Hello. I have recently been wondering about the racial lifespans in TES and I thought this was a good place to start. Any links to websites detailing racial lifespans of TES races will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

This link should be helpful:

http://forums.uesp.net/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=18269

Thanks drodjan, it was very helpful. ^_^

Basically the human races live natural human lifespans, maybe with a few minor differences.

Elves live the longest life spans of all the races of Tamriel. I would venture to say that the Altmer longer than Bosmer and Dunmer, but that could be wrong. Some elves are said to have been over 4,000 years old (see Divayth Fyr).

I imagine the Khajiit lifespan depends on what cycle they were born in/under.

I'm unaware of Argonian lifespan but I'd say its probably longer than humans and shorter than the elves.

Orcs and Bretons are probably in the same area as Argonians.

This is all imho.

Orcs are actually very short lived, if I remember correctly.

Yea, they're like dogs. Ok, perhaps a little longer lived than dogs. Cows maybe. Which brings the question, do Orcs have their own 'years'? What's the ratio of human years to orc years...

About for every 2ish human years, there's 1ish orc year?

I have read all the in game books and i seem to remember a story about a redguard and it said he died at the age of 133 or 137 i cant remember, and brenton i think have a life span of maby 150ish because i heard or read some thing in oblivion like "ages like a brenton" and brentons have elven blood in them. but i think any race that uses magic and is profficent in it, lives for an extended time. In redguard the game there is a very old wood elf and he's 300-400 years old.and there is a 86 year old Khajiit in the same game.

Bretons are supposed to age quickly, by human standards.

Altmer can live up to 1000 years with the right lifestyle, but I guess 300 years is more of average.
Dunmer propably live something like that too.
Bosmer... Guess they live the same as the other mer.

Imperials, Nords and Redguards propably live like ordinary real life humans. Maybe a bit more thanks to magic and breeding with mer.

Argonians and Khajiits... Dunno how long they live. Argonians are complicated (treelicking, hist and such stuff...) and Khajiits are kinda unknown, maybe depends on what sort of Khajiit?

Orcs live short as far as I know. Something about Shor and Ork(n?)ey throwing curses around.

Bretons are supposed to be shortlived for men, atleast some Emperor with Breton blood was. Ruled for only 6 years or something.

I don't think so not with the elven blood in them since altmer could live for thousands of years I would suspect a Breton lives four to five hundred years.

No, really, the Bretons are short lived.

"aged like a breton" seems to say, bretons die earlier, or looks quite old sooner.

Also, elves seem to be on the exponential system. ~150 if they were poor, ~400 if they were rich (Barenziah), ~1000 if you're wizard, ~4000 if you're Dyviath Fyr. Well, at least these are numbers for the dunmer. I'd assume the altmer live the longest, as they religiously try to keep themselves as the most pure race.

Context folks, context is everything.

When Cassynder assumed the throne at the death of his mother, he was already middle-aged. Only half-elven, he aged like a Breton.

A comparison is being made between Cassynder elven mother Katariah and Cassynder. Katariah being a mer ages more slowly, so by the time she died, her son who aged much faster, was already middle aged.

So this does not say that Bretons are short lived, rather they are shorter lived then Mer.

My intuition was wrong. I still like dogs' years for Bretons, though.

It was implied in an older Dev interview that 150 years would be considered an advanced age for a working-class Dunmer.

This is apparently contradicted by "The Real Barenziah" which cites a 1000 year lifespan for Elves. Then again, Barenziah was a noble woman with a relatively leisurely lifestyle and access to the best healers.

The Telvanni shouldn't really figure into the discussion very much at all, since they're powerful sorcerers who possibly practice necromancy. Using Baladas or Divayth Fyr in a racial age discussion is about the same as using Mannimarco in one as far as I'm concerned. They're not quite Liches but they've altered their lifespans unnaturally.

In fact I assume that regardless of one's race, proficiency in magicka plays some role in life span. In Cyrodill it's widely assumed that Count Hassildur has lived as long as he has because he is a mage, not because he is a vampire which is not widely know. The casual assumption that magic could extend the man's lifespan to an apparent age of over 100 years and for him to still appear in the prime of his life would indicate to me that Imperial sorcerers live longer than other Imperials and that this is a common enough fact that people accept it unquestioningly. If magic could allow a man of over 100 years to rule over a county with no signs of physical or mental infirmity, imagine what it could do to an elf.

Well, I did say that elves seem to run the exponential life span, depending on working conditions. If the mer in question were rich, I'd expect a huge lifespan. Magic, even more so. With those who are poor, or do not make that much money, not so much of a long life (relatively)

I think i read somewhere that someone taught the Altmer to live hundreds of years more just by walking with a different gait? Can anyone confirm this? Or was it just a joke?

Phynaster. it is serious. why do you think they think he's a god?

ah yes, thanks !

Remember Barenziah? Well, you see her in Tribunal, which is about 5 years (or around that ballpark) before oblivion, and yet in "The Real Barenziah" (Good read tbh :thumbsup: ) She had an affair with then General Talos, who got her pregnant and had the baby aborted. My point is that Tiber Septim being general was ~400(?) years before Oblivion/Morrowind, so Barenziah being a Dunmer is around that age-span. Corrections from better lore buffs appreciated *cough* Lady Nerevar *cough* :whistling:

Like I said, she's nobility and probably has access to potions and healers the average Dunmer doesn't. I tend to take my lore from multiple sources and find the common threads. By all accounts elves of all kinds (Orcs excepted) have elevated lifespans compared to humans and beast races, but another common thread is that class also applies. Barenziah being from a wealthy family and having spent the majority of her advlt life in relative comfort would age more slowly than the Dunmer who work as farmers or soldiers.

I'm with you though. I'd be interested in hearing what someone like LN has to say, although she may be sick of responding to this topic as it's been brought up five or six times this year alone.