First Age Elf Armor

Looks orcish to me..

At least those sallets on the left. Those on the right maybe could work for dwarves and doriathrim..

Though i also had morions in mind - as jrrt uses the term once...
 
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I think that we may have very different ideas of what would make something look orcish. Shiny, elegantly curved helmets don't seem particularly Orcish to me.

Morions, with their high crests and pointed front and back ends seem a bit more orcish to me. In what context were they mentioned?


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To me morions look too Early-Modern to fit Tolkien's world. Actually Italian-style sallets looks more like something elves or dwarves would use. The German-style generally more dwarvish. However the German-styles with "lobsters-type" neck-guard, have a somewhat orcish feel too me.
 
It's posdibly just that the face vizor and the helmet tail does remind me of the beakliknoseguatd and the beoad rim of the mordor- orc helmet... ( i still wonder what jrrt might have had in mind as a model... The description might to a degree fit to a roman legionaire helmet,celtic jockey cap or coolus, but also an eisenhut, kabuto, kawagasa, 17c hat- helmet and zischagge might all fit too)

Ican't temember where panoply and morion were used by jrrt... But its possible that he used them in the errant rypoem, and thus for satirical or comical reasons - so we in no way have to stick to it! ( rationalized i'd like the idea that errantry was written by a shire hobbit who knew ancient helmets and armour from the marhom house at micheldelving and thus it unwillingly reflects military equipment from the days of late arnor)
 
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Well the there is no plate in Middle earth possibly could the Valar use it but both Men, Elves, Dwarves and Orcs use mail. But to different the soldiers up is quite important, so not the Falamari, Elves of Hithlum, Feanoreans, Gondolrim, Belegost dwarves, Sindar, Orcs of Morgoth and men of Hador etc. seems alike. So the using of different types of Mail like Lamellar, Scalemail, Regular and possibly some other like Fishes Scales or what is mentioned.

The different factions does of course have different Helmets, but other ways to mix up is different types of plates like Vambrances, maybe also Shoulder, arm, leg protection and also having different colours on the armour like more Bronze looking mail, Silver, Greyish, Goldish, Redish, Blueish.

Then the usage of Heraldry could help to distinguish the different soldiers.
 
I already proposed the valar using fish scale armour, and the noldor imitating them at first,
but hen the dwarves developing mail separately, and the sindar imitating them quickly...

after that i believe the noldor & orcs both should take up mail&ring Armour pretty quickly.

after that, well.. I guess the edain & Easterlings pretty much tried to emulate the Eldar or Angband
the second age, I mean the numenoreans in detail could mean much more room for free interpretaion i case of armor, & techology in general..
 
morions are a wide array... helmets like this i could imagine for the orcs or angband 8in black iron)


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but helmets like these.. i think elements of these could be used for sinda or numenorean designs...

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The description of it in UT is fairly detailed, by Tolkien standards. I'll dig it up when I get home. So there'll be details to start with.


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Unfinished Tales said:
The Helm of Hador was given into Thingol's hands. That helm was made of grey steel adorned with gold, and on it were graven runes of victory. A power was in it that guarded any who wore it from wound or death, for the sword that hewed it was broken, and the dart that smote it sprang aside. It was wrought by Telchar, the smith of Nogrod, whose works were renowned. It had a visor (after the manner of those that the Dwarves used in their forges for the shielding of their eyes), and the face of one that wore it struck fear into the hearts of all beholders, but was itself guarded from dart and fire. Upon its crest was set in defiance a gilded image of the head of Glaurung the dragon; for it had been made soon after he first issued from the gates Morgoth. Often Hador, and Galdor after him, had borne it in war; and the hearts of the host of Hithlum were uplifted when they saw it towering high amid the battle, and they cried: "Of more worth is the Dragon of Dor-lómin than the gold-worm of Angband!"

But in truth this helm had not been made for Men, but for Azaghâl Lord of Belegost, he who was slain by Glaurung in the Year of Lamentation.
Then follows its further history, and the comment that it didn't sit comfortably on the head or neck of Elf or Man, except Hador and Turin. It makes me chuckle to think Dwarves have bigger heads and/or stiffer necks than the Eruchin.

Unfinished Tales said:
But in all Hithlum no head and shoulders were found stout enough to bear the dwarf-helm with ease, save those of Hador and his son Galdor.
 
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I also think one should look at Bronze age helmets and armours for the Elves, i tend to think that they should scream ancient instead of early modern or medieval.
 
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