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The '''Stoors''' are one of the three races of [[Hobbit]]s.
{{people infobox
| name=Stoors
| image=[[File:Kay Woollard - At the Buckland Ferry - The Young Stoor.jpg|250px]]
| caption="The young Stoor" by [[Kay Woollard]]
| pronun=
| othernames=
| origin=A group of Hobbits
| location=[[Vales of Anduin]], [[Gladden Fields]], [[Dunland]], [[The Shire]]
| affiliation=
| rivalry=
| language=numerous, [[Stoorish]]; eventually [[Hobbitish]]
| members=[[Gollum]], [[Déagol]], the [[Brandybucks]]
| lifespan=c. 96 years
| distinctions=Heavier and broader than the other Hobbits; large hands and feet; only Hobbits who normally grew facial hair; used boats, fished, and could swim
| height=
| hair=
| skin=
| clothing=
| weapons=
}}
The '''Stoors''' were one of the three breeds of [[Hobbits]].


In their earliest recorded history the Stoors, like the other Hobbits, lived in the Vale of [[Anduin]]. They were a riverside people that dwelt in the [[Gladden Fields]], and were fishermen. They were broader in build than the other Hobbits, and had large hands and feet. Among the Hobbits, the Stoors most resembled [[Men|Humans]].
In their earliest recorded history the Stoors, like the other Hobbits, lived in the [[Vales of Anduin]]. They were a riverside people that dwelt in the [[Gladden Fields]], and were fishermen.<ref name="Hobbits">{{FR|Hobbits}}</ref>
==Characteristics==
They were heavier and broader in build than the other Hobbits, and had large hands and feet. Among the Hobbits, the Stoors most resembled [[Men]] and were most friendly to them. Stoors were the only Hobbits who normally grew facial hair.<ref name="Hobbits"/>


Stoors were the only Hobbits who normally grew facial hair. A habit which set them apart from the [[Harfoots]] who lived in the mountain foothills, and the [[Fallohides]] who lived in forests far to the north, was that many Stoors used boats, and could swim. They also wore boots.
While few Hobbits could swim and they were known to be afraid of rivers and boats (let alone of the Sea, a token of fear and death for them which few had ever seen), the Stoors preferred flat lands and riversides.<ref name="Hobbits"/>


After the Harfoots had migrated westward, and the Fallohides followed them in 1150 of the [[Third Age]], the Stoors long remained in the vale of Anduin, but between 1150 and 1300 they, too migrated west. Unlike the other Hobbit-kinds they took the [[Redhorn Pass]], ending up in [[Eregion]] and [[Dunland]]. Some Stoors went to the Angle south of [[Rivendell]] and mingled with the Harfoots and Fallohides that lived there, but most settled in the [[Swanfleet]] near [[Tharbad]], which most resembled their old lands.
Stoorish characteristics and appearance (large build, heavy feet and a down on the chin), could still be seen among the Hobbits of the [[Eastfarthing]], [[Buckland]] (such as the [[Brandybuck Family|Brandybuck]]s) and the [[Bree-hobbits]]. The Hobbits of the Eastfarthing wore dwarf-boots in muddy weather.<ref name="Hobbits"/>


After 1300 when [[Angmar]] began to threaten [[Eriador]], many Stoors fled south to their kin in Dunland, where they became a woodland people. Some few returned to the vale of [[Anduin]] and resettled the [[Gladden Fields]], becoming the riverland people [[Déagol]] and [[Sméagol]]-Gollum belonged to. This is evident from [[Gandalf]]'s description ''I guess they were of hobbit-kind, akin to the fathers of the fathers of the Stoors'' in [[The Fellowship of the Ring]].
The Stoors also had their [[Stoorish|own dialect]] of [[Hobbitish]], owing to the fact that they spent some time in [[Dunland]] and adopted many strange words and names which they took to [[the Shire]], and retained even until the late Third Age.
Some of these villages might have survived until the [[War of the Ring]], when they were sought out by the [[Ringwraiths]].


However, most Stoors fled to the north and west, ending up in the newly founded [[The Shire|Shire]] around 1630. There they mingled with the Harfoots and Fallohides, becoming the Shire-folk. The Hobbits of the ''South Farthing'' remained very Stoorish in appearance and character, as did some of the Hobbits of [[Bree]] and [[Buckland]]. The clan of the [[Brandybuck]]s had many Stoor elements.
==History==
The Stoors are believed to have lived longer in the southern vales of Anduin.<ref name="Hobbits"/> During the Hobbit [[Wandering Days]], after the Harfoots had migrated westward in {{TA|1050}}, and the Fallohides flew north first and then followed them [[Third Age 1150|about a century later]], the Stoors long remained back in their dwelling in the Vale of Anduin, but in {{TA|1150|}}, they, too, migrated west to [[Eriador]].<ref name="ThirdAge">{{App|TA}}</ref>


[[Category:Hobbits]]
They took the [[Redhorn Pass]] and followed a southern route along the course of the [[Loudwater]], where some Stoors branched off and moved to the [[Angle (Eriador)|Angle]] of [[Eriador]] south of [[Rivendell]], and many settled long between [[Tharbad]] and [[Dunland]]; most went to Dunland ([[Swanfleet]] near Tharbad)<ref name="ThirdAge"/><ref name="Hobbits"/> which most resembled their old lands. There they came into contact with the [[Dunlendings]]. This contact altered their speech slightly, mostly by picking up a few Dunlending words.
 
A hundred years later [[Angmar]] began to threaten Eriador and many Stoors of the Angle fled ({{TA|1356}}<ref name="ThirdAge"/>–{{TA|1409}}<ref name=eriador>{{App|Eriador}}</ref><ref group=note>The ''[[Tale of Years]]'' suggests that the migration started or happened around the death of [[Argeleb I]]; ''The North-kingdom'' suggests that it happened during the early reign of [[Araphor]].</ref>) because of the [[Angmar War|wars]] and the evil climate of Eriador; however a few of them returned to [[Rhovanion]].<ref name=eriador/>
 
The Stoors of Dunland moved back north to join the other Hobbits in colonizing [[the Shire]] about {{TA|1630}}<ref name="ThirdAge"/><ref name="Hobbits"/> and settled mostly in the [[Eastfarthing]] and [[Southfarthing]]. Some of these villages might have survived until the [[War of the Ring]], when they were sought out by the [[Nazgûl|Ringwraiths]].<ref>{{UT|Hunt}}</ref> One result of the Stoorish influx was that places that were settled by Stoors had some slight linguistic oddities, due to their time of separation and contact with the Dunlendings. The three original Hobbit-kinds merged and blended in the centuries since the settlement of the Shire, but regional variations remained with Stoorish characteristics seen in [[Eastfarthing]] and [[Buckland]].<ref name="Hobbits"/>
===Stoors of Wilderland===
The Stoors who returned to Rhovanion in {{TA|1356}} settled the [[Gladden Fields]] by the [[Anduin]], becoming a riverland people of fishers.<ref name=eriador/> They lost contact with all other Hobbits and nothing is known about their culture<ref name=L214/> other than what Gandalf inferred from his interrogation with [[Gollum]].<ref name=shadows/> While their cousins in the Shire developed a more settled and elaborate social life, it is possible that they reverted to a more wild and primitive lifestyle.<ref name=L214>{{L|214}}</ref> They made little boats of reeds with which they sailed the River, they fished, and they even swam<ref name=shadows/> (something not common among the other hobbits).
 
By {{TA|2430}} their community was ruled by a "matriarch" of high repute; possibly a dominant grandmother who had outlived her husband, as she belonged to a large and wealthy family. Among those Stoors were [[Déagol]] and [[Sméagol]], who rediscovered the [[One Ring]], lost since the dawn of the [[Third Age]].<ref name=L214/><ref name=shadows>{{FR|I2}}</ref> Sméagol caused mischief becoming invisible, learning secrets and later stealing, and eventually his grandmother expelled him from the family and their [[hobbit-hole]].<ref name=shadows/>
 
By the [[War of the Ring]] the settlements of the Stoors had been deserted.<Ref>{{UT|Hunt}}</ref> What became of those Stoors and whether they rejoined their folk in Eriador, no history tells.
 
==Etymology==
''Stoor'' is supposed to be a special [[Hobbitish]] word that did not exist in [[Westron]] during the [[War of the Ring]].
 
Early English ''stor, stoor'' means "large, strong", referring to the fact that these Hobbits were of heavier build.
 
==Portrayal in adaptations==
[[File:The Lord of the Rings Online - Stoors.jpg|thumb|300px|Stoors of Maur Tulhau in ''[[The Lord of the Rings Online]]'']]
'''2010: ''[[The Lord of the Rings Online]]'':'''
:An isolated village of Stoors called "Maur Tulhau" still exists in northern [[Enedwaith]], which in-game corresponds to the area just north of [[Dunland]] proper. The Stoors of Maur Tulhau prefer to avoid the Big Folk whenever possible, but are still known to them and over the centuries have adopted some elements of Dunlendish clothing and language (which in-game is based on Welsh). They are discovered by [[Grey Company]] and the player on their journey south; later the player helps an adventurous Hobbit Bingo Boffin to establish the contact between Maur Tulhau and their cousins from the Shire proper.
 
:Three more Stoor villages neighbor Maur Tulhau in [[Swanfleet]], in the area called "Stoor-vales". Its inhabitants are friendly with the Men who live in the region.
 
{{References|n}}
 
==External links==
*[http://middle-earth.xenite.org/2013/02/06/where-did-gollums-people-come-from/ Where Did Gollum’s People Come From?] by [[Michael Martinez]]
 
[[Category:Races of Hobbits]]
[[Category:Stoors|*]]
 
[[de:Starren]]
[[fr:encyclo/peuples/hobbits/forts]]
[[fi:Väkevät]]

Latest revision as of 07:04, 2 March 2023

Stoors
People
Kay Woollard - At the Buckland Ferry - The Young Stoor.jpg
"The young Stoor" by Kay Woollard
General Information
OriginsA group of Hobbits
LocationsVales of Anduin, Gladden Fields, Dunland, The Shire
Languagesnumerous, Stoorish; eventually Hobbitish
MembersGollum, Déagol, the Brandybucks
Physical Description
Lifespanc. 96 years
DistinctionsHeavier and broader than the other Hobbits; large hands and feet; only Hobbits who normally grew facial hair; used boats, fished, and could swim
GalleryImages of Stoors

The Stoors were one of the three breeds of Hobbits.

In their earliest recorded history the Stoors, like the other Hobbits, lived in the Vales of Anduin. They were a riverside people that dwelt in the Gladden Fields, and were fishermen.[1]

Characteristics[edit | edit source]

They were heavier and broader in build than the other Hobbits, and had large hands and feet. Among the Hobbits, the Stoors most resembled Men and were most friendly to them. Stoors were the only Hobbits who normally grew facial hair.[1]

While few Hobbits could swim and they were known to be afraid of rivers and boats (let alone of the Sea, a token of fear and death for them which few had ever seen), the Stoors preferred flat lands and riversides.[1]

Stoorish characteristics and appearance (large build, heavy feet and a down on the chin), could still be seen among the Hobbits of the Eastfarthing, Buckland (such as the Brandybucks) and the Bree-hobbits. The Hobbits of the Eastfarthing wore dwarf-boots in muddy weather.[1]

The Stoors also had their own dialect of Hobbitish, owing to the fact that they spent some time in Dunland and adopted many strange words and names which they took to the Shire, and retained even until the late Third Age.

History[edit | edit source]

The Stoors are believed to have lived longer in the southern vales of Anduin.[1] During the Hobbit Wandering Days, after the Harfoots had migrated westward in T.A. 1050, and the Fallohides flew north first and then followed them about a century later, the Stoors long remained back in their dwelling in the Vale of Anduin, but in T.A. 1150, they, too, migrated west to Eriador.[2]

They took the Redhorn Pass and followed a southern route along the course of the Loudwater, where some Stoors branched off and moved to the Angle of Eriador south of Rivendell, and many settled long between Tharbad and Dunland; most went to Dunland (Swanfleet near Tharbad)[2][1] which most resembled their old lands. There they came into contact with the Dunlendings. This contact altered their speech slightly, mostly by picking up a few Dunlending words.

A hundred years later Angmar began to threaten Eriador and many Stoors of the Angle fled (T.A. 1356[2]T.A. 1409[3][note 1]) because of the wars and the evil climate of Eriador; however a few of them returned to Rhovanion.[3]

The Stoors of Dunland moved back north to join the other Hobbits in colonizing the Shire about T.A. 1630[2][1] and settled mostly in the Eastfarthing and Southfarthing. Some of these villages might have survived until the War of the Ring, when they were sought out by the Ringwraiths.[4] One result of the Stoorish influx was that places that were settled by Stoors had some slight linguistic oddities, due to their time of separation and contact with the Dunlendings. The three original Hobbit-kinds merged and blended in the centuries since the settlement of the Shire, but regional variations remained with Stoorish characteristics seen in Eastfarthing and Buckland.[1]

Stoors of Wilderland[edit | edit source]

The Stoors who returned to Rhovanion in T.A. 1356 settled the Gladden Fields by the Anduin, becoming a riverland people of fishers.[3] They lost contact with all other Hobbits and nothing is known about their culture[5] other than what Gandalf inferred from his interrogation with Gollum.[6] While their cousins in the Shire developed a more settled and elaborate social life, it is possible that they reverted to a more wild and primitive lifestyle.[5] They made little boats of reeds with which they sailed the River, they fished, and they even swam[6] (something not common among the other hobbits).

By T.A. 2430 their community was ruled by a "matriarch" of high repute; possibly a dominant grandmother who had outlived her husband, as she belonged to a large and wealthy family. Among those Stoors were Déagol and Sméagol, who rediscovered the One Ring, lost since the dawn of the Third Age.[5][6] Sméagol caused mischief becoming invisible, learning secrets and later stealing, and eventually his grandmother expelled him from the family and their hobbit-hole.[6]

By the War of the Ring the settlements of the Stoors had been deserted.[7] What became of those Stoors and whether they rejoined their folk in Eriador, no history tells.

Etymology[edit | edit source]

Stoor is supposed to be a special Hobbitish word that did not exist in Westron during the War of the Ring.

Early English stor, stoor means "large, strong", referring to the fact that these Hobbits were of heavier build.

Portrayal in adaptations[edit | edit source]

Stoors of Maur Tulhau in The Lord of the Rings Online

2010: The Lord of the Rings Online:

An isolated village of Stoors called "Maur Tulhau" still exists in northern Enedwaith, which in-game corresponds to the area just north of Dunland proper. The Stoors of Maur Tulhau prefer to avoid the Big Folk whenever possible, but are still known to them and over the centuries have adopted some elements of Dunlendish clothing and language (which in-game is based on Welsh). They are discovered by Grey Company and the player on their journey south; later the player helps an adventurous Hobbit Bingo Boffin to establish the contact between Maur Tulhau and their cousins from the Shire proper.
Three more Stoor villages neighbor Maur Tulhau in Swanfleet, in the area called "Stoor-vales". Its inhabitants are friendly with the Men who live in the region.

Notes

  1. The Tale of Years suggests that the migration started or happened around the death of Argeleb I; The North-kingdom suggests that it happened during the early reign of Araphor.

References

External links[edit | edit source]