old as a 35 years old human. Is that so young? My appologies to anyone at that age [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]. __________________ The fool speaks of what he knows. The wise knows what he speaks of.

12-22-2001, 11:59 PM	#3
Orald Shadow of Malice Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: right behind you Posts: 843	Actually Hobbits and Men age at about the same rate and die around the same age as well. That would make sense since Hobbits are a distant relation to Men. To reach the age of 111 was a very rare occurrance for Hobbits, and it would be the same for us today. But it seems that they assigned different ages for rites of passage than we do today. Comparative ages seem to me to be our teens and their tweens, 18 to 21 being adulthood to us and 33 for them. We normally begin marrying in our 20's they started this custome much later.

01-01-2002, 04:20 PM	#5
Yaish Pile O'Bones Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: NC Posts: 20	To make matters worse, men in ME could be extremely long-lived themselves, were they of numenorian blood. Aragorn for example.

01-30-2002, 01:54 PM	#9
Orald Shadow of Malice Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: right behind you Posts: 843	Try and look at their lifespans this way; they are all different species, and must age differently then. A dwarf is considered young at 100 and an elf who is immortal has a childhood somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 years, IIRC. Also, a hobbit leads a rather stressless life, maybe that helps out in the aging process. Humans come in all shapes and sizes, and can lead very stressful lives or very dull ones. Certain variables in the humans life are going to affect how they age and when they die. I think the humans lifespan is the biggest problem in this thread, it is all a gamble with them.

01-30-2002, 05:34 PM	#10
Carannillion Wight Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Mici Firya Posts: 135	Okaaay.... Um, I got a bit confused here. The way I see it, a Hobbit who is 50 years old is also 50 years old to a human, BUT while a human is counted soon to be old among other humans when he/she is 50, the Hobbit is counted to have just recently become an adult, right? (and of course the same thing goes for elves and dwarves) A year is a year, but since the different races have different life spans, they don't count themselves as grown up at the same ages. That's how I see it. __________________ A cry for the people, but there's noone there to hear...

01-31-2002, 01:51 PM	#11
Maeglin Wight Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Nan Elmoth Posts: 136	Well that's pretty clear. But a Hobbit should be considerd as an adult after 33 and not 50. uhumm... [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] __________________ The fool speaks of what he knows. The wise knows what he speaks of.

02-01-2002, 07:45 PM	#13
Glim Iceholder Pile O'Bones Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 24	Yes Aragorn dies at the age of 210 IIRC. He is of strong numenorian blood and they have lifespans thrice that of normal men. And like it has been said before substracting 15 from a Hobbits age is what they would be at an normal man age so to speak.

02-04-2002, 11:58 AM	#14
Narya Wight Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: not here... floating down the Liffey Posts: 124	I think if you compare a hobbit s age to our life span, you can say you have to subtract 1/3 of the hobbit- age to get his "humen-age". Humans would come of age with 22 than. Well, maybe to subtract 15 years works better after all... You can also say that two years in a human life are like 3years in a hobbit life __________________ ...for we know the joy of life is the peace* that love can bring* So spoke the wizard in his mountain home.

02-05-2002, 01:53 PM	#15
Maeglin Wight Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Nan Elmoth Posts: 136	If hobbit's would age 3 years in 2 human lifes they woul die at the age of around 65! What do you mean. Plz forgive me if I'm just to stupid to get it. __________________ The fool speaks of what he knows. The wise knows what he speaks of.

02-07-2002, 12:14 PM	#16
Narya Wight Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: not here... floating down the Liffey Posts: 124	I meant that a hobbit ages 2 "human years" in three years of time. so you can compare a 30 year-old hobbit, with a 20 year old human.Maybe it´s a bit confusing [img]smilies/rolleyes.gif[/img] __________________ ...for we know the joy of life is the peace* that love can bring* So spoke the wizard in his mountain home.