Sauron's hair colour

[Aganzir]

Originally Posted by Faramir Jones

It's just as bad with some people's attitudes towards Fëanor.

This is probably not the right time to speak about it to me because I've been experiencing massive love towards Fëanor and his sons lately. Lovely arrogant idiots.

Originally Posted by Eönwë

Are you sure about that?

Note the word average there.

Thinking about Tolkien's hair colours more generally, I'm happy the tradition of having blond heroes and dark villains isn't there (granted, everything that is a fantasy cliche became so way after Tolkien), especially if Sauron's fair means not dark. However there seem to be a lot of grey eyes - a lot more than I'm used to seeing in my daily life. Is it a (partly) British thing, or is Middle-earth special?

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by Aganzir

However there seem to be a lot of grey eyes - a lot more than I'm used to seeing in my daily life. Is it a (partly) British thing, or is Middle-earth special?

I don't think it's a UK thing in particular, though lighter coloured eyes are more common in the North, possibly due to heritage, though grey eyes might be mistaken for blue quite often. And heritage can be misleading too, as the genetics of eye colour are quite complicated - my parents are both blue-eyed, each with a blue eyed and a brown eyed parent, and managed to produce one blue eyed and two green eyed children. I've also produced a green eyed child. Hair colour is much easier to trace genetically!

In general, paler eyes are more of a 'northern' thing though, as there's less melanin in the forward parts of the eye. Either Tolkien was trying to make his favoured Elves (and Rangers) seem 'northern' or he simply had a preference for that eye colour!

[Galadriel55]

Originally Posted by Aganzir

Thinking about Tolkien's hair colours more generally, I'm happy the tradition of having blond heroes and dark villains isn't there (granted, everything that is a fantasy cliche became so way after Tolkien), especially if Sauron's fair means not dark.

That's true. But then fair could also simply mean beautiful (but not necessarily blonde). It's so complicated with all the meanings of fair, even taken just as an adjective and not a noun or verb! I remember that somewhere else on the Downs, most likely on one of the translation threads, I mentioned that in my Russian translation Frodo calls Galadriel "wise, fearless, and just", and someone - I think it was Lommy but my memory is very hazy - said that in their translation Frodo says "wise, fearless, and beautiful". In English the last word is fair. Now how do you tell which is right? And for all we know both Sauron and Galadriel could have simply been blonde.

At least it's pretty clear that Sauron wasn't just in any fashion!

[Kuruharan]

I've always pictured Sauron as having his head shaved, especially in his evil form, so the answer to the question is "Sauron has no hair."

[Estelyn Telcontar]

Originally Posted by Kuruharan

"Sauron has no hair."

Sauron needs no hair?

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by Estelyn Telcontar

Sauron needs no hair?

I like to think that in Middle-earth, that was the origination of the expression the old hairy eyeball.

[Zigûr]

Originally Posted by Kuruharan

I've always pictured Sauron as having his head shaved, especially in his evil form, so the answer to the question is "Sauron has no hair."

As seen in my display picture (which is a piece of my own devising) as well as, say, this *cough*http://fav.me/d5w1gtr*cough* (also by me) I too imagine Sauron as bald in his "Dark Lord form" - although to my mind it's because his burning skin would have burnt it all off! No eyebrows for Sauron either in this conception.

As for his fair-seeming form, I think I tend to imagine him as dark-haired. When he came among the Gwaith-i-Mírdain I can see him wanting to put them at their ease by having an element of Noldo familiarity like one of them.

I've always read "fair" as meaning that he had a sort of aura of goodness, trustworthiness and wisdom about him, if that makes sense. I of course also put "pleasant to look upon" in there, but I'm not sold on this notion that "fair" Sauron was some kind of pretty-boy. Given that he "could appear as a commanding figure of great strength of body and supremely royal demeanour and countenance" (Letters p. 332) I've always imagined Annatar/Aulendil/Artano-Sauron as radiating a great air of authority, knowledge and wisdom which I suppose I don't associate with the rather androgynous figure apparently imagined by some. I see fair as more meaning that he conveyed a sense of legitimacy about his intentions moreso than that he was "physically attractive". To put it another way, what was more likely to engender Celebrimbor's enthusiasm (and the distrust of the other Lords of the Eldar) - an aura of power and skill or good looks?

[Galadriel55]

Originally Posted by Zigûr

As seen in my display picture (which is a piece of my own devising) as well as, say, this *cough*http://fav.me/d5w1gtr*cough* (also by me) I too imagine Sauron as bald in his "Dark Lord form" - although to my mind it's because his burning skin would have burnt it all off! No eyebrows for Sauron either in this conception.

To be honest, I never imagined or even thought to imagine what the faces of Sauron and Morgoth looked like in their Dark Lord forms. Whenever they actually appear "onstage" as Dark Lords, they're all covered in metal! I just imagine a formidable black helmet that covers all of the hair (if any) and most of the face as well.

[Zigûr]

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

To be honest, I never imagined or even thought to imagine what the faces of Sauron and Morgoth looked like in their Dark Lord forms. Whenever they actually appear "onstage" as Dark Lords, they're all covered in metal! I just imagine a formidable black helmet that covers all of the hair (if any) and most of the face as well.

See I've never gotten anything from the descriptions of either of them as being especially "armoured" beings. In fact I have a very distinct mental image of the face of Morgoth in particular as superlatively haughty and cruel. I do imagine him wearing mail all the time out of paranoia for the safety of his body but I think of both of the Dark Lords being very confronting of visage. I've never imagined them as "faceless" opponents in person, quite the opposite, and not for the better. Not monstrous, necessarily, but hideous and incredibly intimidating.

[Kuruharan]

I've never imagined them as "faceless" opponents in person, quite the opposite, and not for the better. Not monstrous, necessarily, but hideous and incredibly intimidating.

One of Morgoth's greatest powers was the ability to daunt people with his eyes, so I agree that he probably didn't encase his face in metal.

[Aganzir]

I've always thought picturing Sauron and Melkor in full armour is more artistic laziness than anything else. Just imagine...

Melkor: Behold, Fëanor! For am I not Vala also? Yea, and more than those who sit here in pride. That is why I clothe myself in this raiment of metal.

Sauron: Alas, for the weakness of the great! For a mighty king is Gil-Galad, and wise in all lore is Master Elrond, and yet they will not aid me in my labours. Can it be that they do not desire to see other lands become as blissful as their own? Or can it be that they do not trust me because all they see of me is this armour (that, I may add, conducts the heat of the forge)?