What colour is Legolas` hair?

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Rainbow hare hair doth the thoughtful diplomat make, but Snick, being a "representative from Mirkwood," Leggy represents not only the people, but the creatures, and would he represent them in a way that is different to their natural appearance? Because of his thoughfulness, I am quite sure that Legolas would want his hare to be chosen of the hares, by the hares, and for the hares. And the hares would quite obviously choose a representative that is similar to them (can't, for example, choose a diplomatic hare that kills knights with is big pointy teeth!). My conclusion: Legolas's hare must be black... or at least very dark brown.

Fea

[dancing spawn of ungoliant]

Oh, that sounds very democratic! Unless there is some noble hare family and all the descendants in that line are logical candidates for elf princes's pets

[Lady Snickerdoodle]

Oh, that sounds very democratic! Unless there is some noble hare family and all the descendants in that line are logical candidates for elf princes's pets

primogeniture!!!!! *runs off screaming, "IT'S ALL A CONSPIRACY!!!"*

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

some noble hare family and all the descendants in that line are logical candidates

What with the rate of hare reproduction, that is one LARGE number of candidates. I prefer to think princeling hares are fairly elected by their peers. That way the job of representation is given to the best man... er, hare... regardless of birth right.

Fea

[The Saucepan Man]

Aragorn may well have owned a performing hound, but it is a little known fact that he was himself a hare.

Yes indeed, he was of course Isildur's hare ...

*Groan*

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

No, no Saucy, you've got it all wrong. While there was of course a hare to the throne of Gondor, it was not Aragorn. It was his little known pet. Just like the Kings and the Stewards, the line of Hares remained unbroken for all the many long years. This is where the idea of an Elven Princeling Hare family came from, but the Elves were more democratic than the Kings of Old.

Fea

[The Saucepan Man]

While there was of course a hare to the throne of Gondor, it was not Aragorn.

Yet the Stewards denied it. Wasn't it Boromir who said:

Gondor has no Hare; Gondor needs no Hare.

Well, I'm sure that it was in the book somewhere ...

In any event, the claim to the Hare of Gondor was a matter much disputed. When Bugsidoc II, who was born of a union between the Hares of Gondor and the Bunnies of Rhovanion, made his claim, there was much protest from the Furriers of Gondor, led by Elmafud. The resulting civil war was, I believe, known as the Skin-strife.

[Mad Baggins]

But would Legolas want his choice of colour to be governed by the hares of Mirkwood? Most likely, he would choose it himself. I still believe that, purple being the favourite, his hare would be lavender. Elves do not allow themselves to be governed by foreign forces; they govern themselves and therefore govern the colour of their hares. I found a passage in the Tale of Years that may help determine when Legolas obtained and changed the colour of this hare:

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April

6 A messenger hare from Rivendell reaches Mirkwood bearing the news about the Council; Legolas keeps it and is forced to journey to the council as punishment by Thranduil.

12 Gandalf reaches Hobbiton.

15 Legolas takes his hare in secret and changes the colour of its fur; the colour remains unrecorded in this account.