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Hobbit: the story on HearLore | HearLore
Common questions
When did J. R. R. Tolkien write the first sentence about a hobbit?
J. R. R. Tolkien wrote the first sentence about a hobbit in 1930 or 1931 while grading student essays. This single sentence launched a literary phenomenon that would redefine fantasy literature. The word hobbit was a neologism that appeared nowhere in the English language prior to Tolkien's pen.
Where did the hobbits originate and what were their three distinct types?
The hobbits originated in Rhovanion in the Valley of Anduin between the great Mirkwood and the Misty Mountains. Three distinct types emerged from this ancient past: the Harfoots, the Fallohides, and the Stoors. The Harfoots were the first to cross the Misty Mountains, the Fallohides were the second group to arrive, and the Stoors were the last to migrate.
When did the hobbits establish the Shire and who were the first Thain and the Old Took?
The hobbits found their permanent home in the year 1601 of the Third Age when Marcho and Blancho crossed the River Brandywine. The first Thain of the Shire was Bucca of the Marish who founded the Oldbuck family, and the office of Thain eventually passed to the Took family. The Old Took was a common ancestor of Bilbo and three of the four principal hobbit characters in The Lord of the Rings.
What is the life expectancy of a hobbit and when do they come of age?
The hobbits' life expectancy was 100 years but some of Tolkien's main Hobbit characters lived much longer. Bilbo Baggins and the Old Took were described as living to the age of 130 or beyond. Hobbits were considered to come of age on their 33rd birthday so a 50-year-old hobbit would be regarded as entering middle-age.
How did the Stoors differ from other hobbits in terms of physical traits and habits?
Hobbit
In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. This single sentence, scrawled on a blank piece of paper by J. R. R. Tolkien in 1930 or 1931 while grading student essays, launched a literary phenomenon that would redefine fantasy literature. The word hobbit was a neologism, a new invention that appeared nowhere in the English language prior to Tolkien's pen. Yet, the creature that emerged from that hole was not merely a plot device but a complex cultural bridge. These beings, standing between two and four feet tall, possessed leathery soles and curly hair on their feet, rendering shoes unnecessary for most of their existence. They were a variety of humanity, or close relatives thereof, living in a world that was simultaneously ancient and startlingly modern. They smoked pipe-weed, used umbrellas, and kept clocks, creating a deliberate anachronism that allowed readers to step into a heroic age without losing their footing in the familiar. The story of the hobbit is not just about a small person in a big world, but about the invention of a new kind of hero who could mediate between the mundane and the mythic.
The Wandering Days
The origins of the hobbits were lost in the mists of the Third Age, a period known to them as the Wandering Days. They began their history in Rhovanion, in the Valley of Anduin, nestled between the great Mirkwood and the Misty Mountains. Here, they lived in the shadows of the Éothéod, the ancestors of the Rohirrim, and their language absorbed words from the Rohirric tongue. The migration westward was a response to the growing power of Sauron in the nearby forest, a shadow that would eventually turn Greenwood into Mirkwood. Three distinct types of hobbits emerged from this ancient past, each with its own destiny. The Harfoots were the first to cross the Misty Mountains, settling in the gentle rolling hills of Eriador. They were the smallest, with brown skin and a deep connection to the earth, living in holes called smials. They were the most numerous and the most typical of the race, developing a close relationship with the Dwarves. The Fallohides were the second group to arrive, fair-haired and taller, with a preference for woodlands and a closer affinity to the Elves. They were the first to learn literacy and preserve the memory of their past, eventually intermixing with the Harfoots to form the families that would define the Shire. The Stoors were the last to migrate, stockier and more robust, with an affinity for water and the ability to grow beards. They settled along the banks of the River Brandywine, bringing a slight Celtic influence to their names and a unique history of survival in the marshes of the Gladden Fields.
The Stoors were the only group whose males were able to grow beards and they had an affinity for water. Their hands and feet were sturdier than those of other hobbits who generally didn't wear shoes for cushioning their steps. The Stoors were the only hobbits to use footwear of any kind because they tended to live near muddy riverbanks.
In the year 1601 of the Third Age, the hobbits found their permanent home. Two Fallohide brothers, Marcho and Blancho, gained permission from the King of Arnor to cross the River Brandywine and settle on the western bank. They named this new land the Shire, a place that would become the heart of hobbit culture. The first Thain of the Shire was Bucca of the Marish, who founded the Oldbuck family, though they later crossed the river to create Buckland, changing their name to Brandybuck. The office of Thain eventually passed to the Took family, a lineage that would produce some of the most famous hobbits in history. The Shire was a land of peace, where the hobbits elected their own leaders and maintained their own laws. They developed a distinct calendar, with every year starting on a Saturday and ending on a Friday, and special days like Yule and Lithedays that marked the passage of time. The hobbits of the Shire were fond of an unadventurous, bucolic life, enjoying six meals a day and the art of smoking pipe-weed. They were extremely clannish, with a strong predilection for genealogy, and they developed the custom of giving away gifts on their birthdays. The term mathom was used for old and useless objects that were unwilling to be thrown away, often stored in museums or given as presents. The hobbit-holes, or smials, were underground homes found in hillsides, with round doors and windows that reflected the natural beauty of the landscape. The soil of the Shire, consisting of loess, facilitated the construction of these homes, and the yellow color of the Brandywine River was a testament to the earth's richness.
The Anachronistic Hero
Tolkien deliberately crafted the hobbits to be misfits in the heroic cultures of Middle-earth. While the ancient societies of Gondor and Rohan were based on the models of ancient Rome and the Anglo-Saxons, the Shire was a reflection of a Warwickshire village from the time of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897. This creative anachronism was the essential function of the hobbits, enabling Tolkien to bridge the gap between the reader's modern world and the dangerous ancient world of Middle-earth. The hobbits possessed material culture that was plainly modern, including umbrellas, camping kettles, matches, clocks, and pocket handkerchiefs. They enjoyed fish and chips, and their fireworks were described as rushing overhead like an express train. This juxtaposition of the ancient and the modern created a unique moral significance. The hobbits were not just small people; they were the conscience of the world, capable of great courage and amazing feats under the proper circumstances. They were adept at throwing stones and could defend their homes with bravery, yet they preferred a life of peace and simplicity. The hobbits' ability to mediate between the modern and the ancient allowed them to become the central figures in the struggle against evil, proving that the smallest of people could change the course of history.
The Blood Of The Three
The three types of hobbits, the Harfoots, Fallohides, and Stoors, had intermixed for centuries, creating a complex genetic tapestry that defined the families of the Shire. The Harfoots were the most numerous, with brown skin and a deep connection to the earth, living in holes and developing a close relationship with the Dwarves. The Fallohides were the least numerous, fair-haired and taller, with a preference for woodlands and a closer affinity to the Elves. They were the first to learn literacy and preserve the memory of their past, eventually intermixing with the Harfoots to form the families that would define the Shire. The Stoors were the last to migrate, stockier and more robust, with an affinity for water and the ability to grow beards. They settled along the banks of the River Brandywine, bringing a slight Celtic influence to their names and a unique history of survival in the marshes of the Gladden Fields. The Hobbits of the Shire were a blend of these three types, with some families and regions skewing more towards descent from one of the three groups. Bilbo and three of the four principal hobbit characters in The Lord of the Rings, Frodo, Pippin, and Merry, had Fallohide blood through their common ancestor, the Old Took. The one physical description given for Frodo matched this, as Gandalf identified him as taller than some and fairer than most. The Stoors, however, were the only group whose males were able to grow beards, and they had an affinity for water, dwelling mostly beside rivers and using boats and swimming, activities which other hobbits considered dangerous and frightening. Their hands and feet were also sturdier than those of other hobbits, who generally didn't wear shoes for cushioning their steps, though because the Stoors tended to live near muddy riverbanks they often wore boots to keep their feet dry, making them the only hobbits to use footwear of any kind.
The Shadow Of The Ring
The story of the hobbits reached its zenith in The Lord of the Rings, where they played key roles in fighting to save their world from evil. The hobbits of the Shire were the rural people of the region, and the book tells of the unexpected adventure that happened to one of them, Bilbo, as a party of Dwarves sought to recover an ancient treasure from the hoard of a dragon. Bilbo's younger cousin Frodo set out from the Shire to destroy the Ring that Bilbo had brought home, a quest that would change the course of history. The hobbits were not just small people; they were the conscience of the world, capable of great courage and amazing feats under the proper circumstances. They were adept at throwing stones and could defend their homes with bravery, yet they preferred a life of peace and simplicity. The hobbits' ability to mediate between the modern and the ancient allowed them to become the central figures in the struggle against evil, proving that the smallest of people could change the course of history. The hobbits' life expectancy was 100 years, but some of Tolkien's main Hobbit characters lived much longer, with Bilbo Baggins and the Old Took described as living to the age of 130 or beyond. Hobbits were considered to come of age on their 33rd birthday, so a 50-year-old hobbit would be regarded as entering middle-age. The hobbits' ability to survive and thrive in the face of such overwhelming odds was a testament to their resilience and their unique place in the world of Middle-earth.