Hobbits are a short, hardy race of creatures created by JRR Tolkien for The Hobbit Trilogy and The Lord of the Rings. They have leathery feet, dark brown hair and eyes, and love bright colors. They are jovial, love to eat, and have simple tastes. Hobbits played a vital role in both books and were chosen as heroes to save Middle-earth. They are still associated with Tolkien’s work and loved by fans of fantasy worlds.
Hobbits or Halflings are the creation of author JRR Tolkien for his books The Hobbit Trilogy and The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien elaborates on the description of this hardy race of creatures, and they play a vital role in both books. Indeed, in The Hobbit, Tolkien begins with a brief description of the hobbits, which is then expanded upon in The Lord of the Rings.
Hobbits, of course, are markedly different from “man” in that they are quite short. They tend to be shorter than dwarves, a separate race, and tend to be no taller than about four feet (about 1 meter) at most. For men, they are often childlike in appearance and tend to stay youthful into their 50s. Hobbits generally live beyond the age of 100 and don’t officially come of age until their 33rd birthday.
These creatures tend to go barefoot as the soles of their feet are quite leathery and the tops of their feet are covered in thick curly hair. They don’t wear beards like dwarves do, and are more likely to have dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. Their skin is also quite dark and they usually have a slightly soft belly. They are also in extremely good health and can recover from illnesses and injuries, which rarely happen, quicker than most would expect.
They also love to wear bright colors like green, yellow, red and blue. However, for all their brightness, they are so quiet in step that they are not likely to be missed by large people and can quickly drift away. Tolkien clearly implies that hobbits are rare but still exist in the present day, even if great people are unlikely to see one.
Even hobbits remain young in spirit. They love jokes, games, parties and especially eating. A normal day might include breakfast, second breakfast, lunch, tea, dinner and supper. They eat a fairly British diet in composition but are particularly addicted to mushrooms and can be very greedy about sharing them. In other ways, hobbits tend to be quite generous, offering food or welcoming others.
Hobbit birthdays are wonderful and echo true birthday traditions in Eastern Europe. Instead of getting presents, they give presents at their parties. In the Middle-earth that Tolkien describes, this has resulted in most hobbits receiving at least one gift a week. Most of the gifts are pretty simple. Bilbo’s elaborate birthday party in The Lord of the Rings with “gifts for everyone” is the exception rather than the rule.
Most hobbits held typical farming jobs before the War of the Rings, where the enemy Sauron was defeated. Many were farmers, others may have been millers, gardeners, blacksmiths and tavern owners. They have also made a great deal growing pipe weed, which they smoke with alacrity. Most hobbits tend to have simple tastes, enjoy ordinary events such as the blossoming of flowers, and, as made clear in The Hobbit, view adventures with disapproval.
Some families were notorious for their nasty “adventures.” In particular the Took family, who produced Bilbo’s mother, were often accused of having flings and therefore not being entirely respectful. The Baggins, both Frodo and Bilbo, continue this tradition, along with Peregrino Tuc, Meriadoc Brandybuck and Samwise Gamgee.
At the beginning of The Lord of the Rings, readers learn that hobbits are descended from a matriarchal society that long ago lived on the banks of the river. They then settled mainly in the Shire and village of Bree. Breelanders, unlike Shirefolk, live side by side with large people. The Shirefolk, by contrast, tend to find trade with humans rather strange and to be shunned whenever possible, until the king of Gondor, Aragorn, regains his throne from him by defeating Sauron, with the help of Frodo Baggins.
From these rather simple people, Tolkien chooses heroes who will “shake the foundations” of all Middle-earth. Frodo is given the exceptionally difficult task of entering the enemy land of Mordor and destroying Sauron’s ring. All the good folk of Middle-earth, elves, dwarves, and men alike, depend on this ill-advised chance as their key to defeating Sauron.
Hobbits prove to be such a fascinating concept, that many later fantasy novels included them. Normally they were called Halflings, but everyone knew this implied the same creatures. Also, Dungeons & Dragons characters could easily be hobbits and make for tough enough fighters. However, today, they are still most associated with the work of Tolkien and Peter Jackson’s three films based on The Lord of the Rings. In their simple ways and their occasional grand gestures, they are viewed with great affection by fans of the fantasy worlds.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
