The Lord of the Rings Hobbits, Explained (2024)

In The Lord of the Rings franchise, the Hobbits are featured prominently among the other races of Arda, often being drawn into the most prominent events of the Third Age. This is especially interesting, as Hobbits have no real-world mythological basis, unlike the races of Elves and Dwarves. Many have since speculated that the Hobbits are meant to both be a moral representation of not giving in to evil, as well as being a way to bridge the gap between the reader's modern society and that of The Lord fo the Rings.

The exact reason creative reasons for their creation aside, Hobbits are just as mysterious in the lore as they are from a literary standpoint. The exact origins of the Hobbits remain unknown, with many speculating on where they came from and how they came to be. What is certain is that though they are something of an enigma among the other races of Middle-Earth, the Hobbits' purity of spirit played an essential role not once, but twice at pivotal points in the history of Arda.

The Murky Origins of the Hobbits

No one knows for certain how the Hobbits came to be. Whether they were the design of Eru Illuvatar like the races of Elves and Men or some other unintended creation like the Dwarves, has been lost to time. What is known about their history is that the Hobbits were first discovered by other races residing in the Valley of the Anduin River. At this point, they had been around for many generations. Interestingly, The Lord of the Rings states that the Hobbits have forgotten any genealogical ties to Men. If this is true, then it suggests that there may be some genetic link between the Hobbits and Men. It's already been stated that Orcs are the result of twisted experiments performed on Elves. Perhaps the Hobbits were once Men who underwent an unexpected, but not malicious, transformation.

Whatever their blood ties to Men, be they realistic or just imagined, the Hobbits interact with their fellow mortal race before meeting any other kind of being. The earliest known Hobbits lived close to the Éothéod — the ancestors of the future Rohirrim. As a result, many names they use in the present, as well as their language was influenced by Rohanese. However, this connection to their big neighbors would not last forever. Around the year TA 1050, the Hobbits began a mass migration across the Misty Mountains. There is no documented reason for doing so, but given the time frame it likely has to do with Sauron's growing power. Hobbits are not martially inclined at the best of times, so fleeing the conflict before it reached them would be in line with their behavior, and certainly explain such a massive movement.

The three Hobbit tribes at the time, the Harfoots, Stoors, and Fallohides, would embark on their journeys at separate times, each coming to settle in a different place across the mountains. Though a few centuries later, the rise of the Kingdom of Angmar prompted the Stoors to seek safety east of the mountains. It was during this trip that the the Hobbit, Smeagol would be born. Eventually though, Hobbits would collectively move into Bree-land, where the cultural differences that once separated the tribes would begin to blur together. Eventually, the Hobbits got permission to cross the river Baranduin, which they named the Brandywine, leading to the formation of the Shire, where the Hobbits have resided ever since.

The Culture of the Hobbits

Hobbit culture is very much centered around the concept of a quiet and peaceful life. They prefer farming, good food and ales, parties with friends and family, and the giving and receiving of presents. All-in-all they're a very wholesome society that values the home life. It is perhaps this unique cultural valuing of home and loved ones that make Hobbits more resistant to the influence of the One Ring than other races. What the Ring might tempt them with, they already possess.

That being said, Hobbit society isn't entirely good. Though their ancestors set up a friendly relationship of the Men whose lands they crossed over into, the Hobbits of today are wary of outsiders. In fact, that was the general term all Hobbits applied to anyone who came from beyond the Shire: Outsiders. This is reflected in how insular their society became. They didn't like outsiders because they feared that they would disrupt the peace, best exemplified with how many of them disapproved of Gandalf because he brought Bilbo and later Frodo along on adventures. This had the consequence of causing the Hobbits to be ignorant of the greater events of the world, events that could potentially have affected them if they weren't careful.

As stated before, the Hobbits prefer a simple, uneventful life. This is even reflected in what kinds of foods and hobbies they enjoy. Hobbits like simple foods like bread, potatoes, meat, and cheese. They also famously enjoy Pipe-weed, and blowing smoke rings as a pastime. Despite their love of a peaceful life, Hobbits do possess courage, and an uncanny level of skill with any sort of ranged weapon. From throwing stones, to slings, to even bows and arrows, a Hobbit's skill with these weapons is shockingly good. Their own personal lore states that squirrels, rabbits, and any other kind of garden pest know to run for their lives if a Hobbit so much as reaches for a pebble.

The Modern Day Hobbits

All of this built up the society that Bilbo and Frodo Baggins would later be a part of. This was one of the few times in the history of the Hobbits where members of their society left the group to go on an adventure. As a result, they were involved in some of the most important moments in the final years of the Third Age. Bilbo Baggins would accompany Thorin Oakenshield and his company as they attempted to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from the last great dragon, Smaug. This resulted in the mountain being returned to the Dwarves, hampering Sauron's later plans, and gifting Bilbo with no small amount of gold to return home with.

Frodo would later join the Fellowship of the Ring, being the quintessential ringbearer as he carried the One Ring all the way to Mount Doom. This was vital to the ultimate fate of Arda. Though the Ring was slowly influencing his mind, Frodo could resist it long enough to get the Ring where it needed to be. From there, the corrupted Smeagol, now known as Gollum, would unintentionally finish the job and knock both himself and the Ring into the fires of the mountain, destroying it, and Sauron. Ironically, the one race Sauron never gave any consideration ultimately turned out to be his downfall. This is a common occurrence when Hobbits venture beyond their borders. Other races, be they immortal or evil, just never consider how dangerous the smallest of them might be.

The Hobbits who participated in the War of the Ring would return home, but find that the Shire was taken over by the now depowered Saruman. The home they had once loved was no industrialized and a mere shadow of what it once was. Fortunately, Frodo and his compatriots knew just what to do to oust Saruman from power, liberating the Shire from the outside presence. While the Shire recovered, King Aragorn decreed that the Shire could not be entered by Men without the express permission of the Hobbits. He would later grant them settlement of Buckland, and later Westmarch. So by the time of the Fourth Age, the Hobbits once again prospered.

The Lord of the Rings

The Lord of the Rings is a series of epic fantasy adventure films and television series based on J. R. R. Tolkien's novels. The films follow the adventures of humans, elves, dwarves, hobbits and more in Middle-earth.

Created by

J.R.R. Tolkien

First Film

The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring

Latest Film

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

Upcoming Films

The Lord of The Rings: The War of The Rohirrim

First TV Show

The Lord of the Rings The Rings of Power

Latest TV Show

The Lord of the Rings The Rings of Power

First Episode Air Date

September 1, 2022

Cast

Elijah Wood , Viggo Mortensen , Orlando Bloom , Sean Astin , Billy Boyd , Dominic Monaghan , Sean Bean , Ian McKellen , Andy Serkis , Hugo Weaving , Liv Tyler , Miranda Otto , Cate Blanchett , John Rhys-Davies , Martin Freeman , Morfydd Clark , Ismael Cruz Cordova , Charlie Vickers , Richard Armitage

Character(s)

Gollum , Sauron

Video Game(s)

LEGO Lord of the Rings , Lord of the Rings Online , The Lord Of The Rings: Gollum , The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age , The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers , The Lord of the Rings: War in the North , The Lord Of The Rings: Battle For Middle-Earth , The Lord of The Rings: Battle For Middle-Earth 2 , The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Genre

Fantasy , Action-Adventure

Where to Stream

Max , Prime Video , Hulu