If anyone's wondering, this is the description from Appendix D: "It seems clear that the Eldar in Middle-earth, who had, as Samwise remarked, more time at their disposal, reckoned in long periods, and the Quenya word yén, often translated 'year' really means 144 of our years. The Eldar preferred to reckon in sixes and twelves as far as possible. A 'day' of the sun they called ré and reckoned from sunset to sunset. The yén contained 52, 596 days. For ritual rather than practical purposes the Eldar observed a week or enquie of six days..."

The 144 of Appendix D becomes interesting if we imagine the idea in Aman (the text) to be true, and then we might have another reason to reckon in 144...but again, if Tolkien's "last known" (so far) statement is true, then it would seem that Elves grew at pretty much the same rate as Men anyway...

... so the muddle arguably remains. In other posthumously published text (in an Elven child's tale mixed with counting lore), the number of the Elves who first awoke (rather than being born) was also 144, or 72 pairs of spouses.

Well, the muddle still remains. I'd say that is for sure a true statement. lol

It's fun contemplating, though!

I, personally like the idea that they simply mature at the same or similar rate as humans, simply with longer life after that point. It would certainly simplify it for my mind.

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