Elvish Perception of Time

[Elemmírë]

In another thread, we brushed up against the subject of how Elves perceive the passage of time, especially as compared to how Men perceive it. There seemed to be some differences of opinion regarding this topic.

Originally Posted by Wayfarer

Right, Pytt. Perhaps I should clarify exactly what I was nitpicking: Elves would conceive the idea of time differently from humans - immortality or even long life nescessitates a somewhat different outlook than mortality does. But they would not percieve its passage any differently.

This distinction is certainly splitting hairs (even for me ), but it's nescessary to counter the all-too-frequent assumption that elves somehow experience existance more slowly than humans. That is false - elves experience time the same way that humans do (which is a large part of the reason they constantly attempted to halt it in places like Rivendell and Lorien), they simply have a longer adult lifespan and so experience more of it. A 144 year old elf would expereince the same duration that a human would if they lived the same time - there's nothing qualitatively different between the way humans and elves (and Maiar, and Valar, and Rodents) experience the passageof time.

In Fellowship of the Ring, it is said, concerning this topic:

Nay, time does not tarry ever, but change and growth is not in all things and places alike. For the Elves the world moves, and it moves both swift and very slow. Swift, because they themselves change little, and all else fleets by: it is a grief to them. Slow, because they do not count the running years, not for themselves. The passing seasons are but ripples ever repeated in the long long stream. Yet beneath the Sun all things must wear to an end at last.

Any ideas?