Quote:
Originally Posted by Nerwen
Well, cellurdur, until such time as you can come up with anything I would call actual support for your arguments (as opposed to just stating them over and over) we're going to have to, aren't we? We just seem to differ fundamentally on how we interpret apparently simple information (descriptions, measurements, the terms of Tolkien's will, etc.). I guess that's it.
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Now I have seen the quote in context I would have thought that sometimes we need to need take things in the context they are said.
the Númenóreans before the Downfall were a people of great stature and strength, the Kings of Men; their full grown men were commonly seven feet tall, especially in the royal and noble houses. In the North where men of other kinds were fewer and their race remained purer this stature remained more frequent, though in both Arnor and Gondor apart from mixture of race the Númenóreans showed a dwindling of height and of longevity in Middle-earth that became more marked as the Third Age passed. Aragorn, direct descendant of Elendil and his son Isildur, both of whom had been seven feet tall, must nonetheless have been a very tall man..., probably at least 6 ft. 6; and Boromir, of high Númenórean lineage, not much shorter, (say 6 ft. 4).'
The full quote.
1. The Numenoreans before the downfall were very often 7ft tall and especially in the noble families.
2. So 7ft tall is nothing special for a Numenorean and even the average commoners were sometimes 7ft tall
3. The Lords and descendants of Elros were taller than common men.
4. Elendil was very tall even compared to the nobility.
5. Tolkien has to be taken literally when he says Elendil was 7ft.
6. Tolkien is contradicting himself about Elendil being tall for a Numenorean.
According to your argument it's no wonder Tolkien contradicts himself in a different passage, he contradicts hiimself in the passage above. It would be best if Elendil the Tall was renamed Elendil of Common Height.