The Hobbit - a spoilery pic under the cut

[nessaniel]

Yeah, I know everyone and their mum has already seen this first picture of Lee Pace as King Thranduil of Mirkwood (tumblr is going NUTS O___o)


BUT I AM JUST SO FUCKING EXCITED FOR THIS MOVIE (AND WHAT IS THIS CROWN I MEAN SERIOUSLY I'M TERRIFIED BY IT!!! xDDDDDDDd)

But you know what makes me really really happy?
That they let Pace keep his Frida-Kahlo-eyebrows.
Seriously, my inner nerd is going nuts over this stupid little detail because I remember watching the SEE behind the scenes documentary of "The Fellowship of the Ring" back in early 2003 I think and they kept talking about Orlando Bloom's eyebrows being waaaay too dark for his light blonde hair (which is true. It looks ridiculous).
BUT THEY KEPT IT! THEY COULD HAVE CHANGED IT (come on, there would have been a way ;DD) BUT THEY KEPT IT! *3* ;3; So much love for this decision (which might not have been a conscious decision after all BUT STILL!!!)

"Here, Legolas. Your dad looks just like you, right down to the monstrous eyebrows, so that at least this gene-mutation is getting explained. Although you are aware that your hair color IN ITSELF makes LotR-nerds go completely crazy since the 1950ies because THERE IS NO WAY IN FRIGGIN' HELL THAT YOU COULD BE A BLONDE!!" (Please, please anyone, ask me in the comments, HOW there is no way in hell, Legolas could be this blonde, please xD)

Yeah, back to business (writing and cleaning the flat... sooo mostly writing... xD)

Comments

[telyanofcelore.livejournal.com]

His crown. What the fuck is up with his crown? *astounded* It... has pine twigs in it. Orange pine twigs. Just, what.

...why can't Legolas be blonde? I think it has to do with his lineage, but I haven't read the Silmarillion in years.

[nessaniel.livejournal.com]

My first thought was "Why are red fish bones in his hair and why are they only showing us half of it. Where is the other half of that crown..."

I will love it nonetheless I already do...

THANK YOU! xDD And of course you are right, it has everything to do with lineage.

Tolkien established that the only elves with golden hair are either the Vanya or the descendants of Finarfin (so basically every blonde elf in Middle Earth during the time of the Ring Wars) but Thranduil is a descendant of the Nandor elves (those who didn't cross the Misty Mountains together with the other Teleri at first) and those have dark hair (brown, I think, I'm not sure about the black hair...) so Legolas has to have brown hair because around the time when he was conceived, the Nandor were already living pretty secludedly so although one could argue that Legolas' mother might have had blonde hair which got passed onto her son, it's not very likely (it's not as entirely impossible as I said it was for the comedy effect though XD)

I favor the theory that says Tolkien made a mistake when he described Thranduil as blonde (Legolas gets described having "dark hair" in Lotr, but that particular scene takes place at night) but I do that just so I can get people into the discussion about silly fictional elf hair. XD

[telyanofcelore.livejournal.com]

Ah yes! The Nandor! That's what they're called! Grumpy isolationist elves! Well, the Silvan always were, but the Sindarin, mm. Sort of weird, them. I do think it's more likely he had blonde hair, though.

...so clearly going to Valinor bleaches your hair. Interesting.