# Facial hair in LotR **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 27, 2002, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facial-hair-in-lotr/145211 "2002-12-27T19:27:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facial-hair-in-lotr/145211/1 "2002-12-27T19:27:28Z")
Facial hair: who’s got, who doesn’t? I thought that JRRT was pretty emphatic that the elves–and the Numenoreans–didn’t have (i.e., were incapable of growing) beards. Yet, as I re-read RotK, I was reminded again that Cirdan has a beard! What’s up with that? ---
**Author:** ![5-HT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/f19dbf/32.png) [@5-HT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5-HT)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facial-hair-in-lotr/145211/2 "2002-12-27T19:51:13Z")
From my Tolkein Encyclopedia I remember that 2 of the 3 types of Hobbits are incapable of growing facial hair. The last type(I don’t remember the name, but they’re the river folk of which Smeagol was one) are taller than most hobbits and some of them can grow beards. ---
**Author:** ![Engywook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bc8723/32.png) [@Engywook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Engywook)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facial-hair-in-lotr/145211/3 "2002-12-27T19:54:39Z")
I cannot recall seeing _anything_ specific from Tolkien about the description of elves (not even a mention of pointed ears)… The mention of Cirdan’s beard did throw me too, but I don’t think that contradicts anything else Tolkien wrote. In his letters, Tolkien did occasionally remind people that “elf” is only a bad approximation for what he had in mind… I’ve not seen anything too specific… so maybe all of these descriptions come from what we’ve heard about elves in other work? Hobbits were described in more detail. IIRC, they aren’t supposed to have _much_ facial hair. Nothing really was said about dwarves (and the detail about dwarvish women having beards in the Peter Jackson movie, AFAIK, is strictly Dungeons and Dragons). ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facial-hair-in-lotr/145211/4 "2002-12-27T19:59:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Engywook \* > \*\* Nothing really was said about dwarves (and the detail about dwarvish women having beards in the Peter Jackson movie, AFAIK, is strictly Dungeons and Dragons). \*\* The bit about women having beards struck me as a joke, Aragorn poking fun at Gimli. I don’t think we’re supposed to take that dwarven women are bearded from that. Although they might be, for all we know! ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Maximino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e95f7d/32.png) [@Mighty\_Maximino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Maximino)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facial-hair-in-lotr/145211/5 "2002-12-27T20:07:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Kyla \* > \*\*The bit about women having beards struck me as a joke, Aragorn poking fun at Gimli. I don’t think we’re supposed to take that dwarven women are bearded from that. Although they might be, for all we know! \*\* No, read the Appendices to RotK, about Dwarves. It specifically says that dwarf women look enough like Dwarf men that they are easily mistakable, and that every Dwarf would die of shame without a beard . . . ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facial-hair-in-lotr/145211/6 "2002-12-27T20:08:56Z")
> [@](#): > > No, read the Appendices to RotK, about Dwarves. It specifically says that dwarf women look enough like Dwarf men that they are easily mistakable, and that every Dwarf would die of shame without a beard . . . Ah, mine and **Engywook** ’s mistake! ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facial-hair-in-lotr/145211/7 "2002-12-27T20:49:51Z")
I thought this thread would be about Viggo Mortenson’s mesmerizing stubble. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facial-hair-in-lotr/145211/8 "2002-12-27T22:19:07Z")
Yes, amazing how he is able to keep that permanent four-days-growth all the time. ---
**Author:** ![Avalonian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@Avalonian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avalonian)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facial-hair-in-lotr/145211/9 "2002-12-27T22:30:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by pugluvr \* > \*\*I thought this thread would be about Viggo Mortenson’s mesmerizing stubble. \*\* From [The Secret Diary of Aragorn, son of Arathorn](http://home.nyu.edu/~amw243/diaries/aragorn.html), Day 6: > [@](#): > > _Stubble update: I look rugged and manly. Yes!_ 'Nuff said! ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2002, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facial-hair-in-lotr/145211/10 "2002-12-28T00:48:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by EJsGirl \* > \*\*Yes, amazing how he is able to keep that permanent four-days-growth all the time. \*\* After everything that keeps happening to him, it seems possible that he could lose the will to shave. ---
**Author:** ![Coriolanus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coriolanus/32/18769_2.png) [@Coriolanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coriolanus)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2002, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facial-hair-in-lotr/145211/11 "2002-12-28T19:59:39Z")
I also thought the Dunedain - being Numenorean of purer bloodlines to Elros - would not have facial hair. I can’t find anywhere Tolkien (at least emphatically) mentioned the topic. It’s noted in IMDB’s goofs for _The Two Towers_ that Viggo’s beard grows and shortens in the scene inside Edoras. I haven’t cued up the DVD to check that - but will also definitely look for the Rohir rider wearing sunglasses! ---
**Author:** ![Coriolanus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coriolanus/32/18769_2.png) [@Coriolanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coriolanus)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2002, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facial-hair-in-lotr/145211/12 "2002-12-28T20:01:56Z")
Whoops, duh :smack: Of course I don’t have TTT on DVD. I’ll look for it when I see it again. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2002, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facial-hair-in-lotr/145211/13 "2002-12-28T20:08:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by 5-HT \* > \*\*The last type(I don’t remember the name, but they’re the river folk of which Smeagol was one) are taller than most hobbits \*\* \ No, _mellon_. You’ve gotten two different strains of Hobbitry mixed up. It’s the Fallohides who are the tall ones (the Tûk family is of Fallohide descent). The Stoors tend to be shorter than other Hobbits, but you’re right in that the Stoors are the only ones who can get peachfuzz on their chins. Farmer Maggot is an example of a Stoor. They are the ones who naturally take to the riverbank life. They also wear Dwarven boots when it comes to tramping about in mud. The Harfoots are the strain of Hobbit who have no especial distinguishing characteristics, except that they are the most numerous and “average” in nature. They’re the ordinary ones who sit around in the Green Dragon nursing mugs of ale while dissing the adventurous Fallohides and riverboating Stoors. “Can’t no good come of such things, says I. Not proper for a Hobbit, says I, mark my words, young fella,” and that sort of thing.