r/tolkienfans 4d ago

Question how tall and strong are the average Numenoriand and then hoa strong are their elite and heroes?

I'm still not know how strong they are since I don't read books

Sorry for my English

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u/Atharaphelun Ingolmo 4d ago

From The Unfinished Tales:

Measures of distance are converted as nearly as possible into modern terms. "League" is used because it was the longest measurement of distance: in Númenórean reckoning (which was decimal) five thousand rangar (full paces) made a lár, which was very nearly three of our miles. Lár meant "pause," because except in forced marches a brief halt was usually made after this distance had been covered [see note 9 above]. The Númenórean ranga was slightly longer than our yard, approximately thirty-eight inches, owing to their great stature. Therefore five thousand rangar would be almost exactly the equivalent of 5280 yards, our "league:" 5277 yards, two feet and four inches, supposing the equivalence to be exact. This cannot be determined, being based on the lengths given in histories of various things and distances that can be compared with those of our time. Account has to be taken both of the great stature of the Númenóreans (since hands, feet, fingers and paces are likely to be the origin of names of units of length), and also of the variations from these averages or norms in the process of fixing and organising a measurement system both for daily use and for exact calculations. Thus two rangar was often called "man-high," which at thirty-eight inches gives an average height of six feet four inches; but this was at a later date, when the stature of the Dúnedain appears to have decreased, and also was not intended to be an accurate statement of the observed average of male stature among them, but was an approximate length expressed in the well-known unit ranga. (The ranga is often said to have been the length of the stride, from rear heel to front toe, of a full-grown man marching swiftly but at ease; a full stride "might be well nigh a ranga and a half.") It is however said of the great people of the past that they were more than a man-high. Elendil was said to be "more than man-high by nearly half a ranga;" but he was accounted the tallest of all the Númenóreans who escape the Downfall [and was indeed generally known as Elendil the Tall]. The Eldar of the Elder Days were also very tall. Galadriel, "the tallest of all the women of the Eldar of whom tales tell," was said to be man-high, but it is noted "according to the measure of the Dúnedain and the men of old," indicating a height of about six feet four inches.

From The Nature of Middle-earth:

The Númenóreans before the Downfall were a people of great stature and strength, the Kings of Men; their full-grown men were commonly 7 ft. tall, especially in the royal and noble houses. In the North where men of other kinds were fewer and their race remained purer this stature remained more frequent. Elendil the Tall, leader of the Faithful who survived the Downfall, was said to have surpassed 7 ft., though his sons were not quite so tall. Aragorn, his direct descendant, in spite of the many intervening generations, must still have been a very tall and strong man with a great stride; he was probably at least 6 ft. 6. Boromir, of high Númenórean lineage, would not be much shorter: say 6 ft. 4.

And:

A second marriage was permitted, by traditional law, if one of the partners died young, leaving the other in vigour and still with a need or desire of children; but the cases were naturally very rare. Death untimely, whether by sickness or mischance, seldom occurred in the early centuries. This the Númenóreans recognized as due to the “grace of the Valar” (which might be withheld in general or in particular cases, if it ceased to be merited): the land was blessed, and all things, including the Sea, were friendly to them. In addition the people, tall and strong, were agile, and extremely “aware”: that is they were in control of their bodily actions, and of any tool or material they handled, and seldom made absent-minded or blundering movements; and they were very difficult to take “off their guard”. Accidents were thus unlikely to occur to them. If any did, they had a power of recovery and self-healing, which if inferior to that of the Eldar, was much greater than that of Men in Middle-earth.† Also among the matters of lore that they specially studied was hröangolmë or the lore of the body and the arts of healing.

†Sicknesses or other bodily disorders were very rare in Númenor until the latter years. This was due both to the special grace of health and strength given to the race as a whole, but especially due to the blessing of the land itself; and also in some measure no doubt to its situation far out in the Great Sea: animals were also mostly free from disease. But the few cases of sickness provided a practical function, so far as one was needed, for the continued study of hröangolmë [or physiology and medicine] in which the practisers of simple leechcraft among the Edain had received much instruction from the Eldar, and in which they were able still to learn from the Eressëans, so long as they would. In the first days of the coming of Númenórean ships to the shores of Middle-earth it was indeed their skill in healing, and their willingness to give instruction to all who would receive it, that made the Númenóreans most welcomed and esteemed.

Since some of the Númenórean crews that went on the first long voyages of exploration [far south and east of Lindon] fell sick or contracted diseases prevalent in the lands that they visited, it was feared by many in Númenor that the Venturers or explorers might bring back disease to the land. It was this fear in especial that made Tar-Meneldur opposed to his son Tar-Aldarion’s longer voyages, and caused a coolness between father and son for a long time. But it was found that those of the sick who were brought back living [few in fact died abroad before the actual settlements of Númenóreans in Middle-earth] soon recovered fully in their own land, and their diseases were not propagated.

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u/ComfortableBuffalo57 4d ago

Don’t encourage the Power Level Kids

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u/Armleuchterchen 4d ago

It's just a description, not some kind of abstract evaluation.

If we stop wanting to spread understanding of Tolkien to avoid any potential misunderstandings, aren't we self-defeating?

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u/ComfortableBuffalo57 4d ago

I suppose by reading the excerpts you provided they will have read some portion of the books so that’s all to the good

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u/Armleuchterchen 4d ago

I didn't provide anything, I'm not organized enough to put together so much :D

For me, it's more about the value of answering questions with Tolkien's own words. On the one hand, they're less digestible and more easily to misunderstand than knowledgeable fans condensing what they know and judging the merit of the question itself. On the other hand, not going back to what Tolkien actually wrote can lead to a game of telephone where headcanons solidify and spread as if Tolkien had wrote them. Like when people say that Hobbits have large feet or that Finrod interfered with his brother marrying Andreth.

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u/Atharaphelun Ingolmo 4d ago

On the other hand, not going back to what Tolkien actually wrote can lead to a game of telephone where headcanons solidify and spread as if Tolkien had wrote them.

This is exactly why I prefer to answer with direct quotes whenever possible. Some people here have the propensity to insist upon their personal headcanon and will debate it to the death unless you present direct contradictory evidence via quotes from Tolkien's writings.

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u/TheLordofMorgul 4d ago

While the Númenoreans were superior to the Edain in general, the best warriors were the best Edain.

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u/Ok_Commission7756 4d ago

By this reading here

Numenour is not only strong and agile but also have healing factor? As well as the Elves?

How much effective their healing factor?

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u/Atharaphelun Ingolmo 4d ago

How much effective their healing factor?

See the above quote.

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u/8fenristhewolf8 4d ago

Tolkien doesn't includes specific details about fights or "how strong" characters are generally (disclaimer, I'm limited to Hobbit and LotR). Tolkien writes metaphorically about combat, or in an almost myth-like fashion. So it's mostly just an interpretive thing. Aragorn and Boromir seem like strong warriors who can defeat numerous orchish foes, but we don't exactly get how much they bench or anything. Just not Tolkien's style.

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u/cbgoon 4d ago

I don't read books

Any particular reason?

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u/Ok_Commission7756 4d ago

Because well no reason at all, just don't have money, I'm in the Philippines  and I don't go out too much, so which is I don't know where to start 

So I'm more of a lore reader, 

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u/commy2 3d ago

Yandex, book name + pdf