Physical Appearance

“Will you write something for us about the physical appearance of the Elves, Janowyn?” A simple enough request, you might think? I did too and agreed immediately, thinking this would be an easy task. Not so. For the Eldar, our appearance is something we wear lightly. It is a part of who we are, and so not something we ourselves think of as being remarkable. Other races, however, see our appearance as defining us in some way. This work is therefore in measure an exercise in seeing ourselves as other races observe us.

It would be best to start with things that are held in common amongst my brethren, be they of Noldor or Silvan descent, and whether they have lived in Valinor or Beleriand, seen both falls of Barad Dûr, or, like myself, been born in the relatively more peaceful times of the Fourth Age. To begin with, we Elves have certain common traits that can be said to mark us out from the younger races. They are particularly different from the Race of Men, the Secondborn Kindred, who of all mortal kind resemble us most closely in figure and form.

In general

The Eldar are the most beautiful and graceful of the races of Arda. As the Firstborn of Eru Illúvatar it can be said that this was our birthright, along with the privilege of immortality and the right, should we choose, to live in peace and light in the Blessed Realms. That is as may be. We are in general taller than Men, although those born of Númenorean descent can match or in a few cases exceed us. In build and strength we are well-made and possess greater strength than the Secondborn, although our form is in general more slender and graceful than Man’s. In a few cases they may match us in pure muscular strength, but not in endurance.

Our hair is one of our most distinguishing features. Elven hair is often worn long or partially bound by both males and females and is always described as bright and shining. Our males are almost all beardless. As to colour, we range from dark to pale-haired, golden or silvery or white, with the exception of the House of Finwë and the Noldor who count their descent from his first wife Miriel, and his eldest son Fëanor. These are with few exceptions dark-haired. Those Noldor who descend from Finarfin, eldest son of Indis, Finwë’s second wife, are all fair-haired.

There are none amongst us whose hair can be described as the ‘red’ that is sometimes seen in the race of Men. Yet even among the golden or brown-haired Eldar some possess hair which echoes the various russet colours of autumn leaves.

We have fair or pale skin, which is lit with a beauteous glow. This is something that is particularly true of, and more marked in, those who have returned to Middle Earth from the Western shores; they have even been said to shimmer lightly when seen in the dark of night. Beyond all else, however, it is our eyes that mark us as the most favoured children of Eru. To say we all have grey eyes is to ignore the range of tones and shades, from the lightest of silvers to the darkest of ebony. However, it is the light within our eyes that stands out. Other peoples describe us as having ‘flame-eyes’, again most marked in those who once dwelt in Aman. Mortals might be unsettled by the glance of any of our people, but only those who returned in Exile (and of course the Vanyar) can do the same even with other elves. Bright, keen, piercing, all of these descriptions are apt. Our sight is also without parallel – we can “tell a sparrow from a finch a league off”. And amongst our Great Ones there are some whose merest glance can sear the soul and lay the heart bare of all deceit and falsehood.

So much for generalities. For specifics I have decided it best to keep to the features I have listed above, and will simply highlight differences in each respect amongst our various clans and individuals.

Height

Again this is only a general guide. In the Eldar, of the three main tribes, the Noldor are regarded as the tallest group, as very few are less than six feet tall (roughly 185 centimetres). The Lady Galadriel is known to be the tallest female Elf – a very impressive height of around six feet four inches (roughly 195 centimetres).

However the tallest male Eldar was not in fact a Noldor, but one of the founding fathers of the Telerí: Elwë or Thingol as he became known in Beleriand. The various Telerí clans are generally held to be a little shorter than the Noldor, especially those who remained in Middle Earth. The difference is not much, however, and many amongst them are as tall as their Noldor cousins.

The Vanyar of course dwell in Aman; they too are tall but are seldom seen by any in Middle Earth.

Build and Strength

Again the Noldor are acknowledged as being the greatest in strength and having the most athletic bodies. This is especially true of the House of Fëanor, which can boast Fëanor himself and his eldest son Maedhros as particularly strong individuals amongst male Eldar. With females it is again the Lady Galadriel who wins the title; she is recognised as being exceptionally strong in body as well as mind.

Hair

Most Sindar have dark hair, as do the Noldor. It is possible to find Sindar who are white, silver or golden-haired as well, however.

Thingol himself was white-haired; others of his family had silver hair, although this was otherwise a rare trait. His relative, Celeborn, who later wed the Lady Galadriel, is nother example of someone with bright silver hair. Their daughter Celebrian, spouse to Elrond Peredhel, was also light-haired.

The Sindar Elf Eöl, married to the noble Noldorin Lady Aredhel, was dark-haired, as was their son Maeglin.

The easternmost branches of the Teleri, the Silvan tribes, are the most populous Elven people in Middle Earth. I have met few silvan elves, but rumor has it that both dark and pale hair can be found among their people. In Lothlorien blond or golden hair is more renowned, although perhaps not more prevelent. King Thranduil of Mirkwood is also fair-haired.

The Noldor, with the exception of the ‘golden’ House of Finarfin, are dark-haired. Celegorm son of Fëanor was called ‘the Fair’, it is true, but that spoke more of his general beauty. His hair, though perhaps a little lighter than his brothers, was still dark. Fëanor himself had raven-black hair and his half-brother Fingolfin also inherited their father Finwë’s dark hair.

Fëanor’s wife Nerdanel and her eldest son Maedhros had brown hair which was a deep red shade, somewhat similar to the wild foxes of Eriador. This is a rare colour amongst the Eldar but not unknown and is considered most attractive.

Finwë married twice of course, and it is his second wife, Indis, to whom her son Finarfin and all his children are indebted for their fair hair.

Indis was a relation of Ingwë and so belonged to the Vanyar. I am reliably informed that the Vanyar all have pale hair. Certainly those few of Vanyar stock who are still in Middle Earth all have the golden hair of their western kin.

Skin

There are no real differences in skin tone amongst the Eldar although some individuals have such pale skin as to seem to be ‘shining with light’. As an example of this there is of course the unparalleled example of Lúthien Tinúviel, but we will come to her last of all, as she was an exceptional case.

Eyes

As I mentioned, there is no real difference in eye colour except in terms of shade. Sea-grey is the colour most used to describe Elven eyes, but what colour is that? The most reliable sources indicate no color other than grey, although I have had a different experience. My own are silvery and slightly blue-ish and I have friends whose eyes have a greenish cast as well, even though the underlying colour is always grey.

Some have eyes that are a truer grey with no other tints. The traitor Maeglin, son of the Lady Aredhel of Gondolin and Eöl, is said to have had very dark eyes which were moreover exceptionally keen in the dark, as were his father’s.

The Lady Galadriel’s eyes are full of light, yet they are also often described as ‘piercing’ and able to see into others' hearts and minds. This keenness of eye and ability to ‘see’ into another’s being is an attribute that was also possessed in abundance by Fëanor and down through the years by our own Lord Elrond, by Celeborn, and interestingly by Maeglin also – we must remember that he was not always without honour.

Our sight is sharp and keen and we can see for great distances, further than any other race of Middle Earth except perhaps the descendants of Thorondor and Gwaihir. This keen-sightedness, along with eyes glowing from the light of Aman and the gaze that can pierce the heart, is a trait feared and envied by other races.

Lúthien Tinúviel and Arwen Undómiel

Although we cannot claim she was wholly Elven, since her mother Melian was of the Maia, Lúthien is widely regarded as the prime example of our race. Her hair was ‘dark as shadows of twilight’, her face shone with light, and her eyes were 'grey as starlit evening’.

Her like was not seen again except in the face of her descendant Arwen Undómiel, who was also descended from Tuor and the race of Men. Through Lúthien and the Evenstar the essence of our people has in the end been passed down into the line of the kings of the race of Men, our other Kindred. In this way it can be said that they have gained some measure of our beauty and grace. It also gives us the chance to have some of our blood share in the Gift of Men beyond the circles of the world, forever.

By Janowyn