The few exceptions for certain characters where skin is even brought up that I know of, include passages for characters such as Maeglin (Of Maeglin in Silmarillion) and Arwen (in Lord of the Rings), and maybe a few others (and not much beyond that)... And largely that Tolkien seemed to equate his personal sense of beauty with 'paleness' based on his wife Edith (Luthian) (as I believe we also see a reference beauty and white skin with Goldberry as well), among other places. Of course it should be noted most of the references if any do exist, are not technically usuable by LOTRO, due to them only having rights mainly to LOTR (and maybe The Hobbit), but not much else beyond that (although they have kinda got around that by renaming certain ideas like with the houses of the Dwarves).
In the middle of the table, against the woven cloths upon the wall, there was a chair under a canopy, and there sat a lady fair to look upon, and so like was she in form of womanhood to Elrond that Frodo guessed that she was one of his close kindred. Young she was and yet not so. The braids of her dark hair were touched by no frost; her white arms and clear face were flawless and smooth, and the light of stars was in her bright eyes, grey as a cloudless night; yet queenly she looked, and thought and knowledge were in her glance, as of one who has known many things that the years bring. Above her brow her head was covered with a cap of silver lace netted with small gems, glittering white; but her soft grey raiment had no ornament save a girdle of leaves wrought in silver.
J.R.R. Tolkien. The Lord of the Rings (p.226-227). Harper Collins, Inc.. Kindle Edition.
She lifted up her white arms, and spread out her hands towards the East in a gesture of rejection and denial. Eärendil, the Evening Star, most beloved of the Elves, shone clear above. So bright was it that the figure of the Elven-lady cast a dim shadow on the ground. Its rays glanced upon a ring about her finger; it glittered like polished gold overlaid with silver light, and a white stone in it twinkled as if the Even-star had come down to rest upon her hand. Frodo gazed at the ring with awe; for suddenly it seemed to him that he understood.
J.R.R. Tolkien. The Lord of the Rings (p. 365). Harper Collins, Inc.. Kindle Edition.
As Maeglin grew to full stature he resembled in face and form rather his kindred of the Noldor, but in mood and mind he was the son of his father. His words were few save in matters that touched him near, and then his voice had a power to move those that heard him and to overthrow those that withstood him. He was tall and black-haired; his eyes were dark, yet bright and keen as the eyes of the Noldor, and his skin was white. Often he went with Eöl to the cities of the Dwarves in the east of Ered Lindon, and there he learned eagerly what they would teach, and above all the craft of finding the ores of metals in the mountains.
Tolkien, J. R. R.. The Silmarillion (pp. 155-156). Harper Collins, Inc.. Kindle Edition.
Some fans have interpreted Maeglin and Eol and other 'dark elves' as being darker in complexion than other elves that hadn't seen the Light of the Two Trees. But there is no indication anywhere that being exposed to the 'light' of the two trees changes skin tones. The idea that Maeglin is 'dark-skinned' goes against the text itself which does state his skin is white.
Perhaps there is even support in an earlier writings Book of Lost Tales that he was dark skinned at one point... but that was changed later in later works... In the earlier outdated work he is described as being 'less fair' and compared to being 'swart', and compared to being part-orc (though certainly no evidence of this)... However, 'swart' doesn't necesarily mean 'black' or even 'dark brown' but can also mean 'ruddy' or 'tanned' compared to others... But many do interpret to mean 'dark skin'.
Now the sign of Meglin was a sable Mole, and he was great among quarrymen and a chief of the delvers after ore; and many of these belonged to his house. Less fair was he than most of this goodly folk, swart and of none too kindly mood, so that he won small love, and whispers there were that he had Orc’s blood in his veins, but I know not how this could be true.
Tolkien, J.R.R.. The Book of Lost Tales, Part Two: Part Two (History of Middle-Earth 2) . Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Kindle Edition.
But it does suggest compared to others of his people who were appeared more 'fair' (did Tolkien mean 'pale' when he says fair? Maybe if that is his personal idea of beauty). But it does seem to contrast 'fair' with 'swart'. Although I'm sure there are some that might interpret it to mean "he was less beautiful' than most elves (does 'swartness' and demeanor being part of that why he was 'less beautiful'?).
But then again it seems he may have been retconned to 'white' in later written works... which would make the two descriptions in conflict... Or they could both be right, in that he's still 'white' but darker in complexion than others of his people.
Another reference to potential skin color is that Ar-Feinel is described as being 'pale'. But the fact she's called White Lady could mean that she was a special case for the Noldor. If all other Noldor was 'white' then why call her White Lady?
Ar-Feiniel she was called, the White Lady of the Noldor, for she was pale, though her hair was dark, and she was never arrayed but in silver and white.
Tolkien, J. R. R.. The Silmarillion (p. 61). Harper Collins, Inc.. Kindle Edition.
Of course she could have been literally "white" (like say alabaster or an albino) rather than say pink, ruddy, or tan, or some off-white color. But there isn't enough context to know for sure what was meant, or what "all noldor look like" in relation to her, that makes her special.
In War of the Jewels is this note relating her 'whiteness' to her hair, and not necessarily her skin (although all around 'White" might be connected to both), in which originally the explanation of her title was 'snow-locks'.
Aredhel Ar-Feiniel, the White Lady of the Noldor...
Here, and throughout B(i), Isfin was changed to Arehel; and in the
margin against the first occurrence my father wrote:
This name is derived from the oldest (1916) version of FG. It is now
quite unacceptable in form, unsuitable to the position and character
of Turgon's sister, and also meaningless.
Presumably he meant that since no etymology of Isfin was feasible it
was on that account unsuitable to be the name of Turgon's sister (cf.
II.344, where the original explanation of the name as 'snow-locks'
or 'exceeding-cunning' is given, and the present note is referred to).
Also written in the margin is '? Rodwen = High Virgin Noble' and
'Rodwen Los in Golodh..' (last letters illegible; the word 'Virgin' is
also not perfectly clear).
At the top of the first page of the carbon B(ii) the notes on the name
are different. Here my father wrote: 'Name Isfin must be changed
throughout to Feiniel (= White Lady)'.
In Morgoth's Ring is another comment about the White Lady, which may indicate some changes such as not agreeing on what hair color she was to have, but in this case indicates her skin appeared to be pale and 'clear of hue'? Whatever that means....
She was called
the White Lady of the Noldor; for though her hair was dark, she
was pale and clear of hue, and she was ever arrayed in silver
and white.
However, she is described as white-limbed in Lays of Beleriend:
Lo, that prince of Gondobar [Meglin]
dark Eol's son whom Isfin, in a mountain dale afar
in the gloom of Doriath's forest, the white-limbed maiden bare,
the daughter of Fingolfin, Gelmir's mighty heir.
'Twas the bent blades of the Glamhoth that drank Fingolfin's life
as he stood alone by Feanor; but his maiden and his wife
were wildered as they sought him in the forests of the night,
in the pathless woods of Doriath, so dark that as a light
of palely mirrored moonsheen were their slender elfin limbs
straying among the black holes where only the dim bat skims
from Thu's dark-delved caverns. There Eol saw that sheen
and he caught the white-limbed Isfin, that she ever since hath been
his mate in Doriath's forest, where she weepeth in the gloam;
for the Dark Elves were his kindred that wander without home.
Meglin she sent to Gondolin, and his honour there was high
as the latest seed of Fingolfin, whose glory shall not die;
a lordship he won of the Gnome-folk who quarry deep in the earth,
seeking their ancient jewels; but little was his mirth,
and dark he was and secret and his hair as the strands of night
that are tangled in Taur Fuin* the forest without light.
And white-handed in The Shaping of Middle Earth:
Turgon, Fingolfin's son, had a sister, Isfin the white-
handed.
Galadriel is also known as the White Lady in a few sources, but its probably more about how she shown to others, and what she wore, than about her skin color....
Elwing is another character described as the "White", and compared to be 'fairest' after Luthien.
Here was born also Elwing the White,
fairest of women save Luthien, unto Dior in
Ossiriand
Caranthir also known as Carnistir as mentioned in Silmarillion and in The People's of Middle-earth which means 'red-face', and that he and his mother had ruddy complexions.
to Feanor, later found to be also seen in his mind.
Carnistir 'red-face' - he was dark (brown) haired, but had
the ruddy complexion of his mother.
Another reference from War of the Jewels, in the chapter Quendi and Eldar.
Christopher Tolkien noted on the Vanyar (this may be the source of many of the wikis/encyclopedias stating that the majority of elves are 'pale-skinned' or even 'white skinned') that being that tolkien meant 'fair' to mean complexion rather than beauty (but in context and the way Tolkien used as he points out originally referred to the hair color of the elves, not skin color):
Vanyar thus comes from an adjectival derivative *wanja from
the stem *WAN. Its primary sense seems to have been very
similar to English (modern) use of 'fair' with reference to hair
and complexion; though its actual development was the reverse
of the English: it meant 'pale, light-coloured, not brown or
dark', and its implication of beauty was secondary. In English
the meaning 'beautiful' is primary. From the same stem was
derived the name given in Quenya to the Valie Vana wife of
Orome
Also mentioned in Morgoth's ring about the Vanyar, but not necessarily indicating skin pigments...
[Other names in song and tale are given to these peoples. The
Vanyar are the Blessed Elves, and the Spear-elves, the Elves
of the Air, the friends of the Gods, the Holy Elves and the
Immortal, and the Children of Ingwe; they are the Fair Folk
and the White.
Some of the other groups are known as "grey-elves" and "dark elves" but this appears to have nothing to do with their complexion, according to notes by Tolkien. But also to do with mixing of peoples, and also color of their hair.
Less commonly the form Sindel, pl. Sindeldi, is also met in Exilic
Quenya. This was the name given by the Exiled Noldor (see
Note 11) to the second largest of the divisions of the Eldar.
(Note 16, p. 412) It was applied to all the Elves of Telerin origin
that the Noldor found in Beleriand, though it later excluded the
Nandor, except those who were the direct subjects of Elwe, or
had become merged with his people. The name meant 'the
Grey', or 'the Grey-elves', and was derived from *THIN, PQ
*thindi 'grey, pale or silvery grey', Q pinde, N dialect sinde.
On the origin of this name see Note 11. The Loremasters also
supposed that reference was made to the hair of the Sindar. Elwe
himself had indeed long and beautiful hair of silver hue, but this
does not seem to have been a common feature of the Sindar,
though it was found among them occasionally, especially in the
nearer or remoter kin of Elwe (as in the case of Cirdan).(15) In
general the Sindar appear to have very closely resembled the
Exiles, being dark-haired, strong and tall, but lithe. Indeed they
could hardly be told apart except by their eyes; for the eyes of
all the Elves that had dwelt in Aman impressed those of
Middle-earth by their piercing brightness. For which reason the
Sindar often called them Lachend, pl. Lechind 'flame-eyed'.
In descriptions for Finwe describes him as 'white-browed'.
In those days she had looked
upon the Lord of the Noldor, dark-haired and white-browed,
eager of face and thoughtful-eyed, and he seemed to her fairest
and noblest among the Eldar, and his voice and mastery of
words delighted her. Therefore she remained unwedded, when
her people departed to Valinor, and she walked often alone in
the fields and friths of the Valar, [turning her thought to things
that grow untended] filling them with music.
She loved Finwe dearly; for her heart had turned to him
long before, while the Vanyar still dwelt with the Noldor in
Tuna. In those days she had looked upon the Lord of the
Noldor, and he seemed to her fairest and noblest of the Eldar,
dark-haired and white of brow, eager of face but with eyes full
of thought; and his voice and mastery of words delighted her.
Therefore she remained unwedded when her people removed to
Valinor, and she walked often alone in the friths and fields of
the Valar, filling them with music.
In another section of the book, Tolkien's description of Idril daughter of Turgon. And another instance where Tolkien seems to connect "fairness" with pale/white in his comparisons (if not in complexion his personal sense of beauty).
But
fairer than all the wonders of Gondolin was Idril Turgon's
daughter, she that was called Celebrindal the Silver-foot for the
whiteness of her unshod feet, but her hair was as the gold of
Laurelin ere the coming of Melkor.
Wise-hearted even beyond the measure of the daughters of Elfinesse was the daughter of the king, and she spoke ever for Tuor, though it did not avail, and her heart was heavy. Very fair and tall was she, well nigh of warrior’s stature, and her hair was a fountain of gold. Idril was she named, and called Celebrindal, Silver-foot, for the whiteness of her foot; and she walked and danced ever unshod in the white ways and green lawns of Gondolin.
Tolkien, J.R.R.. The Fall of Gondolin . Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Kindle Edition.
Then on Luthien from The Lays of Beleriend is these quotes:
Beside the mere 65
quickening, rippling, rising clear
the piping called. Then forth she came,
as sheer and sudden as a flame
of peerless white the shadows cleaving,
her maiden-bower on white feet leaving; 70
and as when summer stars arise
The grass was very long and thin,
The leaves of many years lay thick,
The old tree-roots wound out and in,
And the early moon was glimmering.
There went her white feet lilting quick,
And Dairon's flute did bubble thin,
As neath the hemlock umbels thick
Tinuviel danced a-shimmering.
Wherever grass is long and thin,
And the leaves of countless years lie thick,
And ancient roots wind out and in,
As once they did in Doriath,
Shall go their white feet lilting quick,
But never Dairon's music thin
Be heard beneath the hemlocks thick
Since Beren came to Doriath.
But Luthien would wondering stay;
fear had she never felt or known,
till fear then seized her, all alone,
seeing that shape with shagged hair 615
and shadow long that halted there.
Then sudden she vanished like a dream
in dark oblivion, a gleam
in hurrying clouds, for she had leapt
among the hemlocks tall, and crept 620
under a mighty plant with leaves
all long and dark, whose stem in sheaves
upheld an hundred umbels fair;
and her white arms and shoulders bare
her raiment pale, and in her hair 625
the wild white roses glimmering there,
all lay like spattered moonlight hoar
in gleaming pools upon the floor.
A night there was when winter died;
then all alone she sang and cried
and danced until the dawn of spring,
and chanted some wild magic thing 720
that stirred him, till it sudden broke
the bonds that held him, and he woke
to madness sweet and brave despair.
He flung his arms to the night air,
and out he danced unheeding, fleet, 725
enchanted, with enchanted feet.
He sped towards the hillock green,
the lissom limbs, the dancing sheen;
he leapt upon the grassy hill
his arms with loveliness to fill: 730
his arms were empty, and she fled;
away, away her white feet sped.
But as she went he swiftly came
and called her with the tender name
of nightingales in elvish tongue, 735
that all the woods now sudden rung:
'Tinuviel! Tinuviel!'
And clear his voice was as a bell;
its echoes wove a binding spell:
'Tinuviel! Tinuviel! ' 740
His voice such love and longing filled
one moment stood she, fear was stilled;
one moment only; like a flame
he leaped towards her as she stayed
and caught and kissed that elfin maid.
As love there woke in sweet surprise
the starlight trembled in her eyes.
A! Luthien! A! Luthien!
more fair than any child of Men;
0! loveliest maid of Elfinesse, 750
what madness does thee now possess!
A! lissom limbs and shadowy hair
and chaplet of white snowdrops there;
0! starry diadem and white
pale hands beneath the pale moonlight! 755
She left his arms and slipped away
just at the breaking of the day.
Heard ye not then
of that pretty fay, of Luthien?
Her body is fair, very white and fair.
'O Luthien, O Luthien,
more fair than any child of Men,
O loveliest maid of Elfinesse,
what might of love did thee possess
to bring thee here to terror's lair! 2850
O lissom limbs and shadowy hair,
O flower-entwined brows so white,
O slender hands in this new light! '
In The Shaping of Middle Earth:
Luthien wearing that necklace and that immortal jewel on
her white breast was the vision of greatest beauty and glory
that has ever been seen outside the realms of Valinor
A little more obscure perhaps is when describing Sauron taking on his Elven appearance in the third age its described as "fair hue" (which likely means 'fair color' but I'll leave further interpretation up to individuals);
When Thangorodrim was broken and Morgoth overthrown, Sauron put on his fair hue again and did obeisance to Eönwë, the herald of Manwë, and abjured all his evil deeds.
Tolkien, J. R. R.. The Silmarillion (p. 341). Harper Collins, Inc.. Kindle Edition.
Men he found the easiest to sway of all the peoples of the Earth; but long he sought to persuade the Elves to his service, for he knew that the Firstborn had the greater power; and he went far and wide among them, and his hue was still that of one both fair and wise.
Tolkien, J. R. R.. The Silmarillion (p. 343). Harper Collins, Inc.. Kindle Edition.
Although it suspiciously sounds a lot like the biblical quotations about Satan masquerading as an angel of light (which is more about how he shines, and nothing about skin color).
Then another in Book of Lost Tales, which compares Eärendel, the half-elven mariner as having 'white skin'...
Now this babe was of greatest beauty; his skin of a shining white and his eyes of a blue surpassing that of the sky in southern lands—bluer than the sapphires of the raiment of Manwë25 and the envy of Meglin was deep at his birth, but the joy of Turgon and all the people very great indeed.
Tolkien, J.R.R.. The Book of Lost Tales, Part Two: Part Two (History of Middle-Earth 2) . Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Kindle Edition.
And when speaking of the Noldor...
For the Noldor belonged to a race high and beautiful, the elder Children of the world, who now are gone. Tall they were, fair-skinned and grey-eyed, and their locks were dark, save in the golden house of Finrod…
Tolkien, J.R.R.. The Book of Lost Tales, Part One: Part One (History of Middle-Earth 1) (p. 38). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Kindle Edition.
In a draft for the final paragraph of Appendix F to The Lord of the Rings he wrote: I have sometimes (not in this book) used ‘Gnomes’ for Noldor and ‘Gnomish’ for Noldorin. This I did, for whatever Paracelsus may have thought (if indeed he invented the name) to some ‘Gnome’ will still suggest knowledge.* Now the High-elven name of this people, Noldor, signifies Those who Know; for of the three kindreds of the Eldar from their beginning the Noldor were ever distinguished both by their knowledge of things that are and were in this world, and by their desire to know more. Yet they in no way resembled the Gnomes either of learned theory or popular fancy; and I have now abandoned this rendering as too misleading. For the Noldor belonged to a race high and beautiful, the elder Children of the world, who now are gone. Tall they were, fair-skinned and grey-eyed, and their locks were dark, save in the golden house of Finrod…
In the last paragraph of Appendix F as published the reference to ‘Gnomes’ was removed, and replaced by a passage explaining the use of the word Elves to translate Quendi and Eldar despite the diminishing of the English word. This passage—referring to the Quendi as a whole—continues however with the same words as in the draft: ‘They were a race high and beautiful, and among them the Eldar were as kings, who now are gone: the People of the Great Journey, the People of the Stars. They were tall, fair of skin and grey-eyed, though their locks were dark, save in the golden house of Finrod…’ Thus these words describing characters of face and hair were actually written of the Noldor only, and not of all the Eldar: indeed the Vanyar had golden hair, and it was from Finarfin’s Vanyarin mother Indis that he, and Finrod Felagund and Galadriel his children, had their golden hair that marked them out among the princes of the Noldor. But I am unable to determine how this extraordinary perversion of meaning arose.†
Tolkien, J.R.R.. The Book of Lost Tales, Part One: Part One (History of Middle-Earth 1) (pp. 38-39). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Kindle Edition.
With that the comment from the Appendix F specifically for the Noldor, which only describes 'fair skin'...
Elves has been used to translate both Quendi, ‘the speakers’, the High-elven name of all their kind, and Eldar, the name of the Three Kindreds that sought for the Undying Realm and came there at the beginning of Days (save the Sindar only). This old word was indeed the only one available, and was once fitted to apply to such memories of this people as Men preserved, or to the makings of Men’s minds not wholly dissimilar. But it has been diminished, and to many it may now suggest fancies either pretty or silly, as unlike to the Quendi of old as are butterflies to the swift falcon - not that any of the Quendi ever possessed wings of the body, as unnatural to them as to Men. They were a race high and beautiful, the older Children of the world, and among them the Eldar were as kings, who now are gone: the People of the Great Journey, the People of the Stars. They were tall, fair of skin and grey-eyed, though their locks were dark, save in the golden house of Finarfin; 1 and their voices had more melodies than any mortal voice that now is heard. They were valiant, but the history of those that returned to Middle-earth in exile was grievous; and though it was in far-off days crossed by the fate of the Fathers, their fate is not that of Men. Their dominion passed long ago, and they dwell now beyond the circles of the world, and do not return.
J.R.R. Tolkien. The Lord of the Rings (p. 1136-1137). Harper Collins, Inc.. Kindle Edition.
In Peoples of Middle-Earth is are these quotes:
And their own true name in High-Elven is Noldor, Those
that Know; for of the Three Kindreds of the Elves in the beginning,
ever the Noldor were distinguished both by their knowledge
of things that are and were in this world, and by the desire
to know yet more. Yet they were not in fact in any way like to
the gnomes of our learned theory, and still less to the gnomes of
popular fancy in which they have been confused with dwarves
and goblins, and other small creatures of the earth. They
belonged to a race high and beautiful, the Elder Children of the
World, who now are gone. Tall they were, fairskinned and greyeyed,
though their locks were dark, and their voices knew more
melodies than any mortal speech that now is heard. Valiant they
were and their history was lamentable, and though a little of it
was woven with the fates of the Fathers of Men in the Elder
Days, their fate is not our fate, and their lives and the lives of
Men cross seldom.
In conclusion I will add a note on two important modern
words used in translation. The name Gnomes is sometimes used
for the Noldor, and Gnomish for Noldorin. This has been done,
because whatever Paracelsus may have thought (if indeed he
invented the name), to some Gnome will still suggest Knowledge.
Now the High-elven name of this folk, Noldor, signifies
Those who Know; for of the Three Kindreds of the Elves from
their beginning the Noldor were ever distinguished both by
their knowledge of things that are and were in this world and
by their desire to know more. Yet they were not in any way like
to the gnomes of learned theory, or of literary and popular
fancy. They belonged to a race high and beautiful, the Elder
Children of the world, who now are gone. Tall they were, fairskinned
and grey-eyed, though their locks were dark, save in the
golden house of Finrod; and their voices knew more melodies
than any mortal speech that now is heard. Valiant they were,
but their history was grievous; and though it was in far-off days
woven a little with the fates of the Fathers, their fate is not that
of Men. Their dominion passed long ago, and they dwell now
beyond the circles of the world, and do not return.
In a later (in fact the penultimate) text of the section On Translation
my father still retained this passage, even though by that time he had
decided against using Gnome, Gnomish at all in The Lord of the Rings
(as being 'too misleading'), and introduced it with the words 'I have
sometimes (not in this book) used Gnomes for Noldor, and Gnomish
for Noldorin'. Perhaps because the passage now seemed otiose, in the
final text he still retained a part of it but changed its application: the
word to be justified was now Elves, used to translate Quendi and
Eldar. In my discussion of this in 1.43-4 I pointed out that the words
'They were tall, fair of skin and grey-eyed, though their locks were
dark, save in the golden house of Finrod [Finarfin]' were originally
written of the Noldor only, and not of all the Eldar, and I objected that
'the Vanyar had golden hair, and it was from Finarfin's Vanyarin
mother Indis that he, and Finrod Felagund and Galadriel his children,
had their golden hair', finding in the final use of this passage an 'extraordinary
perversion of meaning'. But my father carefully remodelled
the passage in order to apply it to the Eldar as a whole, and it does
indeed seem 'extraordinary' that he should have failed to observe this
point. It seems possible that when he re-used the passage in this way
the conception of the golden hair of the Vanyar had not yet arisen.(4)
Of course traditionally 'fair skin' has a specific meaning, one as mentioned previously by Christopher Tolkien at least to the British speaking countries, one tied more to complexion than 'beauty' although from Tolkien's perspective it might be his ideal idea of beauty, based on his constant comparisons to 'pale-ness = beauty'...
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us...h/fair-skinned
fair-skinned in British English
(?f???sk?nd)
adjective
having pale skin; pale-complexioned
Fair-skinned people who spend a great deal of time in the sun have the greatest risk of skin cancer.
But again the context is talking about the Noldor, not necessarily other groups.
It's interesting to note that at least at one point while developing the Noldor he described them as 'dark of hue'... but dropped this idea in later works.
At the end of the paragraph he added to Text A: 'Dark is their
hue and grey are their eyes'; this did not get into the later
typescripts.
It at least is interesting if its a contrast against the White Lady again, and her pale/clear hue..... But both ideas never made it into later sources. Of course some have pointed out that Noldor's dark hair is stressed in other sources, so Dark of hue might be referring to that or changed to dark hair rather than hue.
Another obscure references is made in Unfinished Tales from Easterlings peoples perspective of the elves.... In which they call them the 'white-fiends'... Why? Does it have to do with perceived skin colors? What other context could it have?
Morwen Eledhwen remained in Hithlum, silent in grief. Her son Túrin was only in his ninth year, and she was again with child. Her days were evil. The Easterlings came into the land in great numbers, and they dealt cruelly with the people of Hador, and robbed them of all that they possessed and enslaved them. All the people of Húrin’s homelands that could work or serve any purpose they took away, even young girls and boys, and the old they killed or drove out to starve. But they dared not yet lay hands on the Lady of Dor-lómin, or thrust her from her house; for the word ran among them that she was perilous, and a witch who had dealings with the white-fiends: for so they named the Elves, hating them, but fearing them more.
Tolkien, J. R. R.. Unfinished Tales . Harper Collins, Inc.. Kindle Edition.
Morwen he had seen once, when he rode to her house on a foray; but a great dread of her had seized him. He thought that he had looked in the fell eyes of a white-fiend, and he was filled with a mortal fear lest some evil should overtake him; and he did not ransack her house, nor discover Túrin, else the life of the heir of the true lord would have been short.
Tolkien, J. R. R.. Unfinished Tales . Harper Collins, Inc.. Kindle Edition.
Other obscure descriptions of groups of elves include the warriors under Meglin in Book of Lost Tales during battle of Gondobar (Gondolin), where their faces are describe as having a ruddy glow.
mattocks. There Meglin prince of Gondobar gathered many warriors of dark countenance and lowering gaze about him, and a ruddy glow shone upon their faces and gleamed about the polished surfaces of their accoutrement.
Tolkien, J.R.R.. The Book of Lost Tales, Part Two: Part Two (History of Middle-Earth 2) . Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Kindle Edition.
Luthien's cloak was made by elves 'white-hands'. And references to elves with 'white fingers'....
Her cloak
by white hands woven, like a smoke,
like all-bewildering, all-enthralling, 3820
all-enfolding evening, falling
from lifted arms, as forth she stepped,
across those awful eyes she swept,
a shadow and a mist of dreams
wherein entangled starlight gleams.
There mirth there was and voices bright; 85
there eve was peace and morn was light;
there jewel gleamed and silver wan
and red gold on white fingers shone,
and elanor and niphredil
bloomed in the grass unfading still, 90
while the endless years of Elven-land
rolled over far Beleriand,
until a day of doom befell,
as still the elven-harpers tell
Some more random descriptions of elves this time from The Song of Aelfwine from The Lost Road and Other Writings:
There blowing free unbraided hair
is meshed with beams of Moon and Sun,
And twined within those tresses fair
a gold and silver sheen is spun,
As fleet and white the feet go bare,
and lissom limbs in dances run,
Shimmering in the shining air:
such loveliness to look upon
No mortal man hath ever won,
though foam upon the furthest sea
He dared, or sought behind the Sun
for winds unearthly flowing free.
Another detail that might be important to the discussion, but doesn't indicate skin color directly... Is that all the three clans of elves are derived from three different individuals (part of the original 144 elves, 72 males and 72 females that awoken in series of three awakenings of three clans in the east in Cuiviénen near the Sea of Helcar), divided into three clans the Minyar, which had 14 members; the Tatyar, which had 56 members; and the Nelyar (or Lindar), which had 74 members. Those who chose to go west with Orome became known collectively as the Eldar, and their clans became known by new names: the Minyar became the Vanyar, the Tatyar became the Noldor, and the Nelyar became the Teleri. Those who chose to stay behind near Cuiviénen are known as Avari. Their initial population included a little more than one-third of all Quendi and was evenly divided between Tatyar and Nelyar (it was of Avari, who some were later captured and turned into orcs). Avari (aka Moriquendi or "Dark Elves") who were slow and unwilling to depart their own lands, and would spread gradually throughout the wide lands of Middle-earth. It has also been said that elves are slow to procreate. There are not many 'generations' since they first awoken in the world. They have lived a very long time. Their population is rather small compared to the other races, and many of them are closely related. Of those Avari (which exist only east of the Misty Mountains), who are still kin to the other three clans who went west, became the largest population of all the elves, but still less than most other races.
Another issue some point out about Tolkien is his tendency to compare others groups from 'outside' of Free Peoples lands and kingdoms of having darker complexions/skins and this is treated as somehow indicative of them being uncommon (and different to the free peoples) and from lands far to the east or to the south. This is rarely done with any of the free peoples.... This includes both humans, orcs, and cross-bred creatures (half-orcs troll-men etc).... If not dark, often being described with traits that the free peoples seem to treat as 'uncommon', potentially distasteful such as 'sallowness' (or as Tolkien put his inspiration being closer to Mongols). This has lead to criticism put against Tolkien for this perceived tendency. Some fan writers have even written stories where they play this as a form of racism by the Free Peoples, and in one case one Russian writer wrote a story from enemy's point of view that portrayed Gondor/Free Peoples as the truly bigoted, xenophobic and backwards nation (while east/south/Mordor were a diverse, technologically advanced, progressive modern society).
Here is an example from The Lost Road and other Writings where Easterlings gets heavily contrasted against Free Peoples, noting their 'different' appearance...
Now the Easterlings or Romenildi, as the Elves named
these newcomers, were short and broad, long and strong in the
arm; their hair was black, and grew much also upon their face and
breast; their skins were swart or sallow, and their eyes brown; yet
their countenances were for the most part not uncomely, though
some were grim and fierce.
There are lots of discussions in The Shaping of Middle-Earth, The Lost Road and Other Tales, and The War of the Jewels, of the elves calling them "Swarthy Men", hugely focusing on their 'otherness' (and color) to them.... Note that Easterlings themselves call the elves they encountered the "white-fiends" so this dynamic goes both ways. The Haradrim of the South are also called "Swertings (Swarthy Men) in LOTR (although swert has etymology in Old Duthc for 'sword", so its kind of a play on words?). Mind you goblins/orcs also get tossed many times into the 'swart/swarthy' category as well, along with the Easterlings, and half-orcs. We know that Bill Ferny was also stoodout for his "swarthy" complexion in LOTR (though he was a Bree-lander), and he hung around so called 'squint-eyed southerner' (implied later to be a half-orc or a goblin-man).
The Three Houses of the elves consider the Romenildi as Swarthy-Men and Swarthy-Men consider the three houses of elves as the “White-Fiends”.
There was small love between the Three Houses and the
Swarthy Men; and they met seldom. For the newcomers abode
long in East Beleriand; but the people of Hador were shut in
Hithlum, and Beor's house was well nigh destroyed.
In the description of the Swarthy Men, or Romenildi ('Eastern
Men', Easterlings) as they are called here, my father was following
AB z annal 263 (463), the year of their first coming into East
Beleriand. The form Bor was changed from Bor subsequent to the
writing of the manuscript, as in AB 2 (note 33), but Ulfang and
Ulwarth (appearing only by emendation in AB 2) are original.
$152. There is here the explicit assertion that the house of Beor was
well nigh destroyed -, earlier in this chapter ($138) it was said that after
the Battle of Sudden Fire 'Barahir was now by right lord of the
remnant of the folk of Beor; but most of these fled from Dorthonion
and took refuge among the people of Hador in the fastness of Hithlum.'
The passage concerning the people of Haleth and the destruction of
the Orcs in Brethil by Haleth and Beleg with archers out of Doriath is
derived from annal 258 in AB 2, and much expanded.
$153. The story of Hurin's sojourn in Gondolin is found in AB 2 (annal
256) in very much the same form as it is told here. The statement in the
opening sentence of the paragraph that Haleth and Hurin (then
seventeen years old) were 'in that battle' refers to the destruction of the
Orcs in Brethil in the year 458; Hurin was born in 441. See note 32 to
AB z.
Or in the case in LOTR when Smeagol who has been from one side of the mountains to others, and a been to Mordor and back talks about 'dark faces' and not having seen men like them before...
‘More Men going to Mordor,’ he said in a low voice. ‘Dark faces. We have not seen Men like these before, no, Sméagol has not. They are fierce. They have black eyes, and long black hair, and gold rings
J.R.R. Tolkien. The Lord of the Rings (p. 646). Harper Collins, Inc.. Kindle Edition.
Some other notes... Beornings and Hador according to the Peoples of Middle-earth... as the detail is kinda interesting. Although unrelated to discussion on elves.... Noteably they are kin to the folk of Hador, but show more physical differences skin wise...
The Folk of Hador were ever the greatest in numbers of the
Atani, and in renown (save only Beren son of Barahir descendant
of Beor). For the most part they were tall people, with flaxen
or golden hair and blue-grey eyes, but there were not a few
among them that had dark hair, though all were fair-skinned.
There were fair-haired men and women among the
Folk of Beor, but most of them had brown hair (going usually
with brown eyes), and many were less fair in skin, some indeed
being swarthy. Men as tall as the Folk of Hador were rare
among them, and most were broader and more heavy in build.
In the story Tale-Elmar we get some interesting viewpoints from the Wild Men locals as they see the Numenoreans colonizing Middle-earth from the west (which compares what swart people think of the white-skinned people)...
In the days of the Dark Kings, when a man could still walk dryshod
from the Rising of the Sun to the Sea of its setting, there
lived in the fenced town of his people in the green hills of Agar
an old man, by name Hazad Longbeard.(1) Two prides he had: in
the number of his sons (seventeen in all), and in the length of his
beard (five feet without stretching); but his joy in his beard was
the greater. For it remained with him, and was soft, and ruly to
his hand, whereas his sons for the most part were gone from
him, and those that remained, or came ever nigh, were neither
gentle nor ruly. They were indeed much as Hazad himself had
been in the days of his youth: broad, swarthy, short, tough,
harsh-tongued, heavy-handed, and quick to violence.
Save one only, and he was the youngest. Tal-elmar Hazad his
father named him. He was yet but eighteen years of age, and
lived with his father, and the two of his brothers next elder. He
was tall, and white-skinned, and there was a light in his grey
eyes that would flash to fire, if he were wroth; and though that
happened seldom, and never without great cause, it was a thing
to remember and be ware of. Those who had seen that fire
called him Flint-eye, and respected him, whether they loved him
or no. For Tal-elmar might seem, among that swart sturdy folk,
slender-built and lacking in the strength of leg and neck that
they praised, but a man that strove with him soon found him
strong beyond guess, and sudden and swift, hard to grapple and
harder to elude.
Never again shall I be glad,
while I am held captive among a strange folk that I deem base
and unlovely.'
'So be it,' said Buldar. 'But it is not to be thought that I should
let thee go free. For thou art precious in my sight. And consider
well: vain is it to seek to escape from me. Long is the way to the
remnant of thy folk, if any still live; and thou wouldst not go far
from the Hills of Agar ere thou met death, or a life far worse
than shall be thine in my house. Base and unlovely thou namest
us. Truly, maybe. Yet true is it also that thy folk are cruel, and
lawless, and the friends of demons. Thieves are they. For our
lands are ours from of old, which they would wrest from us
with their bitter blades. White skins and bright eyes are no
warrant for such deeds.'
It another major human, Wormtongue is described as a 'pale man' with a 'pale wise face', having a 'long pale tongue' suggesting he is abnormally pale, compared to other people around him, Gandalf, and the other members of the Fellowship there.
Denethor is described as having 'skin like ivory'.
Hobbits get a little more description of the Harfoots being 'browner' than other groups.. And Fallohide coming from their skin color of being 'pale' and 'fair-skin' from 'fallow' also means "light yellowish-brown color"... Stoors I think described between swarthy and ruddy in some sources (but not in LOTR itself, so not exactly sure on the sources of this info, maybe it comes from unofficial sources?). Bilbo's people as described in the Hobbit are said to have 'clever brown fingers'. Frodo is described as being a "stout little fellow with red cheeks" by Butturbur.
On Gollum we have this quote:
His skin was white, no doubt with a pallor increased by dwelling long in the dark, and later by hunger. He remained a human being, not an animal or a mere bogey, even if deformed in mind and body: an object of disgust, but also of pity – to the deep-sighted, such as Frodo had become. There is no need to wonder how he came by clothes or replaced them: any consideration of the tale will show that he had plenty of opportunities by theft, or charity (as of the Wood-elves), throughout his life. —Bodleian, Department of Western Manuscripts, Tolkien Papers, A61 fols 1– 31.
Tolkien, J. R. R.; John D. Rateliff. The History of the Hobbit: Mr Baggins and Return to Bag-End: Mr Baggins v. 1 (Kindle Locations 21323-21327). HarperCollins Publishers. Kindle Edition.
In the Hobbit he's described as;
He was Gollum— as dark as darkness, except for two big round pale eyes in his thin face.
Tolkien, J.R.R.. The Hobbit (Kindle Location 1181). Harper Collins, Inc.. Kindle Edition.
In LOTR itself, described as having 'tight-drawn sallow skin', and having almost bone-white legs, long whitish hands, and as a 'black fellow' by some orcs.
over the border; and anyway I had never heard of any like this black fellow. ‘“ Good-day to you!” I says, going out to him. “This lane don’t lead anywhere, and wherever you may be going, your quickest way will be back to the road.” I didn’t like the looks of him; and when Grip came out, he took one sniff and let out a yelp as if he had been stung: he put down his tail and bolted off howling. The black fellow sat quite still. ‘“ I come from yonder,” he said, slow and stiff-like, pointing back west, over my fields, if you please. “Have you seen Baggins?” he asked in a queer voice, and bent down towards me. I could not see any face, for his hood fell down so low; and I felt a sort of shiver down my back. But I did not see why he should come riding over my land so bold. ‘“ Be off!” I said. “There are no Bagginses here. You’re in the wrong part of the Shire. You had better go back west to Hobbiton – but you can go by road this time.” ‘“ Baggins has left,” he answered in a whisper. “He is coming. He is not far away. I wish to find him. If he passes will you tell me? I will come back with gold.” ‘“ No you won’t,” I said. “You’ll go back where you belong, double quick. I give you one minute before I call all my dogs.” ‘He gave a sort of hiss. It might have been laughing, and it might not. Then he spurred his great horse right at me, and I jumped out of the way only just in time. I called the dogs, but he swung off, and rode through the gate and up the lane towards the causeway like a bolt of thunder. What do you think of that?’ Frodo sat for a moment looking at the fire, but his only thought was how on earth would they reach the Ferry. ‘I don’t know what to think,’ he said at last. ‘Then I’ll tell you what to think,’ said Maggot. ‘You should never have gone mixing yourself up with Hobbiton folk, Mr. Frodo. Folk are queer up there.’ Sam stirred in his chair, and looked at the farmer with an unfriendly eye. ‘But you were always a reckless lad. When I heard you had left the Brandybucks and gone off to that old Mr. Bilbo, I said that you were going to find trouble. Mark my words, this all comes of those strange doings of Mr. Bilbo’s. His money was got in some strange fashion in foreign parts, they say. Maybe there is some that want to know what has become of the gold and jewels that he buried in the hill of Hobbiton, as I hear?’ Frodo said nothing: the shrewd guesses of the farmer were rather disconcerting. ‘Well, Mr. Frodo,’ Maggot went on, ‘I’m glad that you’ve had the sense to come back to Buckland. My advice is: stay there! And don’t get mixed up with these outlandish folk. You’ll have friends in these parts. If any of these black fellows come after you again, I’ll deal with them. I’ll say you’re dead, or have left the Shire, or anything you like. And that might be true enough; for as like as not it is old Mr. Bilbo they want news of.’
J.R.R. Tolkien. The Lord of the Rings (pp. 94-95). Harper Collins, Inc.. Kindle Edition.
‘You must have seen him: little thin black fellow; like a spider himself, or perhaps more like a starved frog. He’s been here before.
J.R.R. Tolkien. The Lord of the Rings (p. 738). Harper Collins, Inc.. Kindle Edition.
Apparently to explain this though;
He is often said to be dark or black. At his first mention [in The Hobbit] he was 'dark as darkness': that of course means no more than that he could not be seen with ordinary eyes in the black cavern - except for his own large luminous eyes; similarly 'the dark shape' at night [The Lord of the Rings, Book II, Chapter 9]. But that does not apply to the 'black (crawling) shape' [in Book IV, Chapter 1], where he was in moonlight.
Gollum was never naked. He had a pocket in which he kept the Ring....His skin was white, no doubt with a pallor increased by dwelling long in the dark, and later by hunger.
A Reader's Companion Book IV Chapter 1: "The Taming of Sméagol"
Also as I previously mentioned 'swarthy' is a vague word... it doesn't necessarily mean 'dark' as in black skin... it can have to do with tanned skin, weather-beaten skin... Considering that so-called 'white' is a spectrum from between very pale (not albinoism) to extreme tanned 'brownish' skin...
https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/swarthy
Swarthy means dark skinned. If you like tall, dark and handsome men, you find a swarthy complexion attractive.
Not everyone with dark skin is swarthy. The word is usually used to describe someone whose skin is weather beaten and darkened by the sun, or has an olive complexion. But the famous 19th-century American poet Walt Whitman, who was of English and Dutch stock, seemed to be describing himself in his poem "Behold This Swarthy Face," so swarthy may be in the eyes of the beholder.
Swarthy is often in literature used in context to fall onto the end of the "white" scale. These are often referred to as "Caucasian", "Western", "European" in medical journals/scientific journals (but none is really precise or accurate). I speak only in the skin tone sense, not in geographic sense, as these places actually have people of medium and darker shades of melanin as well, from immigration, or in ancient times (like perhaps 8000 years ago), evolving into the current skin tones over time/or from intermarriage from the near-east, whatever the individual genetic histories. It doesn't necessarily mean 'black'.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart...kin-180954874/
On Rohan people they are all pale skinned compared to other people around them (even some in Gondor are more swarthy compared to them, especially those from Forlong’s people):
"We will take their king. Death to the Forgoil!
Death to the Strawheads! Death to the robbers of the North!" Such names they have for us.
Not in half a thousand years have they forgotten their grievance that the lords of Gondor gave the Mark to Eorl the Young and made alliance with him. That old hatred Saruman has inflamed. They are fierce folk when roused.
They will not give way now for dusk or dawn, until Theoden is taken, or they themselves are slain.'
Of their language nothing appears in this book, save the name Forgoil which they gave to the Rohirrim (meaning Strawheads, it is said).
Dunland and Dunlending are the names that the Rohirrim gave to them, because they were swarthy and dark-haired; there is thus no con-nexion between the word dunn in these names and the Grey-elven word Dûn 'west'.
Page 564
.. grass and wait for the Whiteskins to join the picnic?' 'But we can't run in the sunlight. 'You'll run with me behind you,' said Uglúk. 'Run! Or you'll never see yo...
Page 566
.. If you're afraid of the Whiteskins, run! Run! There's the forest, he shouted, pointing ahead. 'Get to it! It's your best hope. Off you go! And quick, before I knock a few more ...
Page 567
... Lugbúrz was your road. The Whiteskins are coming.
What's happened to your precious Nazgûl? Has he had another mount shot under him? Now, if you'd brought h.
Page 568
... the Isengarders. 'You're cooked. The Whiteskins will catch you and eat you. They're coming!' A cry from Grishnakh showed that this was not mere jest. Horsem...
Page 570
..be killed, unless the filthy Whiteskins break through.
Understand? As long as I'm alive, I want 'em. But they're not to cry out, and they're not to be rescued. Bind their 1.
Page 571
... in the dark. But these Whiteskins have better night-eyes than most Men, from all I've heard; and don't forget their horses! They can see the night-breeze, or so it's said.