XPost: rec.arts.books.tolkien   
   From: le@top.put.com   
      
   Since TLotR was published nearly 65 years ago,   
   longevity has changed.   
      
   At that time,people reaching the age that Bilbo (of a race longer   
   lived than humans) celebrated at his Long-Expected Party were largely   
   the stuff of legend...now over 800 have been documented and there are   
   always living people years older,though humanity has yet to produce   
   a documented "Old Took" in longevity terms.   
      
   With particular reference to the Rohirrim,their kings of "lesser Men"   
   are more in reach than Aragorn's longest-since-Arvegil 210-year life;   
   but six of them were longer-lived than any British monarch had been   
   up to that time.   
      
   Since then however Queen Elizabeth has surpassed the longevity of   
   every King of Rohan but Aldor the Old and Eomer,and is drawing   
   quite close to Eomer (who was years younger than Prince Philip   
   when he died).She has reigned longer than any of them but Aldor   
   (as I have noted before,her reign is now of a length typical for   
   Chieftains of the Dunedain).   
      
   The Prince of Wales has already lived longer than Kings   
   Eorl the Young,Brego,Helm Hammerhand,and Folca,and is older   
   than any King other than Aldor's son Frea was at succession.   
   The Queen need not overtake Aldor for Charles to overtake Frea;   
   and if he does so,he will accede at an age also greater than   
   Deor,Gram,Frealaf,Walda,Folcwine,and Theoden lived to reach   
   (for all that was made of Theoden's age,he lived 2948-3019 T.A.).   
   We lack the details to know whether Frea (born 2570,acceded 2645)   
   took the throne at a greater age than Thengel(born 2905,died 2980)   
   lived to reach.   
      
   -=-=-   
   The World Trade Center towers MUST rise again,   
   at least as tall as before...or terror has triumphed.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)