Do the Noldor glow in the dark?

[Androthelm]

Hey y'all
I'm doing a reread of the books with some friends and we've just gotten to the bit in Three Is Company when Frodo comes upon Gildor's company passing through the Woody End. The narration remarks that "They bore no lights, yet as they walked a shimmer, like the light of the moon above the rim of the hills before it rises, seemed to fall about their feet."
This struck me as somewhat familiar for some reason I couldn't place -- before remembering a poetic phrase that (I think) was used in the Silmarillion a handful of times describing the Caliquendi as having the "light of Aman in their faces."
Now, I'd assumed this was just a bit of poetry -- or, at the most, a way of describing the higher bearing and wisdom carried by those of the Firstborn who had seen the light of the Two Trees when compared with the shadows of Middle-Earth -- but having now re-read this section with Gildor and noted how these Exiles seem to... literally illuminate the world around them...
Could it be that the Noldor glow in the dark?

[The Elf Imperishable]

If they don't then I need to revise my RPing of those who gazed upon the light of the two trees. It would also fill a lot of plot holes like if they knew how to do subterranean farming just by standing near the plants in Gondolin and Nargothrond.

[KingODuckingham]

The word "seemed" in your quotation is the keyword. The Noldor "seem" to glow in the dark. Now, I suppose there's an argument to be made that says that the reason they "seem" to glow in the dark is that they illuminate their surroundings, but I suspect what is intended by the phrase has to do with perception more than with an objective reality. That said, if you can't distinguish between the two, I suppose the point is somewhat moot. If something seems to glow in the dark, even if it does not in reality, it may as well to the perceiver, right?

[Boromir88]

The same is said of Glorfindel, only I believe it's only from Frodo's perspective, who has been wounded by a morgul blade:

To Frodo it appeared that a white light was shining through the form and raiment of the rider, as if through a thin veil.

With his last failing senses Frodo heard cries, and it seemed to him that he saw, beyond the Riders that hesitated on the shore, a shining figure of white light; and behind it ran small shadowy forms waving flames, that flared red in the grey mist that was falling over the world Fellowship of the Ring: Flight to the Ford

There again comes that pesky seemed (to Frodo) in the 2nd quote. The elves who had the 'light of Aman in their faces' do contrast with the lifeless and shadow of the Ringwraiths. The one rider flees to safety when Gildor's elves show up. Glorfindel's "shining white light" drives the rest of them into the flood. Although as @KingODuckingham says we're dealing with what it 'seemed' like and later from Frodo's perspective who is about to give into the morgul wound.

I would guess, from the Ringwraith's perspective the high elves would also 'seem' to be glowing white, because they run away from them. I also think it's all about perspective, to me I would say they wouldn't be glowing. When I think of something that glows in the dark, it's something that glows from the surface, and the 'light' of the elves is something that comes from deeper than their skin: 'To Frodo it appeared that a white light was shining through the form and raiment of the rider.' So, the light Frodo is perceiving comes from deeper than the surface. But the hobbits do clearly perceive a shining light, from the Exiles and Glorfindel, so I don't think it would mess up @Dwarrow Elf's RPG.

[Eldy Dunami]

Regarding the Glorfindel example @Boromir88 mentions, Frodo and Gandalf discuss it in the subsequent chapter (Many Meetings):

‘I thought that I saw a white figure that shone and did not grow dim like the others. Was that Glorfindel then?’

‘Yes, you saw him for a moment as he is upon the other side: one of the mighty of the Firstborn. He is an Elf-lord of a house of princes. [...]’

I find the mention of "the other side" interesting. Granted, there are plenty of cases of Elves "seeming" to glow in totally mundane situations; an example not yet mentioned is Galadriel "seem[ing] to shine with a soft light" at the Grey Havens just before boarding the ship to Valinor (ROTK, VI 9). But I would agree with Ducky and Boromir88 that this is indicative of some innate spiritual quality of Elves who had seen the Two Trees more than Elves glowing like light bulbs.

[Androthelm]

@Dwarrow Elf your implication that underground farming in Nargothrond directly contradicts MY headcanon that ALL MEALS in both Narg and Menegroth were mushroom-based. Therefore, Farmer Maggot is actually half-elven.

@KingODuckingham Yes, I think the distinction between seeming and being--particularly when it comes to light, and light which indicates the closeness of these folk to Aman is a little thin, and may probably be disregarded. If someone truly seems to glow, shouldn't I be able to see via that light anyway? And if I can see via the light--isn't it light?

@Boromir88 it's also interesting that Glorfindel--who has dwelt more recently in Aman--contains more of this shining light, or shines brighter to Frodo's eye at least.

@Eldy Dunami 'the other side' is interesting, too, when we frame it in the cosmology of Middle-Earth. What, or where, is the other side I wonder? Is it the Void, or simply some deeper level of the world? The fact that Glorfindel is described as being (on the other side) "one of the mighty of the Firstborn" does suggest that we are dealing, to some degree, with the waning of the elves--they have become a people of the twilight, but for a brief moment Frodo sees Glorfindel as he was in an earlier age.

[The Elf Imperishable]

That would be a lot of decaying things, Androthelm :P. You're saying Farmer Maggot is either Elured/Elurin eh remembering their mushroom experience from Menegroth :P

[Lychfield Ghoul]

I think it is interesting that, in many of the examples given, it's from Frodo's perspective. It reminds me of the scene in Lothlorien when Galadriel has had her moment of temptation of being a Queen. After Frodo asks her why he cannot see the other ringbearers or know other people's thoughts, she answers that he has not tried.

"Yet even so, as Ring-bearer and as one that has borne it on finger and seen that which is hidden, your sight is grown keener. You have perceived my thought more clearly than many that are accounted wise. You saw the Eye of him that holds the Seven and the Nine. And did you not see and recognize the ring upon my finger?" (The Mirror of Galadriel, FotR)

Yet Sam did not see the ring upon her finger. I wonder whether Frodo can actually see the "other side" because of his being a Ring-bearer. And maybe the other side is the inner workings of the creature in front of him. Just as he sees Bilbo in Rivendel, when the older hobbit is tempted by the One Ring (the scene in the movie always scared the begeebies out of younger Balfur).
Right, got a bit off topic there. My TL;DR point: Could it be that the perspective of the person looking at the Noldor is a factor in whether they are perceived as seeming to glow in the dark?

[Androthelm]

Yes @Dwarrow Elf that is correct. Also, Tom Bombadil is secretly Mîm the Petty Dwarf. No, I will not be taking questions.

@Balfur that's is very interesting--thank you for drawing attention, especially, to the fact that Frodo could have used the Ring more directly, had he tried. That puts Frodo's heroism in a different light, too, I think.
That being said, I feel like the early chapters are very omniscient--there's a section in Tom Bombadil's house when it runs through in a few paragraphs what each of them are dreaming about. I can't help but wonder if Gildor's company particularly would have mentioned if the light was meant to be for Frodo's eyes only.

[Lychfield Ghoul]

Yes @Dwarrow Elf that is correct. Also, Tom Bombadil is secretly Mîm the Petty Dwarf. No, I will not be taking questions.

Wholeheartedly support this truth.

Also, I suppose you are correct in the omniscient early chapters. The light is probably for all to see.
Another interesting point about Gildor's company is that they have just sung about Elbereth and that not only do they walk in with that shimmer, but that "They passed slowly, and the hobbits could see the starlight glimmering on their hair and in their eyes."
This could, of course, be just a reflection of the stars above, but what if it is more? There is a Dark Rider around, just before the elves show up and we know from Weathertop that Elbereth's name hurts the Nazgul. Maybe the elves sensed the dark presence and sang a song to Elbereth for protection. Then the shimmer and starlight would not necessarily be the effect of the elves' nature, but the effect of calling on Elbereth to ward off the shadow. Just as Frodo does near Weathertop.

[Androthelm]

Oh, that is interesting @Balfur -- I hadn't thought that perhaps the elven-song was in response to something.
That being said, Gildor is a little shocked to hear of Black Riders, or so it seems anyway. I wonder what presence they might have sensed that would set them on edge -- in the Shire of all places, too. Perhaps they were simply singing -- and it was another fortunate coincidence?

[Lychfield Ghoul]

I fear that my fancy got ahead of myself once more. I'd still argue that Gildor & Co. seem to be aware of the Black Riders, because they ask "Why do you ask about the Black Riders" and not "Whaddaya mean, black riders?" Gildor (later on) is aware that they are the Enemy, or of the Enemy, yet he doesn't understand why the Enemy is after Frodo. Still, it might be too much of a flight of fancy to say that they felt the presence of the Nazgul and in reaction sang some shiny starlight into existence as protection.

As for the reason why they would be on edge, even in the Shire, Frodo himself says something similar when they discuss (or fail to) the Black Riders later that night:

'I knew that danger lay ahead, of course; but I did not expect to meet it in our own Shire. Can't a hobbit walk from the Water to the River in peace?' [Frodo said]
'But it is not your own Shire,' said Gildor. 'Others dwelt here before hobbits were; and others will dwell here again when hobbits are no more. The wild world is all about you: you can fence yourselves in, but you cannot for ever fence it out.' (Three is Company, FotR)

Now maybe (or rather: probably) I am reading way too much into it. I was just reminded of how the Kalevala influenced Tolkien and how in there spells are not cast by using wands but by singing songs. In fact, I believe, this is very often the case in Tolkien's works as well. First example that comes to mind is Yavannah singing a song to make the Two Trees grow? (Not sure if that is the case, but I recall something like that happening.)
Still, it might also just be a cool way to introduce the magical elves: to make them seem altogether otherworldly in the eyes of the hobbits (and the readers) and especially Sam. It is a cool introduction.

Edit: forgot to add the last sentence.

[Androthelm]

Oh, sure -- I'm not suggesting that Gildor doesn't know what a Black Rider is, just that they're not explicitly aware that the riders are in the neighborhood.
Hence "Why do you ask about the Black Riders" and not "Yes, the Black Riders -- we've felt them too." and then more pointed surprise that a Hobbit has encountered them.

[Lychfield Ghoul]

After reading the sequence for the read-through, I agree. It seems to be more set up as a 'chance meeting' (which does go with the theme of 'another power at play vs. the Lord of the Ring', which Gandalf alludes to with "you were meant to inherit the Ring"). Maybe the fact that it is very strange or very rare to encounter elves in these parts like this helps the hobbits realise there is a greater world out there. Especially because a lot is told from Sam's or Pippin's perspective, who are less knowledgable about the world outside of the Shire. Now they start realising that they don't even know that much about the Shire itself even.
After reading the scene I think it's fair to say that if the Black Rider cannot sense the Ring from that close by, then it would be rather weird if the Elves could sense the Black Rider from that far away.

[Androthelm]

I think that's smart, Balfur. The 'chance meeting' / 'raw luck' / 'another power' theme is certainly being developed already early in the text.
In addition, I think the elves play a second important role: proving Sam's loyalty already. Sam has already gotten, by the time they reach Farmer Maggot's, everything he selfishly wanted: to travel a bit and meet some elves. That's why the next day, Frodo suggests he has seen everything he wants and might just head home. And Sam opts to stay. Proving his loyalty for neither the first nor the last time, as well as his purity of heart.