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lidless

Lidless is an adjective describing an eye that lacks movable eyelids. In anatomy this is found in some species where the eye is protected by a transparent covering rather than by eyelids. For example, many snakes have a fixed, transparent spectacle over the eye instead of movable eyelids, so their eyes cannot blink in the usual sense. In humans and most mammals, eyelids are present, so lidless eyes are considered atypical.

In literature and popular culture, lidless is most closely associated with the phrase lidless eye, used to

Beyond Tolkien, the term can be used more generally to describe a gaze that is relentless, unblinking,

See also: eyelid; spectacle (eye); Sauron; Tolkien.

depict
Sauron,
the
Dark
Lord
in
J.
R.
R.
Tolkien's
legendarium.
The
lidless
eye
has
become
a
symbolic
emblem
of
watchfulness,
coercive
power,
and
pervasive
surveillance,
and
it
appears
in
critical
and
fan
discussions
as
an
emblematic
image
of
tyranny.
or
devoid
of
eyelids
in
fantasy
or
metaphorical
writing.
It
is
sometimes
cited
in
analyses
of
imagery
and
themes
involving
authority
and
fear.