Board Thread:Lore Discussion/@comment-179.201.236.220-20130721175723/@comment-2001:16B8:6426:B00:F83D:3FDC:9779:DA3E-20190422130306

I checked some in-game books and dialogues what they say concerning elven lifespan - of course Elder Scrolls lore is often subject to retconning so the canonicity of some of those sources is always up to debate. Still here's what I found:

Claim in 'The Real Barenziah' (if I remember correctly it's in the part with the Thieves Guild, but also later in the story): a maximum age of 1000 years.

A fact is that Barenziah was 379 years old when she gave birth to Helseth and 387 when she gave birth to Morgiah - even if we take into consideration that maybe the part of the lifespan in which elves are elderly and infertile might be shorter compared to their entire life span than it is with humans I doubt that a woman giving birth could be anywhere near to her maximum life span. She was born in 2E 893 and still alive in 3E427 - aged 430 at that time. Her depiction in Tribunal seems elderly (well, maybe, it's hard to say with those graphics), while only 22 two years before that in Daggerfall she is shown as a stunning woman without any signs of ageing. That could either indicate that after a long period of youthfulness elves start ageing comparatively fast or it could simply indicate that the in-game depictions aren't overly accurate (which - concidering that in Daggerfall they didn't even manage to depict her as a dunmer - is more likely). There is also no reason to believe that Barenziah could live considerably longer than other elves - while she is skilled in magic (her ability to see through Jagar Tharn's illusions is an example of this) there is no indication that she used any magic to elongate her life span. If anything it could be argued that the Ra'athim line should have a SHORTER life span then normal since they are said to have human blood somewhere in their ancestry. Though probably this human ancestry is so far in the past that it doesn't make a difference. (Personally I believe that the human blood came in in the 1st Age - after all if 'King Edward' is to be believed Moraelyn Ra'athim married the Breton Aliera). Additionally Barenziah had an uncle (Athyn Llethan) who was still alive in 3E 426, and was widely rumoured to have been killed by his great nephew Helseth (if I remember the in-game dialogue correctly people didn't believe that he had really been QUITE old enough to die by natural causes, while other's either insisted that it was old age or said that 'Dunmer live long... but also know how to keep their mouth shut.'). Being Barenziah's uncle it isn't certain but likely that he was older than her. His wife is still alive in 427, and can be seen in game. She looks old.

Symmachus lived from 2E 865 (according to the Wiki which quotes the book 'Daggerfall Chronicles' on this) to 3E 391. He was killed in an uprisal and was aged 422. I'm not sure if he was actively taking part in the battle.

In 'De Rerum Direnni' the author (an Altmer, obviously since he is a Direnni and by his lifespan it can be pressumed that he is no Breton) claims to be 611 years old. He writes like an old person looking back at his life and is writing down knowledge to pass onto future generations. He is by his own description well past the age to have children himself for certain. But there is nothing indicating that he might be dying already.

The Ayleid Tjurhane Fyrre was born in 1E 2790 and died in 2E 227 - with the 1E lasting vor 2920 years that leads to an age of 357 years. The cause of his death is - to my knowledge - unknown. (Book "The Wild Elves")

Dumac and Nerevar formed their alliance in 1E 416 ('Pocket Guide to the Empire 3rd Edition', the Eras; the 'Guide on Morrowind 1st Edition' in constrast doesn't mention the Dwemer involvment) The War of the First Council was either in 1E 700 (as suggested by the statement in the 'Pocket Guide to the Empire, Hammerfell', where it says that the Dwemer vanisehd 'ca 1E 700') or in 1E668 (date given in various books) - Elder Scrolls Wiki repeats quite often that the battle happened in 1E700, though I'm not sure why that date should seem more likely than 668. But I disgress: It is certain that in 416 Dumac and Nerevar were grown men in positions of power among their respective people. It is also known that in 668 (and maybe 700) they were both still young enough to take part in battle in a fighting capacity. At least 252 years lie between their great battles.

Rangedil Ketil - Dunmer Ordinator born 2E803 died in battle at Abernanit in 3E195, aged 288 - since this, too, was a death in battle once again it can only be said that at 288 he was still at an age to fight. ("Death Blow at Abernanit")

'Invocation of Azura': The narrator (a female Dunmer) claims that aged 16 she joined a cult of Molag Bal staying with them until her grandmother was killed in one of her treacherous undertakings; than she served Boethiah until the day she accidentally killed her brother in a sparring match; than served Nocturnal for 18 years, before turning to Azura who's priestess she has been for 300 years by the time she wrote that book. So 334 years are actually spelled out. But the narrator stated that she was a priestess of all of these princes (or princesses as she calls them) - and it would take at least SOME time to reach that rank.

'Varieties of Faith in the Empire' claims that Phynaster tought the Altmer how to "naturally live another hundred years by using a shorter walking stride". This might indicate that Altmer live 100 years longer than other mer. But concidering the book 'De Rerum Direnni' this would still lead to a natural life span of over 500 years for other elves. Or - if we take into account that as a scholarly Altmer noble the writer of 'Rerum' might have used magic to elongate his life - we can still assume a lifespan of something like 430-50 years from looking at the royal family of Mournhold.