Tolkien and the colours

[droid]

Back in the day, brighter colors required rare and expensive dyes. If you saw someone riding into battle wearing bright, clean, bold colors, that tells you you're facing someone with lots of money.

They probably have better weapons and armor than you. They probably eat well and are in good health. They probably dont have to work all day, and have more time to devote to martial training. They're probably going to kill your ###, so you'd better go find someone that looks a little scrubbier.

[Radhruin_EU]

Anything that's purple or turquoise tends to be a bit, err, 'vibrant', that's for sure.

[Gwyndor]

For example, the various colors of orcs seem wrong. To me Tolkien seemed to have envisioned pale and dark orcs, but not so much bluish, greenish, reddish, purplish kinds.

In fact not all... If I remember this correctly, when the fellowship came under attack in moria (Chamber of Mazarbul), one creature we are led to believe was an orc was covered with greenish scales.

[Radhruin_EU]

In fact not all... If I remember this correctly, when the fellowship came under attack in moria (Chamber of Mazarbul), one creature we are led to believe was an orc was covered with greenish scales.

That was a cave-troll, with 'a dark skin of greenish scales'. We can be sure it was a troll because this happened:

'Boromir leaped forward and hewed at the arm with all his might; but his sword rang, glanced aside, and fell from his shaken hand. The blade was notched.'

[Marguerita]

I had a really long winded answer to the question of the use of colours, but when I went looking for specific references...I found this site, complete with references to source material... So, I'll just shut up and present it as is. :-)

WOW i had found some but not as complete as that

Thank you

Now i have my answer ... no white-bright gold-flashy blue to represent one house

[Woyzeck]

But lately i just interrogated myself about having some of those very bright colour in middle of a battle .... perfect target ...

In the medieval mindset, bright is good. Old churches all have this sober, stone-grey look... because the paint faded away. In the rare occasion where it has been preserved, we can see bright blue, red, yellow...
And in war, as in churches, bright is good. To hide in a battle, not wanting to be seen, would have been very inappropriate. And you need to recognize who's on your side from those you can hit : that's why there's heraldry. Not pastel-pretty heraldry : instantly recognizable bright colored heraldry.

At least that was the intention : as it has been pointed, dyes were expensive and faded way pretty quickly.

Nevertheless : bright is good
You're not a perfect target, a candy-coloured clown among a crowd of suits : just another skittle in the bag.

[Tyveil]

I'm pretty sure Tolkiens goal with the books was not to describe every last detail of a fantasy world, but to write an entertaining epic novel. If everything that was in the game existed in the book we would have either:
1) An extremely limiting and short game.. definitely not suitable for an MMORPG.
2) A mind-numbingly long and boring book series that would read more like a dictionary, with anything and everything described in the novels.

So folks, please quit going back to the novels as the bible for the MMORPG. Creative liberties must be taken. I personally think the outfit selection in LOTRO is all ready far too limited and mostly drab.

[Marguerita]

In the medieval mindset, bright is good. Old churches all have this sober, stone-grey look... because the paint faded away. In the rare occasion where it has been preserved, we can see bright blue, red, yellow...
And in war, as in churches, bright is good. To hide in a battle, not wanting to be seen, would have been very inappropriate. And you need to recognize who's on your side from those you can hit : that's why there's heraldry. Not pastel-pretty heraldry : instantly recognizable bright colored heraldry.

At least that was the intention : as it has been pointed, dyes were expensive and faded way pretty quickly.

Nevertheless : bright is good
You're not a perfect target, a candy-coloured clown among a crowd of suits : just another skittle in the bag.

Yes and i totally forgot that with the years ..... Those frenchies in medieval battles were as bright as they could ...

Guess i was a little biaised ...

[tumeric]

Unfortunately I seldom look at it and I disremember its name.

Maybe this?

http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/

--Tumeric