Immortality

[Doctor Meaticus]

Being kind of keen on TES lore, I was wondering whether, like many other interpretations of the elven race, the Mer of TES are gifted with immortal life whilst Imperials, Redguards and Nords live regular lifespans. Many elves certainly don't look ageless - there's a lot of wrinkled and silver-haired folk amongst the Dunmer, Bosmer and Altmer communities, but that isn't exactly textbook evidence.

I'm not entirely sure whether this post belongs in 'Oblivion' or not, so I would be thankful if it was shifted if my placement is inept.

Thanks.

[Dark Spark]

Actually, elves have a thousand-year life expectancy. Of course, only a few ever get to see a four-figure birthday cake because a thousand years is a long time to avoid getting sick or eaten by cuddly bears.

Their population is kept in check by birthrate: an Elven woman can expect only to have two or three children in her entire lifetime.

[Avian]

Can I ask where this info comes from?

I don't know who "invented" the concept of Elves, but from what I can peice together from various fantasy sources, their lifespans are into the 4-digits and they have low birthrates, just as you say. Although I believe in Tolkien's universe, Elves do live forever, as the TS mentioned. So who knows.

I always wondered how the Elder Scrolls universe handles Elvish lifepans. One thing I found interesting is that the smith in Anvil mentions having been working there for 30 years, and expects to last another 10. 40 years is a good estimate for a human's career, but you'd think an Elf that lives over a millenium would have to work a lot more than that.

[Doctor Meaticus]

Actually, elves have a thousand-year life expectancy. Of course, only a few ever get to see a four-figure birthday cake because a thousand years is a long time to avoid getting sick or eaten by cuddly bears.

Their population is kept in check by birthrate: an Elven woman can expect only to have two or three children in her entire lifetime.

Even if they only had two or three children per-lifetime, Cyrodiil would still become grossly overpopulated rather quickly wouldn't it?

[Dark Spark]

From The Real Barenziah, Volume II:

"How old are you, Berry? Seventeen? Well, you've a year or two yet before you're fertile, unless you're very unlucky. Elves don't have children readily with other Elves after that, even, so you'll be all right if you stick with them."

Barenziah remembered something else. "Straw wants to buy a farm and marry me."

"Is that what you want?"

"No. Not yet. Maybe someday. Yes, someday. But not if I can't be queen. And not just any queen. The Queen of Mournhold." She said this determinedly, almost stubbornly, as if to drown out any doubt.

Katisha chose to ignore this last comment. She was amused at the girl's hyperactive imagination, took it as a sign of a well-functioning mind. "I think Straw will be a very old man before 'someday' comes, Berry. Elves live for a very long time." Katisha's face briefly wore the envious, wistful look humans got when contemplating the thousand-year lifespan Elves had been granted by the gods. True, few ever actually lived that long as disease and violence took their respective tolls. But they could. And one or two of them actually did.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Actually, elves have a thousand-year life expectancy. Of course, only a few ever get to see a four-figure birthday cake because a thousand years is a long time to avoid getting sick or eaten by cuddly bears.

Their population is kept in check by birthrate: an Elven woman can expect only to have two or three children in her entire lifetime.

Even if they only had two or three children per-lifetime, Cyrodiil would still become grossly overpopulated rather quickly wouldn't it?

Not if a bunch of short-lived but rapidly-breeding humans takes over the entire continent through a series of wars.

[Doctor Meaticus]

Wow. I would never have guessed looking at Elves like the Adoring Fan that they were actually immortal. I mean, generally immortals are pictured as powerful, wizened beings, yet the AF is kind of the polar opposite of that...

Thanks Dark Spark.

[urthdigger]

There's a big difference between "Immortal" and "4 digit lifespan"

[Sonixboom]

Elves can age and there hair can changebut they wont die.

-Sonix

[Nocturnal]

i didnt know that, kinda makes me look at the elves in a different light...so cool lol. i wonder why they never made it clear in the game that they could be hundreds of years old?

[Dark Spark]

..i wonder why they never made it clear in the game that they could be hundreds of years old?

Carahil of the Anvil Mages' Guild went up against Lorgren Benirus a century ago. Today, she stands around and reads alot. Not bad for someone who is over a hundred years old.

Also. Orintur of the Cheydinhal chapter says, "I'm very fond of Cheydinhal. It's where I met my love, Eilonwy. Our lives are quite long, and choosing the right partner is very important."

[urthdigger]

Elves can age and there hair can changebut they wont die.

-Sonix

Actually, I really get the impression that, after a thousand or so years, they WOULD die of old age. Nothing says they never die, and the quote from "The Real Barenziah" heavily implies that they do have an age where they'd die of old age.

[Sonixboom]

I base my elf knowledge on LOTR

-Sonix

[Bread Master]

I always wondered how the Elder Scrolls universe handles Elvish lifepans. One thing I found interesting is that the smith in Anvil mentions having been working there for 30 years, and expects to last another 10. 40 years is a good estimate for a human's career, but you'd think an Elf that lives over a millenium would have to work a lot more than that.

Varel Morvayn doesn't necessarily say that he's been working for 30 years. I took it to mean that he had only been in Anvil for 30 years as he says:

"been here 30 years, and I expect I'll last another 10 or so"

maybe it was an oversight by Bethesda?

[Sonixboom]

in 10 years he might leave to travel the land... or move to skingrad (i would)

[Immortal NPC]

I don't really have anything to add, but I feel obliged to contribute because of my name. W00t!
(Now that everyone mentions it though, there does seem to be some major contradictions with this age thing.)

[videogmer314]

None of them ever make it past 500 because of my Redguard character who kills them all. Why? He thinks they're all the same: annoying and untrustworthy.

[Agares]

although magic was involved, wasn't manakar camoran several hundred/thousand years of age?

[PineconeKing]

only the truly great elves live for over a thousand years. examples include Mankar Camoran, and erm..... basically the theory is: live forever, can die in battle, ages but doesn't die of it, doesn't really ever wear a beard

[Codex]

Moved.

[legoless]

Don't forget Divayth Fyr. Wasn't he a thousand years old?
That smith in Anvil stil puzzles me though. Maybe he was already 990?

I base my elf knowledge on LOTR

Yes, but this is The Elder Scrolls. Tolken doesn't get to make up everything.

[r]

only the truly great elves live for over a thousand years. examples include Mankar Camoran, and erm..... basically the theory is: live forever, can die in battle, ages but doesn't die of it, doesn't really ever wear a beard

Mannimarco too - he was contemporary to Galerion, who founded the Mages' Guild, to give you an idea of how old he is.

[legoless]

only the truly great elves live for over a thousand years. examples include Mankar Camoran, and erm..... basically the theory is: live forever, can die in battle, ages but doesn't die of it, doesn't really ever wear a beard

Mannimarco too - he was contemporary to Galerion, who founded the Mages' Guild, to give you an idea of how old he is.

Yes, but he's a necromancer. He probably resurrected himself a couple times.

[Cactus]

Yes, but he's a necromancer. He probably resurrected himself a couple times.

I can see keeping yourself from dying through the use of necromancy, but how would one go about resurrecting themselves?

[Dark Spark]

A really big instruction book and a couple of your best students might do the trick.

[Mattbott]

maybe TES elves lose their memories every 40 or so years, so they never accumulate enough experience and memories to evolve into thousandth level demigods who regard humans as two legged talking dogs (who only live 60 or 70 in 'human years')

maybe these forgotten memories leak into their dreams which is why the elf in the mages guild built himself a dream world to explore (was the dreamer in the tower who you have to kill for the sleep daedra's quest an elf? i can't remember)

(maybe this can all be explored in TES5 which will take place in the summerset isles, home of the most elvish of elves, the altmer)


in middle earth role playing (and Tolkeins lore which most fantasy worlds at least give a nod to) they explain it all by making elves 'do' things veeeery slowly once they have set themselves up. They might only have a kid or two during their time in the mortal lands, but generally keep their environment in a state of almost perfect stasis, which is why we humans can chill out so well in elven settlements, and why they are so hard to find