Pointy ears

Pointy ears or pointed ears are a characteristic of many animals, a genetic disorder in humans, as well as a cliché in popular culture, particularly in the fantasy genre. They are commonly known as "elf ears".[1][2][3]

Animals
A southern bushpig.

"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.[1][2][3]

Folklore and fiction
Anime-style elvish archer with pointed ears.
Manga and anime-style character with pointed ears.

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][17][18] faeries,[19][20] pixies,[21] hobbits,[22] or orcs.[23] They are also a characteristic of creatures from the horror genre, such as vampires.[24][25]

This characteristic has been adopted into the Japanese anime and manga art style, where pointy ears are also a common trope of fantasy characters.[26][27] 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.[17][28]

Pointy ears have become associated with elves in Victorian literature of the 19th century.[18] 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

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