XPost: rec.arts.books.tolkien   
   From: le@top.put.com   
      
   In the annals of kings of Arda we are generally given   
   only the years of their birth and death,and lifespans   
   generally indicate they reached their birthdays in the   
   years of their deaths (Aragorn we know died ON his   
   birthday,March 1st).   
      
   JRRT was writing of Theoden before the current Prince of Wales   
   was born in 1948,and we can discount any claim that this had   
   bearing on Theoden's birth year of 2948.   
   Regardless,Theoden died in 3019 T.A. at the reputed age of 71,   
   and Charles has now in 2019 of our reckoning turned 71...   
   yet Theoden was King of Rohan for most of his life,   
   while Charles has yet to take the throne of Great Britain etc.   
   thanks to the unprecedented longevity of the Queen.   
      
   When TLotR was published near the outset of the present reign,   
   readers could marvel at the Kings of the Rohirrim who lived   
   longer than any of Britain,including Eomer at 93 (an age now   
   matched by Queen Elizabeth) with a 65-year reign(which she   
   has exceeded),each exceeded in Rohan only by Aldor the Old   
   (who she may yet overtake).   
      
   Sometimes history changes readers' perspectives on age.   
   Of course whatever records the Queen sets may take centuries to   
   break,and offer their own "days of yore" aspect to later   
   generations,but we can only wonder in our own time.   
      
   -=-=-   
   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)