# How exactly does an elf look like?



## Isil

Execpt for the pointy ears and that they are mighty fine sight, how are their bodies shaped and so on?
Been looking thru the books today but havent found anything.
Can somebody give me a good qoute out of the book or something?
Thanks.


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## Ithrynluin

Off the top of my head, I'd say they are very much 'humanoid' and resembling the race of Man in almost every aspect*, except that they are almost uniformly fairer to behold, and their hair seems to be particularly beautiful. Elves seem to be 'made' of tougher substance than Men - they appear to be sturdier, have more stamina, and are immune to disease and decay of the body.

*This is why they are 'compatible', i.e. able to reproduce with one another, however rare a Man-Elf union may be.


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## Confusticated

Hi Isil, welcome.

Thought I'd add a little more to what Ithrynluin has told.

As for their bodies they are always called tall, and often called lithe, they are graceful. Glorfindel is said to be tall and straight. Most of the published texts give the impression most if not all of the elves are slim and fair, but in some very old story there were a couple who did not fit this discription. An example is an elf Salgant who was "heavy and squat". But one of these is Maeglin, who Tolkien later says nothing about to imply that in his mind the elf still looked this way. I think its reasonable to conclude Tolkien probably decided against Maeglin (an elf) being orcish looking, but as far as I know he never outright said that every single elf in existance was beautiful to look at.

High Elves had a light in their eyes, and in the case of the elves that the hobbits met in the Shire there was a shimmer at their feet.

As for their faces they can look young, or like Elrond's "ageless".

There is one discription I like in a text written many many years before LoTR: _ They were swift of foot and surpassing fair; sweet and sad were their mouths and their eyes had ever a joy within quivering to tears..._

Couple more good face discriptions:



> _From Unfinished Tales_
> Then the Elf turned and looked up, and Tuor met the piercing glance of his sea-grey eyes, and knew that he was of the high folk of the Noldor.


and 


> And Voronwë cast back his hood, and his face shone in the ray, hard and clear, as if graven in stone; and Tuor marvelled to see its beauty.


Some elves, especially a group who lived in the Undying Lands, had golden hair (Galadriel's family for example... Finarfin and his children), a few had Silver (Celeborn and a few others are named), most seem to have had dark hair... there was also some with red hair (Feanor's wife and some of their children are named). Grey seems to be the common eye color for them... this is mentioned in the Appendix of LotR if I recall right.


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## alcesta

There's nothing left for me to add after these posts, except that, as far as I remember, Tolkien never actually said that his Elves had the pointy ears.


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## Hobbit-GalRosie

I timidly put forth my inane babblings on Ears, and Tolkien never actually said they're pointy...point, point.

That is technically correct, according to a Tolkien FAQ I've been reading of late. He said concerning Hobbits that their ears should be more pointed, or "elfin" (quotations marks his, I believe this was in a letter either to Allen and Unwin or some other entity or person to do with publishing The Hobbit, in response to a query on what the illustrations should look like). Clearly, esp. considering the said quotations marks, and the spelling, he was referring to the general opinions of the time, not to his particular "elven" race. In the Etymologies, in HoMe V The Lost Road, he mentioned a root meaning ear seemed to be related to one meaning leaf, "Las-" I believe but I could easily be misremembering. Apparently, quoth Tolkien, the ears of the Elves were somewhat more pointed and leaf-shaped than human. This is the only place where he explicitly says this (though I had assumed before that it was mentioned somewhere in LotR, at least in Appendix F where that is that description of some Elven characteristics, but on re-reading it found there was nothing on the subject), and using such words as to create the impression that he is making an educated guess rather than quoting known fact. Also bear in mind that this was a much earlier work and contained other ideas which afterwards became obsolete, and there is no way of knowing whether this one might have been or not.

Of course, now someone will find a quote that _does_ actually say something about it, and my snobby learned essay will be all for naught. Sorry to be so wearisome, I just wanted to get all the material I could think of on the table.


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## Hobbit-GalRosie

I just came up with a question on this matter that is driving me crazy. I'm sorry about the double post, but I think it's necessary for clarity, and no one would notice my question if I didn't bump this thread anyway. Also I am hereby avoiding starting another thread on similar subject matter.

I always had the impression that Elves never had beards. I finally found a clear quote to back this up in Unfinished Tales, in "The History of Galadriel and Celeborn" it says



> In a not written in December 1972 or later, and among the last writings of my father's on the subject of Middle-Earth, there is a discussion of the Elvish strain in Men, as to its being observable in the beardlessness of those who were so descended (it was a characteristic of all Elves to be beardless)....



So now it would seem that my original thoughts on the matter were in fact correct, but I am still extremely confused. You see, I had revised my opinion upon noticing this passage in The Return of the King the second time around



> As they came to the gates Círdan the Shipwright came to greet them. Very tall he was, _and his beard was long_, and he was grey and old, save that his eyes were keen as stars;.....



So then. Could Elves have beards or couldn't they? I guess that in the one known case it could be seen as the exception to the rule, since Círdan was an extremely ancient Elf who had been enduring the cares of Middle-Earth since before the ages of the Sun, and was perhaps part of the uncharacteristic aging that he is portrayed to have gone through. It still seems rather odd. I'd appreciate any comments on this matter.


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## Elthir

The following note from Tolkien was ultimately published in a linguistic journal called _Vinyar Tengwar_ ...

'_Elves did not have beards until they entered their third cycle of life. Nerdanel's father _[cf. XII: 365-66 n. 61]_ was exceptional, being only early in his second.' _VT 41

Galin


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## Hobbit-GalRosie

Thanks very much for the information Galin, but what does third cycle of life mean? Does that mean that Elves go through various cycles in their lives and by the time their many thousands of years old they may have reached the point that they can grow a beard, or does that perhaps mean their third incarnation, or what? Can anyone help any further?

Hmm...upon further consideration third incarnation would hardly seem a possibility with Cirdan, unless he died twice by Cuivienen and/or on the Great Journey.


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## AraCelebEarwen

an ELF with a BEARD?!  That might be a very rare sight indeed!  

I have always seen elves as tall, well shaped, very beautiful humanoids. Long hair (what ever color) strong, pointed ears, glorious singing voices, deep and sparkling eyes... *sigh... snaps out of it*  Anyway! That will be my contribution of the moment. Thankyouverymuchgoodbye!


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