People of Hair Color: Difference between revisions
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In all too many works, however, the races are absolutely uniform, living in an ethnic [[Patchwork Map]]. Even at the borders, [[Halfbreed|half-breeds]] are unusual and physically distinctive. [[Phenotype Stereotype]] usually prevails: [[Blue Eyes]] for blonds, [[Green Eyes]] for [[Green Eyed Red Head|redheads]], [[Gray Eyes]] or [[Brown Eyes]] for dark-haired people. Furthermore, the physical appearances are also used as a short hand for [[Planet of Hats]] traits.
The prevalence of [[Medieval European Fantasy]] makes the subdivisions of whites plausible, but other ethnic subdivisions are known, and, sometimes, a blond race will contrast with a dark-haired race that is clearly not white. Often, the mere presence of whites and blacks in the same area will not preclude their regarding themselves as more finely divided than
And, of course, racism follows the racial divides the cultures use. Compare [[Fantastic Racism]].
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== [[Literature]] ==
* In [[J. R. R. Tolkien|JRR Tolkien]]'s Middle-earth, there are often a set of common hair-colours among various peoples, although averted as they are not uniform and not without exceptions. Of both Men and Elves, there are tribes who are dark-haired and those who are blond; Hobbits are generally brown-haired, while blond is rare.
** In ''[[Lord of the Rings]]'', the Riders of Rohan from the North tend to be blond, while the people of Gondor were chiefly dark-haired. Given the hierarchy he describes, this peculiarly puts blondness at the top and the bottom, among the good peoples at least (the blond Vanyarin Elves are almost sickeningly angelic, while the Rohirrim are supposedly lesser) and dark-haired peoples in the middle (the Noldor are troubled and rebellious, but still Elves and therefore more awesome than any human, while the Numenorians of Gondor and Arnor are "superior"
*** In this case, "superior" means "being friends with the [[Our Elves Are Different|Elves]]". Benefits included long lifespan and some ability to do things we'd call magic.
** Tolkien went further. The "swarthy" Eastern and Southron races were generally enemies of the "fair" races.
*** Except when they weren't, such as the men of Bree, some non-Dunedain Gondorians, some hobbits, the Woses, even the Wild Men of Dunland (who were antagonists, but weren't portrayed as evil). And some of the most evil villains were white- namely, the Black Numenoreans, who were pretty much Nazis [[Recycled in Space|IN ANCIENT EUROPE]], wore the Hat of being a bunch of [[Evil Sorcerer
*** Helps that Tolkien was totally in love with such tropes as [[Fallen Hero]], [[Fallen Angel]], and [[The Paragon Always Rebels]]. Any generally good group, including ethnic groups, have at least one guy who went evil. LotR is the struggle to finally defeat one such rebel/[[Fallen Angel]] type, Sauron. And Saruman was pretty much the Paragon of the wizards...
* In [[Andre Norton]]'s ''[[Witch World]]'', the Old Race of Estcarp (and formerly also of Karsten) are uniformly black-haired and pale skinned; their allies, the sea-going Sulcar, are blond. The people of High Hallack across the sea, whose ancestors came through a [[Cool Gate]], are pale-skinned but usually have brown or blond hair, occasionally with a reddish tint.
* In Joy Chant's ''Red Moon Black Mountain'', the races are divided by appearance, including an [[Planet of Hats|entire race]] of [[Dumb Blonde
* [[Ursula K. Le Guin|Ursula K. LeGuin's]] ''[[Earthsea Trilogy]]'' has the race contrast by skin color as well as by hair, but the white race is [[Fantasy Counterpart Culture|also chiefly blond]].
* Jennifer Robertson's ''Sword Dancer'' books have the sun-baked, semi-nomadic Southron race who live in the desert and the blond, fair-skinned Northerners who live in the mountains. Later, she expanded it to include a sort of dark-Caucasian islander race.
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* In Swedish fantasy writer Anders Blixt's novel ''Spiran och staven (The Quarterstaff and the Sceptre)'', the Termali of the sophisticated Vidonia region have a Mediterranean look, i.e. tanned skin and brown eyes, whereas the Wealdings (forest barbarians) are pale-skinned and grey-eyed. The Wealdings even use the word "brown-eye-ing" when referring to a Termali person. The protagonist Fox, who is of mixed origins, has brown eyes, pale skin, and reddish hair, hence the nickname.
* In [[Gene Stratton Porter]]'s ''[[Freckles]]'', the Irish characters are all red-haired.
* In [[John C. Wright]]'s ''[[Hermetic Millenium|Count to a Trillion]]'', Blondies. Indeed, when Menelaus is viewing an old SF series and realizing it depicts the future (which didn't happen) as racism-free, a white man kissing a black woman is described as a Blondie kissing a
== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==
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