: : Most of the evidence against this claim is pretty good (I mean, that in Tolkien's early entymologies gave "leaf" as a possible influence on "ear"). I know most round-ear believers say that Tolkien dropped this idea, but where's the evidence for that?

: : Who knows? Maybe Elves didn't have any ears!

: Michael and I went a few rounds on this topic not long ago. I deferred to his judgement that the Elves did not have pointed ears, but there isn't any statement that I know of from Tolkien that indicates he changed his mind. The argument that he probably reconsidered the ear issue is primarily based on his silence and the fact that Elves are described in the book as looking like Men. If Elves had a particular physical difference the anti-pointed ear camp feels that it would have been mentioned in the Lord of the Rings. By now most of us are aware that the Elves in the film version will have pointed ears, and so will the Hobbits. But at this point I'm ambivalent about the whole ear topic. It certainly wouldn't ruin the book or the movie for me if the Elves have or do not have pointed ears, unless they make them overly large like those blasted bozo feet the Hobbits will have in the film. Whose idea for that was it? They certainly can't cite Tolkien as the source for those gargantuan guffins (which can only be called feet by the position they hold at the ends of their legs: to sorta-quote from Bored Of The Rings). But even that will not deter me from enjoying the film.

Well, the reason I asked this is that the Elves closely resemble the Tuatha de Dannan and the Dannan Sidhe of Ireland, and the Seelie of England (both were rather large, about 6 feet). However, all other Faerie people of the British Isles indeed had pointed ears, including the Elves (or Pixies, Piskies) from which they derive their name.

Not that any of this actually matters. I just like to be secure in my knowledge of ME.

BTW, happy Martin Luther King Day, if you're in the US.