Tuesday Pil
asked
Shannon Messenger:
If elves can never have brown eyes, does that mean they could have something like green eyes? Or even eyes that don't have no particular color? Or even grey eyes?
Shannon Messenger
Wellllllllll--and warning, this answer is based on my VERY limited understanding of genetics since ... this is fiction after all (I still remember drawing all those Punnet Squares in high school biology.)
As I understand it, eye color in humans--in very simple terms--is determined by a combination of two alleles, one you get from your mom, and one you get from your dad. Brown eyes occur when the dominant brown allele is present. And blue eyes occur when you *only* have the recessive blue allele. If you get one of each, the brown dominates (although sometimes that can result in green eyes).
So going by that logic, brown or green eyes are not possible in elves because none of them have that brown allele to pass on. They only have the recessive blue alleles. In Sophie's case though, because her genes were manipulated and combined with genes from other species, she ended up with a brown allele and therefore brown eyes.
And my elves--because they're elves--are able to have a huge variety of shades of blue, so someone with a more grayish or silvery tone to their eyes (especially in certain lights) is possible. Just like a greenish blue color (teal) occurs. I rationalize that in my mind because eye color is also affected by the way light hits the iris, and since my world is all about light it made sense that it would affect their appearance in small ways.
As I understand it, eye color in humans--in very simple terms--is determined by a combination of two alleles, one you get from your mom, and one you get from your dad. Brown eyes occur when the dominant brown allele is present. And blue eyes occur when you *only* have the recessive blue allele. If you get one of each, the brown dominates (although sometimes that can result in green eyes).
So going by that logic, brown or green eyes are not possible in elves because none of them have that brown allele to pass on. They only have the recessive blue alleles. In Sophie's case though, because her genes were manipulated and combined with genes from other species, she ended up with a brown allele and therefore brown eyes.
And my elves--because they're elves--are able to have a huge variety of shades of blue, so someone with a more grayish or silvery tone to their eyes (especially in certain lights) is possible. Just like a greenish blue color (teal) occurs. I rationalize that in my mind because eye color is also affected by the way light hits the iris, and since my world is all about light it made sense that it would affect their appearance in small ways.
More Answered Questions
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more