Hobbits: An (Almost) Complete Guide
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- Опубликовано: 4 фев 2025
- It's all about hobbits today! How Tolkien created the creatures, and why they're the most important thing in his stories.
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I am not at all the type to cry watching movies, and yet the scene in which everyone bows to the four hobbits never fails to make me emotional.
As I've gotten older, I cry at more and more movies. I think Return of the King might be the first time I cried at a movie, even as a kid when I originally saw it.
The scene that most recently made me cry during a movie was Gwen Stacy’s death in Amazing Spiderman 2
I cry for the last 2 hours of RotK haha
@@Jess_of_the_Shire There's quite a lot of scenes that pack a punch, but for me the "you bow to no one" scene takes the cake. Other than the scene at the Grey Havens, of course: one does not simply go through it without tearing up a bit.
Me too. Return of the King is the only movie that reliably makes me cry.
Ah, Bilbo! Bilbo was the first and he set a very high bar but Sam WAS the Hobbit. The poor guy who really was pitched into the story by his ear, by Gandalf. His loyalty only wavered once on the Stairs but only for a moment. No songs for Samwise Gamgee?!? He even finished the Red Book. ok, so my favorite was and is, Sam. Great job Jess, enjoy your reading in the next couple of weeks.
In the end Sam was the hero of the story. The books are different than movies of course but Sean Astin is my Samwais. I always brake down when Sam says 'I cannot carry the Ring for you but I can carry YOU' and lifts Frodo on his shoulders.
We all need a friend like Sam.
Actually Sam's daughter Eleanor finished the book, so it went another generation.
And that didn't even happen in the book (Peter Jackson's most unforgivable sin, as it didn't even make the film move faster). Sam and Frodo stuck together the whole time, including Shelob's lair. Sam got separated 'cause Gollum jumped him as Frodo panic-ran down the path after escaping the tunnel.
My Grandmother was a Hobbit, wee lady, fully grounded in the comfortable, and well-rooted life
Sounds like a lovely lady!
My best friend's Grandmother is a Hobbit. Cheers!
My paternal gran was sort of like a hobbit, she wasn't small but boy were her feet hairy 😂. Like we say in Suffolk, that's normal for Norfolk
Mine too!
@@balthazarasquithHa I love it! Almost sounds like "Well you know what they say about folk from South Farthing."!
Merry is my favorite. When Gandalf overthinks the riddle "speak friend, and enter" it is Merry who sees the answer. His wit, humor and everyman wisdom has always endeared him to me. Love your mug, my wife has the same one she still uses years later after I got it for her as an anniversary gift.
Team Merry rise up!
It's interesting to see Merry as an 'everyman' given that both Merry and Pippin are educated, wealthy country aristocrats.
The end, where Sam comes back and gets Elanor set on his lap and says "well, I'm back" always makes me cry. Even totally out of context, as here. My favorite hobbit is, perhaps boringly, Sam. But the heart of LOTR, to me, is the love between Gimli and Legolas.
I honestly think this is your best work! What a fabulous analysis of both Hobbits and the hobbit-ness in all of us. A couple of times I got a lump in my throat and had to dab a tear. Bravo!
Pippin was always my favorite hobbit. His inquisitiveness always seemed to get him into trouble. Story of my life: What does this big red button do? Now, at 60 years old, I relate more to Bilbo and his desire for home and hearth over adventure.
Thanks for the work you do and I'll look forward to seeing more next year.
Thanks so much! I'm quite proud of this one. And Pippin is a great choice! Definitely one of my favorites.
Yes, there comes a point where adventure is no longer fun. I wasn't to that point at 59, then I became ill* and lost the ability to do the work and play I enjoyed (residential Electrical and transporting the deceased).
If I am a home body it is because I can't stand most people. I do not like large gatherings of most kinds, unless I know and like all the people present (like family get togethers which used to top 32). I like the idea of parties and I make plans to go, but by the time it rolls round... I usually just stay home.
*not COVID, still COVID free despite never getting any injections and working in the Mortuary industry as a 'remover' and being exposed to COVID hundreds of times during 2020- 2022. The VA tests you before every hospital stay.
You are 60 so likely to get this. For quite a while as a child and teenager, one of my heroes was Oscar Madison. Fortunately, Mary Richards was one of my heroines.
So long as the devs making Tales of the Shire understand this, it should be good no matter what kind of game it ends up being
My mother absolutely loved Tolkien’s Hobbits and read all of the books after seeing Fellowship Of The Ring. After her cat passed away, she adopted a small dog whom she named Samwise, because he would be her best friend. I play D&D and when she passed away I felt a need to design a character based on her. Judith is a Hobbit(I know, halfling) paladin devoted to protecting her community. Thank you for your work on this.
Merry had been my favorite when I was younger and as I grew older I’ve grown fonder of Bilbo.
That's such a sweet story.
That's a lovely story! Thank you so much for sharing!
Yes, lovely story and interesting as just while I was watching this I thought to myself that I should name my next dog Sam.
Bro that's dangerous. Imagine Judith the halfling takes an arrow to the chest. That wouldn't feel great
Jess you are amazingly wise and empathic. Your talks on LotR are so deep and insightful. Thank you for being Jess of the Shire!
The Hobbits were certainly Tolkien's tribute to the simple, salt of the earth country folk of Victorian and Edwardian England, and it seems to me that he might have identified most with Frodo's unique position among them. Frodo is in many ways an "other," somewhat apart from his fellows, looking outward at the world beyond, much like Bilbo. And while he does go "there and back again," he finds no comfort upon his return. After his experience, he does not resume his place in the Shire in the way the others did. He can no longer appreciate that simple life, but instead feels that he has become distanced from it, and unable to ever fully experience it again. There is a clear sense of melancholy in it, which I suspect is a reflection of Tolkien's romanticized views on the "good old days." The Shire that Frodo knew before his adventure is like Tolkien's idea of "the way things were," and when presented with reality as informed by maturity and experience, neither Frodo nor Tolkien can access the comfort of that idealized world any longer. Thank you, as always, for providing a thoughtful and pleasant excursion into Middle-Earth. I look forward to hearing more of your ideas in the new year, and for many more!
I think it is tied to his experiences in WWI. While JRR survived intact, many did not. There were injured veterans who could no longer work or take part in normal life because they carried the stigmata of their experiences with them every day for others to see. Men who lost limbs, were disfigured, or simply could not work due to exposure to gas. In his way, Frodo is one of these walking wounded, with most of his wounds being healed, but still causing him physical pain. None of these are visible to the rest of the hobbits except Sam, Merry, and Pippin who know and understand why he suffers, but can do nothing about it. The same thing has been happening to soldiers through the ages who bear the emotional scars of seeing terrible things and suffering in ways civilians can never understand.
@@kevinsullivan3448 Tolkien was famously averse to overt allegory, and I think it's too on the nose to say Frodo's wounds = WW1 veterans' disabilities. While there are obvious similarities for us in hindsight, I think it's helpful to also look for other elements in the author's life that may have influenced how he formed his characters' perspectives.
I'd enjoy discovering the source(s) - if any - før Smeagol. Grendel is the only one I'm sure of, the only one I have found.
I'm going out boldly to state that my favourite hobbit is -in fact - Lobelia Sackville-Baggins, coming out of prison with her umbrella.
Excellent presentation Jess! My wife and I enjoyed it immensely. The capacity of an ordinary person to be capable of extraordinary courage when required is a hallmark of the human species. Another great writer, Umberto Eco, also capable of conjuring deeply meaningful stores from the medieval past, once said- "The real hero is always a hero by mistake; he dreams of being an honest coward like everybody else."
Ah, Eco! The Name of the Rose, conjuring Shakespeare’s- a rose by any other name- and also intwining the ‘smaller people as heroes’ motif. How sweet the smell, thy name is Imagery!
Eco felt that the kind of cultivated heroism that seeks heroic death was an element of "Ur-Fascism". He wasn't fond of it. The kind of heroes you could trust were the ones who had been backed into it because they had no choice.
Sam was my favorite, but his father and farmer Maggot deserve mention. By the way, one thing you didn't mention is that when a hobbit picks up a rock, a bad thing is about to happen to somebody or something, especially a rabbit nibbling on his lettuce.
“although they could occasionally be categorized as high” that was good Jess 😅
Ugh, the Sam coming home part literally had me in tears! Always gets me! He's my favorite literary character of all time!
This is one of the best analysis of the LOTR and the Hobbit that I have ever heard. Thank you!
I am so happy I discovered your channel a few weeks ago. You're a remarkable story teller and I love your dedication to the Tolkien mythos. Thank you for sharing your work with us!
I'm so glad you've been enjoying the channel! It's a pleasure to have you here.
Jess, you are a gem. My favorite hobbit was Bilbo when I was younger, much younger. This was because Bilbo introduced me to the stories and put me in the right frame of mind to enjoy them to the fullest. As I grew older and reread the stories, I realized that to me, Samwise Gamgee was my hero through his hard work, integrity, not easily earned loyalty, and enjoyment of the little things in life, whenever possible in a world where life literally could end at any moment.
Bilbo and Samwise are my favorite hobbits as well. Bilbo ran towards unknown adventures, so Frodo could walk into absolute peril. Sam Gamgee is the one who restores the decimated Shire to a new land of beauty, with the aid of some elf magic. He isn't a king, a warrior, or a wizard; just a gardener who loves watching the world grow. And an honorary mention must go to Fatty Bolger, who acted as a decoy for the terrifying Black Riders so Frodo and the others could escape unnoticed.
I enjoyed the video. Thank you, and Happy New Year!
Even Bilbo's nemesis, Lobelia Sackville-Baggins, gets a turn in the spotlight in the end.
Merry is easily my favorite. He is funny, but not ridiculously so like Pippin. He takes the time to learn things at Rivendell and helps slay the witch king. Also his friendship with Theoden is fantastic.
Very well done! A Merry New-Yule to you.
As for Hobbits, Tom Bombadil thought very highly of Farmer Maggot.
Maybe we should too.
Something about this being so well said had me tearing up a little and choking a bit.
Another excellent video, thank you. I love these books, before I retired I used to read them about once a year. It was a vacation for me, I was transported to Middle Earth in spirit.
I always find your videos much like returning home again. i have lived many lives, traveled, hungered, thirsted, toiled, been broken and healed again, and escaped many a close encounter with evils and man-made folly. and i'm only 30. but i feel as though it is, for me, people and books, which have always shown themselves in the end to be the closest thing to what can be described as "home" for me.
thanks again for a much-needed respite.
This by far your best, and most heart-felt, podcast to date. Congrats!
Never gave much thought to the etymology of the word “hobbit” because it always seemed like it had a pretty straightforward mythic origin. “Hob” also refers to the hearth, the home-so hobgoblins were house spirits, similar to brownies. The notion of the home makes a lot of sense to me when I think of Tolkien’s hobbits: their general love of staying home and not going off on any adventures, their longing to return home when they’ve had no choice but to go off on one, and the image of the shire as the ultimate symbol of home in all its cozy loveliness.
Great video! You give a wonderful introduction to Hobbits and Bilbo himself. I'd have to say my favorite Hobbit is Bilbo, followed by Sam and Merry. Of course Lobelia deserves honorable mention for standing up to "Sharky's" big men and leaving her fortune to help heal the hurts caused by Lotho and Saruman.
Hobbits are based on hobbits of folklore mentioned in the denham tracts. Tolkien may or may not have read it, but they were known in oral folklore.
The hobbits of Tolkien are made into a "person", but they keep some of their fairy-like/goblin-like traits. Tolkien includes a single reference to an in-universe idea that hobbits may have fairy-blood. I don't think he mentiona fairies anywhere else Lord of the Rings.
Sam is my favorite hobbit. The quest to destroy the one ring would have failed without him. And through it all, all he wanted was for Frodo (even more than himself) to make it safely back to the Shire.
That glee in your face when saying who knows where you might be swept off too was great lol
It was also very cute, even by half. Cute and that it was a great allusion to what Bilbo would say to his nephew, in reference to the path that ran outside Bag End's front door, when returning from a long walk.
Jess, I hope you don't think I was giving you flack about the last video! I brought up the Denham Tracts because it's a cool coincidence that the word "hobbit" existed before Tolkien. I wasn't trying to imply that Tolkien didn't create hobbits as we know them. They're very much his invention. It's just a fun trivia fact that the word existed in English folklore but no one knows what it referred to. And it makes hobbits seem that much more real to me, as if they actually existed at one time but all knowledge of them was lost over the centuries.
Bilbo is my favorite hobbit as well. I very much relate to his desire for a comfortable homebody life that gets interrupted by inconvenient and uncomfortable adventures.
I too had brought up the Denham tracts in Jess's video on Names of Middle Earth Explained, but that was more to do with a personal example of how we can unconciously retain names from years earlier. Didn't want to give Jess a hard time!
Haha, no worries at all friend! It gave me an opportunity to talk about them in more depth here! They really are such an interesting tidbit. Thanks for watching!
i just got to the video after watching the fellowship and shedding some tears for boromirs fight for the hobbits and frodos and sams departure... Jess, you cant do that to me rn :o
and now i heard i gotta wait till middle of jan for a new video... Take your time^^ ill watch all movies till then once again and will be better in the topic xD Have a nice rest after giving us all such a great insight and discussion point with your videos - guten rutsch(as we say in germany) and happy new year :)
Okay, I've seen comments about how good your explanation is, but your outfit looks so comfy! I'm jealous.
I only started watching LOTR a few weeks ago and immediately fell in love with it (and have just finished reading The Fellowship of The Ring, I know I am very late), I love the storytelling, the scenery (found it interesting that you said Tolkien pulled lots of nature into his work, and also that Tolkien had been through his own battles, something I can relate with on a different scale), but mostly I loved the Hobbits and this has helped me understand why! Thanks so much! I am a homebody, love home comforts, and am very small myself, and it’s the relatability that makes me feel so warm towards them. I don’t ever cry at films but I had tears in my eyes several times (Pippin singing and when they all said goodbye to Frodo). I think my favourite (and I say think because it’s sooo close) is Pippin, I just find him so funny and sweet, which is strange as I usually find the typical ‘funny’ character not to be my favourite! Also his character progression and how he grows and shows that despite being ‘silly’ he can be brave and do things other Hobbits haven’t. However Samwise is so very close second. Thanks for this, was really interesting :) ps a Pippin vs movie vid would be great if you fancy any suggestions :)
hobgoblin- the 'hob' is the fire place in a home. the term hobgoblin is more of a faerie creature like a brownie, who lives in a house near the 'hob' and likes to help out in return for his keep by the fire.
That's such a good point!
Hm, not quite, if Wikipedia is to be believed.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hob_(folklore)
They're more like "Bob" goblins!
And note well the "hobholes" of legend.
your key phrase there is 'if wikipedia is to be believed' @@RogertheGS
What a beautiful video. Even just your reading of the end of Return of the King made me tear up. Finishing a story always leaves me with a feeling of loss, especially if the book ends perfectly. The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows coined the term "looseleft" which means, "Feeling a sense of loss upon finishing a good book, sensing the weight of the back cover locking away the lives of characters you’ve gotten to know so well." I always think to how Sam must have felt at the end of the book. He is back home with his family that he loves yet his best friend in the world is gone. Plus, there's the huge catharsis that comes with the end of a journey. While for all intents and purposes, The Lord of the Rings ends about as happy as one could hope for, there's a bittersweetness to it. I think those are the best kinds of ending because it leaves you with an emotional conflict to wrestle with.
What a beautiful term that so perfectly describes the feeling! The ending to LotR is one of my favorites. It's just so bittersweetly complete.
I'm in the presence of scholars. I'm not making fun, I'm serious. Thank you, Jess and Mr reverie😊. I am always entertained, Jess, and I certainly learn from the substance of your presentations and the intelligent, informative comments! Well done everyone!!❤
Pippin is my favorite hobbit. So much so that's what I named my mini dachshund.
Thank you dear Jess for covering this. ❤
Hobbits are faschinating folk. As Gandalf said: One can learn everything you need to know about them in a month, yet after 100 years they still suprise you.
Back to our host, I adore your outfits everytime.
Of coure I love all the hobbits. Pippen is my favorite. His character arch is amazing he keeps silliness and wonderful sence of humor. I love your channel. Much love. J.
Love this one Jess! We are like hobbits…including the enjoyment of “food, cheer, and song.”
I like Merry. He's more competent than the others, finding ponies and provisions, in contrast to Frodo who doesn't even take enough money.
With The Hobbit, it's important that Bilbo starts off very child-like, with a child's limited knowledge of the world -- something Tolkien wrote about in On Fairy-stories. So it's a growing-up story as well as an adventure in Fairyland (everywhere beyond the Shire). I believe that "adventure" always has this special meaning in Tolkien.
Yes! Merry likes to be well prepared but still comes off as nonchalant about it instead of controlling or stressed out. Like he doesn't even bother talking about the maps he studied in Rivendell until he and Pippin find themselves lost in Fanghorn. Even then it was like, no worries, I've got this. I like that - both competent and chill and able to make light of things.
I think my favorite is when he's given the orc draught and the first thing he does upon waking up is to ask the orcs about "bed and breakfast." So cheeky 😂
15:30 - That noble quote makes the Scouring of the Shire all the more bitter when Sam says "This is worse than Mordor! It comes home to you, like. Only it really comes TO your home" and Frodo responds: "Yes. This is Mordor; or one of its workings"
I was introduced to Tolkien now, in my mid-20s, and oh, how much I adore this universe! It's truly a delight. Thank you for the video.
Thank you, Jess. Have a Happy, Hobbity, New Year. 💙💙
There is the original artifact in regards Tolkien's use of the word Hobbit, and that is the test paper on which his famous words were written. Are students given back their test papers, or do the schools retain them? It probably has long since been either burnt or thrown away, but I do sometimes have the fantasy that this test paper is found in an attic somewhere, and its existence comes to light. What a museum piece that would be!
Part of my holiday was watching the Lord of the Rings trilogy (extended editions) with friends, and rereading The Silmarillion. So I'm in a Tolkien kind of mood these days. This video fits right in with all that. Interesting stuff, cool video!
That's a lovely way to spend the holidays! Thanks for watching
That was a super positive spin on it, you completely omitted the fact Tolkien also strongly disliked aspects of Hobbits and their culture (I guess that falls under the 'almost' bit of your title), based as they were on the rural mindset he grew up amongst - in Letters Tolkien also talks about how even Sam could just have been unbearable n his convictions had it not been for the influence of Bilbo and others and his experiences, his father the Gaffer is a character Tolkien presents very mixed, whilst Tolkien clearly has some fun with Gaffers dialogue, particularly after they come home, it's his hobbitness that annoys Tolkien, his home spun wisdom, his thinking that if you ignore the outside world and just do what you have always done everything will be as it should be - that narrowness of thought, that reliance on well it's what we've always done, or the more insidious class notion that you shouldn't get mixed up in things that are outside your everyday knowledge, even learning to read falls into this category for the Gaffer and many like him in the Shire, just trying to learn or better yourself is suspicious behaviour. Or the lack of imagination it can foster in people like Sandyman, or the greed and duplicity of Lotho or Lobleia's snobbery and pride and sense of self-importance, the gossiping about others with too little information that goes in the pubs - all these aspects of hobbits Tolkien put in there but says he dislikes strongly - they are a sort of village rural mindset he had a strong dislike for. I think people often miss this element of criticism of hobbits and their society that is itself a criticism of a certain way of thinking Tolkien encountered growing up and greatly disliked.
And yet, in real life, Tolkien virtually never travelled outside of England. He had it in for modernism, and what he believed its capital to be, the United states. Yet he never traveled to America, or to North America for that matter. Perhaps he was not quite so disgusted, disappointed or turned off by provincialism?
@@RingsLoreMaster Not sure avoiding America counts for much, so do I, third world country masquerading as first world. Tolkien however grew up in South Africa, travelled in Europe, particularly loved Switzerland and the Alps which inspired the Misty Mountains, obviously he was in Europe for the war, he enjoyed holidaying in Italy and Spain. And of course in terms of his professional life he had many acquaintances from all parts of the globe. So not sure why you think he did not travel outside of England.
As for having it in for modernisation, that's a common misconception about him, he was for example an enthusiastic if completely erratic car driver, though by the 60's he was increasingly concerned about pollution and was ahead of the curve on environmentalism, but that doesn't mean he was anti progress, he was anti many of the purposes to which mechanism was put, but he was generally not opposed to it in and of itself. It is like the difference in LotR's itself between the 'fire' inspired by Gandalf through the ring he bears which kindles hope and brings warmth versus the fires of Mordor which only consume and harm. They are both fire, it's the use of them which Tolkien makes the distinction between. So too with the products of progress. It's not the progress nor the product s which are the issue, but the uses to which they are put.
Thank you so much! I'm really glad I found your channel this year. Your cozy video style and its inherent hobbityness (?) made me comfortable with reading - and more importantly *writing* - again, after a year long drought. You just remind me how much I love a lived in fantasy world and how important (healthy) escapism is to me. Thank you! ❤
The use of the Rohirric 'holbytla' comes to mind in the context of the etymology of hobbit, when Merry is summoned to wait upon Theoden King. As Rohirric would appear to be in parallel descent from proto-Germanic as it resembles Old English, its development into hobbit as used by the inhabitants of the Shire makes good linguistic sense. As Tolkien probably intended.
Another wonderful commentary on the lore. Thanks. ...and I love your outfit, as usual.
I love your blanket behind you. Please do a video where you tell us a story while you tie the knots. People might be interested to see how easy they are to make and why they become a favorite for self or gifting. Thank you for always keeping the spirit by dressing the part!!
I was about to ask about what Tolkien may have remembered of the Industrial Revolution. I certainly long for a quieter, greener world.
there is one story about Tolkien returning to the place he moved to as a child when going from South Africa to England in 1895 as a 3 or 4 year old child, when returning to that home years later as an adult seeing the urban sprawl and industry grown up consuming the natural green world around the small town he had lived in as a young child new to life in England.
He definitely saw its impact. At a young age he had to move from the countryside into a rather industrialized city, and this seems to have had quite the effect on him.
Jess, Bloenfontein. That was JRRT's first home leaving. He never returned.
@@RingsLoreMaster she is talking about the place he grew up in England, when he returned there as an adult
@@gawkthimm6030 I Am afraid my answer was too short and not too sweet. Jess mentioned the hobbits leaving home and how that may have influenced JRRT.
I merely pointed out that the home leaving she mentioned was not his first. IMHO the first was the most stressful on account of his father's death in Bloenfontein, separated from his family. And the young Ronald separated from his dad.
I am a Sam fan especially when he and Frodo go road trippin' to Mordor, but I want to give a shout out to Merry Brandybuck, the mini Strider of the halflings. Merry is the only hobbit who is not an outdoor noob. Despite the enchantment of the Old Forrest and Old Man Willow and the curse on the Barrow Downs, Merry manages to get the hobbits to Bree (with a BIG assist from Master Tom). After checking in at the Prancing Pony he "goes for a stroll" and eavesdrops on a Ringwraith until the Black Breath sets in and lives to tell about it. Oh, and he also plunges a magic dagger into the back of the Witch King's knee, allowing his lovely lethal lady companion to serve up a face full of steel to the Morgul Lord. Not bad for a boy from Buckland!
I had completely forgotten that Hobbit are described as all having Curly hair. I didn't know why they were always depicted as such.
Great piece! Enjoy your Hobbity Holidays!
Bravo! Excellent analysis in this episode, well done!👏👏👏👏
Thank you for this video! It was a lovely way to relax and learn about one of my favorite types of people. 😊
As I recall, Tolkien did a lot of philological excavation, in working out what words in Old English would have been if they hadn't been forgotten and never written down in any of the remaining historical documents and fragments that Philology could draw on, from the first principles of how the language worked in related cases. So he comes up with Emnet as the Anglo-Saxon word for steppeland that would have come into common use if the Anglo-Saxons had followed the Goths onto the Trans-Eurasian steppe and become horselords, i.e. Rohirrim. Likewise with "Saruman", which was extrapolated from two reference to Saru-making, meaning cunning technical craftmanship of some kind that was remarkable and somehow sinister compared with other craftsmanship. So Saruman becomes a Wizard of technology who has become dehumanised and started to see people as tools to be improved by magical science and controlled public speaking magic. The latter something like the creepy science of manipulating people with words and vocal tricks used by PUAs and NLP practioners, but used on Hillmen and Goblinmen and Uruk-hai, and as taught to Wormtongue used on Rohirrim, instead of used on young women to overcome their inhibitions or on vulnerable people desperate for help with anxiety and career progression.
Hobbits allowed Tolkien to import recognisably modern people, in particular modern English middle class people who have drawing rooms and larders and send and recieve letters twice a day and get to eat Elevenses and employ gardeners, into the world of iron-age epic storytelling.
One thing that Tolkien and Lewis thought about often, was something that Marx observed, which is the way that different stages of technology and social organisation create the possibility of different lifestyles and different beliefs about the world. So another purpose of Hobbits was as an example of the different ways of being pertaining to different ages, and to show that while the modern man may not have all the virtues and strengths of the ancients displayed by the Rangers and the Elves, for instance, with their attention ot honour, honesty, courage and willingness to seek death if necessary in devotion to honour and so forth, that they have other virtues and strengths that the ancients may not have considered, like the Hobbits' stoicism and defiant cheeriness in the face of peril and despair, their endurance and ability to persevere, and the health and confidence, perhaps undue confidence, that lives of comfort growng up in the Shire/late 19th century England enabled them to have, as well as various kinds of knowledge which the ancients did not have or set little store in.
My beautiful boy died of cystic fibrosis before thirty but he loved hobbits. so do I. Thank you Jess.
I'm so sorry for your loss. I'm glad I could share a bit of hobbit-ishness with you!
There is an air of Rivendell about you. Thank you for your kindness. We should all aspire to good hobbits. On Christmas Day I gave a very small bottle of wine to the wheelchair bound and completely alcoholic homeless. It was a judgement call. I am still trying to work out what Frodo would have done. Probably have thrown him into a volcano. Tolkien has been an influence and I adore your work. I hope it is not overly importunate but I wish you all the best for the New Year. Travel well.@@Jess_of_the_Shire
Bilbo is my favorite, for sure. And he's my favorite to draw, because i have a very clear mental image of the old boy.
I would have to say Sam is my favorite hobbit. I understand that may be the common response, but when it comes to hobbits I believe common is more than acceptable. I hope you had a merry Christmas, and will have a very happy new year!
I walk and I move things.
I have been told I am Samwise Gamgee. I am not the one who comes up with the ideas, I tend to be reluctant to go outside my comfort zone, but I stick by my friends, and if whatever involves picking something up and moving it, I am the guy to have along.
While I love both The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings trilogy, I do prefer The Hobbit. It is a much lighter story, and an easier read. That said part of the brilliance of the Lord of the Rings trilogy is that it makes you feel the weight and stress of what they go through. It wears you down.
Great video. :)
We are viewing extended versions of the LOTR trilogy at the local Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. Tonight will be the Return of The King. Your commentary is spot-on. Sometimes we have to leave to see what we have of value...
Incredible video. Your passion for hobbits is very contagious.
I like Fredegar Bolger. He was part of the conspiracy and his role was to stay behind to keep the charade that Frodo was still in the Shire. His role proved to be more dangerous than anticipated.
I find it funny that Tolkien described the Shire in the Hobbit, long before he came with a name for it in the Lord of the Rings.
He's a good one! Definitely underrated.
This was a fantastic analysis.
Another brilliant video Jess. Gaffer Gamgee is my favourite hobbit, the most hobbity of all hobbits.
With the most hobbity of names: Hamfast = Home-bound (as in "tied to home" rather than "headed for home").
I agree with the thumbnail, Sam is Tolkien's greatest creation
Hi, Jess, I don't know if it were my comment you were specifically talking about at the beginning of the video about the Denham Tracts, but just in case you were, I just wanted to clarify that it wasn't meant to be flack against you at all. I agree with everything you said, that Tolkien did invent hobbits because what Denham would have thought of when he heard the word would bear no relation with what moderns after Tolkien think. I just found it an interesting puzzle piece in the etymology of the word which may have lodged itself unconsciously in Tolkien's mind only to resurface later as he drew from the great fountain of his own imagination. If it was my comment that upset you, I just wanted to clarify and apologize.
Thanks Jess! It’s always sublime to find a new post from your cozy, hobbit hole- the depth of analysis and passion for the subject, shines through every time!
So well done . Thank you so much dear Jess of the Shire. So well done . You are my favorite Hobbit.
I really enjoyed this. Perhaps by describing Hobbits dislike for adventure and the unexpected Tolkien is preparing himself and us for the "you shouldn't engage in fantasy, just care for the real and mundane". Because in the end, after having ventured into a world of monsters, magic, beauty and epic struggle we hopefully return to our own lives and see them a bit differently and even learn to appreciate them a bit more.
Fool of a took. Great video, looking forward to checking out your other videos
Your understanding of not just what was said about the hobbits but the very word choices used brought all of Middle Earth to life. I also feel an odd want just to enjoy my own home more.
Pippin has a special place in my heart because I feel like I’d be just about as competent as him if I had to go on an adventure like LOTR. So I think he’s my favorite 😂
1. As someone with long, curly hair myself I commend your curls, Jess! You look very cozy in your getup.
2. Frodo: "HELP US, GANDALF! The Shire is in danger!"
Gandalf: "Well, sucks to be you! I'm sure you can take care of it."
3. I think that weather people consciously think about it or not, the inherent sense of empathy in LoTR is what has helped it persevere when many other fantasy series are often niche and/or forgotten. A lot of anti-Tolkien fantasy writers like Michael Moorcock tend to overlook that aspect in their supposed takedowns of Tolkien's work and (perceived) views. Although the baseline politics of Moorcock's 'Epic Pooh' and 'Starship Stormtroopers' are commendable, I have since come to be a tad weary of some of the assessments made regarding Tolkien in them seeing as Moorcock may have read between the lines a bit too much.
4. A bit of a tangent here but Tolkien reportedly hated Dune and a video discussing why that was could be more than interesting.
5. I'm really looking forward to the 19th! Can you tease what that video will be about?
6. THAT MUG IS GORGEOUS!!! Did it have tea or coffee in it?
Yes, Jess, tell us why Dune fails.
@@AdDewaard-hu3xk The podcast Moviestruck has an episode on the recent Dune film that nicely compares it to the source material and goes over the pros and cons of each version. Dominic Noble also has a couple of Dune related videos.
Alas my hair is only wavy naturally...I'd love it if it was a bit more curly, haha! LotR is such a deeply empathetic story that paints a very kind world. It's not to everybody's taste, but it certainly makes it stand out. I will definitely be doing a video on Tolkien vs Dune in the future! the video on the 19th is...currently up in the air lol. Hopefully I'll figure it out by then! The mug is hand-made and from a renn-faire! It's one of my faves. And this time I had some tea, though honestly, I usually just drink hot water in videos lol
@@Jess_of_the_Shire Admittedly curly hair is a bit high maintenance, so perhaps you may be better off haha. I very much look forward to the Dune video and one of the Christmas presents that I got this year was "The Spice Must Flow: The Story of Dune, from Cult Novels to Visionary Sci-Fi Movies" by Ryan Britt, which could be helpful to you if you're interested. The fact that the mug is hand-made is awesome and further proves just how skilled and talented you are!
I am fond of Frodo. He has a certain elvish-ness about him. He loves the Shire, but also learns about and speaks with the elves. And when he is on his journey, he does make some special choices, like abandoning the fellowship and giving mercy to Gollum. That it ends sadly, with him being unable to give up the Ring and not finding happiness in the Shire, but also happily, with him going to the Undying Lands, makes it a beautiful character arc to me.
Great summary. Thanks for the wonderful analysis--happy 2024!
Jess, one of the amusing things about Hobbits is how they have leapt out of literature and into science. As you may be aware, a few years ago there was a discovery in Indonesia if some short early humanoids. This species was quickly nicknamed "Hobbits", which lead the press around the world to have a field day. And i believe that it's scientific name includes a Latin version of Hobbit.
Happy New Year Jess!
You are the most beautiful fantasy nerd on earth and I wish you a long reign.
Once again your brilliant video has exceeded my expectations. You always affect me deeply. I do not have the words for how wonderful I think your efforts are. Happy New Year!
Wonderful commentary!🥰 Thank you, from your newest subscriber in Minneapolis, Minnesota, for sharing your wise insights.🙂 Much appreciated! 😊
And~~Happy New Year to you!
🙏🌿🕊🌿💚🌿🕊🌿🙏
Hey Jess,
Your videos are incredibly well done and super interesting! A Sam Gamgee book vs movie video would be awesome! And also the topic that Sam was the real hero of the story in Tolkin's own opinion would be a great video topic!
" a hobbit often feels more than his perceived reality"
I loved this video so much! Thank you for explaining so many things! My favourite Hobbit is Pippin Took😅but Sam and Bilbo are close after him.
im not gunna lie it would be fun to hear a perspective from you on a deep dive in the original Willow universe, Also because Hobbits and Brownies are my favorite wee folk
Bilbo is he greatest of course. He set the path of leaving the Shire for adventure. His quest was less daunting than Frodo's, but no one he knew had ever left the Shire before. This provided the (role-)model for Frodo when he had to leave.
Fatty Bolger is my favorite. Not going to lie it is because of his name in part. But he plays a huge role in the books. Not for the rest of the story as a whole but in the hobbits journey both there and back again as you so eloquently put
Though he doesn't get a lot of time in the story, farmer Maggot is my favorite.
When I was a child Pippin was my favourite Hobbit. He always seemed to be getting into trouble because he acted rashly, without thinking or with incomplete information. But he was a good and brave person. Defending the white city and noticing that Faramir was still alive. Shielding his mind against Sauron with the Palantir.
As I've gotten slightly older I like Merry more. He matures quickly, thinks fast and is unendingly brave. It feels like the bigger picture is much clearer in his head than Pippins.
I predict that as I get older still I'll settle on Sam. Good, solid dependable Sam who loves his home more than anything
I long to live as comfie as Jess is dressed in this video. I'm quite fond of Mr. Meridoc Brandybuck, just a little guy who likes pipe weed and beer and many meals a day. Thrust into battle among men, and no; who fear not death's sting.
Outstanding work. Love it.
Well, subscribed!
I once reas an analysis of Homer, that the Iliad is a book about adventure, glory and leaving home, and the Odyssee about how much you want to return back home once you leave. Since Tolkien obviously was familiar with classic literature, I wonder if this is something that inspired him, deep in his subconcious. And of course, there are parallells in what Odysseus has to do once he his back home, and the scouring of the Shire.
What an excellent essay on the nature of Hobbits! You did an excellent job with this analysis, keeping it simple but with just the right amount of depth. I appreciate your research and your thoughtfulness and I especially appreciate your love for these wonderful creatures and how much they truly are - us! The best of us! Happy New Year and let’s all try and embrace the Hobbit-ness in us all in the coming year! Thank you for this!
i think I like Pippin, but Samwise is always a favorite
Yesterday I watched a movie where the video was recreated to match old recordings from ww1 veterans, mostly underage teens who lied about their age to enter the British army for the war. The attitude you described for hobbits matches the attitude they themselves describe. There is a job that must be done for their homeland so they do it.
As for hobbit’s size, there are old stories of little people that can’t be disproved, even if they can’t be proven either. Supposedly one of the island groups between Scotland and Norway had little people who built their homes partly underground and covered with sod who were killed off by Vikings.
You had the video about your LOTR marathon. Dec 31 we are having one at my brother’s house as no one is working this Sunday New Year’s Eve.
That sounds like a wonderful movie! There's so much of Tolkien's own life experiences that we can see reflected in his stories. Enjoy your marathon! Happy new year to you and yours!
Was it They Shall Not Grow Old?
That was also Peter Jackson's doing ... a strange connection!
I think it was that one
That is a VERY COOL costume you are wearing! Its the most HOBBITY I've seen you wear ...but then, I've only seen 5 videos :D
Thank you 😊 Best video you've done so far
Great content, Wonderfully conveyed, Lovely!
Excellent video Jess. Have a happy and hobbity New Year.
My favorite hobbit is probably Rosie.