Something interesting in Tolkein's works as well as other fantasy works is the way that magic works opposite to nature. Normal, natural creatures subject to evolution can be expected to become steadily better adapted and more powerful than their predecessors in a sense. Magic is the opposite with each generation becoming less powerful than the one before. The spiders are a great example. Shelob is powerful, but never anywhere near the power of her mother Ungoliant. Shelob's children in Mirkwood never reach her level of power. Elves also show a steady decline in power. First Age elves seem to be much, much more powerful than those born in the Third Age. Dragons show that decline in fantasy works outside of Tolkein. You go from massive beasts of power down to drakes and wyverns. I'm not sure if Tolkein dragons reproduce or if each was a unique creation of Morgoth. Certainly Sauron, heir to Morgoth's legacy, is much weaker than Morgoth.
You can also note that hobbits are considered adults at 30. If it reflect their metabolism and not just a cultural quirk, it's normal they also age slower than normal men.
At least three of the Nazgul coud be up to 5,100 years old. They emerged 500 years after Sauron took the Great Rings from the Elves, so the Nazgul could have gotten the rings 4,700 years earlier. Three were possibly Numenoreans. Even the average Numenorean could live up to 400 years in Tolkien's last revisions, so if the Numenorean lords were given their rings soon after Sauron seized them but near the end of their lives, that's another 900 years on top of the 4,200 years of age we know they are.
In “The Hobbit” there are Orcs who recognized “Biter and Beater”, which probably had not been seen in public since the fall of Gondolin in the First Age. This would suggest that Orcs were immortal in the same way the elves were, though their life expectancy was undoubtedly shorter.
Arwen lived longer than Aragorn. After he passed, she went to dwell in Lothlorien until she faded out. I don't believe Arwen was half-elven as both of her parents were elven. Elrond had chosen his elven heritage, so I'm pretty sure that means he was technically no longer half-elven. But either way, Arwen was not half-elven.
As someone who grew up watching Lord of the Rings, it blows my mind that we know so much and can accurately assume what we don't know, even Tom Bombadil who I used to believe was just an intentional mystery and probably still is, but I choose to think that he's a literal embodiment of the Song of the Ainur and it's Discord with Melkor, similar to Ungoliant being (maybe) the literal embodiment of the Void
I figure orcs are basically cancer-ridden from the start and it's only their elvish ancestry and the boost from dark lords do they carry on as long as they do Trolls are similar but probably more resilient and fade into stones as ents fade into trees.
The video was long enough, and honestly, I didn't think to mention this until after I finished the video. I want to draw attention to the declining Numenorean lifespan, specifically when Numenor first turned to the shadow and the kings (and Tar-Vanimelde) of Numenor were experiencing drops in their lifespan numbering in the decades. For most of us, barring those who unluckily fall short due to illness or accidents, we can be reasonably confident we can at least make it into our 70s. We have a rough idea of when our lives will end, and provided circumstances have been good to us, we can plan our lives accordingly. We know when we're young, we know when we're middled aged, we know when we're old, and we know when we don't have much time left.
Very nice! I'm so happy you mentioned the Druedain, they're some of the most fascinating creatures in Middle-Earth IMO. And your theories on Orc's lifespan are quite interesting.
Very interesting and well researched. The relationship of lifespans to Arda and of the lifespans of other races is at the heart of truly understanding Tolkien. The fear of ones own mortality or the grief of the Elves at seeing the mortality of others shapes so many events and perspectives.
Good video and keep up awesome work and I wish I was of numenorean lifespan like that of Elros so I could see my great great great great great great great great ... grandchildren and see how technology evolves over time
