Home > Hobbit
This is one fan's idea of a typical Hobbit.
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 rôle in The Lord of the Rings.
1 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).
2 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. Hobbits are not offended when they were called so, however they call themselves simply Hobbits. Tolkien's etymology for the latter name 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 century12th century 13th century 14th century other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 13th century was that century which lasted from 1201 to 1300. Events Fourth through eighth crusades of western European kingdoms against Islam Fall of, 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 RohirricMiddle-earth languages In the fictional world of Middle-earth by J. Tolkien, Rohirric is the language of the Rohirrim of Rohan. In the novels it is always represented by Anglo-Saxon, and only few actual Rohirric words are given by Tolkien: kud-dukan an ol (actually Anglo-Saxon) Holbytlan (hole builders). In the original WestronTolkien's fantasy world of Middle-earth, the Westron or Common Speech is the closest thing to a universal language, at least at the time during which The Lord of the Rings is set. Westron is an English word, derived from West not a word from the language, 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.
3 Some well-known Hobbits
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.
