# Why do Elves, Hobbits and Dwarves have pointy ears?



## Sarah (Dec 12, 2003)

Yet men do not.

Pointy ears. Why are men the only ones without them? It is not because they are mortal, because hobbits and dwarves have them. So... WHY?? Gah, it's been bothering me forever!!! Somebody help me!!!!

Perplexed.


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## celebdraug (Dec 12, 2003)

That is a really good question, and i'd like to know the answer to that too.


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## Melko Belcha (Dec 12, 2003)

Since when have Dwarves had pointed ears? I have studied the Dwarves more then anything else in Tolkien's work, and I have never heard anything about them having pointed ears. Please provide a quote *written by Tolkien* where he says that Dwarves ears are pointed.


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## Inderjit S (Dec 12, 2003)

The only time that Elves have been described as having pointy ears is in the rather vague and ambiguous note in _The Etymologies_ (HoME 5) and the validity of that note is questionable. 

Dwarves are never described as having pointy ears.


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## Roilya (Dec 12, 2003)

a dwarve with pointy ears would look pretty funny.


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## Celebthôl (Dec 12, 2003)

Where is a hobbit described as having pointy ears?


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## Sarah (Dec 12, 2003)

Grr. damn purists

Granted these questions came to mind after repeatedly watching the movies over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and... well you get the idea. You only ever get to see Gimli's ears in once scene that was not in the theatrical version. And his ears were pointed. and all of the hobbits had pointy ears. Also, I've come to the conclusion (based *only* on the movies mind you as I know that I'm not right) that wizards have no ears. I mean can anyone see them???




please note: that last comment was meant to be a joke, I know that wizards have ears. I don't need purists comeing and breaking my door down like wraiths to tell me I'm wrong.


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## Melko Belcha (Dec 12, 2003)

> _Originally posted by Celebthôl _
> *Where is a hobbit described as having pointy ears? *



Tolkien wrote a letter to an artist who had drawn a picture of Bilbo that Tolkien hated. In the letter Tolkien describes the Hobbits ears as being pointed and elvish.

Some people claim that letter as proof that the Quendi have pointed ears, but at the time the letter was written the LotR had just began to be written and The Hobbit was still not part of The Silmarillion legend, so only the people close to Tolkien and had read his mythology would know anything about the Quendi. So in the description of hobbits ears that Tolkien wrote must be talking about elves from popular legend.

The only reference to Quendi ears being pointed was mentioned above by Inderjit S.


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## Eledhwen (Dec 12, 2003)

Why would Tolkien write 'pointed and elvish' without qualifying it further, if it only referred to elvishness outside his own stories?


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## Gandalf The Grey (Dec 12, 2003)

> _Originally posted by Sarah _
> *Also, I've come to the conclusion (based only on the movies mind you as I know that I'm not right) that wizards have no ears. I mean can anyone see them???
> 
> please note: that last comment was meant to be a joke, I know that wizards have ears. I don't need purists comeing and breaking my door down like wraiths to tell me I'm wrong.  *



What? What's this? * Cups a hand over a flowing grey mass of hair beneath his hat. *

I can't hear you, would you kindly speak up? And I entirely missed what you said at the end there, when your voice sank to a whisper.  

Oh, now I get it! You wonder why wizards are the only ones that have pointy hats?


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## Confusticated (Dec 16, 2003)

> _Originally posted by Inderjit S _
> *The only time that Elves have been described as having pointy ears is in the rather vague and ambiguous note in The Etymologies (HoME 5) and the validity of that note is questionable.
> 
> *



For what reason is it questionable? 

I do not find it vague, only brief.


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## Celebthôl (Dec 16, 2003)

So if Hobbits ears are pointed and Mens are not, does this mean that Hobbits are infact not an offshoot of Men?


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## Confusticated (Dec 16, 2003)

Well if being very short with furry feet did not disqualify them as an offshoot why should pointy ears? 

... and was their thick soled feet a feature they each aquired in life because of going around without shoes, or is it natural.


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## Arvedui (Dec 17, 2003)

Maybe I should re-launch my very special 'hobbit-theory', Nóm?


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## Inderjit S (Dec 18, 2003)

> For what reason is it questionable?



We do not know whether or not is says _human_ It claims the Quendian ears were pointy and leaf shaped-but to what extent?


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## Maerbenn (Dec 19, 2003)

*?human*

*Inderjit S*, the recently published _Vinyar Tengwar_ 45 features the first part (of two) of a complete "Addenda and Corrigenda to the _Etymologies_" by Carl F. Hostetter and Patrick H. Wynne, detailing additions and corrections to the published work derived from an examination of the original manuscript and comparison with the published text.

It includes this little tidbit:



> LAS^1- [for:] [?human] [read:] Human



Thus the final sentence of that entry properly reads:

"The Quendian ears were more pointed and leaf-shaped than Human."


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## Sarah (Dec 20, 2003)

> _Originally posted by Sarah _
> *Also, I've come to the conclusion (based only on the movies mind you as I know that I'm not right) that wizards have no ears. I mean can anyone see them???
> 
> 
> *



I withdraw this comment as I have just seen the third movie. Wizards do have ears, and they are indeed round.


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## Ice Man (Dec 22, 2003)

It's genetic, my son.


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## Wolfshead (Dec 25, 2003)

Gandalf The Grey said:


> Oh, now I get it! You wonder why wizards are the only ones that have pointy hats?


The reason, it seems, for wizards wearing pointy hats, is this - due them actually having no ears, the hat acts as an antenna, picking up sound waves and transferring them to the brain. Simple, really


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