Half-elven Heroes?

[DavetheLost]

I think it simplest to say that in these latter days any offspring of mortal and Elven parents are mortal. Probably long lived, but still mortal. Now, about that rumor of a Took with a fairy wife...

[RangerDanger]

I can't remember the name of the captain that follows Aragorn, but isn't he hinted at having elf blood in him?

[Tolwen]

The textual evidence concerning Half-elves that we can build believable a hypothesis on is not ample. There is something though that can repudiate some things with a good degree of certainty. One of the most common is that mortal Half-elves are by default longer-lived than their human parent. It is a standard in most FRPG's, including MERP.
The basis is obviously Elros with his 500 years. Using Elros as evidence for this hypothesis disregards a crucial element though - that the Númenóreans (and their king in particular) were granted a special longevity. It was not inherent in them, but a special grace conveyed from the outside.
The only documented case of another half-elf living his normal life (Dior got killed before the matter was settled) is Galador, son of Imrazôr and Mithrellas and first of the princes of Dol Amroth. His dates can be found in the HoMe 12. His lifespan was even a bit less than his father's and he did not die to any unnatural cause prematurely. From this we can deduce that mortal half-elves have a life-expectancy matching the one of their mortal parent.

This is also perfectly understandable and in line with Tolkien's view of the Gift of Death: It was a special gift and was not allowed to be withheld unless Eru decreed otherwise. Thus it is IMO logical that the lifespan is about the same as that of the mortal parent, since the child inherits the mortal's vitality as well. In this case, the Firstborn's endurance in lifespan does not count, since the mortal heritage weighs more heavily.

Cheers
Tolwen

[DavetheLost]

Thanks Tolwen. I had not realized this about Tolkien's half-elves who chose mortality.

[Angelalex242]

That is against the fact the Dunedain, descended from Elros, universally live about 250+ years on average (A span thrice of that of mortal men.)

So a true half elf, in my opinion, gets The Choice...to be counted as Eldar or Mortal, and if they pick mortal, they get double what the Dunedain get. But, like Elrond, the choice to be of Elvenkind is there, if they so choose.

[Tolwen]

That is against the fact the Dunedain, descended from Elros, universally live about 250+ years on average (A span thrice of that of mortal men.)

This disregards the important point that not all Dúnedain were descended from Elros. In fact, only a miniscule minority was. The vast majority was descended from the Edain who went with Elros to Númenor. And these were granted an extended lifespan as well.
And these years were only the initial grant for the Númenóreans as a whole. For the greater part of their history (ca. SA 2200 onward), the lifespan of all Númenóreans is a function of the time they were born. The general rule here is that the later their birth, the lesser their lifespan.
These ca. 240 years were the original span of all the Dúnedain in Númenor regardless of descent. Thereafter, the span began to decrease gradually. It is also clearly observable if you have a look at the HoMe 12, where the life dates (and not only the throne dates) are given for the Dúnadan kings. The Rangers, as the Arnorian royalty (what is left of that) lives an average of about 155 years at the end of the Third Age (TOR time). Compare this this with the span of Valandil (260 years) at the begin of the Third Age. In this (TOR's) time, the lifespan of the Stewards (representing the highest tier of Gondorian nobility and Númenórean descent) is only about 100 years. The Gondorian kings began with a lifespan of 280 years (Meneldil) which decreased to about 160 years at the time of Eärnur when the royal line ended.
Aragorn was some kind of flashback to the original state (or almost so). Tolkien uses this stylistic tool occasionally to underline an individual's uniqueness.
The waning of the Númenórean lifespan from about SA 2200 onwards, when the Fall from Grace began, and even more pronounced in Middle-earth for the Exiles, is a central theme of their self-identity.

Cheers
Tolwen

[Angelalex242]

Hmmm. Considering what Aragorn did for Middle Earth, it seems fair Eru would simply restore him to the original glory of Numenor. He was kind of the redemption for all the screw-ups of the second age, of which there were countless. Eru was probably also aware of who his wife would be, and gave him the max amount of time for a Numenorian for her sake.

Almost as if he was telling them all 'hey, guys, this is who you're all supposed to be.'

But speaking of half elven heroes, on topic...

Anyone know how long Aragorn's son and heir lived? That might be a good indication.

[Tolwen]

Hmmm. Considering what Aragorn did for Middle Earth, it seems fair Eru would simply restore him to the original glory of Numenor. He was kind of the redemption for all the screw-ups of the second age, of which there were countless.

And as an indication how far the Númenóreans had already lost their special longevity, even Aragorn was perhaps not restored to the "full" longevity. In the beginning, the ordinary Númenóreans had a span of about 240 years, while Aragorn reached "only" 210 years. Due to conflicting versions, Tolkien might have intended that Aragorn's restoration reached the original span (or almost so). I think this a fair guess. In any case, even his restoration "only" approximated the ordinary Númenórean's span, and not that of the original kings, which was about 400 years.

Anyone know how long Aragorn's son and heir lived? That might be a good indication.

AFAIK Tolkien never explored this. A fair guess in the tradition of the professor would be that his span was lesser than Aragorn's; the latter one representing a unique flashback that would not be repeated ever again. Here we have to consider that Aragorn also restored the tradition of laying down life while still in vigour. He called himself "the last Númenórean", indicating at his elevated status. Had he continued to live until forced by old age, he might have reached about 10 to 30 years more.

IMO this ancient tradition would also not be continued by his heirs. Eldarion probably reached a few years more, but only since he probably lived to his full age and not laid down his life like his father.

If you're interested in some speculation based on the meagre evidence in existence, you might have a look at Issue 9 of Other Minds (see my signature). Here I had an article titled The Heirs of Elessar and the Fourth Age which might prove helpful for you.

Cheers
Tolwen

EDIT: If you're interested in the intricacies of the Númenórean longevity, Issue 6 and 12 of Other Minds may also be of interest for you

[Angelalex242]

Well...why wouldn't he lay down his life like his father?

If Eldarion was supposed to be a restoration of what was lost, (and he is the son of an eldar too...)

I think he was given the choice to be like dad and lay down his life. If he did it, the 200+ lifespan continued another generation. Only when an heir down the line got greedy for years would the lifespan start decreasing again.

[Tolwen]

Well...why wouldn't he lay down his life like his father?
If Eldarion was supposed to be a restoration of what was lost, (and he is the son of an eldar too...)

Aragorn was the restoration of the ancient Númenóreans - to a degree. In his words to Arwen, he seems very sure that he was a last glimpse of the ancient days that would not be repeated anymore.
Eldarion was a full mortal by default without the slightest doubt. With the wedding of Aragorn and her refusal to leave Middle-earth with her father, Arwen became definitely and irrevocably mortal. Tolkien was extremely clear and not even slightly ambiguous here. No more choices for Aragorn's children.

Only when an heir down the line got greedy for years would the lifespan start decreasing again.

Tolkien was also very clear that the main cause for the waning of the Dúnadan lifespan was Middle-earth itself. In the reverse, this means that the blessed island of Númenor was an important factor for the longevity. Once this was lost, the slow waning was inevitable. The waning would be accelerated by moral failures (and distance from the direct line), but the base degradation is unavoidable. This would also happen to Aragorn's heirs again. He restored the "starting point" to a great height again, but from this onward, the slow downhill process began once more.

Cheers
Tolwen