The Mighty of the Mighty
Seemingly as long in the making as J.R.R. Tolkien worked on his masterpiece, here we present the mighty long hair of the Tolkien Legendarium.
Most everyone is familiar with The Lord of The Rings, made widely popular by Peter Jackson’s acclaimed film trilogy, but passionate Tolkien fans have gone deeper into this spectacular fictional world in The Silmarillion, the ancient history before the War of the Ring. The most ardent followers have been further enthralled by The Fall Of Gondolin, The Children Of Húrin, Beren and Lúthien, and beyond.
Whether you’ve read every word of The Book of Lost Tales, or you’re vaguely familiar with the movies, we can all appreciate some of the mightiest, most glorious and powerful manes in all of Arda.
Long Hair in the Tolkien Legendarium
Before diving into the legendary long hair of Tolkien, it is appropriate to consider its symbolism in the Tolkien Legendarium.
Many dozens of characters’ hair is described throughout the texts. Accounts of hair length, color, curl pattern and the manner in which it’s worn are common—as are other physical features, like height, eye color and skin color—and yet hair seems to hold a particular symbolism all its own.
Beyond merely a physical description, the portrayal of a character’s hair often signals power and might, omnipotent at times, as with Lúthien, but also grace, beauty, glory, vitality and wisdom.
This symbolism surely applies across male and female characters, and while this is a list of male characters, the balance wouldn’t be complete without the mighty locks of Lúthien, Galadriel, Morwen, Éowyn, Arwen, Rosie Cotton and many other female characters.
DISCLAIMER
This presentation is intended as a commentary. The characters, their accounts and descriptions are the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. The images presented were created with Midjourney, a large language and diffusion model. It should be assumed that all data used by Midjourney in creating these images is rooted in the works of J.R.R. Tolkien.
Direct quotes from The Lord Of The Rings, The Silmarillion, The Fall Of Gondolin, Beren And Lúthien, and The Children Of Húrin are in italics. All rights are reserved by the Tolkien Estate.
Mighty Long Hair of Tolkien
Elwë Singollo

Fëanor

Glorfindel

Tuor

Túrin Turambar

Elrond

Aragorn

Gandalf

Legolas

Meriadoc Brandybuck

Lest We Forget

With Gratitude
It’s with deep gratitude The Longhairs offers this humble commentary on the Legendarium, not just for the fictional universe with which we are enamored, but for the uncounted hours of deep thought, intense focus, unbound creativity and the labor of a lifetime in its creation.
The work of J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien and their contributors demonstrates the spirit of The Longhairs’ core values, ‘creativity and authenticity,’ and ‘do things right,’ and we’re forever thankful for their example.
Who Are These Guys?
Please help with any corrections in the comments.
Who are your favorites? And who did we miss?
Comments
Great read. It always touches me to read when Túrin and Tuor cross paths. They were cousins:
“And as they waited one came through the trees, and they saw that he was a tall man, armed, clad in black, with a long sword drawn; and they wondered, for the blade of the sword also was black, but the edges shown bright and cold. Woe was graven in his face, and when he beheld the ruin of Ivrin he cried aloud in grief, saying: “Ivrin, Faelivrin! Gwindor and Beleg! Here once I was healed. But now never shall I drink the draught of peace again.”
Then he went swiftly away towards the North, as one in pursuit, or on an errand of great haste, and they heard him cry Faelivrin, Finduilas! until his voice died away in the woods. But they knew not that Nargothrond had fallen, and this was Túrin son of Hurin, the Blacksword. Thus only for a moment, and never again, did the paths of those kinsmen, Túrin and Tuor, draw together.”
Aragorn, my favorite Longhair on the list. Fëanor being my second. Sweet post, fellows!
EPIC POST EL RUBIO! LOTR has been my favorite book series for quite some time. Apparently it’s time I dive into the adjacent texts and study up!
Literally EPIC! Legolas has always been my guy.
Where now are the horse and the rider? Where is the horn that was blowing?
Where is the helm and the hauberk, and the bright hair FLOWING! 🤘💪
AND THE RED DAWN!
Lord of The Ring’s hairstyles tutorials ( including Legolas and Häldir): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4MvHb0E1pc&list=PLHZvUpJ8tQdvc9b9fcD_tzs8D-WCSCe1b
Absolutely the best product for tying my hair back out of the way. I’ve been using these for a couple years now and have found them to not only be good looking but also virtually indestructible! Fairly priced and quality to boot.
Huge Tolkien fan, as well as huge C.S.Lewis (buds at the pub – have sat in their fave booth!) fan!
So enjoyed this post!
Thank you gentlemen.
I knew El Rubio had a passion for Tolkein and the Lord of The Rings. But I had no idea how deep the universe went or that El Rubio’s passion carried just as deep.
This is your masterpiece. I am humbled to read this already legendary blog.
Thank you Chuckarino, you’ve been ON MY ASS to get this done for NINE YEARS so had to do it right!
Chuckarino and El Rubio, here are some more mind-blowing facts. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis not only had stories of dudes with long-flowing hair, but both were Christian. Tolkien was a Catholic, and Lewis was an Anglican. I used to get a lot of grief from the religious folks, but they used the Hobbit and Narnia in their lesson plan.
I’m neither Protestant nor a Catholic, but I respect both authors’ talent when you see pictures or movies with dudes with long-flowing manes.
P.S. Jesus was a long-hair, too.
El Timbo
if he followed the Leviticus rules during his 3 preaching years, Jesus christ ( who was jewish) was a longhair
but , much fundamentalists parsons claim he was short haired ( probably a 11°commandment they received yesterday…)
This is awesome, very fun to read. Love you guys!
Thank you TC! Glad you enjoyed, it was fun putting it together. Thanks for being here!
Great read. Going to have to go watch these. Loved the lord of the rings. But stopped there. Really love this stuff. Thanks again
This is awesome! Now will we ever see a one ring hair tie?? Would be super duper cool and probably my go to pack forever!
Long in the forging and deep in cunning the mighty hair ties were wrought…
This was incredible! Well researched and overall fantastic!
Thanks Michael, this one came deep from the heart of Ilúvatar!