How pointy were Elrond's ears?

[Bêthberry]

I think the longer elves lived in Arda, the longer their ears grew. (Just like our noses keep growing as we age.)

As the ears grew longer, they would begin to lose the roundedness on the top, and so the cartiledge would become more pronounced and hence pointy.

Part of the long dememberment.

[VanimaEdhel]

Originally Posted by Bêthberry

I think the longer elves lived in Arda, the longer their ears grew. (Just like our noses keep growing as we age.)

As the ears grew longer, they would begin to lose the roundedness on the top, and so the cartiledge would become more pronounced and hence pointy.

Part of the long dememberment.

Thanks for pushing things back on track, Bethy.

And for the record, when people figure out scientific answers to Tolkien-related questions, they do get a big applause from my side of the computer - I love knowing new reasons to swear to people it "could be real". And I didn't know our noses keep growing as we age - is that true?

Anyway, wasn't there something in Tolkien's letters, to answer lmp's question about Elf ears? I seem to remember reading that they were in the shape of "mallorn leaves." Now, granted, since I've never bumped into a Mallorn tree, they could have leaves shaped like Ford Mustangs for all I know, but I believe he intended the mallorn leaf to round to a slight point at the end. Not like a little pointy object one can use as a weapon, I don't think, but just a bit of a tip on the end. That's always been my impression of the mallorn leaf.

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by Bethberry

I think the longer elves lived in Arda, the longer their ears grew. (Just like our noses keep growing as we age.)

Does this mean that their noses kept growing just like ours do? That conjours up images of Elves with hooters like anteaters, maybe even like Oliphaunts. I would imagine the Elvish plastic surgeons were kept very busy.

Originally Posted by VanimaEdhel

Anyway, wasn't there something in Tolkien's letters, to answer lmp's question about Elf ears? I seem to remember reading that they were in the shape of "mallorn leaves."

This what I tend to think, that the Elves' ears tended to reflect the nature around them. Also, I like to think that maybe as they were tied to Arda, some aspects of their physical appearance could have reflected that. Perhaps this would explain why Elves tended towards being tall, to echo the trees?

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Does this mean that their noses kept growing just like ours do? That conjours up images of Elves with hooters like anteaters, maybe even like Oliphaunts.

*stares wide-eyed with disbelief* Wow... some slang just ain't the same across the Atlantic.

However... I didn't know noses kept growing. Beth, do you trick us? Even if not, I just found my public excuse for my belief in pointy-eared Elves. Far be it for me to argue canonicty (book versus reader) with an unsuspecting innocent... I'll just tell them that really old Elves get pointy ears.

[Findegil]

I am sorry, but isn't it true that our ears do grow all over our lives as did our noses? If so, then were ist the point that makes the Old-Elven-Ears pointier than that of our elderly manish people?

To be more serious:
Beside the letter, we have also an entry in one of Tolkiens lexicons of the an elvish speech in which he connected the word for ear with that for leave because as he said, the elvish ears were leave shaped an more pointy.

But I also can't see anybody, even an aducated middle-earth Quency looking at the ears to decised if it is mankind of elvekind that he is looking at. I have seen a lot of manish males and females with slightly pointed ears.

Respectfully
Findegil

P.S.: Writing this message a new thought came to me: Wouldn't it be a good idea to make a collection of fotos of such ears that seemed elvish to us? At least we will become a clear evidence that being genetically "identical" even more than men and elve will not produce one standard earshape.

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by Fea

*stares wide-eyed with disbelief* Wow... some slang just ain't the same across the Atlantic.

Now I've cottoned on to what you mean, I've just had hysterics! I just hope that this doesn't go into the 'Freudian slips/typos' thread! Tee-hee!

The notion of pointed Elvish ears is supported by a small snippet in the Elvish Etymologies. In the entry LAS, the stem for leaf (which is seen in Legolas "Greenleaf"), Tolkien mentions that Elves have pointed and leaf-shaped ears.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Ah, just hopefully not like maple leaves. The next question would obviously be "Just how many points are on an Elf's ear?".

Lal: I couldn't stop laughing either. When I finally managed to communicate to my mother why I was curled up in a little ball giggling, she started to laugh also. Like I said... some slang just ain't the same. I mean... can you only imagine?

[VanimaEdhel]

Originally Posted by Tirno

The notion of pointed Elvish ears is supported by a small snippet in the Elvish Etymologies. In the entry LAS, the stem for leaf (which is seen in Legolas "Greenleaf"), Tolkien mentions that Elves have pointed and leaf-shaped ears.

The question now has to be asked: "Did Legolas have green ears then?" Hmm...dark hair and green ears or blonde hair and human-colored ears? I'm sorry, kind of one of those questions in jest that you just have to ask.