Is there any section in Tolkien's works which gives the size of an elf?
They are mentioned as 'tall' compared to a human (IIRC) so could an average one be six foot six inches?
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3According to this thread Galadriel, an exceptionally tall elven woman, and possibly Celeborn were both around 6'4 (~193cm), the "standard" height of a Númenórean male (@user14111 we know that other types of humans were shorter than Númenóreans, and probably the size of modern ones). So it seems that elven women were taller than human ones, but normally not as tall as ~190cm (so ~168cm < median elven woman < 190cm); and males were taller to some extent (dunno if they were ever compared directly to Númenóreans).– melissa_boikoCommented Oct 6, 2018 at 11:45
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scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/10804/… scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/86575/…– MithoronCommented Oct 6, 2018 at 17:27
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1 Answer
Elves were known to be as big as Men in the First Age
The Silmarillion notes:
In those days Elves and Men were of like stature and strength of body, but the Elves had greater wisdom, and skill, and beauty; [...].
So we can summise that Elves and Men were of similar build as Men in the First Age. But how big were Men then?
Men in the First Age were "about 2 ranga high"
Based of Elendil the Tall himself, it would seem that Men then were at least 2 ranga tall. If Elendil was more than man-high, and being one of the tallest Númenóreans, and Men in the First Age were of similar height, it would mean that they were about 2 ranga, or 193cm tall, at least. (While Elendil himself would be 2 and a half ranga tall). And based off my first quote, Elves then would be around 2 ranga, or 193cm tall, as well.
The Númenórean ranga was slightly longer than our yard, approximately thirty-eight inches, owing to their great stature.
It is however said of the great people of the past that they were more than a man-high. Elendil was said to be "more than man-high by nearly half a ranga;" but he was accounted the tallest of all the Númenóreans who escape the Downfall [and was indeed generally known as Elendil the Tall]. The Eldar of the Elder Days were also very tall.
Unfinished Tales, Appendix - NÚMENÓREAN LINEAR MEASURES
Galadriel herself was 6'4"
Which is, coincidentally, 193cm tall.
Galadriel, "the tallest of all the women of the Eldar of whom tales tell," was said to be man-high, but it is noted "according to the measure of the Dúnedain and the men of old," indicating a height of about six feet four inches.
Unfinished Tales, Appendix - NÚMENÓREAN LINEAR MEASURES
They are mentioned as 'tall' compared to a human (IIRC) so could an average one be six foot six inches?
So you're not far off by saying that the average height of an Elf is 6'6". It indeed would be around that range.
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Note that my last in-u quote says that Galadriel is the tallest Elven women. So the average height of an Elf would probably be lesser than that, but perhaps not that drastic a difference.– VoronwéCommented Oct 6, 2018 at 14:49
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1Men in the First Age were not "half a ranga high"; the quote says that Elendil was half a ranga taller than the average man.– chepnerCommented Oct 10, 2018 at 18:04
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Six-foot-four, being 76 inches, is exactly 2 ranga. If that is "man-high", then Elendil would 16-19 inches taller than that, or 92-95 inches. That corresponds to a height of 7-foot-8 and 7-foot-11, which would make him tall even for an NBA player, but not absurdly so.– chepnerCommented Oct 10, 2018 at 18:10
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