You, my brown-eyed Frodo

[Pitchwife]

Me too. I have a general idea of what a character would look like, so I can tell whether a picture is like them or not, but I don't imagine a face so clearly that I'd be able to draw it - I've tried to, but the results always fall short of my inner vision, not because of lack of drawing skills, but because any drawing is too precise compared to what I imagine when reading.

(Related but slightly off-topic, does it happen to anyone else that you imagine a character e.g. dark-haired because their name somehow sounds/looks dark to you, even though they're clearly described as blond in the text?)

[Galadriel55]

Originally Posted by Pitchwife

(Related but slightly off-topic, does it happen to anyone else that you imagine a character e.g. dark-haired because their name somehow sounds/looks dark to you, even though they're clearly described as blond in the text?)

I've always imagined both Melian and Luthien to have golden hair, and Finrod to be dark.

[Galadriel]

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

I've always imagined both Melian and Luthien to have golden hair, and Finrod to be dark.

Funny how I always imagined Pippin and Merry to have fair hair, even though Frodo's the one with that colour.
But yeah, Nolofinwë was ALWAYS dark-haired in my mind. Celegorm was just blond

[Galadriel55]

Originally Posted by Galadriel

Celegorm was just blond

Yeah, that too! Celegorm just sounds blond! And if it wasn't repeatedly mentioned that Caranthir is DARK, he'd have flaming red hair!

[Galadriel]

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

Yeah, that too! Celegorm just sounds blond! And if it wasn't repeatedly mentioned that Caranthir is DARK, he'd have flaming red hair!

Yes! Exactly! And Saeros, too! I ALWAYS imagined him with reddish brown hair.

[Galin]

Caranthir Morifinwe was said to be black-haired like his grandfather -- but under mother-names (Shibboleth of Feanor): 'he was dark (brown) haired but had the ruddy complexion of his mother'. Hence his name Caranthir 'red-face' (compare Caradhras 'red horn').

Hmm.

Celegorm was golden-haired actually, or 'was' in an external sense anyway, though not that anyone didn't know that (CJRT edited this out for the 1977 Silmarillion), or the bit about 'Morifinwe'

[Galadriel55]

I don't know why, but I see Tuor as a dark-haired guy. Definitely not golden-haired.

[Galadriel]

Originally Posted by Galin

Caranthir Morifinwe was said to be black-haired like his grandfather -- but under mother-names (Shibboleth of Feanor): 'he was dark (brown) haired but had the ruddy complexion of his mother'. Hence his name Caranthir 'red-face' (compare Caradhras 'red horn').

I thought Tolkien said that no elf had completely black hair

[Eönwë]

Originally Posted by Pitchwife

(Related but slightly off-topic, does it happen to anyone else that you imagine a character e.g. dark-haired because their name somehow sounds/looks dark to you, even though they're clearly described as blond in the text?)

I know the first time I imagined Feanor he had red hair, maybe because of the whole "Spirit of Fire" thing...