https://tolkiengateway.net/w/api.php?action=feedcontributions&feedformat=atom&user=69.124.15.202 2026-06-10T05:48:58Z User contributions MediaWiki 1.41.1 https://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Buckland&diff=70917 2008-09-15T06:00:19Z

<p>69.124.15.202: /* Culture */</p> <hr /> <div>'''Buckland''' is a small but densely populated sliver of land between the [[Old Forest]] and the east bank of the [[Brandywine]] river, inhabited by [[Hobbits]] from the Shire, mostly of the Brandybuck family, who colonized it. It was thus technically not part of the Shire itself, and was effectively a tiny independent country (until later formally added to the Shire during the Fourth Age).<br /> <br /> ==Origins and History==<br /> Seven hundred and forty years after the founding of the [[Shire]], in Third Age 2340 [[Gorhendad Oldbuck]] crossed the River [[Brandywine]] from the [[Eastfarthing]] and started the building of [[Brandy Hall]] in [[Buck Hill]], in a land hitherto unpopulated by hobbits. As Gorhendad's family grew, the Hall also expanded, and soon there was a flourishing community in the land between the River and the Old Forest.<br /> From that time, Buckland was ruled by the [[Brandybuck|Brandybucks]], as Gorhendad renamed his family, who were given the title '[[Master of Buckland]]'.<br /> <br /> The village of [[Bucklebury]], lying close by Buck Hill, was considered Buckland's chief village, but the expanding population meant that many other villages soon grew up in the region, the largest of which were [[Newbury]], [[Crickhollow]] and [[Standelf]]. The growing power of the Master of Buckland gained respect from those close by in the Eastfarthing, too; the lands of the [[Marish]] between [[Stock]] and [[Rushey]] also acknowledged themselves under the sway of Brandy Hall.<br /> <br /> Buckland was technically not part of the Shire: the Shire had originated officially with a land grant from the last few Kings of Arthedain in T.A. 1600 giving Hobbits (migrating from Bree) permission to settle in that old province of the kingdom which had become depopulated. However, Buckland was not part of the original grant, and was indeed formed over 300 years after Arthedain ceased to exist in T.A. 1975. Unlike the Shire, it is not certain if what became Buckland was ever previously inhabited by Men, nonetheless it was part of Arnor because this entire region of Eriador (including even the Old Forest) was part of the kingdom. Thus, Buckland was essentially a small independent country of Hobbits, mostly of the Brandybuck family (who made it their new homeland and even changed their family name to reflect their new relationship with the river). <br /> <br /> In practice, while nominally &quot;independent&quot;, Buckland was effectively not much different from other old family homelands within the Shire, such as the [[Tookland]], in which the heads of prominent local families were seen as effectively controlling a region. Authority in the Shire had become so bucolic and decentralized, with little &quot;government&quot; to speak of, that simply no one took the time to assert these rival claims. Indeed, parts of the Marish, the marshy lands on the Eastfarthing on the west bank of the Brandywine and thus part of the Shire-proper, acknowledge the authority of the Master of Buckland and not the Thain of the Shire (head of the Took family). Authority was so decentralized among Hobbit-kind and they saw this as such a trivial matter, that for Buckland's entire almost 700 year long history, from its founding until the War of the Ring, quite simply no one ''bothered'' to reconcile the legal ramifications of the creation of Buckland, or even of the mixed loyalties of the Marish. In practice, Hobbits from the Shire-proper seem to have considered Buckland an odd frontier of &quot;the Shire&quot; more than as a separate country.<br /> <br /> The Bucklanders soon found themselves threatened by the strange trees of the Forest, and so built a vast hedge, the [[High Hay]], stretching twenty miles along the eastern border of their land. This was not the only danger to threaten Buckland - in [[Third Age 2911|T.A. 2911]]), the year of the [[Fell Winter]], the Brandywine froze and Buckland was invaded by white wolves.<br /> <br /> Buckland was also the childhood home of [[Frodo Baggins]], who returned here on his journey to [[Rivendell]] in [[Third Age 3018|T.A. 3018]]. He bought a house in [[Crickhollow]], and claimed that he would be living there, but instead entered the [[Old Forest]] through the old [[Hay Gate]], and left the [[Eastmarch]] of the Shire.<br /> <br /> ==Culture==<br /> Although similar in many ways to other hobbits, the Bucklanders did have certain peculiarities. Due no doubt in part to the [[Fallohides|Fallohidish]] blood of the Brandybucks, the hobbits of Buckland were somewhat more adventurous than their cousins in the Shire (while still conservative by the measure of many other races in Middle-earth). The Bucklanders are characterized as being of predominantly [[Stoor]] ancestry, and were thus a people accustomed to riversides. They enjoyed boating, an activity frowned upon by Shire-hobbits, and some of them could even swim. Due to the often muddy nature of the land near the river, it was not uncommon for Bucklanders to wear boots, making them the only Hobbits known to wear shoes.<br /> When the [[Bree-folk]] ventured to the Shire, Buckland was their usual destination (though some ventured as far as the Eastfarthing), and so was rather more cosmopolitan (in hobbit terms) than the rest of the land.<br /> <br /> There were some minor linguistic regional differences between Buckland and the Shire. During the Hobbit [[Wandering Days]], their migrations westwards across Eriador, many Stoors branched off from the other Hobbits and moved south to the Angle, where they came into contact with the [[Dunlendings]]. This contact altered their speech slightly, mostly by picking up a few Dunlending words. However, these Stoors then moved back north to join the other Hobbits in colonizing the Shire. The result was that places that were settled by Stoors have 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. The Brandybucks of Buckland are noted as having a particularly high concentration of Stoorish blood. Thus there were some minor linguistic anomalies in the place-names of Buckland and perhaps the accent of its speech. Also, Hobbits of Stoorish blood are noted as being the only Hobbits who are known to normally grow facial hair.<br /> <br /> Living under constant danger from the Old Forest, the Bucklanders were hardier and more suspicious than the usual Shire-hobbit. They were organised to deal with danger (through the famous Horn-call of Buckland), and they kept their doors locked at night, which was unusual in the Shire.<br /> <br /> Due to these cultural differences, there was an ubiquitous sentiment in other regions of the Shire (such as [[Hobbiton]] and [[Bywater]]) that &quot;there's queer folk in Buckland&quot;.<br /> <br /> <br /> [[Category:Buckland]]<br /> [[Category:Shire]]<br /> [[de:Bockland]]<br /> [[fi:Bukinmaa]]</div>

69.124.15.202 https://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Buckland&diff=70916 2008-09-15T05:59:11Z

<p>69.124.15.202: /* Culture */</p> <hr /> <div>'''Buckland''' is a small but densely populated sliver of land between the [[Old Forest]] and the east bank of the [[Brandywine]] river, inhabited by [[Hobbits]] from the Shire, mostly of the Brandybuck family, who colonized it. It was thus technically not part of the Shire itself, and was effectively a tiny independent country (until later formally added to the Shire during the Fourth Age).<br /> <br /> ==Origins and History==<br /> Seven hundred and forty years after the founding of the [[Shire]], in Third Age 2340 [[Gorhendad Oldbuck]] crossed the River [[Brandywine]] from the [[Eastfarthing]] and started the building of [[Brandy Hall]] in [[Buck Hill]], in a land hitherto unpopulated by hobbits. As Gorhendad's family grew, the Hall also expanded, and soon there was a flourishing community in the land between the River and the Old Forest.<br /> From that time, Buckland was ruled by the [[Brandybuck|Brandybucks]], as Gorhendad renamed his family, who were given the title '[[Master of Buckland]]'.<br /> <br /> The village of [[Bucklebury]], lying close by Buck Hill, was considered Buckland's chief village, but the expanding population meant that many other villages soon grew up in the region, the largest of which were [[Newbury]], [[Crickhollow]] and [[Standelf]]. The growing power of the Master of Buckland gained respect from those close by in the Eastfarthing, too; the lands of the [[Marish]] between [[Stock]] and [[Rushey]] also acknowledged themselves under the sway of Brandy Hall.<br /> <br /> Buckland was technically not part of the Shire: the Shire had originated officially with a land grant from the last few Kings of Arthedain in T.A. 1600 giving Hobbits (migrating from Bree) permission to settle in that old province of the kingdom which had become depopulated. However, Buckland was not part of the original grant, and was indeed formed over 300 years after Arthedain ceased to exist in T.A. 1975. Unlike the Shire, it is not certain if what became Buckland was ever previously inhabited by Men, nonetheless it was part of Arnor because this entire region of Eriador (including even the Old Forest) was part of the kingdom. Thus, Buckland was essentially a small independent country of Hobbits, mostly of the Brandybuck family (who made it their new homeland and even changed their family name to reflect their new relationship with the river). <br /> <br /> In practice, while nominally &quot;independent&quot;, Buckland was effectively not much different from other old family homelands within the Shire, such as the [[Tookland]], in which the heads of prominent local families were seen as effectively controlling a region. Authority in the Shire had become so bucolic and decentralized, with little &quot;government&quot; to speak of, that simply no one took the time to assert these rival claims. Indeed, parts of the Marish, the marshy lands on the Eastfarthing on the west bank of the Brandywine and thus part of the Shire-proper, acknowledge the authority of the Master of Buckland and not the Thain of the Shire (head of the Took family). Authority was so decentralized among Hobbit-kind and they saw this as such a trivial matter, that for Buckland's entire almost 700 year long history, from its founding until the War of the Ring, quite simply no one ''bothered'' to reconcile the legal ramifications of the creation of Buckland, or even of the mixed loyalties of the Marish. In practice, Hobbits from the Shire-proper seem to have considered Buckland an odd frontier of &quot;the Shire&quot; more than as a separate country.<br /> <br /> The Bucklanders soon found themselves threatened by the strange trees of the Forest, and so built a vast hedge, the [[High Hay]], stretching twenty miles along the eastern border of their land. This was not the only danger to threaten Buckland - in [[Third Age 2911|T.A. 2911]]), the year of the [[Fell Winter]], the Brandywine froze and Buckland was invaded by white wolves.<br /> <br /> Buckland was also the childhood home of [[Frodo Baggins]], who returned here on his journey to [[Rivendell]] in [[Third Age 3018|T.A. 3018]]. He bought a house in [[Crickhollow]], and claimed that he would be living there, but instead entered the [[Old Forest]] through the old [[Hay Gate]], and left the [[Eastmarch]] of the Shire.<br /> <br /> ==Culture==<br /> Although similar in many ways to other hobbits, the Bucklanders did have certain peculiarities. Due no doubt in part to the [[Fallohides|Fallohidish]] blood of the Brandybucks, the hobbits of Buckland were somewhat more adventurous than their cousins in the Shire (while still conservative by the measure of many other races in Middle-earth). The Bucklanders are characterized as being of predominantly [[Stoor]] ancestry, and were thus a people accustomed to riversides. They enjoyed boating, an activity frowned upon by Shire-hobbits, and some of them could even swim. Due to the often muddy nature of the land near the river, it was not uncommon for Bucklanders to wear boots, making them the only Hobbits known to wear shoes.<br /> When the [[Bree-folk]] ventured to the Shire, Buckland was their usual destination (though some ventured as far as the Eastfarthing), and so was rather more cosmopolitan (in hobbit terms) than the rest of the land.<br /> <br /> There were some minor linguistic regional differences between Buckland and the Shire. During the Hobbit [[Wandering Days]], their migrations westwards across Eriador, many Stoors branched off from the other Hobbits and moved south to the Angle, where they came into contact with the [[Dunlendings]]. This contact altered their speech slightly, mostly by picking up a few Dunlending words. However, these Stoors then moved back north to join the other Hobbits in colonizing the Shire. The result was that places that were settled by Stoors have 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. The Brandybucks of Buckland are noted as having a particularly high concentration of Stoorish blood. Thus there were some minor linguistic anomalies in the place-names of Buckland and perhaps the accent of its speech. Also, Hobbits of Stoorish blood (of which Brandybucks have a high concentration) are noted as being the only Hobbits who are known to normally grow facial hair.<br /> <br /> Living under constant danger from the Old Forest, the Bucklanders were hardier and more suspicious than the usual Shire-hobbit. They were organised to deal with danger (through the famous Horn-call of Buckland), and they kept their doors locked at night, which was unusual in the Shire.<br /> <br /> Due to these cultural differences, there was an ubiquitous sentiment in other regions of the Shire (such as [[Hobbiton]] and [[Bywater]]) that &quot;there's queer folk in Buckland&quot;.<br /> <br /> <br /> [[Category:Buckland]]<br /> [[Category:Shire]]<br /> [[de:Bockland]]<br /> [[fi:Bukinmaa]]</div>

69.124.15.202 https://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Buckland&diff=70915 2008-09-15T05:54:02Z

<p>69.124.15.202: </p> <hr /> <div>'''Buckland''' is a small but densely populated sliver of land between the [[Old Forest]] and the east bank of the [[Brandywine]] river, inhabited by [[Hobbits]] from the Shire, mostly of the Brandybuck family, who colonized it. It was thus technically not part of the Shire itself, and was effectively a tiny independent country (until later formally added to the Shire during the Fourth Age).<br /> <br /> ==Origins and History==<br /> Seven hundred and forty years after the founding of the [[Shire]], in Third Age 2340 [[Gorhendad Oldbuck]] crossed the River [[Brandywine]] from the [[Eastfarthing]] and started the building of [[Brandy Hall]] in [[Buck Hill]], in a land hitherto unpopulated by hobbits. As Gorhendad's family grew, the Hall also expanded, and soon there was a flourishing community in the land between the River and the Old Forest.<br /> From that time, Buckland was ruled by the [[Brandybuck|Brandybucks]], as Gorhendad renamed his family, who were given the title '[[Master of Buckland]]'.<br /> <br /> The village of [[Bucklebury]], lying close by Buck Hill, was considered Buckland's chief village, but the expanding population meant that many other villages soon grew up in the region, the largest of which were [[Newbury]], [[Crickhollow]] and [[Standelf]]. The growing power of the Master of Buckland gained respect from those close by in the Eastfarthing, too; the lands of the [[Marish]] between [[Stock]] and [[Rushey]] also acknowledged themselves under the sway of Brandy Hall.<br /> <br /> Buckland was technically not part of the Shire: the Shire had originated officially with a land grant from the last few Kings of Arthedain in T.A. 1600 giving Hobbits (migrating from Bree) permission to settle in that old province of the kingdom which had become depopulated. However, Buckland was not part of the original grant, and was indeed formed over 300 years after Arthedain ceased to exist in T.A. 1975. Unlike the Shire, it is not certain if what became Buckland was ever previously inhabited by Men, nonetheless it was part of Arnor because this entire region of Eriador (including even the Old Forest) was part of the kingdom. Thus, Buckland was essentially a small independent country of Hobbits, mostly of the Brandybuck family (who made it their new homeland and even changed their family name to reflect their new relationship with the river). <br /> <br /> In practice, while nominally &quot;independent&quot;, Buckland was effectively not much different from other old family homelands within the Shire, such as the [[Tookland]], in which the heads of prominent local families were seen as effectively controlling a region. Authority in the Shire had become so bucolic and decentralized, with little &quot;government&quot; to speak of, that simply no one took the time to assert these rival claims. Indeed, parts of the Marish, the marshy lands on the Eastfarthing on the west bank of the Brandywine and thus part of the Shire-proper, acknowledge the authority of the Master of Buckland and not the Thain of the Shire (head of the Took family). Authority was so decentralized among Hobbit-kind and they saw this as such a trivial matter, that for Buckland's entire almost 700 year long history, from its founding until the War of the Ring, quite simply no one ''bothered'' to reconcile the legal ramifications of the creation of Buckland, or even of the mixed loyalties of the Marish. In practice, Hobbits from the Shire-proper seem to have considered Buckland an odd frontier of &quot;the Shire&quot; more than as a separate country.<br /> <br /> The Bucklanders soon found themselves threatened by the strange trees of the Forest, and so built a vast hedge, the [[High Hay]], stretching twenty miles along the eastern border of their land. This was not the only danger to threaten Buckland - in [[Third Age 2911|T.A. 2911]]), the year of the [[Fell Winter]], the Brandywine froze and Buckland was invaded by white wolves.<br /> <br /> Buckland was also the childhood home of [[Frodo Baggins]], who returned here on his journey to [[Rivendell]] in [[Third Age 3018|T.A. 3018]]. He bought a house in [[Crickhollow]], and claimed that he would be living there, but instead entered the [[Old Forest]] through the old [[Hay Gate]], and left the [[Eastmarch]] of the Shire.<br /> <br /> ==Culture==<br /> Although similar in many ways to other hobbits, the Bucklanders did have certain peculiarities. Due no doubt in part to the [[Fallohides|Fallohidish]] blood of the Brandybucks, the hobbits of Buckland were somewhat more adventurous than their cousins in the Shire (while still conservative by the measure of many other races in Middle-earth). They enjoyed boating, an activity frowned upon by Shire-hobbits, and some of them could even swim. Due to the often muddy nature of the land near the river, it was not uncommon for Bucklanders to wear boots, making them the only Hobbits known to wear shoes.<br /> When the [[Bree-folk]] ventured to the Shire, Buckland was their usual destination (though some ventured as far as the Eastfarthing), and so was rather more cosmopolitan (in hobbit terms) than the rest of the land.<br /> <br /> There were some minor linguistic regional differences between Buckland and the Shire. During the Hobbit [[Wandering Days]], their migrations westwards across Eriador, many Stoors branched off from the other Hobbits and moved south to the Angle, where they came into contact with the [[Dunlendings]]. This contact altered their speech slightly, mostly by picking up a few Dunlending words. However, these Stoors then moved back north to join the other Hobbits in colonizing the Shire. The result was that places that were settled by Stoors have 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. The Brandybucks of Buckland are noted as having a particularly high concentration of Stoorish blood. Thus there were some minor linguistic anomalies in the place-names of Buckland and perhaps the accent of its speech. Also, Hobbits of Stoorish blood (of which Brandybucks have a high concentration) are noted as being the only Hobbits who are known to normally grow facial hair.<br /> <br /> Living under constant danger from the Old Forest, the Bucklanders were hardier and more suspicious than the usual Shire-hobbit. They were organised to deal with danger (through the famous Horn-call of Buckland), and they kept their doors locked at night, which was unusual in the Shire.<br /> <br /> Due to these cultural differences, there was an ubiquitous sentiment in other regions of the Shire (such as [[Hobbiton]] and [[Bywater]]) that &quot;there's queer folk in Buckland&quot;.<br /> <br /> <br /> [[Category:Buckland]]<br /> [[Category:Shire]]<br /> [[de:Bockland]]<br /> [[fi:Bukinmaa]]</div>

69.124.15.202 https://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Buckland&diff=70914 2008-09-15T05:52:53Z

<p>69.124.15.202: /* Culture */</p> <hr /> <div>'''Buckland''' is a small but densely populated sliver of land between the [[Old Forest]] and the east bank of the [[Brandywine]] river, inhabited by [[Hobbits]] from the Shire, mostly of the Brandybuck family, who colonized it. It was thus technically not part of the Shire itself, and was effectively a tiny independent country (until later formally added to the Shire during the Fourth Age).<br /> <br /> ==Origins and History==<br /> Seven hundred and forty years after the founding of the [[Shire]], in Third Age 2340 [[Gorhendad Oldbuck]] crossed the River [[Brandywine]] from the [[Eastfarthing]] and started the building of [[Brandy Hall]] in [[Buck Hill]], in a land hitherto unpopulated by hobbits. As Gorhendad's family grew, the Hall also expanded, and soon there was a flourishing community in the land between the River and the Old Forest.<br /> From that time, Buckland was ruled by the [[Brandybuck|Brandybucks]], as Gorhendad renamed his family, who were given the title '[[Master of Buckland]]'.<br /> <br /> The village of [[Bucklebury]], lying close by Buck Hill, was considered Buckland's chief village, but the expanding population meant that many other villages soon grew up in the region, the largest of which were [[Newbury]], [[Crickhollow]] and [[Standelf]]. The growing power of the Master of Buckland gained respect from those close by in the Eastfarthing, too; the lands of the [[Marish]] between [[Stock]] and [[Rushey]] also acknowledged themselves under the sway of Brandy Hall.<br /> <br /> Buckland was technically not part of the Shire: the Shire had originated officially with a land grant from the last few Kings of Arthedain in T.A. 1600 giving Hobbits (migrating from Bree) permission to settle in that old province of the kingdom which had become depopulated. However, Buckland was not part of the original grant, and was indeed formed over 300 years after Arthedain ceased to exist in T.A. 1975. Unlike the Shire, it is not certain if what became Buckland was ever previously inhabited by Men, nonetheless it was part of Arnor because this entire region of Eriador (including even the Old Forest) was part of the kingdom. Thus, Buckland was essentially a small independent country of Hobbits, mostly of the Brandybuck family (who made it their new homeland and ever changed their family name to reflect their new relationship with the river). In practice, while nominally &quot;independent&quot;, Buckland was effectively not much different from other old family homelands within the Shire, such as the [[Tookland]], in which the heads of prominent local families were seen as effectively controlling a region. Authority in the Shire had become so bucolic and decentralized, with little &quot;government&quot; to speak of, that simply no one took the time to assert these rival claims. Indeed, parts of the Marish, the marshy lands on the Eastfarthing on the west bank of the Brandywine and thus part of the Shire-proper, acknowledge the authority of the Master of Buckland and not the Thain of the Shire (head of the Took family). Authority was so decentralized among Hobbit-kind and they saw this as such a trivial matter, that for Buckland's entire almost 700 year long history, from its founding until the War of the Ring, quite simply no one ''bothered'' to reconcile the legal ramifications of the creation of Buckland, or even of the mixed loyalties of the Marish. In practice, Hobbits from the Shire-proper seem to have considered Buckland an odd frontier of &quot;the Shire&quot; more than as a separate country.<br /> <br /> The Bucklanders soon found themselves threatened by the strange trees of the Forest, and so built a vast hedge, the [[High Hay]], stretching twenty miles along the eastern border of their land. This was not the only danger to threaten Buckland - in [[Third Age 2911|T.A. 2911]]), the year of the [[Fell Winter]], the Brandywine froze and Buckland was invaded by white wolves.<br /> <br /> Buckland was also the childhood home of [[Frodo Baggins]], who returned here on his journey to [[Rivendell]] in [[Third Age 3018|T.A. 3018]]. He bought a house in [[Crickhollow]], and claimed that he would be living there, but instead entered the [[Old Forest]] through the old [[Hay Gate]], and left the [[Eastmarch]] of the Shire.<br /> <br /> ==Culture==<br /> Although similar in many ways to other hobbits, the Bucklanders did have certain peculiarities. Due no doubt in part to the [[Fallohides|Fallohidish]] blood of the Brandybucks, the hobbits of Buckland were somewhat more adventurous than their cousins in the Shire (while still conservative by the measure of many other races in Middle-earth). They enjoyed boating, an activity frowned upon by Shire-hobbits, and some of them could even swim. Due to the often muddy nature of the land near the river, it was not uncommon for Bucklanders to wear boots, making them the only Hobbits known to wear shoes.<br /> When the [[Bree-folk]] ventured to the Shire, Buckland was their usual destination (though some ventured as far as the Eastfarthing), and so was rather more cosmopolitan (in hobbit terms) than the rest of the land.<br /> <br /> There were some minor linguistic regional differences between Buckland and the Shire. During the Hobbit [[Wandering Days]], their migrations westwards across Eriador, many Stoors branched off from the other Hobbits and moved south to the Angle, where they came into contact with the [[Dunlendings]]. This contact altered their speech slightly, mostly by picking up a few Dunlending words. However, these Stoors then moved back north to join the other Hobbits in colonizing the Shire. The result was that places that were settled by Stoors have 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. The Brandybucks of Buckland are noted as having a particularly high concentration of Stoorish blood. Thus there were some minor linguistic anomalies in the place-names of Buckland and perhaps the accent of its speech. Also, Hobbits of Stoorish blood (of which Brandybucks have a high concentration) are noted as being the only Hobbits who are known to normally grow facial hair.<br /> <br /> Living under constant danger from the Old Forest, the Bucklanders were hardier and more suspicious than the usual Shire-hobbit. They were organised to deal with danger (through the famous Horn-call of Buckland), and they kept their doors locked at night, which was unusual in the Shire.<br /> <br /> Due to these cultural differences, there was an ubiquitous sentiment in other regions of the Shire (such as [[Hobbiton]] and [[Bywater]]) that &quot;there's queer folk in Buckland&quot;.<br /> <br /> <br /> [[Category:Buckland]]<br /> [[Category:Shire]]<br /> [[de:Bockland]]<br /> [[fi:Bukinmaa]]</div>

69.124.15.202 https://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Hobbitish&diff=70913 2008-09-15T05:40:14Z

<p>69.124.15.202: /* Vocabulary differences */</p> <hr /> <div>{{sources}}<br /> '''Hobbitish''' was the term given for the sub-dialect of [[Westron]] (Common Speech) that was spoken by the [[Hobbits]] of [[the Shire]]. <br /> <br /> ==Grammatical differences==<br /> <br /> Hobbitish was a regional dialect of the Westron language, spoken in a rustic agricultural region. As such, it was mutually intelligible with Common Speech, but is not as &quot;refined&quot; as the true form of the language spoken in [[Gondor]] abnd [[Rivendell]], containing many simplifications or archaisms. The most prominent change in actual grammatical structure from Westron is that Westron has both &quot;deferential&quot; pronouns, and &quot;familiar&quot; pronouns, but Hobbitish no longer possesses a [[wikipedia:T-V distinction|deferential pronoun]]. <br /> <br /> Westron had deferential pronouns for the second person (and sometimes the third person), but this had fallen out of use in the Shire, except in scattered parts of the [[Westfarthing]] where is was used more as a light-hearted term of endearment. [[J.R.R. Tolkien|Tolkien]]'s &quot;translation&quot; tried to convey this in how &quot;thou&quot; and &quot;thine&quot; were used, but ultimately this was inconsistent and hard to render. As Hobbit society was made up almost entirely of farmers and with barely and &quot;government&quot; to speak of, much less a noble class, this simply fell out of use. <br /> <br /> The result of this was that when [[Peregrin Took]] was speaking to [[Denethor II]], [[Steward]] and ruler of Gondor, while he was at court in [[Minas Tirith (Gondor)|Minas Tirith]], Pippin is actually addressing Denethor using the very informal and personalized familiar pronoun, unintentionally using the same pronouns he might use with a close friend or social equal. This is a nuance that Tolkien's &quot;translation into English&quot; self-admittedly does not quite fully convey. This no doubt served as a source of astonishment to Denethor's servants, but the old Steward himself seemed to react to it with some bemusement. Tolkien notes that this linguistic nuance probably gave strength to the rumor that quickly spread that Pippin was a person of very high social rank within his own country, in order to be addressing Denethor as such, eventually leading to one particularly wild rumor that he had promised 5,000 Hobbits to the defense of the city.<br /> <br /> Tolkien stated that this lack of a deferential pronoun and universal use of the familiar pronoun is what Gondorian characters are referring to when they repeatedly remark that Hobbit-speech sounds strange.<br /> <br /> ==Vocabulary differences==<br /> <br /> The major difference between Hobbitish and more proper forms of Westron are many archaic words that Hobbits retained in their vocabulary from whatever languages they spoke in ancient times. Examples would include:<br /> <br /> *''[[Smial]]'' - &quot;large excavated hole used as a home&quot; (i.e. [[Bag End]], [[Brandy Hall]], or [[Great Smials]] of the Tooks). <br /> *''[[Mathom]]'' - &quot;old thing which you no longer have a use for but don't want to throw away; a knick-nack; an antique&quot; (i.e. the [[Mathom-house]] is a museum)<br /> *''[[Goblins|Goblin]]'' - the evil race properly termed &quot;[[Orcs]]&quot; in Common Speech were referred to as &quot;''Goblins''&quot; by the Hobbits. This is apparently some local colloquialism of uncertain origin. However, while this originated as a Hobbit &quot;slang term&quot; for Orcs, due to the presence of the Shire on the major trade route of the Great East Road, over the centuries this term was actually picked up by members of other races (much as how smoking [[Pipe-weed]] was). The term actually gained a high degree of popularity throughout Middle-earth. The term &quot;Goblin&quot; came to more often be used when referring to smaller Orcs, of the type Hobbits were more likely to see (rare roving bands like that led by [[Golfimbul]]). Larger soldier-Orcs bred for war were less likely to be referred to as &quot;Goblins&quot;, because they never really encountered them, thus larger breeds of Orcs would often simply be called &quot;Orcs&quot;. <br /> <br /> :''Note: Tolkien's conception of what &quot;Orcs&quot; and &quot;Goblins&quot; were exactly fluctuated over time, and in ''[[The Hobbit]]'' was written when these ideas had not solidified in his mind, and as such in that book he uses the two terms rather interchangeably. Later on, he more fully set down that &quot;Orcs&quot; was the proper term for the entire race, with &quot;Goblins&quot; being a colloquial Hobbit-invented term for Orcs''<br /> <br /> The highest concentration of unique &quot;Hobbitish&quot; words are of course in the surnames of old families, place names, and calender words such as names for months, days, seasons, et cetera.<br /> <br /> ==History==<br /> <br /> Whatever language the Hobbits originally spoke has been lost to history, much as their specific origins have been lost. The earliest known historical location of the Hobbits is in the [[Vales of Anduin|upper vales]] of the river [[Anduin]]. It is heavily implied that while there, the ancestors of the Hobbits must have had some contact with the [[Éothéod]], who lived in the same area. Eventually, due to the increasing danger from [[Greenwood the Great|Greenwood]], which would become [[Mirkwood]], the Éothéod migrated south to Rohan and the Hobbits migrated West, in their &quot;[[Wandering Days]]&quot;, ultimately reaching Bree and then the Shire. <br /> <br /> The language of the Éothéod thus seems to have influenced the original language of the Hobbits. To what degree is not certain: speculation ranges anywhere from that the Hobbits borrowed a few words from the Éothéod, to that the Hobbits actually adopted the language of the Eotheod and spoke it as their own. Tolkien himself seemed to imply that the Hobbits almost if not fully adopted the language of the Éothéod, because it has always been common Hobbit practice to adopt the commonly spoken language of the Men they are living near; much as they would later adopt Westron. Thus the earliest known Hobbit-language was a &quot;northern Mannish&quot; tongue learned from the Eotheod. However, a small number of Stoors would move briefly to the Angle where they had some contact with the [[Dunlendings]], picking up a few Dunlending words. When the Stoors later moved to the Shire with the rest of their kin, they quickly adopted the language as spoken in the Shire at the time, but no doubt this brief Dunlending contact serves as the basis for several regional peculiarities in regions that [[Stoors]] mostly settled in, such as [[Buckland]] and the [[Marish]]. When the Hobbits migrated west into Eriador and came into contact with Men in the Bree-land and in the remnants of Arthedain that would become the Shire, as was their practice they once again took up the language spoken by the Men near them and adopted Westron, mostly forgetting their previous language.<br /> <br /> In any case, by the time of the [[War of the Ring]], the [[Rohirric]] langauge and Hobbitish possessed many linguistic similarities which were obvious even to a non-linguist like [[Meriadoc Brandybuck]]. Simply hearing parts of the language of the Rohirrim, Merry noticed several words which clearly sounded like old words used in the Shire. Merry would in his later years author a book of linguistic study on the relationship, &quot;''[[Old Place Names in the Shire]]''&quot;.<br /> <br /> ==Real-world background== <br /> Of course, all of this ties into the fact that &quot;Westron&quot; as it appears in the books written by J.R.R. Tolkien functions under the conceit that &quot;Common Speech&quot; is really a separate foreign language which Tolkien &quot;translated&quot; into English. For example, the name &quot;Meriadoc Brandybuck&quot; is &quot;translated&quot; into English from the &quot;genuine Westron&quot; name ''[[Kalimac Brandigamba]]'' (which would make it, actually &quot;genuine Hobbitish&quot;)<br /> <br /> The most obvious linguistic parallel between the &quot;Hobbitish&quot; dialect and language of the Rohirrim is in the name &quot;Hobbit&quot; itself: according to [[Théoden]] of Rohan, there are a few legends among the Rohirrim about Hobbit-like creatures they they call the ''[[Holbytlan]]'' in Rohirric. Rohirric is actually &quot;translated&quot; into Old English in the books just as Westron is into English, because it is an archaic form of Westron. &quot;Holbytlan&quot; in Old English means &quot;Hole-builders&quot;, an apt name for the Hobbits. However, in &quot;genuine Westron&quot;, the word translated into English as &quot;Hobbit&quot;, is actually &quot;''[[Kuduk]]''&quot;. The corresponding &quot;genuine Rohirric&quot; word from which it evolved is &quot;''[[Kûd-dûkan]]''&quot;.<br /> <br /> ==Portrayal in adaptations==<br /> '''1955: ''[[The Lord of the Rings (1956 radio series)|BBC Radio's The Lord of the Rings]]'':'''<br /> :Adapter [[Terence Tiller]] briefly corresponded with Tolkien about what accents should be used. It is unknown if he followed Tolkien's advice.<br /> <br /> '''1978: ''[[Ralph Bakshi's The Lord of the Rings]]'':'''<br /> :There seems to be little contrast in style, other than the rural portrayal of [[Samwise Gamgee]].<br /> <br /> '''1981: ''[[The Lord of the Rings (1981 radio series)|BBC Radio's The Lord of the Rings]]'':'''<br /> :Any dialectical difference is completely removed. Sam talks the same English as the other Hobbits.<br /> <br /> '''1992: ''[[Tales from the Perilous Realm (1992 radio series)|BBC Radio's Tales from the Perilous Realm]]'':'''<br /> :In the two episodes of &quot;The Adventures of Tom Bombadil&quot;, [[Jonathan Adams]]' portrayal of Sam Gamgee is close to over-the-top rustic. He speaks in a grumbling, low voice.<br /> <br /> '''2001: ''[[Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings]]'':'''<br /> : Considerable attention was paid to the dialects characters speak with and cast members trained extensively with dialogue coaches. Hobbits in the films speak with basically an English Midlands accent, because Tolkien said that the Shire was based largely on his boyhood home in the Midlands. Of the main Hobbit characters:<br /> *Sam Gamgee speaks with the working-class rustic Midlands accent which was used as the standard for all the other minor Hobbit characters. <br /> *[[Bilbo Baggins|Bilbo]] and [[Frodo Baggins]], because they are both book-educated, speak with a slightly more refined and less pronounced accent. <br /> *The actor who played [[Peregrin Took|Pippin]], [[Billy Boyd]], is Scottish, and originally he was supposed to speak like the others, but eventually it was decided that it was adversely affecting his comic timing. The production team then invented the [[wikipedia:Canon_(fiction)#Nature of fictional canons|justification]] that the [[Took Family|Took]] region of the Shire is described as very hilly, so much so that when [[Saruman]]'s [[ruffians]] take over the rest of the Shire they are successfully repulsed from Took-land due to its rough terrain, and thus is it loosely analogous to Scotland. Thus, it was decided that Tooks should speak with a Scottish accent as well, and Boyd was allowed to use his normal Scottish accent when portraying Pippin for the entire trilogy of films.<br /> *Meriadoc Brandybuck is described as being the linguistic &quot;oddball&quot; of the group: he was not from any of the four farthings of the Shire, but a Brandybuck from Buckland, and thus is from a region apart. To reflect this, his accent is noticeably distinct from the other Hobbits seen on-screen, something of an invention between actor [[Dominic Monaghan]] and the dialect coaches, to reflect his unique origin.<br /> <br /> [[Category:Languages]]<br /> [[Category:Shire]]<br /> [[Category:Hobbits]]</div>

69.124.15.202 https://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Buckland&diff=70912 2008-09-15T05:38:46Z

<p>69.124.15.202: </p> <hr /> <div>'''Buckland''' is a small but densely populated sliver of land between the [[Old Forest]] and the east bank of the [[Brandywine]] river, inhabited by [[Hobbits]] from the Shire, mostly of the Brandybuck family, who colonized it. It was thus technically not part of the Shire itself, and was effectively a tiny independent country (until later formally added to the Shire during the Fourth Age).<br /> <br /> ==Origins and History==<br /> Seven hundred and forty years after the founding of the [[Shire]], in Third Age 2340 [[Gorhendad Oldbuck]] crossed the River [[Brandywine]] from the [[Eastfarthing]] and started the building of [[Brandy Hall]] in [[Buck Hill]], in a land hitherto unpopulated by hobbits. As Gorhendad's family grew, the Hall also expanded, and soon there was a flourishing community in the land between the River and the Old Forest.<br /> From that time, Buckland was ruled by the [[Brandybuck|Brandybucks]], as Gorhendad renamed his family, who were given the title '[[Master of Buckland]]'.<br /> <br /> The village of [[Bucklebury]], lying close by Buck Hill, was considered Buckland's chief village, but the expanding population meant that many other villages soon grew up in the region, the largest of which were [[Newbury]], [[Crickhollow]] and [[Standelf]]. The growing power of the Master of Buckland gained respect from those close by in the Eastfarthing, too; the lands of the [[Marish]] between [[Stock]] and [[Rushey]] also acknowledged themselves under the sway of Brandy Hall.<br /> <br /> Buckland was technically not part of the Shire: the Shire had originated officially with a land grant from the last few Kings of Arthedain in T.A. 1600 giving Hobbits (migrating from Bree) permission to settle in that old province of the kingdom which had become depopulated. However, Buckland was not part of the original grant, and was indeed formed over 300 years after Arthedain ceased to exist in T.A. 1975. Unlike the Shire, it is not certain if what became Buckland was ever previously inhabited by Men, nonetheless it was part of Arnor because this entire region of Eriador (including even the Old Forest) was part of the kingdom. Thus, Buckland was essentially a small independent country of Hobbits, mostly of the Brandybuck family (who made it their new homeland and ever changed their family name to reflect their new relationship with the river). In practice, while nominally &quot;independent&quot;, Buckland was effectively not much different from other old family homelands within the Shire, such as the [[Tookland]], in which the heads of prominent local families were seen as effectively controlling a region. Authority in the Shire had become so bucolic and decentralized, with little &quot;government&quot; to speak of, that simply no one took the time to assert these rival claims. Indeed, parts of the Marish, the marshy lands on the Eastfarthing on the west bank of the Brandywine and thus part of the Shire-proper, acknowledge the authority of the Master of Buckland and not the Thain of the Shire (head of the Took family). Authority was so decentralized among Hobbit-kind and they saw this as such a trivial matter, that for Buckland's entire almost 700 year long history, from its founding until the War of the Ring, quite simply no one ''bothered'' to reconcile the legal ramifications of the creation of Buckland, or even of the mixed loyalties of the Marish. In practice, Hobbits from the Shire-proper seem to have considered Buckland an odd frontier of &quot;the Shire&quot; more than as a separate country.<br /> <br /> The Bucklanders soon found themselves threatened by the strange trees of the Forest, and so built a vast hedge, the [[High Hay]], stretching twenty miles along the eastern border of their land. This was not the only danger to threaten Buckland - in [[Third Age 2911|T.A. 2911]]), the year of the [[Fell Winter]], the Brandywine froze and Buckland was invaded by white wolves.<br /> <br /> Buckland was also the childhood home of [[Frodo Baggins]], who returned here on his journey to [[Rivendell]] in [[Third Age 3018|T.A. 3018]]. He bought a house in [[Crickhollow]], and claimed that he would be living there, but instead entered the [[Old Forest]] through the old [[Hay Gate]], and left the [[Eastmarch]] of the Shire.<br /> <br /> ==Culture==<br /> Although similar in many ways to other hobbits, the Bucklanders did have certain peculiarities. Due no doubt in part to the [[Fallohides|Fallohidish]] blood of the Brandybucks, the hobbits of Buckland were somewhat more adventurous than their cousins in the Shire (while still conservative by the measure of many other races in Middle-earth). They enjoyed boating, an activity frowned upon by Shire-hobbits, and some of them could even swim. Due to the often muddy nature of the land near the river, it was not uncommon for Bucklanders to wear boots, making them the only Hobbits known to wear shoes.<br /> When the [[Bree-folk]] ventured to the Shire, Buckland was their usual destination (though some ventured as far as the Eastfarthing), and so was rather more cosmopolitan (in hobbit terms) than the rest of the land.<br /> <br /> Living under constant danger from the Old Forest, the Bucklanders were hardier and more suspicious than the usual Shire-hobbit. They were organised to deal with danger (through the famous Horn-call of Buckland), and they kept their doors locked at night, which was unusual in the Shire.<br /> <br /> Due to these cultural differences, there was an ubiquitous sentiment in other regions of the Shire (such as [[Hobbiton]] and [[Bywater]]) that &quot;there's queer folk in Buckland&quot;.<br /> <br /> <br /> [[Category:Buckland]]<br /> [[Category:Shire]]<br /> [[de:Bockland]]<br /> [[fi:Bukinmaa]]</div>

69.124.15.202 https://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Buckland&diff=70911 2008-09-15T05:34:52Z

<p>69.124.15.202: </p> <hr /> <div>'''Buckland''' is a small but densely populated sliver of land between the [[Old Forest]] and the east bank of the [[Brandywine]] river, inhabited by [[Hobbits]] from the Shire, mostly of the Brandybuck family, who colonized it. It was thus technically not part of the Shire itself, and was effectively a tiny independent country (until later formally added to the Shire during the Fourth Age).<br /> <br /> ==Origins and History==<br /> Seven hundred and forty years after the founding of the [[Shire]], in Third Age 2340 [[Gorhendad Oldbuck]] crossed the River [[Brandywine]] from the [[Eastfarthing]] and started the building of [[Brandy Hall]] in [[Buck Hill]], in a land hitherto unpopulated by hobbits. As Gorhendad's family grew, the Hall also expanded, and soon there was a flourishing community in the land between the River and the Old Forest.<br /> From that time, Buckland was ruled by the [[Brandybuck|Brandybucks]], as Gorhendad renamed his family, who were given the title '[[Master of Buckland]]'.<br /> <br /> Buckland was technically not part of the Shire: the Shire had originated officially with a land grant from the last few Kings of Arthedain in T.A. 1600 giving Hobbits (migrating from Bree) permission to settle in that old province of the kingdom which had become depopulated. However, Buckland was not part of the original grant, and was indeed formed over 300 years after Arthedain ceased to exist in T.A. 1975. Unlike the Shire, it is not certain if what became Buckland was ever previously inhabited by Men, nonetheless it was part of Arnor because this entire region of Eriador (including even the Old Forest) was part of the kingdom. Thus, Buckland was essentially a small independent country of Hobbits, mostly of the Brandybuck family (who made it their new homeland and ever changed their family name to reflect their new relationship with the river). In practice, while nominally &quot;independent&quot;, Buckland was effectively not much different from other old family homelands within the Shire, such as the [[Tookland]], in which the heads of prominent local families were seen as effectively controlling a region. Authority in the Shire had become so bucolic and decentralized, with little &quot;government&quot; to speak of, that simply no one took the time to assert these rival claims. Indeed, parts of the Marish, the marshy lands on the Eastfarthing on the west bank of the Brandywine and thus part of the Shire-proper, acknowledge the authority of the Master of Buckland and not the Thain of the Shire (head of the Took family). Authority was so decentralized among Hobbit-kind and they saw this as such a trivial matter, that for Buckland's entire almost 700 year long history, from its founding until the War of the Ring, quite simply no one ''bothered'' to reconcile the legal ramifications of the creation of Buckland, or even of the mixed loyalties of the Marish.<br /> <br /> The village of [[Bucklebury]], lying close by Buck Hill, was considered Buckland's chief village, but the expanding population meant that many other villages soon grew up in the region, the largest of which were [[Newbury]], [[Crickhollow]] and [[Standelf]]. The growing power of the Master of Buckland gained respect from those close by in the Eastfarthing, too; the lands of the [[Marish]] between [[Stock]] and [[Rushey]] also acknowledged themselves under the sway of Brandy Hall.<br /> <br /> The Bucklanders soon found themselves threatened by the strange trees of the Forest, and so built a vast hedge, the [[High Hay]], stretching twenty miles along the eastern border of their land. This was not the only danger to threaten Buckland - in [[Third Age 2911|T.A. 2911]]), the year of the [[Fell Winter]], the Brandywine froze and Buckland was invaded by white wolves.<br /> <br /> Buckland was also the childhood home of [[Frodo Baggins]], who returned here on his journey to [[Rivendell]] in [[Third Age 3018|T.A. 3018]]. He bought a house in [[Crickhollow]], and claimed that he would be living there, but instead entered the [[Old Forest]] through the old [[Hay Gate]], and left the [[Eastmarch]] of the Shire.<br /> <br /> ==Culture==<br /> Although similar in many ways to other hobbits, the Bucklanders did have certain peculiarities. Due no doubt in part to the [[Fallohides|Fallohidish]] blood of the Brandybucks, the hobbits of Buckland were somewhat more adventurous than their cousins in the Shire (while still conservative by the measure of many other races in Middle-earth). They enjoyed boating, an activity frowned upon by Shire-hobbits, and some of them could even swim. Due to the often muddy nature of the land near the river, it was not uncommon for Bucklanders to wear boots, making them the only Hobbits known to wear shoes.<br /> When the [[Bree-folk]] ventured to the Shire, Buckland was their usual destination (though some ventured as far as the Eastfarthing), and so was rather more cosmopolitan (in hobbit terms) than the rest of the land.<br /> <br /> Living under constant danger from the Old Forest, the Bucklanders were hardier and more suspicious than the usual Shire-hobbit. They were organised to deal with danger (through the famous Horn-call of Buckland), and they kept their doors locked at night, which was unusual in the Shire.<br /> <br /> <br /> [[Category:Buckland]]<br /> [[Category:Shire]]<br /> [[de:Bockland]]<br /> [[fi:Bukinmaa]]</div>

69.124.15.202 https://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Buckland&diff=70910 2008-09-15T05:31:25Z

<p>69.124.15.202: </p> <hr /> <div>'''Buckland''' is a small but densely populated sliver of land between the [[Old Forest]] and the east bank of the [[Brandywine]] river, inhabited by [[Hobbits]] from the Shire, mostly of the Brandybuck family, who colonized it. It was thus technically not part of the Shire itself, and was effectively a tiny independent country (until later formally added to the Shire during the Fourth Age).<br /> <br /> ==Origins and History==<br /> Seven hundred and forty years after the founding of the [[Shire]], in Third Age 2340 [[Gorhendad Oldbuck]] crossed the River [[Brandywine]] from the [[Eastfarthing]] and started the building of [[Brandy Hall]] in [[Buck Hill]], in a land hitherto unpopulated by hobbits. As Gorhendad's family grew, the Hall also expanded, and soon there was a flourishing community in the land between the River and the Old Forest.<br /> From that time, Buckland was ruled by the [[Brandybuck|Brandybucks]], as Gorhendad renamed his family, who were given the title '[[Master of Buckland]]'.<br /> <br /> Buckland was technically not part of the Shire: the Shire had originated officially with a land grant from the last few Kings of Arthedain in T.A. 1600 giving Hobbits (migrating from Bree) permission to settle in that old province of the kingdom which had become depopulated. However, Buckland was not part of the original grant, and was indeed formed over 300 years after Arthedain ceased to exist in T.A. 1975. Unlike the Shire, it is not certain if what became Buckland was ever previously inhabited by Men, nonetheless it was part of Arnor because this entire region of Eriador (including even the Old Forest) was part of the kingdom. Thus, Buckland was essentially a small independent country of Hobbits, mostly of the Brandybuck family (who made it their new homeland and ever changed their family name to reflect their new relationship with the river). In practice, while nominally &quot;independent&quot;, Buckland was effectively not much different from other old family homelands within the Shire, such as the [[Tookland]], in which the heads of prominent local families were seen as effectively controlling a region. Authority in the Shire had become so bucolic and decentralized, with little &quot;government&quot; to speak of, that simply no one bothered to assert these rival claims. Indeed, parts of the Marish, the marshy lands on the Eastfarthing on the west bank of the Brandywine and thus part of the Shire-proper, acknowledge the authority of the Master of Buckland and not the Thain of the Shire (head of the Took family). Authority was so decentralized among Hobbit-kind and they saw this as such a trivial matter, that for Buckland's entire almost 700 year long history, from its founding until the War of the Ring, quite simply no one ''bothered'' to reconcile the legal ramifications of the creation of Buckland, or even of the mixed loyalties of the Marish.<br /> <br /> The village of [[Bucklebury]], lying close by Buck Hill, was considered Buckland's chief village, but the expanding population meant that many other villages soon grew up in the region, the largest of which were [[Newbury]], [[Crickhollow]] and [[Standelf]]. The growing power of the Master of Buckland gained respect from those close by in the Eastfarthing, too; the lands of the [[Marish]] between [[Stock]] and [[Rushey]] also acknowledged themselves under the sway of Brandy Hall.<br /> <br /> The Bucklanders soon found themselves threatened by the strange trees of the Forest, and so built a vast hedge, the [[High Hay]], stretching twenty miles along the eastern border of their land. This was not the only danger to threaten Buckland - in [[Third Age 2911|T.A. 2911]]), the year of the [[Fell Winter]], the Brandywine froze and Buckland was invaded by white wolves.<br /> <br /> Buckland was also the childhood home of [[Frodo Baggins]], who returned here on his journey to [[Rivendell]] in [[Third Age 3018|T.A. 3018]]. He bought a house in [[Crickhollow]], and claimed that he would be living there, but instead entered the [[Old Forest]] through the old [[Hay Gate]], and left the [[Eastmarch]] of the Shire.<br /> <br /> ==Culture==<br /> Although similar in many ways to other hobbits, the Bucklanders did have certain peculiarities. Due no doubt in part to the [[Fallohides|Fallohidish]] blood of the Brandybucks, the hobbits of Buckland were somewhat more adventurous than their cousins in the Shire (while still conservative by the measure of many other races in Middle-earth). They enjoyed boating, an activity frowned upon by Shire-hobbits, and some of them could even swim. Due to the often muddy nature of the land near the river, it was not uncommon for Bucklanders to wear boots, making them the only Hobbits known to wear shoes.<br /> When the [[Bree-folk]] ventured to the Shire, Buckland was their usual destination (though some ventured as far as the Eastfarthing), and so was rather more cosmopolitan (in hobbit terms) than the rest of the land.<br /> <br /> Living under constant danger from the Old Forest, the Bucklanders were hardier and more suspicious than the usual Shire-hobbit. They were organised to deal with danger (through the famous Horn-call of Buckland), and they kept their doors locked at night, which was unusual in the Shire.<br /> <br /> <br /> [[Category:Buckland]]<br /> [[Category:Shire]]<br /> [[de:Bockland]]<br /> [[fi:Bukinmaa]]</div>

69.124.15.202 https://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Buckland&diff=70909 2008-09-15T05:13:09Z

<p>69.124.15.202: </p> <hr /> <div>'''Buckland''' is a small but densely populated sliver of land between the [[Old Forerst]] and the east bank of the [[Brandywine]] river, inhabited by [[Hobbits]] mostly of the Brandybuck family from the Shire who colonized it. It was thus technically not part of the Shire (until later formally added to it during the Fourth Age).<br /> <br /> ==Origins and History==<br /> Seven hundred and forty years after the founding of the [[Shire]], [[Gorhendad Oldbuck]] crossed the River [[Brandywine]] from the [[Eastfarthing]] and started the building of [[Brandy Hall]] in [[Buck Hill]], in a land hitherto unpopulated by hobbits. As Gorhendad's family grew, the Hall also expanded, and soon there was a flourishing community in the land between the River and the Old Forest.<br /> From that time, Buckland was ruled by the [[Brandybuck|Brandybucks]], as Gorhendad renamed his family, who were given the title '[[Master of Buckland]]'.<br /> <br /> The village of [[Bucklebury]], lying close by Buck Hill, was considered Buckland's chief village, but the expanding population meant that many other villages soon grew up in the region, the largest of which were [[Newbury]], [[Crickhollow]] and [[Standelf]]. The growing power of the Master of Buckland gained respect from those close by in the Eastfarthing, too; the lands of the [[Marish]] between [[Stock]] and [[Rushey]] also acknowledged themselves under the sway of Brandy Hall.<br /> <br /> The Bucklanders soon found themselves threatened by the strange trees of the Forest, and so built a vast hedge, the [[High Hay]], stretching twenty miles along the eastern border of their land. This was not the only danger to threaten Buckland - in [[Third Age 2911|T.A. 2911]]), the year of the [[Fell Winter]], the Brandywine froze and Buckland was invaded by white wolves.<br /> <br /> Buckland was also the childhood home of [[Frodo Baggins]], who returned here on his journey to [[Rivendell]] in [[Third Age 3018|T.A. 3018]]. He bought a house in [[Crickhollow]], and claimed that he would be living there, but instead entered the [[Old Forest]] through the old [[Hay Gate]], and left the [[Eastmarch]] of the Shire.<br /> <br /> ==Culture==<br /> Although similar in many ways to other hobbits, the Bucklanders did have certain peculiarities. Due no doubt in part to the [[Fallohides|Fallohidish]] blood of the Brandybucks, the hobbits of Buckland were somewhat more adventurous than their cousins in the Shire (while still conservative by the measure of many other races in Middle-earth). They enjoyed boating, an activity frowned upon by Shire-hobbits, and some of them could even swim. Due to the often muddy nature of the land near the river, it was not uncommon for Bucklanders to wear boots, making them the only Hobbits known to wear shoes.<br /> When the [[Bree-folk]] ventured to the Shire, Buckland was their usual destination (though some ventured as far as the Eastfarthing), and so was rather more cosmopolitan (in hobbit terms) than the rest of the land.<br /> <br /> Living under constant danger from the Old Forest, the Bucklanders were hardier and more suspicious than the usual Shire-hobbit. They were organised to deal with danger (through the famous Horn-call of Buckland), and they kept their doors locked at night, which was unusual in the Shire.<br /> <br /> <br /> [[Category:Buckland]]<br /> [[Category:Shire]]<br /> [[de:Bockland]]<br /> [[fi:Bukinmaa]]</div>

69.124.15.202 https://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Buckland&diff=70908 2008-09-15T05:08:30Z

<p>69.124.15.202: </p> <hr /> <div>'''Buckland''' is a small but densely populated sliver of land between the [[Old Forerst]] and the east bank of the [[Brandywine]] river, inhabited by [[Hobbits]] mostly of the Brandybuck family from the Shire who colonized it. It was thus technically not part of the Shire (until later formally added to it during the Fourth Age).<br /> <br /> ==Origins and History==<br /> Seven hundred and forty years after the founding of the [[Shire]], [[Gorhendad Oldbuck]] crossed the River [[Brandywine]] from the [[Eastfarthing]] and started the building of [[Brandy Hall]] in [[Buck Hill]], in a land hitherto unpopulated by hobbits. As Gorhendad's family grew, the Hall also expanded, and soon there was a flourishing community in the land between the River and the Old Forest.<br /> From that time, Buckland was ruled by the [[Brandybuck|Brandybucks]], as Gorhendad renamed his family, who were given the title '[[Master of Buckland]]'.<br /> <br /> The village of [[Bucklebury]], lying close by Buck Hill, was considered Buckland's chief village, but the expanding population meant that many other villages soon grew up in the region, the largest of which were [[Newbury]], [[Crickhollow]] and [[Standelf]]. The growing power of the Master of Buckland gained respect from those close by in the Eastfarthing, too; the lands of the [[Marish]] between [[Stock]] and [[Rushey]] also acknowledged themselves under the sway of Brandy Hall.<br /> <br /> The Bucklanders soon found themselves threatened by the strange trees of the Forest, and so built a vast hedge, the [[High Hay]], stretching twenty miles along the eastern border of their land. This was not the only danger to threaten Buckland - in [[Third Age 2911|T.A. 2911]]), the year of the [[Fell Winter]], the Brandywine froze and Buckland was invaded by white wolves.<br /> <br /> Buckland was also the childhood home of [[Frodo Baggins]], who returned here on his journey to [[Rivendell]] in [[Third Age 3018|T.A. 3018]]. He bought a house in [[Crickhollow]], and claimed that he would be living there, but instead entered the [[Old Forest]] through the old [[Hay Gate]], and left the [[Eastmarch]] of the Shire.<br /> <br /> ==Culture==<br /> Although similar in many ways to other hobbits, the Bucklanders did have certain peculiarities. Due no doubt in part to the [[Fallohides|Fallohidish]] blood of the Brandybucks, the hobbits of Buckland were somewhat more adventurous than their cousins in the Shire (while still conservative by the measure of many other races in Middle-earth). They enjoyed boating, an activity frowned upon by Shire-hobbits, and some of them could even swim.<br /> When the [[Bree-folk]] ventured to the Shire, Buckland was their usual destination (though some ventured as far as the Eastfarthing), and so was rather more cosmopolitan (in hobbit terms) than the rest of the land.<br /> <br /> Living under constant danger from the Old Forest, the Bucklanders were hardier and more suspicious than the usual Shire-hobbit. They were organised to deal with danger (through the famous Horn-call of Buckland), and they kept their doors locked at night, which was unusual in the Shire.<br /> <br /> <br /> [[Category:Buckland]]<br /> [[Category:Shire]]<br /> [[de:Bockland]]<br /> [[fi:Bukinmaa]]</div>

69.124.15.202 https://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=The_Shire&diff=70907 2008-09-15T04:51:18Z

<p>69.124.15.202: </p> <hr /> <div>{{kingdom<br /> | image = [[Image:fotr0066.jpg|300px]]<br /> | name = The Shire<br /> | meaning = <br /> | type = Thainship<br /> | hidep=yes<br /> | headofstate = [[King of Arnor]] (de jure), [[Thain]], [[Mayor of Michel Delving]]<br /> | executive = [[Shirriffs]]<br /> | legislative = <br /> | judicial = <br /> | capital = [[Michel Delving]] (de facto)<br /> | language = [[Hobbitish]]<br /> | location = Central [[Eriador]]<br /> | populace= [[Hobbits]]<br /> | currency = <br /> | religious = <br /> | holiday = <br /> | anthem = <br /> | formed = The westward migration of Hobbits led by [[Marcho]] and [[Blanco]]<br /> | established = [[Third Age 1600|T.A. 1600]]<br /> | reorganized =<br /> | fragmented = <br /> | dissolved = <br /> | restored = <br /> }}<br /> '''The Shire''' is the region that is occupied by [[Hobbits]]. It is located in the northwest of Middle-earth, in the 'continent' of [[Eriador]] and the Kingdom of [[Arnor]]. Its name in [[Westron]] was '''[[Sûza]]''' &quot;Shire&quot; or '''Sûza-t''' &quot;The Shire&quot;.<br /> ==Geography==<br /> According to Tolkien, the Shire measured 40 leagues (193 km, 120 [[Númenórean]] miles) from the Far Downs in the west to the Brandywine Bridge in the east, and 50 leagues (241 km, 150 miles) from the northern moors to the marshes in the south. This is confirmed in an essay by Tolkien (on the Languages of Middle-earth) wherein he describes The Shire as having an area of 18,000 square miles (47,000 km&amp;sup2;). In order for this figure to be accurate it must be assumed that the Shire was roughly rectangular in shape.<br /> <br /> The Brandywine ([[Baranduin]]) river bounds the Shire from the east. (Hobbits also live in ''Buckland'', which lies east of the river and west of the Hedge protecting the Shire from invasion from the [[Old Forest]]; however, Buckland was not formally recognised as part of The Shire until after the [[War of the Ring]], when it was granted officially to The Shire by [[Aragorn]] King Elessar.) From the north and the west The Shire has no topographical borders, but rather is bounded by the ancient south and east roads, and by vague geographical features such as the [[Tower Hills]].<br /> <br /> The Shire is described as a small but beautiful and fruitful land, beloved by its inhabitants. The Hobbits had an extensive agricultural system in the Shire, but did not proceed with industrialization. Various supplies could be found in the Shire, including cereals, fruit, wood and tobacco (a favourite treat of Hobbits). <br /> <br /> The Shire was quite densely populated in parts with many villages and a few towns, but it still was open enough to allow for wide forested areas and marshes.<br /> ==History==<br /> The Shire was settled by Hobbits in the year 1601 of the Third Age (Year 1 in Shire Reckoning). The Hobbits (who originally lived in the vale of [[Anduin]]) had migrated west over the perilous [[Misty Mountains]] in the decades before that, and before entering The Shire they had lived in [[Dunland]] and parts of the depopulated [[Arnor]]ian splinter-realms [[Cardolan]] and [[Rhudaur]]. It has been speculated that the Hobbits had originally moved west to escape the evils of [[Mirkwood]], and the trouble caused by the [[Easterlings]].<br /> <br /> [[Image:Ted Nasmith - One Morning Long Ago.jpg|thumb|left|250px|''One Morning Long Ago'' by [[Ted Nasmith]].]]<br /> The Shire was a part of [[Arthedain]], and as such a part of Arnor. The Hobbits got official permission from King [[Argeleb II]] at Norbury ([[Fornost]]) to settle the lands, which were not populated and seen as the King's hunting grounds. The Hobbits considered themselves as subjects of the King, and sent some support troops to the great battles Arnor fought against [[Angmar]]. After the fall of Arnor, the Shire remained a minor but independent political unit. <br /> <br /> Its small size, relative lack of importance, and brave and resilient Hobbit population made it too modest an objective for conquest. More important was that the Shire was guarded and protected by the [[Dúnedain]] Rangers, who watched the borders and kept out intruders. The only strangers to enter the Shire were the [[Dwarves]] travelling on the [[Great East Road]] that ran through the Shire to and from their mines in the [[Blue Mountains]], and the occasional [[Elves]] on their way to the [[Grey Havens]].<br /> <br /> This peaceful situation changed after [[Bilbo Baggins]]' acquisition of the [[The One Ring|One Ring]] in the year 1343 of the Shire Reckoning. Shortly after the beginning of the events described in [[The Lord of the Rings]] (autumn of the year 1419 in Shire Reckoning), the Shire was first visited by the Nine [[Ringwraiths]] and then captured by [[Saruman]]. It was liberated with the help of [[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]], [[Sam Gamgee|Sam]], [[Meriadoc Brandybuck|Merry]] and [[Peregrin Took|Pippin]] after the end of the Quest of the Ring through their victory at the [[Battle of Bywater]]. After [[Aragorn]]'s return as the King of [[Arnor]] and [[Gondor]], the Shire became a protected enclave inside the Reunited Kingdom. He is known to have issued an order that forbade the entrance of full-sized [[Men]] into the Shire.<br /> <br /> Its relatively peaceful existence during the perilous period preceding the defeat of [[Sauron]] can be attributed to the vigilance of [[Gandalf]] and [[Rangers of the North]] led by [[Aragorn]] who used daring tactics to keep evil at bay. However when these set out to a distant war, the Shire became essentially defenceless, which led to its capture. But the damage which Saruman caused by forced industrialization was undone by the Hobbits' efforts. The Shire was restored with soil from [[Lórien]], given to Sam by [[Galadriel]]. The year 1420 (SR) was considered by the inhabitants of the Shire to be the most productive and prosperous year in their history. <br /> ==Administration==<br /> Initially, The Shire was a part of Arthedain. The Hobbits considered themselves as subjects of the King and only after the fall of Arnor, the Shire became an independent political unit. <br /> <br /> The Shire was originally divided in four Farthings (''[[Northfarthing]]'', ''[[Southfarthing]]'', ''[[Eastfarthing]]'', and ''[[Westfarthing]]''), but [[Buckland]] and later the [[Westmarch]] were added to it. Within the Farthings there are some smaller, unofficial divisions such as family lands: the [[Took Family|Tooks]] nearly all live in or near Tuckborough in Tookland, for instance. In many cases a Hobbit's last name indicates where their family came from: [[Samwise Gamgee]]'s last name derives from ''Gamwich'', where the family originated. Outside the Farthings, Buckland itself was named for the [[Oldbucks]] (later [[Brandybuck Family|Brandybucks]]). See further ''[[Regions of the Shire]]''.<br /> <br /> Officials of the Shire were the '''[[Mayor of Michel Delving|Mayor]]''' of [[Michel Delving]] in the [[White Downs]] (by extension seen as the [[Mayor of the Shire]]), the '''[[Thain]]''' from ''[[Tuckborough]]'' who was the head of the important [[Took Family|Took clan]], and the '''[[Master of Buckland]]''' at ''[[Bucklebury]]''. While nominally the Thain ruled over the four [[Farthings]], in practice authority was so decentralized that the title was seen as more of a formality. The Mayor's chief duties were serving as postmaster of the Shire's mail service and presiding at fairs, while the Master controlled Buckland.<br /> <br /> [[Image:fotr0059.jpg|300px|left|thumb|The Shire in [[Peter Jackson's The Fellowship of the Ring]].]]<br /> The sole law enforcement officials in the Shire were the [[Shirriffs]]. Their job was to protect the Shire from trespassers more than anything. There were three in each Farthing, and were distinguished from &quot;civilians&quot; by a feather worn in their caps.<br /> <br /> ==Inspiration==<br /> {{quote|Though a Tolkien by name, I am a Suffield by tastes, talents, and upbringing, and '''any comer of that county [Worcestershire] (however fair or squalid) is in an indefinable way 'home' to me, as no other part of the world is.'''|[[Letter 44]]}}<br /> On Tolkien's maps, the Shire is located at about the same position as England is on modern European maps and has been cited as an example of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_England#Deep_England Deep England] ideology (of course, England being an island while Shire is inside the continent). Throughout the narrative, Tolkien also implies numerous points of similarity between the two, such as weather, agriculture and dialect. One can also see England as Tolkien's source of inspiration for the Shire in its very name.<br /> <br /> The industrialization of the Shire was based on Tolkien's witnessing of the extension of the Industrial Revolution to rural Warwickshire during his youth, and especially the deleterious consequences thereof. The rebellion of the hobbits and the restoration of the pre-industrial Shire may be interpreted as a prescription of voluntary simplicity as a remedy to the problems of modern society.<br /> <br /> ==See also==<br /> *[[:Category:Images of the Shire|Images of the Shire]]<br /> *[[Thain|Thains of the Shire]]<br /> <br /> <br /> [[Category:Shire]]<br /> [[Category:Eriador]]<br /> [[Category:Realms]]<br /> <br /> [[de:Auenland]]<br /> [[fr:encyclo:geographie:regions:eriador:comte]]<br /> [[fi:Kontu]]</div>

69.124.15.202 https://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Hobbits&diff=70906 2008-09-15T04:34:29Z

<p>69.124.15.202: </p> <hr /> <div>{{race<br /> | image= [[Image:Peter Jackson's Samwise Gamgee.jpg|250px]]<br /> | name= Hobbits<br /> | dominions= [[The Shire]], [[Bree-land]]<br /> | languages= [[Hobbitish]] (a regional dialect of [[Westron]])<br /> | height= 2-4 feet (often less than three feet in later days)<br /> | skincolor= Nut-brown to White<br /> | haircolor= Typically curly brown, rarely blond (until the [[Fourth Age]]), and white and grey in later years<br /> | distinctions= [[Gift of Men|Mortality]], diminuitive stature, furry feet<br /> | lifespan= c. 100 years<br /> | members= [[Marcho]] and [[Blanco]], [[Sméagol]], [[Bandobras Took]], [[Bilbo Baggins]], [[Frodo Baggins]]<br /> }}<br /> {{quote|In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.|[[An Unexpected Party]], [[The Hobbit]]}}<br /> '''Hobbits''' were a small race that typically dwelt underground, believed to be related to [[Men]]. They played little role in history, save during the [[War of the Ring]].<br /> <br /> ==Description==<br /> <br /> Hobbits are, or were, between two to four feet tall, the average height being 3 feet 6 inches, with slightly pointed ears and oversized furry feet with leathery soles, resulting in most never wearing shoes. They are fond of an unadventurous bucolic life of farming, eating, and socializing. Hobbits have a life span somewhat longer than Men of non-Numenorian descent, having an average lifespan of between 90 and 100 years (the two oldest-living recorded Hobbits are The [[Old Took]] and [[Bilbo Baggins]], who reached the ages of 130 and 131, respectively) The time at which a young Hobbit &quot;comes of age&quot; is 33, as compared to the human 21 years. Thus a 70 year old Hobbit would only be middle-aged. Hobbits also like to drink ale in inns, not unlike the English countryfolk, who were Tolkien's inspiration. We can also see that in the name Tolkien chose for the part of [[Middle-earth]] where the Hobbits live: [[The Shire]] (&quot;shires&quot; are administrative divisions in England of Anglo-Saxon origin).<br /> <br /> (Mealtimes, at least according to the [[Peter Jackson]] script adaptation of the novel, consist at least of the seven meals known as breakfast, second breakfast, elevenses, luncheon, afternoon tea, dinner and supper. Tolkien did say that Hobbits eat &quot;at least six meals a day when they can get it&quot;, but he didn't give their names.)<br /> <br /> ==Origin==<br /> Hobbits are evidently related to [[Men]], and are represented as a pygmy offshoot of that race. Their exact origin is unknown, but by the early [[Third Age]] they were living in the Vales of [[Anduin]] in [[Wilderland]].<br /> <br /> == Etymology ==<br /> <br /> Hobbits are also called ''[[Halflings]]'' (in [[Sindarin]], ''perian'' singular and ''periannath'' collective) due to their small stature. However, the term is slightly offensive to Hobbits, as to themselves they are not 'half' of anything, and certainly do not use the term to refer to themselves. Tolkien's etymology for 'Hobbit' is interesting as well: obviously constructed without prior intent, it would have been natural for him to connect it to the German prefix ''hob'' meaning ''small'' (e.g. ''hobgoblin''). However this prefix dates back &quot;only&quot; to the 13th century, too late by Tolkien's standards, and so he constructed an alternative etymology, from [[Old English]] ''hol-bytla'', &quot;hole-dweller&quot;. <br /> When later he began to work out the language relations further, ''Hobbit'' was to be derived from the [[Rohirric]] (actually [[Anglo-Saxon]] - which Rohirric parallels in Tolkien's universe) ''Holbytlan'' (hole builders). In the original [[Westron]], the name was ''Kuduk'' (Hobbit), derived from the actual Rohirric ''kûd-dûkan'' (hole dweller).<br /> <br /> According to Tolkien, the word ''hobbit'' was the first element of ''[[The Hobbit]]'' that he created. As a university lecturer, he was in the process of correcting reports when he started scribbling on a piece of paper and wrote, &quot;In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit&quot;, and the multitude of stories sprang from that. The idea of a little hole dwelling creature was introduced to Tolkien by one of his students in a story he had written.<br /> <br /> ==Some well-known Hobbits==<br /> * [[Bilbo Baggins]]<br /> * [[Frodo Baggins]]<br /> * [[Samwise Gamgee|Samwise &quot;Sam&quot; Gamgee]]<br /> * [[Meriadoc Brandybuck|Meriadoc &quot;Merry&quot; Brandybuck]]<br /> * [[Peregrin Took|Peregrin &quot;Pippin&quot; Took]]<br /> * [[Fredegar Bolger|Fredegar &quot;Fatty&quot; Bolger]]<br /> * [[Otho Sackville-Baggins|Otho]] and [[Lotho Sackville-Baggins]]<br /> * [[Old Took]]<br /> * [[Bullroarer|Bullroarer Took]]<br /> * [[Sméagol]] (who became the creature [[Gollum]])<br /> * [[Déagol]]<br /> <br /> <br /> Though in [[The Hobbit]] it is mentioned that [[Gandalf]] &quot;was responsible for so many quiet lads and lasses going off into the Blue for mad adventures,&quot; no female Hobbits are depicted in [[J.R.R. Tolkien|Tolkien]]'s stories doing so; however Hobbit women do appear in his works, such as the formidable [[Lobelia Sackville-Baggins]] and Sam's wife [[Rosie Cotton]].<br /> <br /> ==History==<br /> Historically, the Hobbits are known to have originated in the Valley of [[Anduin]], between [[Mirkwood]] and the [[Misty Mountains]]. According to [[The Lord of the Rings]], they have lost the genealogical details of how they are related to the rest of humankind. At this time, there were three '''Hobbit-kinds''', with different temperaments. The [[Harfoots]], the most numerous, were almost identical to the Hobbits as they are described in ''The Lord of the Rings''. The [[Stoors]] had an affinity for water, boats and swimming; the [[Fallohides]] were an adventurous people. (Both of these traits were much rarer in later days.) While situated in the Valley of the Anduin River the Hobbits lived close by the [[Eotheod]], the ancestors of the [[Rohirrim]], and this led to some contact between the two. As a result many old words and names in &quot;Hobbitish&quot; are derivatives of words in Rohirric, so much so that even someone without linguistic training could make out the relation (Merry would later write an entire book devoted to the relationship, ''Old Place Names in the Shire'').<br /> <br /> Some time near the beginning of the [[Third Age]], they undertook, for reasons unknown, but possibly having to do with the [[Dol Guldur|rising evil power in Mirkwood]], the arduous task of crossing the [[Misty Mountains]]. Some of the Stoors, however, stayed behind, and it is from these people that [[Gollum]] would come many years later. The Hobbits took different routes in their journey westward, but eventually came to a land between the River [[Baranduin]] (which they renamed ''Brandywine'') and the Weather Hills. There they founded many settlements, and the divisions between the Hobbit-kinds began to blur.<br /> <br /> Around the year 1600 of the Third Age, two Fallohide brothers decided, again for reasons unknown, to cross the River Brandywine and settle on the other side. Large numbers of Hobbits followed them, and most of their former territory was depopulated. Only [[Bree]] and a few surrounding villages lasted to the end of the Third Age. The new land that they found on the west bank of the Brandywine is called [[The Shire]].<br /> <br /> A map of the Shire and surrounding regions may be found at [[Eriador]].<br /> <br /> Originally the Hobbits of the Shire swore nominal allegiance to the last Kings of Arnor, being required only to acknowledge their lordship, speed their messengers, and keep the bridges and roads in repair. During the final fight against [[Angmar]] at the Battle of Fornost, the Hobbits maintain that they sent a company of archers to help but this is nowhere else recorded. After the battle the kingdom of Arnor was destroyed, and in absence of the king the Hobbits elected a Thain of the Shire from among their own chieftans.<br /> <br /> The first Thain of the Shire was Bucca of the Marrish, who founded the Oldbuck family. However, later on the Oldbuck family crossed the Brandywine River to create the separate land of Buckland and the family name changed to the familiar &quot;Brandybuck&quot;. Their patriach then became Master of Buckland. With the departure of the Oldbucks/Brandybucks, a new family was selected to have its chieftans be Thain, the Took family (Indeed, Pippin Took was son of the Thain and would later become Thain himself). The Thain was in charge of Shire Moot and Muster and the [[Hobbitry-in-Arms]], but as the Hobbits of the Shire led entirely peaceful, uneventful lives the office of Thain was seen as something more of a formality.<br /> <br /> ==The ontological nature of hobbits==<br /> [[Hobbits]] are considered Men in Tolkien's works. Nearly all Tolkien scholars agree that Men are closely related to [[Hobbits]], far more closely than Men are to either [[Elf|Elves]] or [[Dwarves]]. It is thus commonly assumed that Hobbits are among the Younger Children of [[Eru|Iluvatar]] and are the result of the same act of creation as Men. This would imply that Hobbits have the [[Gift of Men]] to pass entirely beyond [[Arda]], which also means that the avoidance of the Gift of Men in Hobbits, like in Men, can be physically and morally destructive. [[Sméagol]], who had originally been a Hobbit, was transformed into the monster [[Gollum]] by a combination of the evil of the [[One Ring]] and the resulting avoidance of the [[Gift of Men]]. [[Bilbo Baggins]] became &quot;thin and stretched&quot; from the immortality that the One Ring granted to him, since neither Men nor Hobbits are intended for immortality in this world. Men and Hobbits appear to have the same ontological nature, which is that they are the result of the act of creation that resulted in the Younger Children of [[Eru|Iluvatar]].<br /> <br /> == Usage outside Tolkien ==<br /> <br /> &quot;Hobbit&quot; is a trademark owned by the Tolkien estate, as are most of the names, places and artifacts included in books by [[J.R.R. Tolkien]]. For this reason [[Dungeons &amp; Dragons]] and other fantasy tend to refer to Hobbits and Hobbit-like races rather as '''Halflings''' (''hin'' in the Mystara universe, ''hurthlings'' in Ancient Domains of Mystery).<br /> <br /> The name ''hobbit'' had previously appeared in an obscure &quot;list of spirits&quot; by Michael Denham, which includes several repetitions. There is no evidence to suggest Tolkien used this as a source &amp;mdash; indeed he spent many years trying to find out whether he really did coin the word. Denham's &quot;hobbit spirits&quot; (which are never referenced anywhere except in the long list) have no obvious relation to Tolkien's Hobbits, other than the name (which may possibly imply hob- &quot;small&quot;, see below): Tolkien's Hobbits are small humans, not spirits. Nonetheless, some few people have suggested that the reference in the Denham list should invalidate the trademark.<br /> <br /> The lexeme ''hob'', meaning ''small'', is a root word for ''hobbledehoy'', ''hobgoblin'', and ''hobyah''. This may have influenced Tolkien's name; see '''[[#Origin|Origin]]''' above.<br /> <br /> ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homo_floresiensis Homo floresiensis]'', a possible species in the genus Homo (thus, related to humans) discovered in 2004, has been informally dubbed a &quot;hobbit&quot; by its discoverers due to its small size.<br /> <br /> [[Category:Races]]<br /> [[Category:Characters in The Hobbit]]</div>

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