Noldor or Numenoreans

[Galin]

What we can be certain of is even a very tall Telerian Prince is only about the same height as the tallest of the Noldor women. This does indicate quite more than a couple of inches difference.

But maybe there is room in: the Lady no less tall than the Lord. The general meaning could be that even 'Silver-tall' does not tower over Nerwende Artanis, because she herself is the tallest of Elf women. They are both tall, if not exactly the same height; although I suppose one could also press 'no less' to mean exactly that.

If there is some room we might have an average of 6:2 compared to a Celeborn standing at 6:5 or even 6:6... and so the Teler with the 'tall name' could be as much as four inches taller than the average Teler, if only equal to the average Noldo.

The reason I don't go to 6 feet is because 'somewhat less' for the Teleri would then be a half foot less that the average Elda of 6:6, which seems too much to me for somewhat less, and way too much for the 7 foot idea.

Even 6:2 seems notably less than 6:6 (plus taller for Kings and leaders) to me, but if Celeborn Silver-tall is 6:4 then we have to decrease the average Teler even more.

This is possible, there is no reason to go as low as 6ft, but is being just a couple of inches taller than the norm enough to be given the name praising your height? I would say no.

Well, his relative tallness would still be distinguishing (like his silver hair), so maybe... yes

Just had a thought. Isn't the tallest of all Eru's children, Elwe, a Teler? An exception I guess.

[Morthoron]

Against the ravages of the common cold, I would choose the Noldor every time.

[Mithalwen]

I wonder if the Numenoreans were particularly afflicted by Man-flu..

[Morthoron]

Originally Posted by Mithalwen

I wonder if the Numenoreans were particularly afflicted by Man-flu..

Perhaps they caught elfluenza.

[Saurondil]

Originally Posted by Mithalwen

I wonder if the Numenoreans were particularly afflicted by Man-flu..

## Probably not until the coming of Sauron, or even later:

"This was the beginning of that people that in the Grey-elven speech are called the Dunedain: the Numenoreans, Kings among Men. But they did not thus escape from the doom of death that Iluvatar had set upon all Mankind, and they were mortal still, though their years were long, and they knew no sickness, ere the shadow fell upon them.

Very much later, after 3264, and possibly as late as the building of the Great Armament in 3310-3319:

"Sauron daily increased, and in that temple...men made sacrifice to Melkor that he should release them from Death....But for all this Death did not depart from the land, rather it came sooner and more often, and in many dreadful guises. For whereas aforetime men had grown slowly old, and had laid them down in the end to sleep, when they were weary at last of the world, now madness and sickness assailed them; and yet they were afraid to die and go out into the dark, the realm of the lord that they had taken; and they cursed themselves in their agony."

http://readlotron-line.blogspot.co.u...kallabeth.html

Earlier: no H1N1 or norovirus or Man-flu - near the end, perhaps all three, and lots of other nasty ailments. Unfortunately, almost no epidemiological or demographic info is given. So there will be no dissertations on "Hydrological variables as agents of the transmission of disease in pre-Downfall Numenor".

Does anyone know whether the waning in lifespan under the Shadow was accompanied by waning in stature ? I don't know of any references in Tolkien - but it might make sense: Elendil must have been called "the Tall" for a reason. His height of 7 feet 11 inches may have been exceptional - though whether he was unusually tall even for a Numenorean, or by the standards of a particular group among them (such as the King's Men), is not clear.