You, my brown-eyed Frodo

[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

[Galin]

Originally Posted by Galadriel

I thought Tolkien said that no elf had completely black hair

He did... at one point


Words, Phrases, Passages (p. 155): 'The Noldor were generally hróva or morna' [these Elvish words are noted] 'morna black of hair: hróva 'dark, dark brown'

In another entry JRRT seemed to think absolute black was not the case (same source): 'The predominant colour of Noldorin hair was very dark brown (no Elf had absolute black hair: morna)' I note here that Tolkien used morna, the word used in the previous citation.

But even if this entry is later than the first, it appears possible that JRRT revised that no Elf was black of hair, as in The Shibboleth of Feanor (dated 1968 or later), for example, Finwe has 'black' hair (note 19). Or concerning Urundil (note 61): 'His hair was not as dark or black as was that of most of the Noldor, but brown, and had glints of coppery red in it.'


So it's all very clear... ah, I guess