My current headcanons for Third Age elven clothing styles
I’ve been saying I was going to do this since the first time I posted a drawing of Legolas on this blog. It’s definitely time to make good on that promise.
Come the Third Age, elves seem to be a little bit less spread-out than they were in the First Age. Of course there are some groups of them here and there who are just kind of doing their own thing, but for the sake of not dragging this post out for forever, I’m mostly going to stick to the main three elven kingdoms that we hear about in The Hobbit and LOTR. Sorry I don’t have drawings to accompany the descriptions right now. Maybe eventually I will.
To get this out of the way, disclaimers etc., these are almost exclusively my own headcanons rather than things Tolkien himself said. Also they are general styles rather than all-encompassing rules that I consistently follow to the exact detail so don’t come at me like “Oh but Tarva what about so-and-so which you drew whenever-it-was, if this character is from Lothlórien why did they look like they’re from Rivendell that one time” or whatever, individual characters have individual styles, I keep changing everything anyway, etc etc.
Mirkwood
Mirkwood has possibly the most odd style, due to them being secluded and not caring what anybody thinks because the only people they do business with pften is Laketown and who cares what they say. Travel clothing materials are tough so you can snag them on underbrush and not have to worry about them tearing. Their tunics usually are very short, leaving the waist bare, for greater range of motion (since they live in the forest they’re always up and down trees and stuff). These “crop top” tunics also mean that they pack lighter for travel. Since Mirkwood is farther north and more hostile than many other forests, shoes are pretty much a requirement, but they’re generally very light shoes that can be taken off and attached to a belt or something if you’re going to be climbing a particularly tricksy tree and will need better mobility and grip. Mirkwood elves often wear leaves in their hair, both for camouflage and for aesthetic. On occasion they’ll put spots of pale paint on their bodies and faces to imitate the dapples on a deer’s flanks because they think it looks nice. Of the three best-known elf kingdoms, they’re the one with the most feral vibe.
Lothlórien
Lothlorien elves wear grey and silver clothes and love shinies and stuff so their jewelry is all gems and stars and sparkly and chains as thin as spider webs; anyone who’s not royalty (or in direct and specialized service of royalty) has pads on the insides of their legs from the knees to the ankles for protection as they climb trees, and everything is made for climbing and disappearing in the shifting light and shadows. Lothlorien is where ethereal reigns supreme. By moonlight everyone looks like they’re made of mist and dew and spider silk and like they will evaporate when the sun rises; by day they look like shadows on water over a stony stream bed.
Rivendell
Rivendell elves have long, sweeping clothes for maximum drama since they don’t really have to do a lot of fighting compared to the elves east of the Misty Mountains (and they’re also dramatic and have so many Ñoldor and those guys are Just Like That™). The jewelry is exquisite and the clothes are covered in rich embroidery: it’s clear that they’ve gathered the wisdom and skill of every race from every age of the world. Long capes and long robes and long hair for everyone. The people themselves look as rare and beautiful as the clothes they wear. This is the elven kingdom where you are most likely to find deep, rich colors; as soon as you walk into Rivendell you get the sense of being surrounded by wisdom and history and tradition, but simultaneously it feels unreal; everyone has a personal history thousands of years old but is still a child in their wonder of the world. Elves are climbing trees in floor-length satin mantles without getting caught on the branches, and singing nonsense songs on gem-encrusted harps that were brought from across the sea before the first sunrise. But somehow they’re still the least unnerving lot of elves in Middle Earth because at least they live in actual buildings instead of tree houses or caves and they probably won’t kill you on sight if you accidentally stumble upon their hideout.
TLDR:
If you see a Mirkwood elf run past in the woods, you ask yourself “What the heck was that?” and now you’re on edge wondering what strange forest spirit you just disturbed.
If you see a Lothlorien elf run past in the woods, you assume the light is just playing tricks with your eyes because “that was a strange shadow, I could have sworn it moved.”
If you see a Rivendell elf run past in the woods, you’re awestruck and you begin wondering if reality really was what you always thought it was...for the rest of your life you keep wondering if you’ll see them again...
48 notes
·
View notes