Melynda Moon
Melynda Moon had a two-hour operation to get 'elven' ears

Melynda Moon, a woman obsessed with Lord of the Rings, paid £250 to have her ears cut and shaped to look like the creatures of her favourite movie.

The 23-year-old said: "Some people like to tell their kids to stop being bad because they know an elf will tell Santa they're being bad. Then their children see my ears and realise their parents aren't joking."

After the treatment, which lasted two hours, the stitches stayed in for a couple of weeks so her skin had time to fuse and she was left with perfectly pointed elf ears.

She described the treatment as "a bit uncomfortable the day after" and confessed that her ears "were really swollen and sore with a slight burning sensation", but "it was completely worth it."

Ms Moon, who believes she comes from a different realm and was a fairy in her past life, said of her new ears: "I have always been very close to nature. Pointed ears are the most adorable thing, and I find the 'elven' attire is so elegant."

"I have a handful of people assume I am dressed up because I have put on pointed ears.

"When I tell them they are real, they look pretty confused as if they are waiting for me to say 'just kidding' - but I am not."

Ms Moon has also had a subdermal implant in her hand which represents the Triforce symbol for the Legend of Zelda. As a teenager, she said, she would use makeup and dye her hair and even used Photoshop to make her ears look pointed and look elven.

"'I have always had fantasies about what it would be like to be something other than human, so I decided to change my appearance to look supernatural.

"I will never go back to being human. Now I just lack the glitter and wings to fly."