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I think the author is saying that characters in Tolkein's world, who gave him the name 'Gandalf'='Wand Elf' must have thought him to be an elf, which would be e
by evanb 7y ago
I think the author is saying that characters in Tolkein's world, who gave him the name 'Gandalf'='Wand Elf' must have thought him to be an elf, which would be evidence that those characters don't think it strange for an elf to have a beard.
- belval 7y agoIn that case that would make sense. From the other post on that website, it seems clear that the author is too knowledgeable to make that kind of mistake.
- pbhjpbhj 7y agoI wonder if that author supposes the Malaysians, or whoever, thought orangutans (reported to mean "men of the forest") were humans? Or that those naming sea-cows thought that manatee were actually cows? Surely his name having "modifier+elf" in it shows that he's recognised as distinctly not an elf, nor recognisable as one, but is considered to have elf-like characteristics. I don't think it tells you anything about whether it's strange for an elf to have a beard.
- eozoon 7y agoTo be fair, there's also wood/east-elves, fair/light-elves, grey-elves, green-elves, all of whom are bona fide elves. So just because he's called "modifier+elf" doesn't mean they didn't think he's a proper elf.
- pdonis 7y agoCirdan the Shipwright has a beard as he is described in the last chapter of LotR.
- funnybeam 7y agoI know so many people that have read the book multiple times but seem to have somehow missed the fact that Cirdan has a beard. It’s like they have a blind spot and just can’t see it
- ken 7y agoIs it a case of mistaken identity, or a nickname based on demeanor or skills or other attributes? (I haven't read much Tolkien, and not in decades.) Tarzan is sometimes called the "King of the Jungle" but not because anyone looked at him and mistook him for an actual king.