What colour was 🧝Legolas' hair?

[Vorondil]

Was it dark, or was it fair?

 

[Ent]

There is some discussion of this in the thread here:

https://thetolkien.forum/threads/blonde-elves.30226/

It seems the greatest likelihood is fair hair blowing in the air staking out its share in Middle-earthen fare.
However, to the best of Ent's knowledge it is not specifically stated anywhere, but an assumption from Legolas' heritage. (Predominant possibility, weight of evidence, best speculation, and all that, you know.)

 

[Vorondil]

There is this quote that seems to mean he had dark hair.

''Frodo looked up at the Elf standing tall above him, as he gazed into the night, seeking a mark to shoot at. His head was dark, crowned with sharp white stars that glittered in the black pools of the sky behind.''

 

[Ent]

Indeed it may seem so. Yes, it seems it could. But... do not all people's heads seem dark in the night? To what extent is hair color visible? Would not the "stars crowning the head" set up a bit of a 'glare' to the eye, making the hair even harder to distinguish? Additionally, the light from the stars is on the 'opposite side' of his head, is it not? Thus casting the side of his head that would be 'seen' into the shadow? Certainly making it 'seem' dark, but not necessarily so?

Difficult to tell, but we must not be hasty.

For Ent, this passage does not quite tip the scales away from the norm for this Elf's particular heritage. Too many variables can affect the eye, and the hair is not spoken of as in view, but the head.

That said, all are entitled to their own conclusions, and Ent bows (to the extent possible) to whatever you ultimately conclude to be yours.
Agreement is not a requirement among any two people at any time. Only love, compassion, understanding, and acknowledgement are.

 

[Elthir]

Dark as the dry yeggs of Ydrearion

 

[Ent]

Ent tries to decipher the cat, but as usual... comes up a few limbs short never having seen any dry yeggs of Ydrearion.

 

[Vorondil]

Ent tries to decipher the cat, but as usual... comes up a few limbs short never having seen any dry yeggs of Ydrearion.
View attachment 22352

Don't worry, I can't decipher him either.

 

[Elthir]

Ydrearion is a dreary place.

Anyway, not as dark as this, but dark. Or, "dark" as in "golden"

 

[Elthir]

hereyagomaybe

 

[Ent]

Why does Ent feel like he's being shot at by a Noldor elf?
(or possibly some youth of Sherwood Forest thinking he can slay a tree with a toothpick?)

 

[Elthir]

It's a photographic illustration of Legolas Greenleaves [even "clad in green and brown" as described in The Fellowship of the Ring)], with the in my opinion "correct" colour hair.

Orrr the son of Herne (the Hunter), yes.

 

[Ent]

"correct" colour hair.

would like to see the 'description'. will look again. to the best of Ent's knowledge he is nowhere described with brown hair that we know. would be good to 'settle' the dispute if indeed it is.

son of Herne the Hunger is possible, assuming Herne produced before he was a ghost of the forest. (Unless in that mythology ghosts can reproduce somehow. Ent just doesn't know.)

 

[Elthir]

. . . in my opinion "correct" colour hair.

Indeed dear Ent, I note you quoted the quotation marks version, as this post was edited by me to include quotation marks around the word "correct" -- to be coupled with my in my opinion too.

All this simply meaning that Legolas has dark hair in my opinion, or mind's eye -- I do admit that
the choice of the word "correct" is partly due to a happy alliteration with colour, and moreover,
that sometimes I like posting my opinion jokingly as if it's fact, because it's annoying.



But agreed, I know of nothing that solves the matter without cwestion.

which is perhaps not likely at this point, but who knows

And no golden-haired Elven King of Mirkwood will sway me!

 

[Ent]

I like posting my opinion jokingly as if it's fact, because it's annoying.

Always the aid to seekers of Truth you are, you are, oh Cat in a Coat, and the sifting of sayings is seldom short of its very own mirth and smiles.

Joking is good though Ents are Dense, frequently asking to make things make sense. (cents?)
It's good to know opinions grow... there's never a shortage of them to show.

The youth with brown hair, had he pointy ears bare, a very good treat he would be - very neat;
the better to seat the opinion's repeat here and there and all over the square, in memory fair to remember with care, and permanence share of the topic's declare.

May you ever remain the true, the one, the only... Cat in the Coat.

 

[Elthir]

I still say dark.
And even possibly
darker in the dark!
Like his father.

 

[Tyelkormo the Fair]

Considering how statistically you're more likely to take after your father in physical appearance, and his dad had blonde hair, I believe he was also blonde, but more like the silver color of the Telerin elves than the golden Vanyar.

 

[Olorgando]

Considering how statistically you're more likely to take after your father in physical appearance, and his dad had blonde hair, I believe he was also blonde, but more like the silver color of the Telerin elves than the golden Vanyar.

At least in the real world, blonde hair (and blue eyes, for that matter) are recessive traits. Which means that if the wife has dark hair (and eyes) from a double set of those dominant gene alleles, dad's recessive trait(s) get(s) trumped.
BTW, I skimmed the parts of The Hobbit dealing with (not-yet-so-named) Thranduil, but I haven't found any mention of his hair color - or that of any other Elves, for that matter. Of course I could have missed it in skimming, so where is Thranduil's hair color mentioned in The Hobbit?

 

[Server Room Gremlin]

Of course I could have missed it in skimming, so where is Thranduil's hair color mentioned in The Hobbit?

It's when the dwarves are still lost in the forest, and they find the elves feasting there, just before they are captured by spiders.

The feast that they now saw was greater and more magnificent than before; and at the head of a long line of feasters sat a woodland king with a crown of leaves upon his golden hair, very much as Bombur had described the figure in his dream. The elvish folk were passing bowls from hand to hand and across the fires, and some were harping and many were singing. Their gleaming hair was twined with flowers; green and white gems glinted on their collars and their belts; and their faces and their songs were filled with mirth.
- Chapter VIII, Flies and Spiders

 

[Tyelkormo the Fair]

At least in the real world, blonde hair (and blue eyes, for that matter) are recessive traits. Which means that if the wife has dark hair (and eyes) from a double set of those dominant gene alleles, dad's recessive trait(s) get(s) trumped.
BTW, I skimmed the parts of The Hobbit dealing with (not-yet-so-named) Thranduil, but I haven't found any mention of his hair color - or that of any other Elves, for that matter. Of course I could have missed it in skimming, so where is Thranduil's hair color mentioned in The Hobbit?

Well, we don't know anything about his mother, and we can't be sure she's a Nando. She could have been from Doriath for all we know. Besides, based on the appearance of some Finwians, we can't be sure if blonde hair and blue eyes are recessive genes in Tolkien's world. A lot of purists insist Jackson got Legolas' hair wrong, where in reality the only possible, canonical option is blonde, bcs we don't know who his mother was and how she looked like, and brown or dark hair for him is only speculation.

 

[Olorgando]

It's when the dwarves are still lost in the forest, and they find the elves feasting there, just before they are captured by spiders.

Bingo! Page 191 in my 2001 hardcover HarperCollins edition of a 1998 Collins Modern Classics version, page 150 in my 1985 paperback reprint of the Fourth edition by Unwin Paperbacks. So that at least is author-published. But I remain skeptical on leaning too hard on TH for "canon", as JRRT almost haphazardly entered parts of his legendarium into his children's book (which did affect the later chapters), and all of his later contorted efforts to make it fit better (including the abandoned 1960 "fifth phase" "adult" version of TH) were less than completely successful.
As Tyelko mentions above, we know nothing of Legolas's mother. It's part of the "Unfinished Tales" issue that dogs everything besides LotR - and even the latter in some respects.