For other uses, see Hobbit (disambiguation).

Hobbits are a fictional race from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth universe which first appears in the book The Hobbit. They also play a major role in The Lord of the Rings.

Contents

1 Description 2 Origin 3 Some well-known Hobbits 4 History 5 Usage outside Tolkien

Description

Hobbits are two to four feet tall, with slightly pointed ears and oversized furry feet. They are fond of an unadventurous bucolic life of farming, eating, and socializing. Living slightly longer than humans, Hobbits can sometimes live for up to 120 years (with 100 years average). The time at which a young Hobbit "comes of age" is 33, as compared to the human 21 years. Thus a 50 year old Hobbit would only be middle-aged. Hobbits also like to drink ale in inns, not unlike the English countryfolk, who were Tolkien's inspiration. We can also see that in the name Tolkien chose for the part of Middle-earth where the Hobbits live: "The Shire" is clearly reminiscent of the English county names (e.g., Lancashire, Shropshire — see English Shire).

Origin

Hobbits are evidently related to Men, and are represented as an offshoot of that race. Their exact origin is unknown, but by the early Third Age they were living in the Vales of Anduin in Wilderland.

Hobbits are also called Halflings (in Sindarin, perian singular and periannath collective) due to their small stature. However, the term is slightly offensive to Hobbits, as to themselves they are not 'half' of anything, and certainly do not use the term to refer to themselves. Tolkien's etymology for 'Hobbit' is interesting as well: obviously constructed without prior intent, it would have been natural for him to connect it to the German prefix hob meaning small (e.g. hobgoblin). However this prefix dates back "only" to the 13th century, too late by Tolkien's standards, and so he constructed an alternative etymology, from Old English hol-bytla, "hole-dweller". When later he began to work out the language relations further, Hobbit was to be derived from the Rohirric (actually Anglo-Saxon - which Rohirric parallels in Tolkien's universe) Holbytlan (hole builders). In the original Westron, the name was Kuduk (Hobbit), derived from the actual Rohirric kûd-dûkan (hole dweller).

According to Tolkien, the word hobbit was the first element of The Hobbit that he created. As a university lecturer, so the story goes, he was in the process of correcting reports when he started scribbling on a piece of paper and wrote, "In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit", and the multitude of stories sprang from that. It is good to note, though, that the idea of a hole dwelling little creatures was introduced to Tolkien by one of his students in a story he had written.

Some well-known Hobbits

• Bilbo Baggins
• Frodo Baggins
• Samwise "Sam" Gamgee
• Meriadoc "Merry" Brandybuck
• Peregrin "Pippin" Took
• Fredegar "Fatty" Bolger
• Bullroarer Took
• Sméagol (who became Gollum)
• Déagol

Though in The Hobbit it mentions that Gandalf "was responsible for so many quiet lads and lasses going off into the Blue for mad adventures" no female Hobbits are depicted in Tolkien's stories doing so; however Hobbit women do appear in his works, such as the formidable Lobelia Sackville-Baggins.

History

Historically, the Hobbits are known to have originated in the Valley of Anduin, between Mirkwood and the Misty Mountains. According to The Lord of the Rings, they have lost the genealogical details of how they are related to the rest of humankind. At this time, there were three Hobbit-kinds, with different temperaments. The Harfoots, the most numerous, were almost identical to the Hobbits as they are described in The Lord of the Rings. The Stoors had an affinity for water, boats and swimming; the Fallohides were an adventurous people. (Both of these traits were much rarer in later days.)

Some time near the beginning of the Third Age, they undertook, for reasons unknown, but possibly having to do with Mordor's power, the arduous task of crossing the Misty Mountains. Some of the Stoors, however, stayed behind, and it is from these people that Gollum would come many years later. The Hobbits took different routes in their journey westward, but eventually came to a land between the River Baranduin (which they renamed Brandywine) and the Weather Hills. There they founded many settlements, and the divisions between the Hobbit-kinds began to blur.

Around the year 1600 of the Third Age, two Fallohide brothers decided, again for reasons unknown, to cross the River Brandywine and settle on the other side. Large numbers of Hobbits followed them, and most of their former territory was depopulated. Only Bree and a few surrounding villages lasted to the end of the Third Age. The new land that they found on the west bank of the Brandywine is called the Shire.

A map of the Shire and surrounding regions may be found at Eriador.

Usage outside Tolkien

"Hobbit" is a trademark owned by the Tolkien estate, as are most of the names, places and artefacts included in books by J. R. R. Tolkien. For this reason Dungeons & Dragons and other fantasy tend to refer to Hobbits and Hobbit-like races rather as Halflings (hin in the Mystara universe, hurthlings in ADOM).

The name hobbit had previously appeared in an obscure "list of spirits" by Michael Denham, which includes several repetitions. There is no evidence to suggest Tolkien used this as a source — indeed he spent many years trying to find out whether he really did coin the word. Denham's "hobbit spirits" (which are never referenced anywhere except in the long list) have no obvious relation to Tolkien's Hobbits, other than the name (which may possibly imply hob- "small", see below): Tolkien's Hobbits are small humans, not spirits. Nonetheless, some few people have suggested that the reference in the Denham list should invalidate the trademark. See Hobbit (Denham) for more discussion.

The lexeme hob, meaning small, is a root word for hobbledehoy, hobgoblin, and hobyah. This may have influenced Tokien's name; see Origin above.

Homo floresiensis, an extinct species of humans discovered in 2004, has been informally dubbed a "hobbit" by its discoverers.

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