[Ania]

This is something I have been puzzling over for a while, does anyone know how quickly elves age? In comparison to years or, something like this, when do they enter puberty? What sort of changes take place, i.e. are they different to elves? I live to imagine some interesting action taking place within male elves... (especially in Mirkwood, e.g. Forest Circles )

But, does anyone have any idea on how quickly they change from infancy to childhood to puberty? About how many years it takes? I tried this in a fic a few years ago had to chuck it because I got stuck, anyone got any idea?

[Thuriniel]

Elves are considered adults when they are 50, but I don't know if they would be fully mature by then.

As far as physical changes go, I remember reading something quite interesting ... they go through two sets of teeth. Don't ask me the source (it wasn't a fic!), I only remember that it was a very well documented essay. Must dig in my files see if I find it .

[BittenBuggy]

Well, in addition to what Maria has already said. (I have never heard the teeth thing, but thats facinating!) Elves learn to speak at a VERY young age in ratio to when they are consitered 'adults.' I don't have that handy outtake of Morgoth's Ring that Anna so wonderfully bestowed upon me, but I remember it was before 2 or something like that. (That they started regonizing and naming things) Anyway, the point is, that they could talk very young!

Without my copy of LACE, I could not tell you more Wretched little thing that I am!

[Elentari]

I remember quite clearly the age somewhat on the same pace as human children till they are seven. From then on, they age very slowly. They are reach their 'adult' bodies at about fifty,(maybe it could be relative to fifteen/eighteen years old mortal) and are considered fully adults by the time they are one hundred.

Now, where I got that from, i cannot remember for the life of me...

[Sulriel]

HISTORY OF MIDDLE-EARTH, VOLUME X
MORGOTH’S RING
(pages 209-271)

OF THE LAWS AND CUSTOMS AMONG THE ELDAR
PERTAINING TO MARRIAGE AND OTHER MATTERS
RELATED THERETO: TOGETHER WITH THE
STATUTE OF FINwE AND Miriel AND THE DEBATE
OF THE V ALAR A T ITS MAKING

£lfwine's Preamble

[The Eldar grew in bodily form slower than Men, but in mind
more swiftly. They learned to speak before they were one year
old; and in the same time they learned to walk and to dance, for
their wills came soon to the mastery of their bodies. Nonetheless
there was less difference between the two Kindreds, Elves and
Men, in early youth; and a man who watched elf-children at
play might well have believed that they were the children of
Men, of some fair and happy people. For in their early days
elf-children delighted still in the world about them, and the fire
of their spirit had not consumed them, and the burden of
memory was still light upon them.1

This same watcher might indeed have wondered at the small
limbs and stature of these children, judging their age by their
skill in words and grace in motion. For at the end of the third
year mortal children began to outstrip the Elves, hastening on to
a full stature while the Elves lingered in the first spring of
childhood. Children of Men might reach their full height while
Eldar of the same age were still in body like to mortals of no
more than seven years.2 Not until the fiftieth year did the Eldar
attain the stature and shape in which their lives would after-
wards endure, and for some a hundred years would pass before
they were full-grown.]

[Ania]

Thank you SO much you don't know how helpful that was, okay, just what I needed, thanks !

[Sulriel]

No problem. -glad I could help.

[Losille]

This question is not so much about puberty, but... okay maybe it is...

Elves reach their full-grown bodies at 50 years of age, which could be equivalent to 18 yrs in our time, but elves are not fully adult until they reach 100 years of age (would probably be 21 yrs. now a days).

There is an essay by Tyellas that documents LACE and says that most elves bind after 50 yrs of age, though some marriages may be delayed for socio-political reasons. It seems silly to marry so young when you have so many years to live.

What is your opinion on this, as this could turn out to be a major plot problem in my current story?

THANK YOU!

[Andreth]

What it says about Elvish maturation is this:

"Children of Men might reach their full height while Eldar of the same age were still in body like to mortals of no more than seven years. Not until the fiftieth year did the Eldar attain the stature and shape in which their lives would afterwards endure, and for some a hundred years would pass before they were full-grown."

So basically what it says isn't that Elves' bodies mature at 50 and they reach their full maturity at 100, but that most Elves were matured by 50, although some took up to 100.

As for Elven marriage it says:

"The Eldar wedded for the most part in their youth and soon
after their fiftieth year."

...but later says....

"Marriage, save for rare ill chances or strange fates, was the
natural course of life for all the Eldar."

...and later...

"Nonetheless among the Eldar, even in Aman, the desire for
marriage was not always fulfilled. Love was not always re-
turned; and more than one might desire one other for spouse."

I haven't read the particular article that you mentioned, but I've never seen any mention of particular reasons for marriages being delayed (other than the case of Finwe and Indis), so the idea of socio-political reasons must be a personal extrapolation. Although it would be a perfectly feasible reason, it's never specifically mentioned. There were many Elves who didn't marry after their fiftieth year - Galadriel, Finrod, Luthien, Elrond, Gil-galad, Cirdan, Celebrimbor...just to name a few. And I'm sure there were several others who weren't mentioned.

So, no, it's not an absolute given that Elves automatically married after their fiftieth year. Tolkien says this only happened "for the most part", and uses generalities like that throughout LACE.

If you can, you should read the actual document of LACE because there are many points in it that are open for individual interpretation. Hope that helps!

Anna

[Losille]

Thank you Anna, that was great info.... and I am still working on getting my hands on a copy of LACE!

[Andreth]

Hope it wasn't presumptuous of me, but I got your email address from your member profile and just emailed you a copy of it. It doesn't have the footnotes on it but the footnote numbers are in there, so just let me know if you need any of them. I really need to scan those and add them to the document one of these days.

Have fun - that's some heavy reading.

[Losille]