What is a dwarf's life span?

[Rushlight]

How long does a dwarf live? According to the Sil, when Aule created the dwarves ".....and they suffer toil and hunger and hurt of body more hardily than all other speaking peoples; and they live long, far beyond the span of Men, yet not for ever."

Approximately how long is that? A few hundred years?

Right now in the Sil I'm on "Of the return of the Noldor". I'm sure eventually I might find the answer...then again, I might miss it. In the meantime, I'm just a bit curious.

Rushlight

[Bill the Pony]

I looked it up in the encyclopedia of Arda recently because I wanted to know my age in dwarf-years. They say the average lifespan is about 250 years.

[Mormegil]

Dwarves usually lived to about 250 years old.
Unless they were killed earlier, eg. in battle, of course.:)

[Rushlight]

So Bill the Pony, just how old are you in dwarf years? I might have to look up my age too. 250 years life span....that's a good long time. :D Better dwarf years than dog years, I guess!

Rushlight

[Beleg Strongbow]

Originally posted by Rushlight
So Bill the Pony, just how old are you in dwarf years? I might have to look up my age too. 250 years life span....that's a good long time. :D Better dwarf years than dog years, I guess!

Rushlight


Thats right and i think i can remember dain geting over 300 years old or near it? "he fell before the gates of Erebor and they still say he could wield his axe as deadly as when he was young"!

[Beleg]

Dain lived for 252 Years. I don't think any dwarf (except Durin1 and Dwalin) whose age is given exceeded 260 Years.

Edit: Thanks Ponte.

[Ponte]

Originally posted by Beleg_strongbow
Dain lived for 252 Years. I don't think any dwarf (except Durin1) whose age is given exceeded 260 Years.


Dwalin lived for 340 years from 2772 to 3112.

[Celebthôl]

But that was due to the F.A. stuff he was supposed to only be 251, if you continue down on EoA it tells you about it, it was/is under debate i think...

by the way, i think i may have worked out a forumlar for dwarve years :D

250 (average dwarve age) / (divided by) 80 (average human (our) age) * (times by) your current age

e.g. for me

250 / 80 * 17.5 = 54.6875

therefore i am about 54 1/2 in dwarve years :D

[Maerbenn]

From HoMe XII: The Peoples of Middle-earth; 'Durin's Folk': Dwarves of different 'breeds' vary in their longevity. Durin's race were originally long-lived (especially those named Durin), but like most other peoples they had become less so during the Third Age. Their average age (unless they met a violent death) was about 250 years, which they seldom fell far short of, but could occasionally far exceed (up to 300). A Dwarf of 300 was about as rare and aged as a Man of 100.
Dwarves remained young - e.g. regarded as too tender for really hard work or for fighting - until they were 30 or nearly that (Dáin II was very young in 2799 (32) and his slaying of Azog was a great feat). After that they hardened and took on the appearance of age (by human standards) very quickly. By forty all Dwarves looked much alike in age, until they reached what they regarded as old age, about 240. They then began to age and wrinkle and go white quickly (baldness being unknown among them), unless they were going to be long-lived, in which case the process was delayed. Almost the only physical disorder they suffered from (they were singularly immune from diseases such as affected Men, and Halflings) was corpulence. If in prosperous circumstances, many grew very fat at or before 200, and could not do much (save eat) afterwards. Otherwise 'old age' lasted not much more than ten years, and from say 40 or a little before to near 240 (two hundred years) the capacity for toil (and for fighting) of most Dwarves was equally great.

[BlackCaptain]

Ah well there ya go... Compared to our Human race, an 80 year old man would be like a 250 year old Dwarf. Case closed... I hope. Please don't take that little comparison up there too seriously er anything...:rolleyes: :)