A traditional Irish reasoning of lifetimes goes like this:

'Three fields to a tree

Three trees to a hound

Three hounds to a horse

Three horses to a human being

Three human beings to a deer

Three deer to an eagle

Three eagles to a salmon

Three salmon to a yew

Three yews to an age of the world.'

Interesting Note: This is not a measure of literal commensuration but a measurement of myth and memory. What is so salutary in this particular list is that human beings are located between horses and deer in mythic longevity.

thanks smiless, I didn't know that.

now am a little bit wiser for knowing this