What colours do orcs and goblins come in?

[DavetheLost]

Well, yes. I just meant their physical appearance.

The elves are too short, but at least some of them seem to have got the glow-in-the-dark bit right. Which bit is far too often overlooked.

[feld]

I'm sorry - what do you mean about the elven glow? Is that in JRRT somewhere and if so could you please indicate where.

[Otaku-sempai]

The elves are too short, but at least some of them seem to have got the glow-in-the-dark bit right. Which bit is far too often overlooked.

Outside of Middle-earth, Elves are often portrayed as shorter/smaller than Men. The only Tolkien-elves that I'm aware of that glow with a visible light are the Vanyar who continued to dwell in Aman. The light of other Eldar was only visible for those who were particularly sensitive to their spiritual nature. D&D Elves don't usually glow.

[Timmity Took]

The elves are too short, but at least some of them seem to have got the glow-in-the-dark bit right. Which bit is far too often overlooked.

Outside of Middle-earth, Elves are often portrayed as shorter than Men. The only Tolkien-elves that I'm aware of that glow with a visible light are the Vanyar who continued to dwell in Aman. The light of other Eldar was only visible for those who were particularly sensitive to their spiritual nature. D&D Elves don't usually glow.

Yup! Elves are fiction and there are countless versions, from the earliest tales of elves and dwarves in norse mythology and folklore of Northern Europe and brothers Grimm to Tolkien to newer and modern fantasy interpretations... "Getting it right" is a big target when it comes to interpreting fictional creatures that already have too many "original" versions to count to begin with.

[DavetheLost]

I'm sorry - what do you mean about the elven glow? Is that in JRRT somewhere and if so could you please indicate where.

"Before long the Elves came down the lane towards the valley. They passed slowly, and the hobbits could see the starlight glimmering on their hair and in their eyes. They bore no lights, yet as they walked a shimmer, like the light of the moon above the rim of the hills before it rises, seemed to fall about their feet."

Tolkien, J.R.R.. The Lord of the Rings: One Volume (p. 80). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Kindle Edition.

[Otaku-sempai]

Okay; 'glow' might be a bit of an overstatement, but I admit that I had completely forgotten about that passage!

[feld]

I'm sorry - what do you mean about the elven glow? Is that in JRRT somewhere and if so could you please indicate where.

"Before long the Elves came down the lane towards the valley. They passed slowly, and the hobbits could see the starlight glimmering on their hair and in their eyes. They bore no lights, yet as they walked a shimmer, like the light of the moon above the rim of the hills before it rises, seemed to fall about their feet."

Tolkien, J.R.R.. The Lord of the Rings: One Volume (p. 80). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Kindle Edition.

Got it, thanks! I now know what you mean!

[Turin]

Glorfindel also glows bright when he confronts the Nazgul at the ford, his presence causing the horses to bolt into the surging river. I believe that else were it talks about those that had seen the Trees having a glow about them but can't remember where.

[Elmoth]

We have orcs in browns and greys more than in greens. Bright green orcs are warhammer fantasy and D&D (iirc). But IIRC tolkine never gives a color for them.

[Arthadan]

The Orcs are definitely stated to be corruptions of the 'human' form seen in Elves and Men. They are (or were) squat, broad, flat-nosed, sallow-skinned, with wide mouths and slant eyes: in fact degraded and repulsive versions of the (to Europeans) least lovely Mongol-types.

The letters of J.RR. Tolkien, letter #210 to Forrest J. Ackerman.

Of course there are also the black uruks, and there is the wide spread misconception about the relation between size and skin colour (only big Orcs have dark skin), which is false.