How tall is Legolas?

In Peter Jackson‘s films, Orlando Bloom‘s Legolas stands tall at 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m). This closely matches the typical stature for a male Elf in J.R.R. Tolkien‘s Middle-Earth works:

"The Eldar of the Elder Days were also very tall. Galadriel, ‘the tallest of all the women of the Eldar‘, was said to be man-high, but it is noted ‘according to the measure of the Dúnedain and the men of old‘. The Eldar of the Third Age were still very tall, but not as tall as the Eldar during the Elder Days, because the diminishing from Middle-earth was already taking place during the Third Age." (Tolkien Gateway)

So how do Elf heights stack up against other Middle-Earth races? Let‘s analyze the key data…

Average Height By Race

A few things stand out: Elves are exceptionally tall on average, especially compared to Hobbits and Dwarves. Interestingly, Orcs can rival the height of Humans despite their generally corrupt origins. And ancient tree-like Ents utterly tower over all others, reaching as high as 40 feet!

How might these stark height differences impact confrontation between races? Let‘s speculate…

How Height Factors Into Battle

• Tall Elves likely leverage their superior reach in close-quarters melee combat against stockier opponents.
• Short Hobbits must compensate with stealth, projectiles, mobility. Their small size can be an advantage when avoiding attacks.
• Massive Ents are virtually impervious to shorter races lacking siege weaponry, magic, or precise archery skills.

Now let‘s examine the greatest height outlier among legendary Tolkien characters…

Tolkien Character Height Extremes

While Hobbits seldom exceed 4 feet, and Dwarves rarely best 5 feet, Middle-Earth has seen some fantastical stature anomalies over the millennia:

Tallest Hobbit Ever: Bandobras Took at 4 feet 5 inches. His line was an eccentric offshoot known for unhobbit-like appetite and thirst for adventure.

Tallest Elf Ever: Elu Thingol, first King of Doriath from the First Age. Though unconfirmed, writings suggest Thingol may have stood as tall as 9 feet! Even Galadriel was an imposing 6 foot 4 inches by Third Age standards.

Tallest Man Ever: Descendant of Numenor kings, Aragorn‘s 6‘6" frame towered over most Middle-Earth mortals during the War of the Ring.

Let‘s analyze the significance of these height extremes…

Impacts and Significance

• Thingol‘s legendary height likely awed allies and intimidated foes, befitting an Elf-Lord of the Elder Days.
• As a Took, Bandobras‘ abnormal Hobbit stature probably boosted his esteem and authority during the Goblin Wars.
• Aragorn‘s Numenorian blood gave him an edge in strength and lifespan over lesser Men.

What enabled these singular growth spurts? In two cases, the answer is Ent-draughts…

The Ent-Draught Effect

Tree-like Ents sip an enchanted water that seemingly fuels their mythology-defying proportions. During the War of the Ring, Merry and Pippin drank this growth elixir. Over three days, the Hobbits sprouted from under 4 feet to around 5 feet – besting Bandobras Took‘s record! Their new size aided battle against Orcs and Uruk-hai.

This analysis on outlier heights demonstrates Tolkien‘s expansive lore. Now let‘s examine the full fictional spectrum…

The Tallest of the Tall in Middle-Earth

Thus far we‘ve stuck to the films and writings. But including video games, what might the absolute pinnacle heights across Tolkien media look like? Consider these heights from non-canon sources:

Tallest Ent: Treebeard stands as high as 65 feet in some games – far above any canonical Ent dimensions!

Tallest Troll: In Shadow of Mordor, mountain trolls reach 50 feet tall. No factual basis in lore, but imposing nonetheless!

Tallest Elf: Rumors of elf leaders breaking 10+ feet seem unsupported, but many fans wish for such truly superlative elven stature!

I‘ll continue providing updates if astonishing new height records ever enter Tolkien canon or pop culture. Until then, hope this guide gave fans and gamers a more complete picture of the tallest beings across Middle-Earth!

Let me know which heights intrigue you most, or if you have any other Tolkien questions!