Formendacil is correct, Cirdan is literally ages older than Galadriel; in fact, I think it's safe to say Cirdan was the oldest Elf existing outside of Aman (at least of any named Elf in the story). To me, it seems Tolkien used a long beard as an outward symbol of Cirdan's immense longevity.

Black or dark hair was the predominant colouring allegedly, together with blue eyes, for the Britons. So the classic dark haired Elf/Numenorean is like one of the original Britons or Celts. The Fair colouring was primarily associated with Anglo-Saxons, whereas Ginger was mostly associated with the Scandinavians (which is maybe why so many Scots and Irish have this colouring).

Of course, these are not hard and fast rules as people had been coming in and out of the islands for millennia, but it would be nice if there was some kind of cultural metaphor in the mingling of Faramir & Eowyn's hair - as there seems to be!

Indeed- thanks for that, I wasn't aware that the hair colour of the Britons and Celts was predominately black/dark. Interesting. I'm sure "dark" would constiute as a dark brown, as well. Good catch on the mingling hair too, I would not doubt it. Thanks again!

I suppose technically it is very dark brown but I have always thought that Daniel Day Lewis typified the colouring Tolkien means for the noldor and numenoreans... very dark hair, pale skin and light eyes.. not common of course because the gene for light hair isn't dominant but a definite celtic "type".

Tolkien did some more thinking about hair colour after The Lord of the Rings was published of course, however, once again JRRT was not against changing his mind! In an Elven context at least, there's a stem appearing in Words, Phrases and Passages (from which work the rest of the following citations are taken as well, before we get to the Shibboleth of Feanor):

And within a deleted entry for stem GWAY it was noted: 'morna black of hair; hróva, dark, dark brown'. The entry included a rejected passage concerning the Mindi (or first clan) noting that: '... The Noldor were generally hróva or morna. But fair-hair also occured among them especially by intermarriage.' Again the entire entry (which I did not give here) for GWAY was deleted in any case.

Also, outside of the section on roots, one can see the significance of the root ÑGOL above, as Tolkien had encountered the word used for one of his famed clans, and seemed ready (at this point anyway) to make a notable revision:

Within which it's noted: 'The predominant colour of Ñoldorin hair was very dark brown (no Elf had absolute black hair: morna), but by intermarriage fair-hair occured among them: as e.g. in Finrod & Galadriel (after Indis).'


In any event we know that ñgol- was revised back again, as shown in the later text The Shibboleth of Feanor for example, referring once more to a type of wisdom (not as a root connected to Noldorin hair colour). And in the same text Finwe is described with 'black' hair (note 19): 'He had black hair, but brilliant grey-blue eyes.'

There is also note 61 to The Shibboleth of Feanor, concerning Nerdanel's father: 'His hair was not as dark or black as was that of most of the Noldor, but brown, and had glints of coppery-red in it.'


So one can make of this much as he or she will, but all in all I tend to think that Tolkien's 'dark' could generally include brown and black.

Beards are given to those of less nobility? No, I don't think so. All the Wizards had beards, and Wizards were (or at least meant to be) a noble race, an order of the Valar. Círdan was a highly respected Elf, and certainly of no less stature than anyone else. And, as someone up there mentioned, Theoden had a beard (I don't think I need to elaborate on this one).
As for Elves being beardless, I think it would have been a symbol of everlasting physical youth (perhaps). A beard is generally taken to be a sign of maturity (let's forget the Dwarves for a moment).

Well. I can't really understand what I wrote, but anyway...