Dwarves beards

In LOTR the beards seem to have more natural colors, yet in The Hobbit Dwalin's beard is blue. Is this an editing point that JRRT missed in the second edition of the Hobbit when he fixed the riddle chapter, or is there something I'm overlooking?

I don't remember the blue beard...

Dwalin does, indeed have a blue beard. It's mentioned when Dwalin arrives at Bilbo's door for the unexpected party. I can think of two possible explanations. 1. The Hobbit was originally conceived of as a children's book. As JRRT continued the story it became less childish in tone, but the original descriptions of the dwarves' beards are in the first chapter, when the tone was still that of a children's book. Note that some of the Dwarves also have yellow (not blonde) beards. Also, when JRRT began to write The Hobbit, it had no connection to Middle-earth. He only began to realize as he wrote the story that elements from ME were creeping in, so he ended up setting the story in ME. 2. The term "blue" when it refers to hair colour can actually mean black, as in hair so black it has a blue shhen to it. (Some comic books show black-haired people with blue highlights.) Think of the fairy tale "Blue Beard". I read somewhere that his beard was meant to be black but so black it was blue.

That's genius Eruve. Crows and other black feathered birds can in some lights have a blue sheen. Some birds, (eg parrots, mallards) have deep green or deep blue shimmer which is not due to pigment in the feather but to the refraction of light which traps(?) those colors. So if we hear of Dwarves with green beards.. ..you know.

It's not just Dwalin though. All the dwarves are just described so differently than in LOTR. I'm just suprised it wasn't edited along with "Riddles in the Dark." Eruve, that's very true though. Brilliant.

Yes, when I was little, I always thought my Aunt Lilian had blue hair. Now it's gray, and I'm sad, because she's the only person I've ever known with hair like that. While we're on Hobbit/LotR discrepancies, what about the elves? I mean, "Tra-la-la-lally...with beards all a-wagging..." versus, "A Elbereth Gilthoniel"? It's a huge difference.

That's very true. The whole book is much more childish. I'm so curious to find out what was edited out and in though! I bet if Tolkien had lived longer he might have wanted to completely re-write The Hobbit, since he talks from ME without ME being Bilbo. Of course, It's probably annoying writting the same book twice (though he did do that, in a way).

DT, if you go as far in your Middle-earth exploration as reading the History of Middle-earth Series, you'll discover that JRRT was continually writing the same stories over and over.

Elanor, you thought Aunt Lilien had blue hair? I never noticed.

Ah, well you weren't old enough then... I was really little.

Um, ok.

Well, I've seen aged dames have silver hair that was beginning to turn blue, so does this mean they were turning into dwarves? (or was it hair color...?)

Um, I have no idea.

Intersting concept. Maybe your Aunt Lilian had a blue tinted wig! Heehee!

His beard could have been very black to the point of being blue.

Actually there was a point in time when it was fashionable for women with grey hair to tint or dye it blue. In various shades.

Hair so black it looks blue is true enough, I have a friend like that. Her hair has very blue highlights. My hair, on the other hand, is so brown it looks black...with red and gold highlights (natural of course)

But I do think JRRT originally wrote the Hobbit for children, there is a noted difference between the beginning and the end.

***
I have it on very good authority (having just thought of it a second ago) that Dwalin was prematurely gray.

Being an important Dwarf himself, though not as important as Thorin Oakenshield, he was vain of his appearance.

At the time of THE HOBBIT, Balin was using a rinse made in Hobbiton and used by little old hobbit ladies. Lobelia Sackville-Baggins probably also had hair of this color.



***
Regarding APPARENT discrepancies in Elvish Poetry:

Galdor and his band were High Elves, Noldorin who had seen Valinor. Their poetry was a song of praise to Elbereth. The chiding and jesting Elves of Rivendell are no doubt, comparatively, young Elves who can't resist making fun of the strangely bearded Dwarves. They made up their silly little rhymes to tease and torment them! (All in good fun, of course. At least they didn't cast them into a dungeon like the Wood Elves!) I see no problem here!


***
Regarding some CONFUSION about the authorship of the texts:

THE HOBBIT is a translation of part of THE REDBOOK OF WESTMARCH which also includes much of THE LORD OF THE RINGS. Bilbo himself wrote THE HOBBIT as a tale to young hobbit nephews and nieces. As for changes in tone, this is to be expected since Bilbo is known to have made revisions himself. Frodo wrote THE LORD OF THE RINGS as a serious reference for future generations of Hobbits on the War of the Rings. Not as entertainment for youngsters but as Lore for the Ages.

Really, I'm shocked at all of you for your lack of regard for the proper history of these writings and for your petty bickering over trivialities!


(And with that, the indignant little hobbit stomped his furry foot, turned on his bare heel, and slammed his round front door in their astonished faces!)

:lol: Good point! :lol:
It is often forgotten that the books were written by Bilbo, and Tolkien simply translated them and made them accessable to modern times.

The same way George Lucas translated Star Wars from Luke's Jedi Holocron? Sure, I can accept that.

Right, I knew that. (sheepish look) Really, I did.