I understand people are going to tell me while in "your universe you can have elves with facial hair if you want," but are all elves in Golarion hairless in every way?
Elves are generally presented as more neotenized, and hence have downy sideburns and locks but no facial hair.
I don't remember anything in the Elf description that says they don't have facial hair.
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I have read that they don't have facial hair, but I just wanted to be sure if they did or didn't.
If anyone in my gaming group tries to hit on my character and they are an elf I generally rebuff them, because something about a completely hairless guy is such a turn off.
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The elves don't want you to know that there are no male elves. Some elves just like to appear be men.
Thank you Joana for clearing that up.
All elves are dipped in Nair at birth and that prevents them from having any body or facial hair.
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All elves are dipped in Nair at birth and that prevents them from having any body or facial hair.
Except for their heel, where their mother held them, so to this day, all elves have one black, hairy mole on their right lower ankle.
Wax, lots and lots of wax.
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Because of an off-hand remark by Tolkien about Imrahil's ancestry*. I think it's in one of the appendices.
* His inability to grow a beard was seen as corroboration to the family story that one of his ancestors had slept with an elf
Professor in some of his letters noted that ancient elves can grow beards... IIRC Cirdan was explicitly wearing a beard - but he was among the first elves awoke in the First Age and thus possibly the eldest elf still alive in Middle-Earth.
Somewhere out there has to be a magic item that makes elf guys grow great facial hair. Its both a blessing and a curse... A very attractive and masculine curse.
If you want to use the real world, it's because of testosterone levels. Or they lack the gene.
Otherwise you don't need a reason, they are a different race and have different things (like pointy ears).
Side question - what other races have beards. I'm not sure, but I don't think I have ever seen an illustration of halflings, gnomes, or orcs with beards. Although catfolk do have whiskers.
Side question - what other races have beards. I'm not sure, but I don't think I have ever seen an illustration of halflings, gnomes, or orcs with beards. Although catfolk do have whiskers.
Lem, the pathfinder halfling is rocking muttonchops so thick it would be seriously odd for him not to have chin hair, although the wiki says the usually only grow sideburns.
In D&D3, this guy was right there as the half-orc, so they're bearded. The example pathfinder half-orc is also bearded.
If you want to use the real world, it's because of testosterone levels. Or they lack the gene.
Otherwise you don't need a reason, they are a different race and have different things (like pointy ears).
Side question - what other races have beards. I'm not sure, but I don't think I have ever seen an illustration of halflings, gnomes, or orcs with beards. Although catfolk do have whiskers.
You have never seen a Gnome with a beard?
And to the OP. Elves are generelly seen as more delicate and refined than humans and therefore they are left with out facial hair, in vanilla fantasy.
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And to the OP. Elves are generelly seen as more delicate and refined than humans and therefore they are left with out facial hair, in vanilla fantasy.
You calling my beard dirty and unrefined? The barbershop would like to have a word with you maybe. Next thing you know curly hair is the culprit...
Elves do have beards in some fantasies. Depends on where you are in the multiverse.
I don't remember anything in the Elf description that says they don't have facial hair.
There isn't.
Which means it's up to the individual table.
Tolkein's elves were naturally superior.
Tolkien's elven males would have beards if it was 100% true.
Because elves aren't as cool as dwarves....
Elves = interpretive dance, flower arranging, bad street theatre, mime, poodles, and Bieber/One Direction fans.
Dwarves = Mac Trucks, Harley Davidson, Rugby, Blue collar, Bruce Springsteen, "stitch that Jimmy", CM Punk....
It could be old age but I believe the Simarillion mentions elves with beards. I think Elrond is mentioned having one.
At the end of the day it comes down to 70''s and 80's fantasy artists interpreting the fine, sharp features of elves to mean no facial hair.
porque se afeitan (jaja)
Que inteligente :)
It is a good point, maybe they just shave?
In the artwork for the Drow, the men often have facial hair. Usually wispy little moustaches and tiny beards, nothing like the Dwarves. Similarly, Deep Gnomes have super-beards and "regular" gnomes have significantly less facial hair (if any).
Based on this, perhaps there is a correlation with living underground and having facial hair. Are the authors trying to say that you should live under a rock if you have facial hair?
And to the OP. Elves are generelly seen as more delicate and refined than humans and therefore they are left with out facial hair, in vanilla fantasy.You calling my beard dirty and unrefined? The barbershop would like to have a word with you maybe. Next thing you know curly hair is the culprit...
Elves do have beards in some fantasies. Depends on where you are in the multiverse.
I havent seen your Beard but i am sure it is manly and delicate in just the rigth combination:)
Also since the 80ees it have been sort of the ideal look in Western socierty to be beardless and not having exess body hair.
Elves being creatures of beauty in most storyes have to live up to the ideal. But now where Trendsetters like our own MrSin is changing that ideal, i predict that elves will let the facial hair grow a bit again.
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Because elves aren't as cool as dwarves....
Elves = interpretive dance, flower arranging, bad street theatre, mime, poodles, and Bieber/One Direction fans.
Dwarves = Mac Trucks, Harley Davidson, Rugby, Blue collar, Bruce Springsteen, "stitch that Jimmy", CM Punk....
Bieber?! One Direction?!
<Abandons Magus, takes levels in Barbarian. Enters rage, attacks with greataxe.>| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
They haven't reached puberty yet?
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It could be old age but I believe the Simarillion mentions elves with beards. I think Elrond is mentioned having one.
Elrond is a half-elf.
Side question - what other races have beards. I'm not sure, but I don't think I have ever seen an illustration of halflings, gnomes, or orcs with beards. Although catfolk do have whiskers.
One of the iconics is a gnome with a beard, and a lot of male gnome illustrations in pathfinder have beards. As for halflings, I'm pretty sure there are some bearded ones too. I just don't particularly recall many male ones right now, other than Lem (who if i recall correctly has sideburns), as for orcs, in the previously linked thread James also states that both half-orcs and orcs are capable of growing full beards.
I understand people are going to tell me while in "your universe you can have elves with facial hair if you want," but are all elves in Golarion hairless in every way?
Definitely not hairless in every way: almost all of them have head hair.
Elves with facial hair are most likely half-elves though.
As for the rest, better ask the half-elf's mother.
The Dwarves stole all the body hair. Hence the animosity betwixt Elf and Dwarf to this day.
Best answer ever, hands low.
Cirdan the shipwright is the canonical elf with a beard from Tolkien (not that D&D matches Tolkien).
I typically have elves in my game have virtually no body hair even the ice elves. I figure innate magic basically keeps them comfortable in all but extreme weather and a result heavy body hair was pretty much extraneous.
Human body hair has nothing to do with keeping warm, even the most hirsute person is too lightly haired to do that. It's about sexual signalling and (in certain areas) preventing chafing. I figure some elves have beards and some do not, and it depends on the individual elf.
Human body hair has nothing to do with keeping warm, even the most hirsute person is too lightly haired to do that.
As a Canadian with a thick beard (that's been field tested at -40) you're very wrong. The beard complements clothing very effectively.