Pointy ears explained

Pointy ears or pointed ears are a characteristic of many animals, a genetic condition in humans, as well as a cliché in popular culture, particularly in the fantasy genre. They are commonly known as elf ears for their depiction in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings film series.[1] [2] [3]

Non-human animals

"Pointy ears" is a characteristic of some animals. Some examples are the cat, vampire bats,[4] civets and genets of the viverridae family,[5] red pandas,[6] and African bush pigs.[7]

Humans

One of the characteristics of the Williams syndrome has been described as "pointed ears".[8] [9] There are also cases of people being born with pointed ears not associated to William's syndrome. In one family a woman was born with two pointed ears, she later had a son with two less dramatically pointed ears, and she had a great uncle with one pointed ear. Some cases of pointed ears may be due to trauma to ears during labor, and the ear crease may unfold with time.
The pointed ear(s) in Stahl's ear is caused by misshapen cartilage. It is characterized by an extra horizontal fold of cartilage (crus). Normally, there are two: superior and inferior. In Stahl's ear, there is a third horizontal crus. The helix (or upper portion of the ear) may uncurl, giving the ear a pointed shape.[10]

Author Holly Black and others have worn latex pointy ears in public and some people modify their ears surgically.

Folklore and fiction

Pointy ears have been a characteristic of many creatures in folklore, such as the French croquemitaine, the Brazilian curupira,[11] and the Japanese earth spider.[12] Pointy or pointed ears have been a feature of characters on art dating back at least to the times of Ancient Greece[13] and medieval Europe.[14]

Pointy ears are a common characteristic of many creatures in the fantasy genre.[15] It's a common characteristics of races such as, among others, elves,[16] faeries,[17] [18] pixies,[19] hobbits,[20] or orcs.[21] They are also a characteristic of creatures from the horror genre, such as vampires.[22] [23]

This characteristic has been adopted into the Japanese anime and manga art style, where pointy ears are also a common trope of fantasy characters.[24] [25] Manga and anime elves in particular are distinguished by very prominently displayed pointed ears, often drawn larger and more distinctly visible, as well as more angled, than in the Western works.[26] [27]

Pointy ears have become associated with elves in Victorian literature of the 19th century.[28] Popularization of the pointed ears as an attribute of elves has been attributed to the works of J. R. R. Tolkien and their more recent big screen interpretation, although the status of elvish ears as canon is not universally accepted by the Tolkien fandom.[16] [29] [30] [31]

Pointy ears are also found in the science fiction genre; for example among the Vulcan and Romulan races of the Star Trek universe[32] or the Nightcrawler character from the X-Men universe.[33]

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Stover . Laren . 2017-08-21 . Another Variation on the Selfie: Get Ready for the Elfie . en-US . The New York Times . 2022-09-19 . 0362-4331.
  2. Web site: 2022-09-13 . What it’s really like getting ‘elf ears’ like Grimes wants . 2022-09-19 . New York Post . en-US.
  3. Web site: 2022-09-18 . Grimes fans are convinced she has had elf ear surgery after latest photo . 2022-09-19 . The Independent . en.
  4. Book: Pamela J. Gerholdt. Vampire Bats. 1996. ABDO. 978-1-56239-505-6. 12.
  5. Book: Joseph F. Merritt. The Biology of Small Mammals. 4 February 2010. JHU Press. 978-0-8018-7950-0. 128–129.
  6. Book: Concise Encyclopedia Biology. 1 January 1996. Walter de Gruyter. 978-3-11-088956-7. 1015.
  7. Book: Concise Encyclopedia Biology. 1 January 1996. Walter de Gruyter. 978-3-11-088956-7. 22.
  8. Book: Mark H. Johnson. Yuko Munakata. Rick O. Gilmore. Brain Development and Cognition: A Reader. 15 April 2008. John Wiley & Sons. 978-0-470-75202-9. 384.
  9. Book: Scientific American. What Makes a Genius?. 1 January 2008. The Rosen Publishing Group. 978-1-4042-1401-9. 37.
  10. Web site: Stahl’s Ear . chop.edu . The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia . 29 July 2021 . en . 30 July 2014.
  11. Book: Theresa Bane. Encyclopedia of Fairies in World Folklore and Mythology. 4 September 2013. McFarland. 978-0-7864-7111-9. 91.
  12. Book: Laurence Bush. Asian Horror Encyclopedia: Asian Horror Culture in Literature, Manga, and Folklore. 5 October 2001. iUniverse. 978-1-4697-1503-2. 43.
  13. Book: Johann Joachim Winckelmann. The History of Ancient Art Among the Greeks. 1850. Chapman. 80.
  14. Book: Alixe Bovey. Monsters and Grotesques in Medieval Manuscripts. 2002. University of Toronto Press. 978-0-8020-8512-2. 38.
  15. Book: J. Peffer. DragonArt Collector's Edition: Your Ultimate Guide to Drawing Fantasy Art. 25 October 2012. IMPACT. 978-1-4403-2417-8. 28.
  16. Book: Michael J. Tresca. The Evolution of Fantasy Role-Playing Games. 16 November 2010. McFarland. 978-0-7864-6009-0. 34.
  17. Book: John Michael Greer. Monsters. 1 September 2011. Llewellyn Worldwide. 978-0-7387-1600-8. 107.
  18. Book: Christopher Hart. Astonishing Fantasy Worlds: The Ultimate Guide to Drawing Adventure Fantasy Art. 2008. Watson-Guptill Publications. 978-0-8230-1472-9. 103.
  19. Book: John Hamilton. Elves and Fairies. 1 August 2011. ABDO. 978-1-60453-215-9. 23.
  20. Book: Misha Kavka. Jenny Lawn. Mary Paul. Gothic Nz: The Darker Side of Kiwi Culture. 2006. Otago University Press. 978-1-877372-23-0. 111.
  21. Book: Lisa Hopkins. Screening the Gothic. 1 January 2010. University of Texas Press. 978-0-292-77959-4. 202.
  22. Book: Noah William Isenberg. Weimar Cinema: An Essential Guide to Classic Films of the Era. 13 August 2013. Columbia University Press. 978-0-231-50385-3. 96–.
  23. Book: Ken Gelder. The Horror Reader. 2000. Psychology Press. 978-0-415-21356-1. 27.
  24. Book: Ikari Studio. The Monster Book of More Manga. 28 March 2007. HarperCollins. 978-0-06-115169-9. 19.
  25. Book: Anna Southgate. Keith Sparrow. Drawing Manga Expressions and Poses. August 2011. The Rosen Publishing Group. 978-1-4488-4800-3. 17.
  26. Book: David Okum. Manga Fantasy Madness: Over 50 Basic Lessons for Drawing Warriors, Wizards, Monsters and more. 21 April 2006. IMPACT. 1-60061-381-0. 31.
  27. Book: David Okum. Manga Monster Madness. 15 March 2005. IMPACT. 1-60061-387-X. 34.
  28. Book: Sirona Knight. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Elves and Fairies. 7 June 2005. DK Publishing. 978-1-4406-9638-1. 171.
  29. Web site: Martinez . Michael . Michael Martinez (Tolkien scholar) . Do Tolkien's Elves Have Pointy Ears? | Middle-earth & J.R.R. Tolkien Blog by Michael Martinez . Middle-earth.xenite.org . 2011-09-21 . 2014-04-18.
  30. Web site: F.A.Q. . F.A.Q. . The Tolkien Society . 2014-04-18.
  31. Book: Janice M. Bogstad. Philip E. Kaveny. Picturing Tolkien: Essays on Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings Film Trilogy. 9 August 2011. McFarland. 978-0-7864-8473-7. 86.
  32. Book: Henry Jenkins III. Tara McPherson. Jane Shattuc. Hop on Pop: The Politics and Pleasures of Popular Culture. 2 January 2003. Duke University Press. 0-8223-8350-0. 119.
  33. Book: William Irwin. Rebecca Housel. J. Jeremy Wisnewski. X-Men and Philosophy: Astonishing Insight and Uncanny Argument in the Mutant X-Verse. 18 May 2009. John Wiley & Sons. 978-0-470-73036-2. 189.

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