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Hobbits

Hobbits are creatures called Halflings sometimes (because of their small stature), and they were an ancient and dateless mortal race. The home of these joyful creatures was Middle-earth. No one has learned anything about their exact origins up to this day. Original hobbits are from Middle-earth’s north. Also, some of them lived below the Vales of Anduin. When the 3rd Age commenced, these creatures moved west and north. In 1601 TA, their race founded the land of the Shire at one point, at least most of the hobbits. However, there were hobbit tribes named Stoors, and they remained in the Anduin Vale (Sméagol used to be a part of this tribe).

History of Hobbits

The Shire.The Shire.
No one knows when they first appeared in Arda. The only known fact is that they come from Anduin River’s valley. Before peoples and tribes of Middle-earth discovered these jolly creatures, they had already been around for a vast number of generations. First hobbits dwelt in the Anduin Valley. [1] It was the region of Wilderland, and it was between Mirkwood and the Misty Mountains. In The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien writes that they forgot genealogical ties to the Men, or how they call them –"big people." At the very beginning, there were three tribes, or in other words, breeds of them. Each of them had different physical characteristics, but they also had temperaments that were unlike one another. These breeds were Stoors, Harfoots, and Fallohides.

Hobbits were placed in the Anduin River valley, which means they lived near the Éothéod. They were the Rohirrim’s ancestors. Because they were quite near, it led to the two of them having contact. That is why many old words, just like names in "Hobbitish," are, in fact, derivatives of words from the language the Rohirrim used. It was somewhere during the year of TA 1050 when hobbits commenced crossing the Misty Mountains. No one knows why they wanted to undertake this arduous task. However, it is suspected that this was due to Sauron's power in nearby Greenwood, which was growing. The Greenwood area was named Mirkwood later because shadow fell on it when Sauron was searching for it to find the One Ring, also known as the master ring. When the Hobbits went towards the west, their routes were different.

They all began to settle together in Bree-land, Dunland. They were around rivers Hoarwell and Loudwater. Since the varieties merged, after a while, their differences were less and less noticeable, and their divisions started to blur. During the year 1601 (3rd Age) Marcho and Blanco, two brothers of the Fallohide clan, [2] were let to cross the River Baranduin. King of Arnor let them do it. They were allowed to settle on the other side of the river. A large number of Hobbits did precisely the same. Since most of the territory in the Third Age was abandoned, they could all settle there without any problems. Bree, together with a few surrounding villages, was the only one that still existed towards the end of the Third Age.

They founded the Shire, the new land on the west bank of the Brandywine. Hobbits crossed the Brandywine, after which the Shire's settlement happened. Therefore, the Reckoning of the Shire [3] could begin. The first Shire’s hobbits had to swear allegiance. It was to the Kings of Arnor, the last ones. They were required to recognize their lordship. They had to accelerate the messengers, as well as keep the roads and bridges in repair. When they fought Angmar (the Fornost battle), halflings sent archers as a form of aid. There are no many records of this event. The end of the battle meant the destruction of the Arnor Kingdom, and since there was no king anymore, the Hobbits did what they needed to do.

They elected a Shire's Thain. The chieftains were the ones who could be elected. The Marish Bucca was the first. He established the Oldbuck family. They went over the Brandywine River later and created the Buckland land. Their name was then changed to "Brandybuck", which was familiar. After all these events, their patriarch could become a Buckland's Master. When the Oldbucks and Brandybucks departed, another family could be selected for Thains. There were the Tooks (Pippin Took became a Thain himself later, and he was the son of a Thain).

A Thain was just a formality, but whoever it was, he was in charge of Muster and Shire Moot, together with Hobbitry-in-arms. The Hobbits who were in this area lived in peace and harmony, and this position was not even needed. Michel Delving's Mayor held significant political power in the Shire. He had to oversee the "police" and post (Shirriffs). He had some other duties as well. One of them was being in charge of banquets. When the Fourth Age was over, the stature and number of Hobbits became smaller. Yet, thanks to Tolkien's Prologue called "Concerning Hobbits," it is a known fact that Hobbits have survived up to this day.

Different Kinds of Hobbits

Kinds of Hobbits.Kinds of Hobbits.
The most of Hobbits were the Harfoots. Their skin was browner compared to the other tribes, and they were tinier and shorter as well. They did not have beards, and they also did not like to wear boots and shoes. They were barefoot most of the time. They enjoyed living in hillsides and mountains, and they were very skilled with both feet and hands. Many centuries ago, they were friends with Middle-earth's Dwarves, and they preferred mountains to live in, particularly the foothills. When the other types stayed in the Wilderland, they moved west. They went across Eriador, where Weathertop was.

The Stoors liked water and flat land. It is where they lived the most. Compared to other halflings, this breed was the broadest and heaviest when it comes to how they were built. They also had larger hands and feet. They did not want to move away from the River Anduin, and some Stoors chose to stay there. Most of them went west following the Harfoots. Before continuing north, many permanently stayed between Tharbad and Dunland's lines. The least common variety was the Fallohides, and they enjoyed woodland and trees like no one else. Their hair and skin were fair.

Compared to other varieties, they were the fairest, tallest and slimmest ones. They were in excellent terms with the Middle-earth's elves, and when it comes to songs and language, they were very skilled. They did not like tilling, but they enjoyed hunting. They followed the River Hoarwell after crossing the mountains, which were north of Rivendell. The three tribes separated, but eventually, they arrived at Brandywine (this is how they later called Baranduin), and they reached Weather Hills. It is where many of their settlements were founded.

Finally, they all merged, so their differences began to become less obvious. By 3001 TA, more families were included. There were Tooks, Bagginses, Brandybucks, Boffins, Hornblowers, Chubbs, Grubbs, Proudfoots, Bracegirdles, and Bolgers. Fallohides were seen as leaders of all hobbits most of the time. When somewhere in TA 1600 Blanco and Marcho crossed the Brandywine to stay on the other side, many followed them. They were Fallohide brothers. Because of these brothers, territories, where hobbits lived, got empty. The halflings had a new home now, and they called it the Shire. When they found their new home, they committed themselves to the last Arnor kings. When the Fornost battle took place, the Arnor kingdom was destroyed.

Since they wanted a new leader and someone of great authority, they chose the first Thain. It was Bucca of the Marish, and he was now the leader of the Shire. They made this decision after choosing among their chieftains. A Thain was in charge of many things, for example, in the case of emergent situations. It was not much needed since these tribes lived in peace. There was never a conflict, war, or anything similar.

Age of Hobbits and Their Appearance

Perhaps hobbits are an off-shoot of men, but they were able to live much longer, with a quite impressive lifespan (100 years). They could often reach the age of 130, and this was never unusual for them. Any hobbit turned 33 would become an adult, and this is when they reached maturity, or at least how others would see it. Hobbits who were 50 were still middle-aged. Hobbits were also very short, and they were even tinier than dwarves. The tallest ones were 4 feet tall. By the 3rd Age, halflings became even smaller. They had slightly pointed ears and furry feet with soles that were leathery, and they never needed boots or shoes. They could always go places barefoot. Their typical faces were round and jovial.

They were terrific listeners with outstanding eyesight. They never needed to hurry anywhere, so they were mostly fat, but still deft when moving. They could approach trolls without making a sound (Bilbo was very skillful doing this). They usually wore colors that were bright, and they particularly liked green and yellow. Most of them had curly hair, but each had hair of different colors, from dark to light brown, or blonde and golden red. They were less stocky than dwarves, but they were stout. When Tolkien described Bilbo, he wrote that he had a big stomach and very short legs. He gifted him with these attributes: slightly pointed elvish ears, round and jovial face, and short brown and curly hair. Bilbo would wear green velvet breeches as well as a yellow or red waistcoat, just like a brown or green jacket. His buttons were brass and gold; he had a green cloak and hood. It belonged to one dwarf.

Hobbit children listening to Bilbo's adventure stories.Hobbit children listening to Bilbo's adventure stories.
When Tolkien writes about hobbits, they are still alive and exist today. At least they were in his age. He sees them as shy creatures, made for terrific things. They never need shoes because they have hairy feet with leathery soles, and this makes them unique, like their other features. Tolkien points out their feet are large; perhaps this way, he emphasizes their extraordinary nature. Brothers Hildebrandt made some illustrations that help us see how these creatures look like. There are Peter Jackson's movies, where their feet are very prominent, and they have the same characteristics as in the books. Tolkien is not specific about their size, but it can be seen that being short is a trait specific for the Proudfoot clan. Even though they are expected to live for 100 years, they can reach 130. With 33, a hobbit is still young, but mature. A hobbit who reaches 50 would look like a human who is 25-30 years old.

Hobbits and Their Culture

Hobbits know to enjoy ales, food, a good party, farming, giving presents, and receiving them. They are happy-go-lucky and friendly, but shy when they get to be in the presence of Men. Halflings are peaceful beings who like to lead a quiet and healthy life without any big adventures. Since Gandalf brought Bilbo a dangerous venture, sometimes they frowned upon him. When he returned from his Lonely Mountain's quest (a long journey described in Hobbit books series), many had a chance to see him, on his horse, and with his gold.

Hobbits also started to enjoy one thing in particular. They liked to blow smoke rings and smoke pipe-weed. The one who started all of it was Tobold Hornblower, who came from Longbottom (the Southfarthing). Hobbits enjoyed all these things, but there was always one thing that made them unique and remarkable: they were ignorant to a great extent. They knew almost nothing about everything that was happening in the world, and this is how they preferred to live. They lived in Smials. These are holes for hobbits. [4] Halflings liked nothing that could disturb their peaceful life. Hobbits from the Shire were suspicious of people from different places. They were insular. Anyone who was not from the Shire was called Outsider.

It was the name for those who were foreign to them and who lived outside their region. They also had a different and extraordinary calendar. To halflings, a year would start on a Saturday. It would finish on a Friday, and their months consisted of 30 days only. They had days that were not a part of any month at all, and these were Yule 1 and Yule 2 (their New Year's Eve, as well as their New Years Day). In mid-summer, they had 3 Lithedays. They also had an extra one which came every fourth year.

Hobbits and Their Speech

When Tolkien talks about their speech, he mentions the Common English of the West. He calls it a noble tongue and says it spread from Fornost and Gondor (these were kingdoms), which lasted a certain amount of time. According to him, his Hobbits only knew about this speech and had no memory or knowledge of another language, but this does not mean they use it the same way others do. They have their unique manner of using it. It is more luxurious and more formal, but this depends on the occasion. Tolkien talks about this in his 1st draft of Prologue called Concerning Hobbits. In both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movie trilogies, [5] this Common Speech of the West is the vernacular of the whole Shire.

Some family and location names originated from contractions and variants of words Men used. The Stoors used a different language, similar to Dunlendish, which they had adopted at a certain point. Hobbits using other tongues can be seen in The Return of the King. There are no other similar occurrences in other books, as well as movies or video games. Here Sam and Frodo invoke Elbereth loudly at one point. That also happens when Frodo says the Quenya phrase Aiya elenion ancalima crying! He needs to do it so that the spell of the Watchers can be broken. These are the only examples when a hobbit uses another tongue.

Lifestyle of Hobbits

The Lord of the Rings, Hobbiton.The Lord of the Rings, Hobbiton.
Unadventurous and pastoral life was something hobbits were always fond of, so they preferred simple things like laughing and socializing, eating, and farming. Hobbits were not prone to experiences that were too exciting but risky and dangerous. Jackson's trilogy perfectly describes the activities of these joyous creatures. In these movies, they enjoy not three or five, but even 7 meals every day. That is, of course, when they can afford it to themselves.

These are breakfast, after which they would have their second breakfast, then elevenses, as well as luncheon. Then would come the time for some afternoon tea, which was before their dinner. Also, later when the evening comes, they would enjoy supper. It is slightly different in the books, because they had no supper, just one regular dinner. At his Birthday Party, Bilbo served three meals. These were tea, lunch, and dinner. The hobbits like simple meals.

They enjoy cheese, potatoes, bread, and meat. They like drinking ale like nothing else, which they often do in inns (English country folk had inspired Tolkien to write about these activities). Another food hobbits were very eager to eat often was cake. When Tolkien writes about their Shire, it is very much suggestive of the English ones, which inspired him to a great extent. One of their hobbies was also herb-smoking, and they called it "pipe-weed," and they could do it using long and wooden pipes. It is understandable since they had a big love of herb-lore and gardening (Sam Gamgee, in particular). Together with cake, they particularly loved mushrooms as well, and this food is fundamental to them.

Younger hobbits even enjoyed hunting mushrooms. Frodo Baggins is known to have stolen Farmer Maggot's mushrooms, which happened at least once. Hobbits often lived in their hobbit-holes, and these were called "smials". They resembled the first places they had lived in (were underground) because they had similar characteristics. They were placed where downs, hillsides, and banks were. By the latter part of the 3rd Age, not all hobbits lived in smials. Only poor and rich ones continued their life in these holes; the middle-class part of their society lived in low buildings, which were also large. An example of this would be Brandy Hall. The Shire was famous for round windows and doors, which were typical for every building, or at least most of them.

It was easier than tunnel-dwelling. The Hobbits kept it in their constructions that came later. Hobbits do have an epithet of being a very peaceful nation, and their society sees no wars. But even though they avoid fighting, their race still has different dangerous weapons, and they are uncanny marksmen. They throw stones, but they also have bows and slings. During the Battle of Fornost, [6] a group of archers was sent by them to help the Arnorians. They also use pebbles to chase away pests like rabbits and squirrels.

Birthdays

Halflings do not receive gifts, but they give them to others when it is their birthday. It has been their tradition for an extended period. The word Mathom means assorted and old objects in their language. They can give the same presents over and over many times, but they also keep them in a museum sometimes (in their Mathom-house). They do not say 112 as we do, but they use an expression like "eleventy two." They do it with all numbers that have three or more digits. (in Jackson's movies, Bilbo tells the attendees of his party that he is 111 years old, but he uses the words we use).

Names and Etymology

According to the legendarium, there was the Rohirric word Holbytla. The word Hobbit was derived from it. It means a "Hole-builder". Common Speech has the word Kuduk (Hobbit), and it comes from the Rohirric Kûd-dûkan, which means" hole-dweller." Éothéod and Hobbits were close, which lead to them sharing some customs eventually. There are some old accounts about Fastred, who was defeated at the Pelennor Fields. There was also a Greenholm's hobbit who married Elanor. In these accounts, the name of Harding was mentioned as well, another Rohan man who died at the Pelennor Fields, like Fastred. There was one more hobbit, and he lived in Bag End. This was Frodo Gardner's grandson.

Ancestry

Tolkien came up with the term hobbit spontaneously, with only several linguistic derivations that were speculated. Looking for The Hobbit (a documentary series), it is discussed in the last episode that Tolkien used only his imagination. There are no easily visible roots in the mythologies of the real-world that served him as an inspiration to create all creatures and events of Middle-earth.​

References

Categories: Hobbitish

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Hobbits

General info

Other Names (a.k.a)
Banakil, Halflings, Holbytlan, Kuduk, Little People, Periannath
Dominions
The Shire, Bree, Gladden Fields
Languages
Hobbitish, Westron

Physical Attributes

Distinctions
Mortality, diminutive stature, furry feet
Height
2-4 ft or 0.6-1.2 m (often less than three feet in later days)
Skin color
Nut-brown to White


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