Elven Maturity
 

At what age or point do Elves mature?

Some, like Arwen, seem to take the form of young and beautiful. Others, such as Elrond, seem to be middle aged, and others, like Cirdan, look really old with grey hair and long beards.

So what makes them turn out the way they are?

I have also thought about this from time to time.

As far as I remember, Elves are fully mature (i.e. reach the forms they are seen with for a long time) by the end of their 100th or 200th year. Of course, while I used to know this, I'm bound to be wrong. Hopefully someone more learned and higher up in the pecking order of the Downs, so to speak, will correct me if I'm wrong.

Cirdan had a beard because he was extremely old. There are three stages in Elven life, and an elf doesn't grow a beard until the third stage, though there are exceptions (i.e. Thranduil). Cirdan was well into his third stage of life, so he had a beard. ^_^