Quendi under the Stars
Questions time again.
Poll Awakened vs born
There is no information on that, but there was enough time before Oromë discovered Eldar to have at least one generation of children - 35 (Years of Trees) = over 335 years of Sun. Question is if elves mature in 50 years of Sun or in 50 Valian years (and if Valian and Years of Trees are the same*). They were adults when Oromë met them, so it must have been rather 50 years of Sun** and it must be custom of Valinorean Eldar to get married no earlier than after reaching 50 years, for sure first elves didn't wait that way nor measured time. (And what does it mean 'generation' regarding them. I just checked on the net that generation for human kind is 35 years, but recently on TV someone said we count less years for generation now, 25 probably, I don't remember exactly.)
BTW, being brothers for Elwë and Olwë doesn't mean they had to have parents - they could be brothers in the mind of Eru, as Melkor and Manwë are.
I believe the awakened Quendi did not leave the Waters of Awakening easily, they're my first candidates to become Avari, while younger generations would be bold and curious enough to travel to Aman. Also the awakened Quendi were the least experienced generation not knowing danger, the first victims of Melkor, so I believe not many of them survived to the meeting with Oromë.
*In Aiglos #2 Thoronnil in Ardan chronology article uses Valian years measure for Years of Trees and Years of Lanterns equally, but I am not sure if they were really the same as - for me - the real Valian Years after the first sunrise. He also measures all in years of Sun, since the very beginning of Arda, basing on the final measure 9,58 years of Sun = 1 Valian Year (source - HoME, Annals of Aman, p. 58, 60). According to Tolkien - and Annals of Aman - this method of counting years was invented by Quennar and Onótimo, maybe I should ask them ;)
**Though I hate to measure time under stars that way. Time was running slowly before the creation of Sun and we should not count it in years of Sun; this can be used to count Valian years vs years of Sun since the moment when time started running fast in Mortal Realms compared with slow pace of Valinor. Another reason why Laws and Customs Among Eldar must be late customs of Valinorean Noldor and Noldor of Beleriand when measure of 50 years of Sun was available.
If we forget 2000 or 3000 years old Arwen getting married with Aragorn etc. ;) But I believe that belongs to the never finished Arda Rounded phase of the legendary.
Edit. OK, regarding Valian and Sun Years vs maturity - I think I've got it, though haven't checked the source texts yet. In the Flat Arda legendary elves would mature in 50 years of Sun, while in the Arda Rounded legendary when Sun graced world since the beginning elves would mature in 50 Valian Years and essay 'Aman' in HoME must belong to this latest and never finished variant of Tolkien's legendary (though there maturity takes for an elf in Beleriand 3000 years of Sun = 313 Valian years).
Still we have to choose if we're counting Years of Trees into Years of Sun or not to state how long did it take elves to mature before the Sun came. Though again - LACE is late text and may belong to Arda Rounded legendary and even if not, still I agree with Claudio that these are customs of late Eldar, not the wild happy folks singing under the stars who Oromë met. Fëanor proved easily (??) that Quendu doesn't have to be 50 to become a father, so there must have been kids at Cuiviénen.
Poll Awakened vs born
There is no information on that, but there was enough time before Oromë discovered Eldar to have at least one generation of children - 35 (Years of Trees) = over 335 years of Sun. Question is if elves mature in 50 years of Sun or in 50 Valian years (and if Valian and Years of Trees are the same*). They were adults when Oromë met them, so it must have been rather 50 years of Sun** and it must be custom of Valinorean Eldar to get married no earlier than after reaching 50 years, for sure first elves didn't wait that way nor measured time. (And what does it mean 'generation' regarding them. I just checked on the net that generation for human kind is 35 years, but recently on TV someone said we count less years for generation now, 25 probably, I don't remember exactly.)
BTW, being brothers for Elwë and Olwë doesn't mean they had to have parents - they could be brothers in the mind of Eru, as Melkor and Manwë are.
I believe the awakened Quendi did not leave the Waters of Awakening easily, they're my first candidates to become Avari, while younger generations would be bold and curious enough to travel to Aman. Also the awakened Quendi were the least experienced generation not knowing danger, the first victims of Melkor, so I believe not many of them survived to the meeting with Oromë.
*In Aiglos #2 Thoronnil in Ardan chronology article uses Valian years measure for Years of Trees and Years of Lanterns equally, but I am not sure if they were really the same as - for me - the real Valian Years after the first sunrise. He also measures all in years of Sun, since the very beginning of Arda, basing on the final measure 9,58 years of Sun = 1 Valian Year (source - HoME, Annals of Aman, p. 58, 60). According to Tolkien - and Annals of Aman - this method of counting years was invented by Quennar and Onótimo, maybe I should ask them ;)
**Though I hate to measure time under stars that way. Time was running slowly before the creation of Sun and we should not count it in years of Sun; this can be used to count Valian years vs years of Sun since the moment when time started running fast in Mortal Realms compared with slow pace of Valinor. Another reason why Laws and Customs Among Eldar must be late customs of Valinorean Noldor and Noldor of Beleriand when measure of 50 years of Sun was available.
If we forget 2000 or 3000 years old Arwen getting married with Aragorn etc. ;) But I believe that belongs to the never finished Arda Rounded phase of the legendary.
Edit. OK, regarding Valian and Sun Years vs maturity - I think I've got it, though haven't checked the source texts yet. In the Flat Arda legendary elves would mature in 50 years of Sun, while in the Arda Rounded legendary when Sun graced world since the beginning elves would mature in 50 Valian Years and essay 'Aman' in HoME must belong to this latest and never finished variant of Tolkien's legendary (though there maturity takes for an elf in Beleriand 3000 years of Sun = 313 Valian years).
Still we have to choose if we're counting Years of Trees into Years of Sun or not to state how long did it take elves to mature before the Sun came. Though again - LACE is late text and may belong to Arda Rounded legendary and even if not, still I agree with Claudio that these are customs of late Eldar, not the wild happy folks singing under the stars who Oromë met. Fëanor proved easily (??) that Quendu doesn't have to be 50 to become a father, so there must have been kids at Cuiviénen.