Whilst rereading the Silm, I got incredibly sidetracked and compiled this list of every time someone is referred to as “fair” or “beautiful.” Every quote here is stated directly by the narrative itself, unless otherwise indicated.
Disclaimers: This is from a keyword search for “fair” and “beautiful” in the published Silm, not anything from LOTR or HOME. The linked edition of the Silm does have some typos, so that may mean I missed a couple.
I only included people or groups of people, and not places or things.
I’m sure this has been done before, but what the hell, here it is again.
And finally, it’s often not clear whether Tolkien is referring to beauty or hair color - though I did not run across anything that seemed to specifically be referring to skin tone.
Alright - here we go...!
Elves!
The Quendi are “fairest of all earthly creatures.”
The Eldar are called “fair and joyful.”
The Vanyar are “the Fair Elves.” Probably referring mostly to their blond hair, though.
The Noldor are called the “fairest of the children of the world” but this is specifically in the “Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age” section so that seems to me that they’re the fairest ones left in Middle-earth at that time.
The Teleri are the “fairest singers;” the Sindar specifically have the “fairest voices” save Maglor, and are also the fairest of the Moriquendi.
The Host of the Valar are in “forms young and fair and terrible.” Later, the Last Alliance is called “fairer and more splendid in arms” than any host since, and only the Host of the Valar was greater.
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Lúthien Tinúviel, more fair than mortal tongue can tell...
Lúthien is the fairest “of all the Children of Ilúvatar” and “of all the Children of the World” (the second said by Beren); she is also “more fair than mortal tongue can tell” (again said by Beren) and called “the fair”; her song to Mandos is the “most fair that ever in words was woven” (which makes sense considering the Teleri and Sindar are both called the fairest singers).
She is also the most beautiful “of all the Children of Ilúvatar” and “of all living things” (this last said by Daeron). That’s four distinct times she’s called the fairest or beautiful, plus being called “the fair” and having sung the fairest song ever and being called too fair to be described in a mortal tongue - seven references to her beauty in total.
Extending that to her descendants...
Dior is called “the fairest of all the children of the World, of threefold race” and personally I think that’s more impressive than his mom, but either way he’s at least a close second. He’s also called “the fair” and “the beautiful.”
Elwing is called “the fair.”
And going back to Lúthien’s dad, Thingol was stated to be fair before meeting Melian but afterward appearing as “a lord of the Maiar,” so...even sexier? Or possibly now he’s eldritch?
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Noldor time!
Finarfin is the fairest of the sons of Finwë. This could be referring solely to his golden hair, but I’m not convinced of that. Either way, he gets it from his mother Indis, who is called “the Fair.”
Fëanor is called “tall, and fair of face” and while I personally reject the tall!Fëanor canon because I love imagining him as tiny and full of rage, I will accept that he’s sexy.
Celegorm is called “the fair.”
Aredhel is specifically said to be fair to Eöl.
Idril is fairer than Gondolin.
Finrod is called both “the fairest of the house of Finwë” and “the fairest of all the princes of the Elves.”
However, Galadriel is stated to be “most beautiful of all the house of Finwë.” What is the truth, Tolkien!!!
Later, Galadriel is called “the fairest of all the Elves that remained in Middle-earth” in the Third Age.
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Men!
Túrin is said to have a face “more beautiful than any among mortal Men, in the Elder Days.” He’s also called “fair and strong.”
He must have got it from his mom, because Morwen is called “most beautiful of mortal women in the days of old.” No word on mortals, men or women, in later days.
The Númenóreans are said to be getting fairer each generation; later, they are called the “fairest of Men” by the Messengers from Aman.
Tar-Míriel in particular is “fairer than silver or ivory or pearl.” Those are all white or silver, so that makes me wonder about her skin tone or hair color - I do think it’s referring primarily to her overall beauty, but silver-haired Tar-Míriel in an echo of the original Míriel Þerindë is something I am now very much into.
It’s worth noting that Túrin and Morwen are both compared to Elves in their beauty - Morwen’s epessë “Eledhwen” translates to “Elfsheen,” and Túrin’s epessë “Adanedhel” translates to “Elf Man.” And the Númenóreans are descendants of Elves, including Lúthien “most beautiful of all living things” Tinúviel. So it seems that Men only have a chance of being called fair if they’re very Elflike.
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Now we get to the bad guys.
(Well, mostly Sauron.)
Melkor is only called fair once - when Fëanor sees through his “fair semblance,” which implies that any beauty he has is fake.
Sauron, however, is called “noble and beautiful” in appearance; he’s also said to have a “fair hue” twice - once specifically “fair and wise” in his form as Annatar, though that is called also a “fair-seeming,” which calls back to Melkor’s “fair semblance.” Again he’s said to appear “wise and fair” to the Númenóreans. Alas, good things can’t last forever, and after the fall of Númenor he can “never again appear fair to the eyes of Men” (no word on Elves, though) because his “fair semblance had departed for ever.”
That’s a total of six times Sauron is called out for being sexy! He’s second only to Lúthien - although unlike her, he’s never called the fairest of anything.
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In sum, Lúthien’s claim to fame as the “most beautiful of all living creatures” pretty much tops anyone else...but IMO, Sauron is a close second.
Plus, Finrod and Galadriel fight it out for the title of “prettiest Finwëan,” with no clear winner!
So the pose I try to use did not go the way I wanted. he supposed to be summoning but instead he took up this pose. It was too precious not to make some fun with it. But tbh, he has the erratic trait, I can easily can imagine him talking to the book about many things or ask advise.
