There are a few different races of note throughout The Lord Of The Rings, but one that fans keep going back to is the powerful race of Dwarves. The most famous Dwarf from the film trilogy is easily Gimli, son of Gloin, the dwarf who accompanied Frodo on his quest to destroy the One Ring before breaking off to aid Aragorn and Legolas in the rescue of two Hobbits and the protection of the land of Men.
The problem is that fans of The Lord Of The Rings have plenty of questions about the different races that never get a clear answer in the film trilogy. Most of, if not all of the main characters are far older than any ordinary human, which may lead some to wonder exactly how long Dwarves can live. They may live deep in the mountains, hidden away from the outside world, but that doesn’t mean they don’t live much longer than ordinary Men.
How Long Can Dwarves Live In LOTR?
Like just about any race of people, there is no hard answer to exactly how long Dwarves can live. Despite that, there is a relatively common age for Dwarves to make it to if they have long, happy, healthy lives. It is possible for Dwarves to live up to the age of 250 without much trouble, as long as their life isn’t tragically cut short by some sort of Orc or Goblin. Due to the different ways that Dwarves age and mature, even a Dwarf at the age of 60 may still be looked down upon by many of the senior Dwarves.
While normal people are considered adults by the age of 20, Dwarves are still considered children until their 30s and 40s, though they still have a long way to go to be seen as competent Dwarves by others. Even Gimli, who originally wished to go on Bilbo’s quest-turned-story in The Hobbit, was turned down despite being an adult in his early 60s. To put that into perspective, despite Gimli being from a highly respected lineage and a highly respected warrior in his own right, he wouldn’t take on the vital task of being a part of the Fellowship of the Ring until he was nearly 140.
The Dwarves actually have a unique progression based on age that doesn’t see one of their own being viewed as a true adult until the period between their mid-60s and mid-70s, though they are seen as capable of contributing to Dwarvish society and war efforts at a much younger age should the need arise. Thanks to the age of 125 being roughly halfway through a Dwarves lifespan, it might surprise some people that they didn’t tend to marry and mate until they were approaching their 90s and early 100s.
Though it was common for Dwarves to make it to the ripe old age of 250, that doesn’t mean there weren’t examples of Dwarves living much longer. Considering a Dwarf of relatively minor significance was capable of living up to nearly 100 years past the average lifespan of a Dwarf, it’s not a stretch to believe that there would be other examples of something similar from time to time. That's without mentioning that the defeat of Sauron likely made it a bit easier for Dwarves to lead longer lives.
Who Was The Oldest Dwarf In LOTR?
Determining the oldest Dwarf in The Lord Of The Rings is a bit of a tricky task. Considering there aren’t too many named Dwarves with a lot of details on their lives. One name that is mentioned as one of the oldest is Dwalin, a Dwarf who traveled with Bilbo on his adventures in The Hobbit. Despite many Dwarves living up to the age of 250, Dwalin lived until he was 340 years old, something that allowed for him to be present in Rivendell when Frodo traveled there during the War of the One Ring.
Dwalin was actually one of the first Dwarves that Bilbo would have ever met thanks to him casually barging into the Hobbit’s home. The Dwarf was a key component in the Battle of Five Armies as well as the defeat of the mighty dragon Smaug. He additionally received a portion of the treasure that was recovered after the dragon was beaten, something that surely kept him well off for the remainder of his life. Despite all of this, Dwalin seemed to have led a quiet life after his adventures with Thorin’s Company, making all the right decisions to avoid a brutal end, and living into the Fourth Age of Middle Earth.
It also could technically be said that the powerful Durin the Deathless is the oldest Dwarf in the series both because he is one of the original Dwarves and because there is a Dwarvish belief that his spirit is constantly being reborn among the Dwarves. Additionally, it is said that Durin managed to live to a shockingly great age, even among the already long-lived Dwarves, something that originally led to him receiving the title of deathless.
Durin was one of the very first Dwarves to awake in the land, and that led to him creating some of the most iconic locations in the series, including the Mines of Moria. It might be his original lineage that led him to have an unnaturally long life among the Dwarves, and that same thing could be the reason why it was believed Durin would return numerous times. Across the ages of Middle Earth, Durin would end up reincarnated among the Dwarves six times, something that makes Durin the Deathless the oldest Dwarf in the series by a longshot.