Coming of Age

For discussion of Dunedain culture, what it might have looked like and how it worked.

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Coming of Age

Post by Ranger of Arthedain »

When do you, fellow rangers, think the Dunedain came of age? We know Aragorn was told of his true lineage when he was 20, but I'm thinking that age would be considered, possibly, the late teens of a Dunadan. I don't think JRRT ever actually tells us this, just that their lifespans are longer than the normal man's lifespan (tripled, I think those of royal lineage may have an even longer one, not sure. I know the lifespan of the royal lines were cut down due to them intermingling with regular women; someone correct me if I'm wrong please, I don't have any of my notes handy at the current moment).

Anywho, what do you guys think? Given their long life spans I thought around...30-35 maybe, but even at the age of fifty (give or take) Aragorn was considered still really young (then again, Lady Arwen was far older than him, too :lol: ).
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Re: Coming of Age

Post by Cleddyf »

wasn't fifty when the hobbits came of age?
maybe 25-30 for the rangers
i'll have to reread some stuff
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Re: Coming of Age

Post by Eric C »

The Hobbits came of age around 30 and were considered "respectable" around 50. IIRC.
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Re: Coming of Age

Post by Hereward the Wake »

I feel the need to say.... Rangers aren't Hobbits.... :lol:
We should consider that historically in different societies have people taking on the responsabilites of adulthood relatively young by modern standards. For example in the knightly classes in the late middle ages one took on the responsabilities of a man at 14.

Could society such as the Rangers of the 3rd age aford to have members functioning as "children" for a long time?

Where as a more stable and safe society such as the hobbits in the shire could well aford to delay comming of age for longer...

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Re: Coming of Age

Post by Willrett »

That's a good point, I would lean to a younger age. I would think that any society that depends on everyone to survive would start placing responsibilities at a very young age and increase those on a regular basis. I would think 16 to 18 is a good age.
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Re: Coming of Age

Post by Eledhwen »

Except I think it would be wise to differentiate between Dunedain and ordinary Men.

I would expect coming of age to be in the 16 to 18 range for the Dunedain.

Lifespan plays into development since it also plays into culture and barring untimely death, Dunedain tend to live longer.

I get really wary of drawing too close a parallel between the Middle Ages and Tolkien's Middle Earth. Parallels there are, and there is no question he used the past as inspiration and template...even so, they are not identical nor should they be in my opinion. It would remove a LOT of the wonder for me personally anyway. :)

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Re: Coming of Age

Post by Hereward the Wake »

Coming of age is to do with necessity in societies that live closer to nature and where all members of a group are dependent on that group sustaining that group. As such could a ranger group afford to have someone not taking a full part in protecting and providing for the group beyond the point when they mentally and physically able to do so, regardless of lifespan? I would say no,

I,m not drawing parallels between ME and the middle ages, any comparission I would make would be with migration/dark age.

My point was that in pre modern societies in a similar level of sophistication, that people assume an "adult" at generally a younger age than we do.
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Re: Coming of Age

Post by Mirimaran »

Agreed. I would think that the loss of a Ranger would have been a great blow, as they were not just foot soldiers, but highly trained warriors, and the longer they did live the more experience they would have. But we know that they lived short lives, Arathorn would have only been around 60 when he was killed, according to my reckonings. They simply could not afford to wait that long for the coming of age. By the time of the War of the Ring, you might see Rangers in their late teens, and I do think that you would have seen exceptional women as well.
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Re: Coming of Age

Post by Eledhwen »

I do not necessarily agree with that assessment, but there you go. To each their own.

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Re: Coming of Age

Post by Jon »

A do not believe that a ranger would wait till he was 30-40 years. I think he would become of age as soon as he was capable to draw a relatively heavy bow, confidently kill an orc and be able to look after himself in the wild. That may be around the age of 16. I agree that in cultures that are close to nature, boys would become of age much sooner than our so-called 'modern' culture. Also, as the rangers were becoming fewer (weren't they?) they would need as many men as they could get.

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Re: Coming of Age

Post by Kiriana »

Don't forget even here in the US... that not much more than 120 years ago... a girl was usually married by the time she was 16.. boys were "men" at like 14. If a girl was 20 and unmarried she was thought to become an old maid. But that was how our culture was. Coming of age, to me, was never a set time/age.. to me, always depends on the maturity of the person. I know many adults I wouldn't consider "adult" at all and know several kids under 18 who are more mature and resposible than most adults.

I do know that in Lotr that Frodo had just "come of age" which was 30, where the story begins in Hobbiton... and it was actually more like 19 years before he and Sam actually left the shire on their quest.
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Re: Coming of Age

Post by Eledhwen »

My grandmother was married at 14.

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Re: Coming of Age

Post by Ranger of Arthedain »

Kiriana wrote:Don't forget even here in the US... that not much more than 120 years ago... a girl was usually married by the time she was 16.. boys were "men" at like 14. If a girl was 20 and unmarried she was thought to become an old maid. But that was how our culture was. Coming of age, to me, was never a set time/age.. to me, always depends on the maturity of the person. I know many adults I wouldn't consider "adult" at all and know several kids under 18 who are more mature and resposible than most adults.

I do know that in Lotr that Frodo had just "come of age" which was 30, where the story begins in Hobbiton... and it was actually more like 19 years before he and Sam actually left the shire on their quest.

Truly I think this is what the Dunedain lean more towards when inducting one of their own into the ranks of the Rangers. Because there is a certain level of maturity that is to be achieved before one can even consider becoming a Ranger. Their tasks can and will put strain on a person's physical and mental aspects. Perhaps this is why JRRT never set a specific age for the Rangers as he did for, say, the Hobbits. Lord Elrond saw that Aragorn had come to manhood early at the age of 20 when he returned from the wild doing great deeds in the company of the twin sons.


Speaking of marriages at young ages...

I wonder what age was appropriate for a woman of the Dunedain to get married? If memory serves me correctly, wasn't Gilraen a little young according to their customs, to marry Arathorn (a reason as to why her father Dirhael was opposed to the marriage; that and he foresaw Arathorn's life as being short-lived; and he was a man of full age soon to become the chieftain)?
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Re: Coming of Age

Post by Mirimaran »

Arathorn was 56 and Gilraen was 22 when they were wed. Arathorn became Chieftain two years later when his father was killed by trolls. You've seen the movie, right Beth? 8)
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Re: Coming of Age

Post by Ranger of Arthedain »

Mirimaran wrote:Arathorn was 56 and Gilraen was 22 when they were wed. Arathorn became Chieftain two years later when his father was killed by trolls. You've seen the movie, right Beth? 8)
Apparently I've not paid attention well enough, LOL. I'll chalk it up to time, and give the excuse that It's been a while since I've last watched it. 8)
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