Posted: July 16, 2000 at 11:37:38: by Frode
Since I missed the interesting debate I just have to throw in my two cents here: MM mentions the passage where Elemakhil recognizes Tuor by his eyes ('for by your eyes I perceive your kin'). I find it very notable that Elemakhil says this AFTER Tuor has removed his hood.
Furthermore the peoples of Middle Earth could not agree about which race Gandalf belonged to (most believening he was either elvish or a very old man). I'm sure quite a few had caught a glimpse of Gandalfs ears over the years :)
Anyway: the examples are many of cases of mistaken identity and it is always by the gleam in the eyes that elves and men are told apart (or in the case of Morwen she is mistaken for an elf by the easterlings because of the gleam in her eyes :). Ears are NEVER mentioned to be different between elves and men. Like someone else pointed out (MM?), elves and men were regarded as the same race biologically by Tolkien (they represented two 'experiments' on mortality). The 'gleam' in the eyes is not necessarily a biological difference, but a spiritual one (and is often mentioned with the light of Valinor).
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