Hobbit height ranges between two and four feet tall.
Hobbits have pointed ears.
They have oversized feet and never wear shoes.
Hobbits have curly hair.
Hobbits love to eat (six substantial meals a day), brew ale, smoke pipe weed, and garden in the Shire where they live.
Hobbits discourage excessive or adventurous behavior which is why many were surprised that Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin went on such an adventure as told in The Lord of the Rings.
Hobbits are generally very provincial in nature and are typically untrusting of the outside world.
Some Hobbits have lived as long as 130 years, and their average life span is 100 years. 33 years old, the age of Frodo Baggins, is considered "Coming of Age" to adulthood.
Hobbits are also called "Little Folk," "Little People," or "Halflings."
Hobbits speak a dialect of the common speech, Westron.
The Hobbit name for the Shire was Sûza.
The Shire was 40 leagues (120 miles) across from the Far Downs on its western edge to the Brandywine River on the east. From north to south it stretched 50 leagues (150 miles) from the northern moors to the southern marshes.
The Shire was a rich, pastoral land. Much of the land was devoted to growing crops. The marshlands along the Brandywine, known as the Marish, were ideal for the cultivation of mushrooms, a Hobbit delicacy. The warm, sheltered climate of the southern part of the Shire, particularly around Longbottom, was conducive to growing pipe-weed. Barley used for brewing beer was grown in the Northfarthing and there were vineyards in the Southfarthing where grapes were grown for making wine such as the popular Old Winyards.
The Shire was divided into four quarters called Farthings: the Northfarthing, Southfarthing, Eastfarthing and Westfarthing. There were also areas named for the families that traditionally inhabited them, most notably Tookland, the home of the Tooks around Tuckborough in the Westfarthing, and Buckland, where the Brandybuck family lived on the east side of the Brandywine between the river and the Old Forest.
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Oh, I wish I was a Hobbit,
living in the green.
Watching the wind sing through the grass,
leaving a satiny sheen.
Oh, to be a Hobbit
living in the Shire.
Of Old Toby I would partake
sitting in front of the fire.
I would wait for Merry & Pippin.
They're always good for some fun.
Then I would go and see dear Sam,
the thoughtful, quiet one.
I'd look eagerly for Gandalf
coming up the path.
I'd frolic in the meadows
and watch the clouds go past.
I have very dark curly hair
so I know I'd fit right in.
I'd love to take care of my Hobbit hole
and enjoy companionship within.
If only I could be a Hobbit,
lunching on strawberries and cream.
I'd sit and read books with Frodo,
I'd tilt back my head and dream.
Alas, I'm not a Hobbit,
just a dreamy, lonely girl.
Thanking J.R.R. Tolkien & Peter Jackson
for making this happy world.
©2004 Paulina Bishop
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Important Dates in The Shire
Third Age:
1601 -Marcho and Blanco lead a group of Hobbits from Bree to settle in the Shire with the permission of King Argeleb II.
1630 -Stoors from Dunland come to the Shire.
1636 -Many Hobbits die during the Great Plague.
1975 -The Hobbits send a company of archers to the Battle of Fornost.
1979 -Bucca of the Marish becomes the first Thain of the Shire in the absence of a King.
2340 -The office of Thain passes to the Took family with Isumbras I, the 13th Thain. Gorhendad Oldbuck leads his people to Buckland and changes the family name to Brandybuck. The excavation of Brandy Hall is begun.
2670 -Tobold Hornblower plants the first pipe-weed in the Southfarthing.
2683 -Isengrim II becomes Thain and starts construction of the Great Smials.
2747 -The Hobbits led by Bandobras Took defeat the Orcs in the Battle of Greenfields.
2758-59 -The Long Winter. Gandalf comes to the aid of the Hobbits.
2790 -Birth of Gerontius Took.
2890 -Birth of Bilbo Baggins.
2911 -The Fell Winter. The Brandywine freezes and White Wolves enter the Shire.
2920 -Death of Gerontius, the Old Took.
2941 -Bilbo Baggins leaves the Shire in the company of Gandalf and thirteen Dwarves on the quest of the Lonely Mountain.
2942 -Bilbo returns to the Shire.
2968 -Birth of Frodo Baggins.
2980 -Birth of Sam Gamgee.
2982 -Birth of Merry Brandybuck.
2990 -Birth of Pippin Took.
3001 -Bilbo Baggins leaves the Shire and gives the Ring to Frodo. Gandalf suspects that it is One Ring, and the Rangers increase their guard on the Shire. Strange people and creatures are seen prowling the borders around this time.
3018 -September 23: Four Black Riders enter the Shire seeking Frodo Baggins.
September 26: Frodo leaves the Shire with the One Ring accompanied by Sam, Merry & Pippin.
September 30: Frodo's house at Crickhollow is attacked by Black Riders and the Horn-call of Buckland is sounded.
3019 -January: Lotho Sackville-Baggins declares himself Chief Shirriff shortly after the New Year. Rules and restrictions are imposed on the Hobbits and enforced by the Chief's Men.
September 22: Saruman comes to the Shire.
October 30: Frodo and his companions return to the Shire.
November 2: The Hobbits are rallied to rise against the Chief's Men.
November 3: The Battle of Bywater. The Hobbits defeat the ruffians and drive them out of the Shire. Saruman is killed by Grima.
3020 - The Great Year of Plenty
April 6: The mallorn tree flowers in the Party Field.
3021 -September 22: The Last Riding of the Keepers of the Rings meets in Woody End. Frodo and Bilbo set out from the Shire for the Grey Havens to sail to the Undying Lands.
Fourth Age:
6 -King Elessar makes the Shire a Free Land of the North Kingdom and Men are forbidden to enter it. Sam Gamgee is elected Mayor of Michel Delving for the first of seven seven-year terms.
11 -Merry Brandybuck becomes the Master of Buckland.
13 -Pippin Took becomes Thain. The Thain, the Master of Buckland, and the Mayor of Michel Delving are made Counsellors of the North-kingdom by King Elessar.
15 -King Elessar and Queen Arwen come to the Brandywine Bridge and meet with the Thain, the Master, and the Mayor.
31 -The Westmarch is added to the Shire by King Elessar.
34 -Fastred of Greenholm becomes the first Warden of Westmarch.
61 -Sam Gamgee leaves the Shire to set sail from the Grey Havens.
63 -Merry Brandybuck and Pippin Took leave the Shire for Rohan and Gondor.
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Feel like you were really born in The Shire? Do you have a passion for green growing things, fireworks, ale and the simple life? Would you like to hang out with Merry, Pippin, Frodo or Sam? Then this is the clique for you.
Heart of a Hobbit Beats Within Clique
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images from lordoftherings.net
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poem ©2004 Paulina Bishop
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