Shifty eyes

[Elianna]

Sorry to have to ask this, but...

You know how Mary Sues' eye color will sometimes change when they're angry? Does that have any basis in Tolkien?

*dodges tomato thrown at the mention of Mary-Sues* Don't hurt me!

[Formendacil]

There are no Mary-Sues in Tolkien. Hence, whatever they do is a creation of the fanfic, Mary-Suewriting, author. I would think that the shifting colour of their eyes has something to do with...

Okay, I have no idea. Certainly, I don't believe there are any references in Tolkien to changing eye colours.

[The Barrow-Wight]

There weren't a lot of color changing eyes, but there certainly were a lot of flashing ones. Especially if your names started with 'G'.

Gandalf’s eyes flashed. 'It will be my turn to get angry soon,’ he said. 'If you say that again, I shall. Then you will see Gandalf the Grey uncloaked.’

‘No!’ cried Gandalf, springing to his feet. ‘With that power I should have power too great and terrible. And over me the Ring would gain a power still greater and more deadly.’ His eyes flashed and his face was lit as by a fire within. ‘Do not tempt me! ....

‘Don’t be a fool! What have you heard, and why did you listen?’ Gandalf’s eyes flashed and his brows stuck out like bristles.

'You were less tender to me,' said Glóin with a flash of his eyes as old memories were stirred of his imprisonment in the deep places of the Elven-king's halls.

Gimli rose and planted his feet firmly apart: his hand gripped the handle of his axe, and his dark eyes flashed. 'Give me your name, horse-master, and I will give you mine, and more besides,' he said.

[mark12_30]

Gollum's eyes glow green.

Seriously, there is such an eye-color (in RL, not in Tolkien) called "changing grey-green-blue." (I know 'cause I have 'em.) Depending on the light and what color shirt I have on, they are steel-grey, or sea-green, or sky-blue. So there is basis of fact for this. However, Tolkien didn't make much use of it that I can recall. He doesn't mention green-eyes, and I don't think he mentions blue eyes either.

I have read here on the downs (from somebody respectable, although I forget who-- Squatter? Underhill? Sharku? dunno) the suggestion that Tolkien used "Grey eyes" as a generality, and that he was probably implying variety (grey, green, blue.) I have never seen this supported.

[Lindolirian]

...and Tal-Elmar. His name doesn't start with a "G" , but he was known as Flint-Eye for the spark seen in his eyes when his anger was aroused. I believe that this was a characteristic of the people from whom he was distantly descended from as well. I don't have my books with me, but his story is either in Peoples of Middle Earth or War of the Jewels.
I think it's safe to say that Tolkien subscribed to the notion that "the eyes are the window to the soul" seen not only in all of the afore mentioned angry folk, but also when Gandalf declares that "there was no lie in Pippin's eye" after he interrogated him about the palantir experience.
I personally know very little about Mary-Sues, but agree with Formendacil in that Tolkien had nothing to do with them.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

I write my own fan-fic characters with eyes based on people that I know. I've had a character with blue-green eyes that turned muddy brown when he was mad. That one's based on my dad's ever shifty eyes, which I inherited but for the color.

Seriously, there is such an eye-color (in RL, not in Tolkien) called "changing grey-green-blue."

I can support mark here, because my eyes change between grey-brown and green-brown, sometimes going as far to the extreme as looking mottled brown, to becoming bright brown, and occasionally being a lively green. All the while there's a slightly devious twinkle waiting for me to forget to hide it in good company.

If you aren't looking for Tolkien-based precident, my *other* favorite author, Tamora Pierce, has characters with all sorts of neat eye colors. Liam Ironarm's eyes though, become many different shades of green. I believe jade was angry, and blue-green was flirting.

Fea

[dancing spawn of ungoliant]

Seriously, there is such an eye-color (in RL, not in Tolkien) called "changing grey-green-blue." (I know 'cause I have 'em.) Depending on the light and what color shirt I have on, they are steel-grey, or sea-green, or sky-blue.

Now, this explanes a lot! I've been wondering if I'm paranoiac since my eye color seems to be changing constantly.

I think that all this flashing and glowing is metaphorical. Now I can't help myself imaging the fellowship at Moria and their eyes shine like a car's head lights...no need for torches, eh? Yes, I exaggerated a bit, but I think that "a sparkle in the eye" describes a hidden sneer, for example, or "flashing eyes" can mean a stern expression.

[Encaitare]

Depending on the light and what color shirt I have on, they are steel-grey, or sea-green, or sky-blue.

Ah, this might make sense in this case, save for the small catch: Mary-Sues' eyes, all too often, change from silver to purple to jade to some other utterly related color...

[mark12_30]

If you watch the appendices in the EE, where they show the Lorien scene in Fellowship, and how they turned it from day to night digitally, you'll see Elijah Wood's eyes turn (almost) purple. I had to laugh. Everyone accused him of having his "eyes digitally enhanced" and he laughingly denied it-- but (in this case) it was true; only it was all done after the fact by the editors turning day to night.

There's an explaination, of course. When (in RL) you turn the lights out, your pupils dilate and only the outer rim of your iris is still showing. So your eyes are only showing the very outer rim of color. The outer rim of iris is where the color tends to be darkest (if you have gradations of color in your eyes.) But when a picture (with irises not dilated) is shifted to darker blues, to make it look like night-time, then all that lighter colored iris is still showing-- and you've just turned it much bluer, too.

Most un-natural.

So does that make Elijah a Mary-Sue??? Poor kid.

eye-color

more on eye-color

[Nuranar]

The idea of eye color changing under the force of strong emotion is by no means unique to the Mary-Sues - nor to the realm of fantasy, either. Just see Agatha Christie - classic detective fiction! - and her most famous detective, Hercule Poirot. When he has an illumination (as opposed to a 'little idea' ) she writes that his eyes shine green. I'd post an example, but I have none of my books with me at present. I can't remember, however, if she specifies his ordinary eye color.

Nuranar,
whose eyes are a most disappointingly-uniform deep blue (but not 'Lijah blue, thank you! deeper than that )

[Encaitare]

she writes that his eyes shine green.

Rather like Treebeard, the blatant Mary-Sue that he is!

[Nimrodel_9]

Gandalf’s eyes flashed. 'It will be my turn to get angry soon,’ he said. 'If you say that again, I shall. Then you will see Gandalf the Grey uncloaked.’ Uh oh.

In the movies they seem to change colors, but that has nothing to do with Tolkien.