Fantasy worlds with bearded elves **(please read the description)**

Hang on. Tolkien never actually says that the elves in Middle Earth don't have beards; what he says is that they look young and have very distinctive eyes which reflect their long lives, which isn't quite the same thing. Most of the main elvish and half elvish characters aren't explicitly described as having beards, but neither is it said that they don't have beards.

I think a lot depends on what sources are used as the basis for fantasy elves. If, for example, you were to base them on Scandinavian folklore then the elves would all be female.

 

Thats rather like saying that the elves in Tolkiens work have pointed ears. That isn't in the books anywhere, though it does arise in Victorian novels and illustrations involving elves.

Tolkien doesn't mention beards on elves very much, but thats because he focusses on their eyes. I'd never assume they didn't have beards, simply because several of the Maiar mentioned in the books (Saruman, Gandalf andf Radagast) are described as having beards.

Don't ask me - I'm dyslexic and I have enough trouble reading without worrying about what font someone is using...

 

He actually never reached a definitive conclusion on this (and many other topics): Celebrimbor is mentioned as having a beard, yet in other place it is mentioned that one of characteristics of half-elves was that they had no beard.

 

I don't think we should pay too much attention to Tolkien's half-elves in this discussion. Not that they are not important, but there are 8 of them (11 if you count Elrond's children). Not really a whole groups of people or representative of a whole race.

 

That statement is relevant because it means that if half-elves were distinguished by their lack of beard, then elves had no beard.

 

Personally, I prefer my Elves like I prefer my vampires...
Pretty, but not sparkling.
To that end, I dislike facial hair. Thus I prefer elves without all the fur. Orlando Bloom's portrayal of Legolas comes to mind when I picture what an elf should look like.

 

I never said they couldn't. Just that I don't like it.
I prefer my elves, baby faced, handsome and pretty. For me facial hair just dosent do it for me. To each their own though. I know lots of people who dig that type of look.