legolas's eye color

[midnightflame]

does anyone know legolas's eye color it's been driving me and my friends nuts some say their brown, some say green, some say blue and in the movie his eyes are purple what color are they i need to know what eveyone thinks or knows so i can single out what color!?

[Frodo&Merry'sGurl]

I believe that the color of his eyes in FOTR is brown, but in TTT they are blue.

[Khamûl]

How'd you arrive at that conclusion?

[Frodo&Merry'sGurl]

pictures I've seen. in the pics of FOTR he has brown eyes and in TTT trailer he has blue eyes.

[Khamûl]

Since this is the books forum, I think that midnightflame means Legolas's eye color in the books.:)

Edit: you do mean Legolas's eye color in the books, right midnightflame?

[Sister Golden Hair]

Ok, let's just say for the sake of argument that the movie is not relevant here. The only thing that is relevant is Tolkien's own words. The problem with this is that he changed his mind on many occassions as the mythology grew. In the appendices in RotK Tolkien describes the Eldar as being tall, fair of skin and grey eyed with dark hair accept in the golden house of Finarfin. Legolas was a Sindarin Elf and the Sindarin Elves were a branch of the Teleri. He very well could have had green eyes, but NEVER in the books do I recall any elf with brown eyes.

[Comic Book Guy]

Frodo&Merry'sGurl, read the announcement at the top of the forum.

[Faramir]

I don't really see what's so interesting about Legolas' eye color that you had to start a thread about it.

[Comic Book Guy]

It can be useful of you are planning to draw a picture of Legolas.

[BeardofPants]

The same reason people argue about other Tolkien discrepancies, because they're interested in all things Tolkien. I mean, I'm not overly fussed about eye colour, but I don't mind discussing it either. It makes for a change from balrog debates. :rolleyes: Are you trying to discourage debate, Faramir? :rolleyes:

[Frodo&Merry'sGurl]

I don't remember reading anything in the book about his eye color, but since elves are fair I would guess blue.

[BeardofPants]

Originally posted by Frodo&Merry'sGurl
I don't remember reading anything in the book about his eye color, but since elves are fair I would guess blue.

I'm sure someone with a greater understanding of Eldar characteristics could better answer this, since I'm only trampled through the Sil once. But I will say this: I don't agree. Not all elves are fair, and I seem to remember the colour grey featuring prominently, even if only with the noldor, I believe?

[Sister Golden Hair]

As I said in my earlier post, Tolkien changed his mind. BoPs, all Elves were fair of skin. Tolkien did not limit though eye color or hair color to specific races of the Eldar later on. All Vanyarin Elves had golden hair and grey eyes. I would say they were the only ones that were consistant in this. The Noldor seemed to be mostly dark haired and grey eyed, but there were golden haired Noldorin Elves outside of the house of Finarfin. I believe the Teleri were Silver, or dark haired with grey, and possibly green eyes.

[BeardofPants]

Thanks for the info. I was talking about fair in relation to blue eyes, perhaps I should have been more clear...

[Rána Eressëa]

The only eye color I remember Tolkien mentioning ever about anyone is grey. So let's just say grey, eh? :D

[Starr Polish]

I agree with RE. When reading the books, I've always pictured the majority of the elves with grey eyes. Glorfindel, Elrond (eh, half elven), Arwen (though they tell you), Legolas.

[Faramir]

I just think there are more interesting Tolkien issues to talk about. But if you guys think it's interesting, well your you, not me. And I was not trying to discourage the debate, just voiceing my opinion. Is there anything wrong with that? And if anyone wants to know the real answer to the question Did Balrogs Have Wings? go here (http://tolkien.cro.net/balrogs/fly.html) or here (http://tolkien.cro.net/balrogs/ddueck.html). So, I won't bother you anymore, you can go on discussing eye colors. Have fun.

[Frodo&Merry'sGurl]

Not all elves are fair, but the majority of the ones left in ME at the time of LOTR were I believe.

[cassiopeia]

I only remember Tolkien mentioning grey eyes. Does it say any other color anywhere?

[Galendhol Asada]

It's quite odd because I have many different pictures of Legolas in the movie. If you notice that in the counsil of Elrond his eyes are brown and in the pictures of the counsil of Elrond their brown. In the scene where Boromir dies his eyes are blue. In moria his eyes are brown. But you also have to realize that they did not follow what Tolkien said they looked like, too. So I think that their honey, or light brown, I can send alot of pics to you on e-mail so you can get your opinions though.

[BeardofPants]

This is the book forum, NOT the movie forum. I don't ever seem to recall anything about elves having brown eyes though.

[Frodo&Merry'sGurl]

I suggest you just read the books and pay attention to Tolkiens description of Legolas or of the elves or whatever.

[Snowdog]

Frodo & Merry'sgirl... (did they share you?? ;)) I think that is a good idea. I dont recall the eye color ever being mentioned in the case of legolas, but it was I believe in the Silmarillion somewhere about some lines of elves. This is a "movie" type question in my opinion.

[BeardofPants]

I'm re-reading LOTR now, so I'll try and keep an eye out (no pun! :D) for Lego-boy's eye colour. I don't recall it being mentioned by Tolkien however, and I know that his hair colour certainly wasn't!

[Starr Polish]

Was hair or eye color ever mentioned for any of the hobbits, either? I read fanfiction, and nearly every one gives Sam sandy blond hair and brown eyes, and Frodo black hair with blue eyes, but this sounds like movie verse to me...

[cassiopeia]

Was hair or eye color ever mentioned for any of the hobbits, either? I read fanfiction, and nearly every one gives Sam sandy blond hair and brown eyes, and Frodo black hair with blue eyes, but this sounds like movie verse to me...

But hobbits have brown hair, except at the beginning of the fourth age when some had blonde.
If this is a movie question are people so obsessed about Legolas that they are debating his eye color???

[BeardofPants]

There is a brief description of hobbits in the "regarding hobbits" prologue. And yes, I'm guessing this question was started by an obsessed fan-girl. :p

[Rána Eressëa]

Originally posted by Galendhol Asada
It's quite odd because I have many different pictures of Legolas in the movie. If you notice that in the counsil of Elrond his eyes are brown and in the pictures of the counsil of Elrond their brown. In the scene where Boromir dies his eyes are blue. In moria his eyes are brown. But you also have to realize that they did not follow what Tolkien said they looked like, too. So I think that their honey, or light brown, I can send alot of pics to you on e-mail so you can get your opinions though.

In the movie his eyes were blue - you were witnessing the effects of lighting and shadow. And also, from a distance most eyes appear dark. He was wearing contacts, I know, but I'm sure he always wore them. And if not, oh well.

In the book, though, grey is the only eye color ever mentioned by Tolkien. He never says blue, brown, or green - only grey. So I'm just going to assume almost everyone had grey eyes.

[Celandine]

either blue or brown

[Llark silverwolf]

notta clue heh

[midnightflame]

i have read the books all three and re-read them i still dont get it.
also it might be because im blond but thats beside the piont i mean my cousin willow oran says that he is supposed to have black or brown hair with gray eyes and i starting to believe he does have grey eyes which is comman amoung elves!.

[midnightflame]

and another thing Tolkien barly describes legolas except what he is wearing and what frodo thinks of him the is really no physical description and i am not an opssesed fangirl this question was started by my sister who is obsessed with legolas i didnt even know this thread had been started till three days ago.

[Rána Eressëa]

I am wrong. Tolkien does mention more than just grey eyes: he mentions Sam with "brown eyes". And that's a direct comment. So, yeah, it's up to you, I guess.

[BeardofPants]

Well, "regarding hobbits" deals quite a bit with typical hobbit colouring. I don't know if brown eyes on a hobbit would necessarily transmute to that of elves though.

Oh, and I finished LOTR some time ago, and as I remembered, there is NO description of Leggie's eye or hair colour.

[Rána Eressëa]

Hair color would be quite easy to place on Legolas, but eye color is a tricky one. I would say grey. For some reason I see Elves as having grey eyes. Maybe I associate them with the Grey Havens? Who knows...

[Sween]

i bet there yellow with green dots :D . no seriously this could go on forever its really a how we invisage the characters question so we will all disagree.

[Nurvingiel]

Movie pictures being irrelevant here, all we can really go one is our own impressions from the book. I don't remember any specific description in the book, but if someone calls one up, that would be cool. Tolkein didn't really go in for the character descriptions though. I always pictured Legolas with blue eyes.

[Rána Eressëa]

I think he didn't because he wanted us to somewhat develop our own mental image of what they looked like overall.

[katya]

i think so too, Rána Eressëa, and that makes me happy. it's better that way. that is why i try to avoid the movie because it puts new images in my head. i never noticed anything about eyecolour but i could've missed something. i'll pay attention now if that helps.

[Starr Polish]

Also, didn't he say he found it easier to imagine landscapes rather than characters? That could be another reason why he didn't describe them in depth. And, it wasn't very neccessary to the story.

[Linarryl]

His eyes are brown.

*GO LEGOLAS!*

[Sister Golden Hair]

Originally posted by Linarryl
His eyes are brown.

*GO LEGOLAS!* Highly unlikely.

[Gwaimir Windgem]

I read somewhere that it says in the Appendices that the Sindar have dark hair, but I can't find it. Where is it? Is it even in there?

[Legolas_Frodo_Aragorn]

legolas' eyes are blue, i just think that he doesnt put them on in the movie too much

[Gwaimir Windgem]

I think they're probably grey, actually. Most eyes are; I think the Eldar had grey eyes.

[Laurus Nobilis]

Originally posted by Gwaimir Windgem
I read somewhere that it says in the Appendices that the Sindar have dark hair, but I can't find it. Where is it? Is it even in there?

I have the exact same problem. *sigh* I was sure that Legolas should be dark-haired, considering he's Sindar; but I could never find that line again.

What puzzles me is that in The Hobbit Thranduil appears as a blond. :confused: Shouldn't he be dark haired, too?

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Well, the Hobbit was written as a children's book. He may have not been as careful with it as he could have been.

[azalea]

I don't know about Sindarins, but from what I read in other threads, although Thranduil was blond, we don't know anything about Legolas' mother, so she could have been anything, and thus we don't know her hair color, so that clouds the issue of Legolas' hair color.

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Except a Vanya. ;)

[Lanelf]

I think the idea of Legolas' eyes being brown was started from the movies. Probably just didn't bother putting his contacts in one day and it slipped into the film.
Lanelf.

[Wayfarer]

One of the interesting things about tolkien is he never makes a big issue about appearences.

Almost all modern fantasy authors seem to think that hair and eye color are big things that need to be mentioned constantly. Not tolkien.

[Evenstar1400]

maybe legolas was an albino!

but thats probibly not the case

[Narsil's Master]

i could care less about his eye color but there green

[BeardofPants]

*bump* And this is what we were debating in the height of the movie obsession...;)

[Attalus]

Wayfarer makes an interesting point. Except for Hobbits, Wizards, and, interestingly, Ents, JRRT allowed each reader to form their own mental picture of the characters.

[Nurvingiel]

*bump* And this is what we were debating in the height of the movie obsession...;)
And I posted here! :o

I wonder why I said I picture him with blue eyes. As Tolkien left a lot of mental images entirely up to us, mine tends to be fluid. I'm now picturing a grey-eyed, dark haired Legolas... and I'm only posting again because it's three in the morning. Another time, and I would be much less spammy! :p

[Elemmírë]

Sad, Boppy. Very sad.

I don't know, Attalus, Tolkien seems to randomly mention appearances... Elrond seemed pretty well described... And Glorfindel to a degree, and several other Elves (though not Legolas :p ). Quite a few in the House of Finwe I've heard are described in the HoME...

Hi Nurv. I always pictured Legolas as grey eyed and dark haired. And then the movie came out and I changed that for about three years. But now my mental image is back to the way it was before. See! It's not always permanent!

[galadriel]

Tolkien never describes Legolas's eye color. There's a passage in the Appendices which describes Elves as dark-haired and grey-eyed, but I think this passage may have only been intended to describe the Noldorin Exiles. It seems possible that other Elves follow this pattern: after all, the people of Dol Amroth are thought to be descendants of an Elf of Lothlorien (probably Silvan), and are notable for having dark hair and grey eyes. I've always assumed Legolas followed the norm, simply because Tolkien never indicated otherwise. However, his father is golden-haired, so there's no definite answer.

[Attalus]

There is also the golden house of Fingon, of which Galadriel is such a prominent exemplar. I like your site, btw. I have always thought of her as grey-eyed.

[tolkienfan]

When I read the books I kind of pictured Legolas as having blondish-greyish hair and grey eyes. Maybe his eyes change colors (my sisters eyes do that sometimes, without contacts even)

[Elemmírë]

There is also the golden house of Fingon, of which Galadriel is such a prominent exemplar. I like your site, btw. I have always thought of her as grey-eyed.

Golden house of Finarfin, but the same idea. Don't mind me... I'm obsessed. :o

Hm. My eyes change colours too sometimes, so there's some merit to that idea. I'd still go with grey though...

Though I don't see the importance, honestly... ;)

[ItalianLegolas]

i'll say i think they were greenish-bluish

[Manveru]

well usually when i read the books im not thinking about eye colour. but tolkien doesnt seem to mention appearances to much, although he often talks about what the characters are wearing. i always thought of legolas as having blonde hair with *squints* nope he's standing too far away to see his eye colour....

[ItalianLegolas]

exactly, i didn't think it was very important, i just took a wild guess... it doesn't effect the reading experience AT ALL

[me9996]

Who realy cares? :rolleyes:

[Radagast The Brown]

Who realy cares? :rolleyes:Apparently many, if this thread has 4 pages. If you don't care you don't have to post.

[mallondwen]

I know there has already been much debate on this subject but my personal opinion, movies excluded, has always been that Legolas' eye colour is almost impossible to determine. But if I had to describe my thoughts I would say they remind me most of winter mist in the early hours, with each turn the sun reflects in them different and they sparkle and shine with renewed bursts of clolour. The hues are deep and rich like the rolling sea, sharp and keen like the blade of a sword, and as sincere as a well versed song.

But, if we talk movies, Orlando's eye colour is dark brown and for most scenes this is what you see, but for all of the close ups he wore baby blue contacts. This is why his eye colour seems to change so many times throughout the trilogy and why many people argue so strongly about it.

[Embladyne]

I say sea grey. Because I like the color...and it seems fitting.

[me9996]

Apparently many, if this thread has 4 pages. If you don't care you don't have to post.
Okay, okay, but just a few (silly) sujestons

Banana yello
Purple
Clear

I don't think this is much help :( but I hope someone likes it :)

P.S.
I can't spell!