# Tuor



## Sagan369 (May 1, 2006)

In 'of Tuor and his coming to Gondolin' Elemmakil says, 'This is strange of you, Voronwe, we were long friends. Why then would you set me thus cruelly beween the law and my friendship? If you had led hither unbidden one of the other houses of the Noldor, that were enough. But you have brought to knowledge of the Way a mortal Man_*-for by his eyes I perceive his kin....'*_
I find it odd that he would say that, wouldnt a more obvious way to tell the difference between Elf and Man be the ears?


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## Alcuin (May 2, 2006)

As far as I know, Tolkien never directly said anything about Elvish ears. I believe the closest he comes is in Letter 27 to the Houghton Mifflin Company about how Bilbo Baggins looked: 


> I picture [Bilbo as] a fairly human figure, … fattish in the stomach, shortish in the leg. A round, jovial face; ears only slightly pointed and ‘elvish’; hair short and curling (brown).


And Tolkien goes on to say in this letter that Bilbo obtained boots – shoes, as it were – at Rivendell, which he discarded again at Rivendell on his way home. (I mention it because I had never noticed it before, and found it searching for ears. I remembered the remark about the ears; fortunately for me, Letter 27 is on page 35 of _Letters_, not page 235, where I would never have found it. Perhaps you would like to start a thread on that, too? I expect we could get quite a ruckus stirred up over Bilbo in boots!) 

Elvish eyes, however, Tolkien mentions several times. When Frodo and Bilbo leave Arwen and Aragorn in the Hall of Fire in Rivendell,


> …it seemed to Frodo that Arwen turned towards him, and the light of her eyes fell on him from afar and pierced his heart.


And Gollum mentions them as well when Sam & Frodo bind him with the Elvish rope given to them by Galadriel:


> They visits Elves, fierce Elves with bright eyes. Take it off us! It hurts us.


In “The Riders of Rohan,” Legolas’ eyes are mentioned several times: they are bright, keen, and piercing. 

In _The Silmarillion_, Tolkien writes,


> Fëanor grew swiftly, as if a secret fire were kindled within him. He was tall, and fair of face, and masterful, his eyes piercingly bright and his hair raven-dark; in the pursuit of all his purposes eager and steadfast.


In “Of the Return of the Noldor,” when the orcs attacked Fëanor and his sons upon their landing in Mithrim, he writes,


> ...the light of Aman was not yet dimmed in their eyes...


Many times the Valar and Maiar are mentioned as having particularly piercing, bright, or unendurable eyes to look upon, but perhaps that is another matter.

A more extensive list of Elvish eye-references – and Númenórean (or Dúnedain) eye-references (almost always “sea-grey”) – could be easily compiled. But perhaps the reference to the “ears only slightly pointed and ‘elvish’” will suffice? At any rate, what Elves – and Men, apparently – first notice is the difference in the eyes.

Perhaps he imagined most folk wore longer hair?
_When Elvish eyes are smiling,_
_ Sure, 'tis like the morn in Spring._
_ In the lilt of Elvish laughter_
_ You can hear the angels sing._
_ When Elvish hearts are happy,_
_ All the world seems bright and gay._
_ And when Elvish eyes are smiling,_
_ Sure, they steal your heart away._​


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## Noldor_returned (May 2, 2006)

And didn't Tuor have a hood on? That would make it slightly difficult to tell the difference, elvish eyes or no, it would take x-ray vision to discern the difference.

Then again, if I'm wrong, I think it was just PJackson that decided to make the elves have pointed ears so it was easier for the viewer to tell the difference.


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## Starflower (Aug 14, 2006)

I would think that the eyes would have been a dead giveaway for Elemmakil. The eyes are supposed to be a window to the soul after all, and Elves in those days had very keen eyes, they would discern things that mortal Men would not even know were there.


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## Confusticated (Sep 17, 2010)

My old sig...

"'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."

...it went both ways. I seem to remember other references in LotR, but the above is a favorite line of mine.


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## Noldor_returned (Sep 17, 2010)

I would say it's just one of those things. I mean, when you look at someone from another country, you can normally pick out straight away what nationality or at least region they're from. I'm sure that it isn't a long stretch to imagine that the same can be done by Tolkien's Elves and Men.


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## HLGStrider (Sep 17, 2010)

> Then again, if I'm wrong, I think it was just PJackson that decided to make the elves have pointed ears so it was easier for the viewer to tell the difference.



Well, Elves with pointed ears goes way beyond Tolkien, and I think people just expect and assume it now. During my first read through, well before the movies, I imagined Elves with pointy ears, blame it on "The Santa Clause" or whatever. I think there would've been a huge outcry from casual fans (ie fans who have read the book once or twice but not memorized it the way some of us have) had the Elves had "normal" ears. Besides, it makes Halloween costumes all the more distinctive.


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