Quote:
Originally Posted by Boromir88
I was looking, and the 3 stewards before Denethor never reached a 100 yrs in age. Now that Denethor died, let's say "prematurely" he might have reached 100 yrs old, because for an upper 80 man I thought he seemed fairly healthy, I mean carrying a sword and wearing a full suit of mail. But, still yet he failed to reach 100 yrs. Then we have Faramir who jumps up to 120 yrs old, and the only other steward to reach 120 was Mardil. So, I would like to know is there any significance Tolkien ment by making the first and last ruling stewards reach 120? And, this has been slightly discussed before but Faramir was very old for a Gondor man at this time, any reason that he lived so long?
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## Maybe Faramir lived as long as he did, as a result of the renewal brought by the return (& coronation) of the King. Gondor stops decaying - and is renewed. And there is no more Sauron, so the worst of his effects pass; though much remains.
When Mardil died in 2080, presumably the decline in the gifts of the Valar to the Numenoreans had not gone as far as it would by (say) 3000. Mardil was of a family related closely to the Kings of Numenor (though apparently not as closely as the Lords of Andunie, from whom the Kings of Arnor & Gondor were descended); and as he lived a thousand years before his descendant Faramir, the gifts of the Valar - which included long life - may have been less "diluted" by living in Middle Earth, not being in Numenor, being in a land under the Shadow, etc. Elendil was 322 when he died prematurely in battle. Isildur was 234 when he was killed. His son, Elendur, was a young man of 144. Aragorn, as rightful king many generations later, lived to 210 - much less than most of his ancestors, but 90 years more than his distant relative Faramir. Had Aragorn not been "Envinyatar", "the Renewer", his lifespan might have been significantly less.
Being in Middle Earth, and declining from what they had been, lessened the vitality & lifespan of the Numenoreans - and these ages are the result of living in that environment. Though there is probably far more to it than that.
Environment is never just environment in Tolkien.