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Old 05-31-2008, 05:20 AM   #11
Alfirin
Shade of Carn Dûm
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 435
Alfirin has been trapped in the Barrow!
I think it is safe to say that Aragorn was clean shaven (in spite of the cartoon ROTK, where he had a quite respectable beard) It seems that was the fashion in amoung ME men or at least amoung Gondorians and Arnorians. When Tolkein describes the people Near and Far Harad he makes much point of the fact that they are bearded "like dwarves". If any signficant portion of Men in the West did grow beards the difference would not be so commented on. In fact whenever beardedness is metioned amoung the other races (except for dwarves, of course) is is marked as being something unusual and probably recessive. The fact that the some of the Stoors can grow beards sets them apart from the other hobbits (it is also siginficant that tese beards are considered a Mannish trait, like wearing shoes). When a woodwose grows a small, mosslike beard (as metioned in the Drunedain essay in the Unfinished tales) is is considered a remarkable and imporessive feat. On the other hand, all of the wizards are have beards and none of the men think that that sets them apart from other men so there must be some men in ME with facial hair.
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