How Long Would Aragorn Live (And Why)?

Exact Answer: 89 to 400 Years

If you are a die-hard fan of The Lord of the Rings series, then surely you know that Aragorn died on his birthday. This means that he lived for a whopping 210 years. All the fans of The Lord of the Rings would agree that it is no piece of cake to understand it. It is one of the most complex pieces of writings.

Even the most corrected version of The Lord of the Rings that is the 50th-anniversary edition has a few errors in the appendices. J.R.R Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings is one of the most popular as well as complex literary works. The book weaves around a complex history that can be confusing even to the smartest ones.

How Long Would Aragorn Live?

In the earlier versions of The Lord of the Rings, the age of Aragorn was mentioned as 190 years. It was written with a reference made to a king by the name of Arvegil. King Arvegil lived for 190 years. When The Lord of the Rings was revised in the latest edition, the age of Aragorn was changed to 210 years.

The change was done in the later editions for Aragon according to a biblical reference. How do we know the exact age of Aragorn? Let’s calculate using some text from The Lord of the Rings book itself. Appendix B has a reference to the birth of Aragorn in the year 2930 of the third age. The end of the third age is marked when Aragorn is 89 years old. Hypothetically, if Aragorn had died in The War of the Ring, then he would have been of 89 years.

The next 121 years of Aragorn can be found out from the ending of appendix A as well as from a footnote in Appendix B. It is also apparently found that Aragorn actually died on his birthday, completing 210 years.  What would have happened to Aragorn if he didn’t die in the 120th year of the fourth age? It depends. As a Dúnedain, he may have lived on up to the age of 240 years. 

Aragorn showed strong Numenorean character. Even when the book references that Aragorn wanted to die in his prime. It is clear from the conversion of Aragorn with Arwen on his deathbed. It means that Aragorn may have gone on to live up to 300 or even 400 years.

Why Would Aragorn Live So Long?

Aragon didn’t die in The War of the Ring. He went on to rule as the high king for 120 years more in the fourth age. Aragorn died at the age of 210 years voluntarily. He chose his death. If he hadn’t done so, he would have lived for another 20 to 30 years easily. Why? This is because Aragorn is a Dúnedain. 

It is mentioned in The Lord of the Rings that in the beginning the royal lineage of Dúnedains was blessed with a life span of three times more than the average lifespan of common human beings. As time progressed, the lifespan of the Dúnedains decreased. The chieftains of Dúnedains and the forefathers of Aragon had a lifespan of 150 to 160 years. Considering the maximum lifespan of a Dúnedain, Aragon would have lived on up to 240 years. 

Aragon had a strong Numenorean character. Numenoreans were the ancestors of the Dúnedains. The Numenorean royal lineage had a lifespan of five times more than the average lifespan of common human beings. This meant that Aragon may have gone on to live for 200 years more.

Conclusion

Aragorn belonged to the family of Dúnedain chieftains. This meant that Aragorn was blessed with a higher average lifespan when compared with human beings. Aragorn had a Numenorean ancestry that may have blessed him with a higher average lifespan. Irrespective of these factors, Aragorn died at an age of 210 (or 190) years voluntarily.

References

1. https://muse.jhu.edu/article/266266/summary
2. https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CH1420051984&sid=googleScholar&v=2.1&it=r&linkaccess=abs&issn=02768178&p=LitRC&sw=w