Sometimes I come up with questions that I just can't answer. I realized this week that I'm drawing elves with pointy ears like it was a normal thing. A given. But is it? Who says so?
Where exactly did the idea of elves having pointed ears come from, and how long ago was that?
While I'm mulling over several possibilities, I don't know which is true. Going most ancient to most modern:
I don't think it comes from traditional Irish mythology. It could come from German or Scandanavian myths that I'm not familiar with. The Greek god Pan had horns and hooves, so maybe the pointy ears idea started as 'goat ears' or 'animal features' and evolved from there.
The Victorians? It's been too long since I read the original Peter Pan, and I can't think of any other sources offhand.
Elves in the Lord of the Rings movie are portrayed with slightly pointed ears, but I'm pretty certain Tolkien never mentioned such a thing in the text. CS Lewis either.
Pointed ears could have started with the elves in Santa's workshop. Maybe. Santa as we know him started with Coke advertisements in 1931, and the workshop elves came later, making it a pretty modern idea in that case.
Well, and it's possible it is even more modern than that. Dungeons and Dragons in the 70s? Or maybe it was popularized in an anime- perhaps Deedlit in Record of Lodoss War in the 80s?
No, wait. Disney's Peter Pan (1954) has pointy ears. He's not precisely an elf, but.... so did Disney invent the look to go with his pointy shoes and shirt, or were they drawing on an older source?
What do you think?
I have another question, but it might take a PHD to answer it.
Where exactly did the idea of elves having pointed ears come from, and how long ago was that?
While I'm mulling over several possibilities, I don't know which is true. Going most ancient to most modern:
I don't think it comes from traditional Irish mythology. It could come from German or Scandanavian myths that I'm not familiar with. The Greek god Pan had horns and hooves, so maybe the pointy ears idea started as 'goat ears' or 'animal features' and evolved from there.
The Victorians? It's been too long since I read the original Peter Pan, and I can't think of any other sources offhand.
Elves in the Lord of the Rings movie are portrayed with slightly pointed ears, but I'm pretty certain Tolkien never mentioned such a thing in the text. CS Lewis either.
Pointed ears could have started with the elves in Santa's workshop. Maybe. Santa as we know him started with Coke advertisements in 1931, and the workshop elves came later, making it a pretty modern idea in that case.
Well, and it's possible it is even more modern than that. Dungeons and Dragons in the 70s? Or maybe it was popularized in an anime- perhaps Deedlit in Record of Lodoss War in the 80s?
No, wait. Disney's Peter Pan (1954) has pointy ears. He's not precisely an elf, but.... so did Disney invent the look to go with his pointy shoes and shirt, or were they drawing on an older source?
What do you think?
I have another question, but it might take a PHD to answer it.
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