0384: The Lord of the Rings » Prologue » Concerning Hobbits

What exactly are hobbits—and where did they come from?

In this episode of Do Not Be Hasty, we begin our journey through the Prologue to The Lord of the Rings with “Concerning Hobbits,” exploring Tolkien’s surprisingly detailed history of hobbit origins, migrations, culture, and the eventual founding of the Shire.00:00 — Introduction: Concerning Hobbits01:25 — Tolkien, the Red Book of Westmarch, and Hobbit History03:12 — Hobbit Culture: Peace, Quiet, Magic, and Machinery05:05 — What Do Hobbits Actually Look Like?06:30 — The Merry Folk of the Shire08:35 — Where Did Hobbits Come From?10:06 — Did Hobbits Exist in the Second Age?11:30 — The Earliest Hobbit Homelands14:35 — Harfoots, Stoors, and Fallohides18:05 — Hobbit Leadership and the Common Good20:09 — The Hobbits Move West into Eriador21:59 — The Founding of the Shire26:05 — How Big Is the Shire?29:10 — Hobbit Holes, Houses, and Architecture30:44 — Hobbit Families and Genealogies33:14 — Why Hobbits Matter to TolkienTolkien’s “History” of the HobbitsTolkien continues to present himself almost as a compiler or translator of an ancient historyThe Hobbit is presented as material derived from Bilbo’s portion of the Red Book of WestmarchThe Prologue expands that fictional history with a broader account of the hobbits as a peopleWhat Are Hobbits Like?Hobbits love peace, quiet, good food, cultivated land, hospitality, and partiesThey distrust complicated machineryThey may appear almost magical to outsiders, but they do not consider themselves magicalTolkien’s contrast between simple hobbit life and the desire to dominate through “magic” and machinery reflects one of the larger themes of his legendariumHobbits generally stand between two and four feet tall, with three feet being fairly typicalShire hobbits favor bright colors and usually go barefootThe Ancient Origins of HobbitsHobbits are relatives of Men, though their exact relationship has been forgottenTheir origins reach back into the Elder DaysFor much of history they were virtually unknown to the Wise and GreatThis suggests that hobbit-like peoples could have existed long before the events of The Lord of the RingsTheir earliest remembered homeland was in the upper vales of the AnduinThey eventually migrated westward as Men multiplied and the shadow over Greenwood grewHarfoots, Stoors, and Fallohides

Tolkien identifies three major groups of early hobbits:Harfoots — smaller, more numerous, associated with hills and highlands, and particularly connected with th