Another Silly Question: Why are elves, pixies, hobbits, have pointy ears?
By pyewacket
@pyewacket (43903)
United States
April 17, 2007 1:24am CST
Okay I'm in a silly question mood--in all legends, folklore, books, elves, pixies, hobbits and magical beings are described as having pointy ears...why? And..do you think Gene Roddenbury fashioned Vulcans in Star Trek with pointy ears after elvish type creatures?
6 people like this
11 responses
@Galena (9110)
•
18 Apr 07
if you look at old woodcuts, or stories with fairies from folklore, then often the fairy/demon/devil himself looked completely normal, but sometimes the hero in the story was often only saved from taking food from them etc. when they noticed they had deformed feet, while the rest of them looked completely normal.
there's a brilliant book about fairies in folklore by Diane Purkiss called Troublesome Things. well worth a read, it's really interesting.
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
18 Apr 07
I'll have to see about getting that book...the only story I read, a children's book was Roald Dahl's The Witches...were he mentions that one of the ways to distingiush a witch was by her toeless feet..among the other ways to know who a witch was, was she was bald and wore a mask to look normal...this should get you going huh? LOL--last time I looked my feet were normal, I don't wear a mask and I'm certainly not bald!
@emeraldisle (13139)
• United States
17 Apr 07
Another good question and one to make us think :)
The reason is probably two fold. One being to make them look similar but just different enough for us to be able to tell them a part. They would not be shocking to humans in other words. They looked like us for the most part so they could be acceptable.
The other reason is because legend wise most elves pixies etc are supposed to be better in the woods. That they were more in tuned with nature. If you thik about it most animals in the forests have pointied ears: wolves, foxes, bobcats, deer, etc. So it stands to reason that even the humanoid creatures of the woods would have these as well.
Sounds good anyways :) Who knows though. Maybe it's because that's how they acutally are and we just haven't been blessed in seeing them.
@brokentia (10389)
• United States
18 Apr 07
I am glad I read the responses before I replied.
Because I think Emeraldisle had an excellent response!
But I think she worded it far better than what I could have. :)
I have also read somewhere about fairies/faeries, elves, and such having a leaf shaped ears to help depict them being closer to nature.
Interesting discussion pyewacket...and great response emeraldisle. :)
1 person likes this
@emeraldisle (13139)
• United States
17 Apr 07
Oh I forgot to add in one series I read the humans had pointed ears unless they came from another dimension and then they were round ears. Round ears were part of prophecy and legends. So a nice twist to things.
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
18 Apr 07
That's an interesting point (no pun intended) about animals having pointy ears...since for the most part, elves were lovers of all nature and animals..I could have added another point to this question to....supposedly elves in particular have long lives as well---I'm thinking of the elves in Lord of the Rings.
2 people like this
@GnosticGoddess (5626)
• United States
17 Apr 07
hehehe! That is interesting to note! Maybe it was to distinguish them further from us regular ol' people?
I do think though you might be on to something there with Gene Roddenbury and the Vulcans!
1 person likes this
@recycledgoth (9894)
•
9 May 07
Sorry hun I can't resist the temptation to respond here.
Why do they have pointy ears? So they can be picked up and gobbled by the dragons - lol
@ElicBxn (63795)
• United States
17 Apr 07
I think its because people saw Borribles & they have pointed ears & never grow up. Sorry, another universe brought in here....
Probably because they saw the magical creatures as part animal, some of the small ones even had tails, but most of the stories have dropped them in this modern time.
As for the pointed ears, I seem to recall that he would've wanted more makeup, but the effects weren't there for them back in the mid-'60's.
1 person likes this
@sloanjosiecat79 (299)
• United States
17 Apr 07
hmm, maybe it helps them hear better or something. all i remeber is that david the gnome(on the show of the same name) could hear really really well.
1 person likes this
@Deltaseccc (505)
• Namibia
9 May 07
Have no idea why they have pointy ears. Wanted to post a nice picture, but for some reason I don't have that option anymore.
@margieanneart (26423)
• United States
9 May 07
Hahhah, I wondered that myself. I suppose it is the way the legend started in human minds, and stuck.
@xParanoiax (6987)
• United States
18 Apr 07
Maybe it's to get better reception to the mystical/spiritual which most of 'em seem to have alot better connection to than regular ol' folks? Like antenna lol.
I'm kidding, but maybe heh.
It was probably just something writers and artists'd used to distinguist them from regular people or to connect them with the "magical"..I don't really know though. Just guessing.
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
19 Apr 07
That actually seems to be the common idea here..doesn't it..that to make such beings different from us regular humans..to distinguish them and set them apart, but not too different
@PurpleTeddyBear (6685)
• Canada
10 May 07
Hmmmm what a good question, I am not sure I have 3 theories though ...
1) It makes them hear better?
2) It doesn't make them stand out too much from regular humans?
3) It makes it easier for them to fly?
Those are just my thoughts as I have no clue what the answer is. Good Post!
@sumofalltears (3988)
• United States
17 Apr 07
Pointy ears is a way of making someone different yet same. Giving a person an air of being of another place, but not so different from us that we have to be frightened of them.
Gene Roddenberry built his story well, the Vulcans were the first alien race humans encountered, so they had to be different enough to stand out but not so different as to be abhorent, so ears were easy to change. And the pointed ears are everything in the animal kingdom and we identufy well with animals so Spock got some cool ears...:}
