Elves' physical characteristics

[Vanimdil]

Hi all,
I'm trying to gather more information on the physical appearance of Tolkien's elves, especially any references to their general appearance in his works other than The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings series. I'm particularly interested in information pertaining to the Sindar and Laiquendi. I'd also be interested in information or opinions on the following:
Are ALL elves unusually tall or would there perhaps be as much variation as among humans(at least among elves other than the High Elves?)
Stereotypically, elves are considered to all be small-boned and and extremely thin. When people describe Tolkien's elves this way are they just following stereotype or did Tolkien describe elves this way somewhere? What I'm getting at is could there be elves who were perhaps a little larger-boned and muscular than others?
I know these questions are rather open-ended and prone to controversy but I would really enjoy hearing some other opinions about this.
Thanks!

---Vanimdil

[Ñólendil]

Welcome!

May I start by saying that whether Tolkien's Elves had pointed ears is debated perhaps as much as 'whether Balrogs had wings', and so I won't get into it here, I hope no one else does.

These are the differences seen in the Lord of the Rings between Men and Elves.

J. R. R. Tolkien said that Elves and Men were biologically the same Race, and so naturally they look very much alike. There have indeed been instances in history when Elves mistook Men for their own kind. One such case can be seen in Of Tuor and His Coming to Gondolin, published in Unfinished Tales. Elemmakil (a Noldo) thought at first that Tuor was one of his kindred, until he noticed his eyes.

The Elves were fairer -- in body and in face and other things. There was a light in their faces and in their eyes that is not seen among mortals. This is the chief characteristic of Elves as opposed to Men: you'd know them because of their beauty, in their bodies and in their faces and hair, the light in their eyes, and their voices too. The voices of the Eldar were far more melodious than is achievable by us.

You seem, however, more interested in differences of appearance among the Elves themselves. All Elves were not 'generally tall'. In the Elder Days the average heighth of a Noldo was = to about seven of our feet (that is also the average height of Númenóreans in the Second Age), but they seem to have diminished over the years, and other kinds of Elves were not so tall (Legolas, for instance, was smaller than Boromir and Aragorn, I believe he was about the same size as Gandalf).

The Elves were not extremely thin. They were I believe in general less bulky than we are, but they would not appear 'alien' to us. Some of them were thick and strong limbed as some Men, Angrod was perhaps one of these.

The chief difference between the Eluwaith and the Laegrim (or 'Sindar and Laiquendi' as you say and as they are more popularly known) was in their culture: their life-style, their clothing, their talents. Both groups came from the Teleri. I started to give an account of the some of the sundering of the Elves and the differences in the branches, but it's too much and more than I suspect you want or need. I will say that most of the Teleri (like the Noldor) were dark-haired. (It was difficult to tell the Exiled Noldor and the Sindar apart, the chief difference was that the eyes of the Exiled Noldor (or Etyañgoldi) surprised the Sindar for their great brightness, which was beyond the measure of the Dark Elves of Middle-earth. The Noldor were also slightly heavier in build).

[afro-elf]

Inoldonil

As a ESL instructor ( more based on rapport than anything else)
I will say that I am fairly impressed with your knowledge of the works of Tolkien. (Especially one of such youth) Since this is an extremely lax educational time that we are in, maybe you and Mike Martinez can design courses and you could teach classes on Tolkien works at a liberal school.


Just think, you get to get paid for doing something that you really enjoy.

Whatever your future endeavors good luck!

[Ñólendil]

I'm very flattered. My old friends from the Middle-earth Vault, however, (who met me when I was even more egotistical and far more lacking in knowledge, courtesy, patience, honesty and wit of which even now I have so little) would probably tell you it's like feeding fuel to the fire. Not good for the ego, you understand.

Michael Martinez is the person most knowledgeable in Tolkien's works that I have met or 'spoken' with. I'm not in his league and there is much I know so little about and am not interested in, and so many here on the Moot that surpass me. Perhaps in the future if I've wizened up a bit I could teach a class, that would be nice.

There are three elements that come together and allow me to make the posts I make: a) too much free time, (b) an obsession and (c) the sources. That's it. I have too much time on my hands (if I was older, I hope I would not have so much time), I'm obsessed with studying Tolkien's 'Eän' works, and I have most the books about it (Ea, the name in Quenya given to Tolkien's mythological Universe). Not everyone unfortunately can get those three elements together and I might be thankful if I was not aware that there is not much practical 'use' for it all. But I do enjoy it.

[Wayfarer]

"I'm very flattered. My old friends from the Middle-earth Vault, however, (who met me when I was even more egotistical and far more lacking in knowledge, courtesy, patience, honesty and wit of which even now I have so little) would probably tell you it's like feeding fuel to the fire. Not good for the ego, you understand."

Absolutely [insert passage from the silmarillion.] he really [insert passage from the lord of the rings] [insert passage from the hobbit] was a little [insert minor flame]

And how about that troll that killed faramir? ]:)

[Ñólendil]

lol!