Hobbits
Now, there is little if any real information I have to get population figures for the Shire so I have to play around a bit to get a guess. I tried to estimate based on the specific region – West Midlands – but I was unable to find enough good numbers to work with. My normal use of troop strength doesn’t work here, as a lot of the hobbits at Bywater came from outside the Shire and were not part of a formal mobilization. Given that the Shire is based off a region in England and for Gondor I use the base year of 1350, I will use the same 2.5 million figure as a starting point. But the Shire has a much smaller area than England, which is 50,301 sq. miles. This means that around 1350 England would have had an average population density of a little less than 50 people per square mile. If we take the size ranges for the Shire mentioned above and use the same densities, we get a population of the Shire between 894,615 and 1,063,598 hobbits.
If we pay attention, we can see the tactics I discuss play out a little in the books. In the books, the hobbits were frequently used in infiltration missions, intelligence gathering and other activities that would be very easy to shift to decapitation strikes and disrupting supply lines. Similarly, the only times we see hobbits wearing either plate or mail armor is when it was given to them or they were members of outside military powers. Swords and mail in the personal possessions of hobbits appears to be only occur for the wealthier hobbits and those most engaged in combat – basically only Frodo and Bilbo. Everyone else in the Shire appears to have only “dual use” items like utility knives and hunting bows – or pans in the case of Sam.
We do see the hobbits in the books and movies behave similar to what can be expected of them. Frodo and Sam carry the One Ring to Mount Doom in what amounts to a decapitation strike or an assassination of a head of state. They infiltrate enemy territory and bypass enemy defenses via stealth and cunning rather than brute force. Merry and Pippin helped push the ents to go to war against Isengard. Merry then rode with Eowyn and helped kill the Witch King – another powerful blow against Sauron. Pippin – against the wishes of Denethor – summoned the Rohirrim to Minas Tirith and helped save Faramir’s life. Both had serious positive implications for that battle. So it seems that even when their actions are not in public view or defined by massive battlefield heroics, they still did massive amounts of damage to Sauron to the point that he lost everything. Strategic level defeat and at least two operational defeats were directly the result of hobbit intervention. If I was a head of state, Gandalf would not be the only appearance that would cause me anxiety – hobbits would as well.
Basic Information
Anatomy
To start out with, hobbits start off with serious physical limitations – much reduced height and strength that hamper their ability to use more powerful weaponry and armor. It can be assumed that they would also be more vulnerable to damage and struggle in unarmed combat as well. Their height/weight is a major factor in that the larger foes they will be going up against would have more reach. The enemy has a much easier time killing hobbits before they get close enough to kill even if the enemy is simply using a sword.
A side effect of their reduced height is reduced weight. This has practical impacts for their weaponry as well. Should a sword be too big, swinging it can actually drag a person along with it out of sheer momentum. In order to counter that, moving your body back as the sword goes forward can work. But obviously this reduces reach. When that is already a problem, that tactic is not very appealing. Then there is attempting to anchor the fighter’s body. This has the problem of risking breaking the legs of the hobbit.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Their inspiration in the English countryside is reflected in the fondness for cake, drinking ale in taverns and potatoes as part of their diet. We know they have a fondness as well for boiled and mashed potatoes and putting them in stews.
Additional Information
Geographic Origin and Distribution
The Shire and its border regions.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Eyesight is also apparently above average, but not on par with the elves.
Civilization and Culture
Average Technological Level
Mainly medieval.
Common Dress Code
It is entirely possible that the hobbits might actually vary their gambesons for the season. So, the gambesons are thus most likely in my mind to be protection against workplace injuries and weather issues with the added benefit of being useful against random acts of violence.
Culture and Cultural Heritage
The culture and economy of the Shire is intentionally rustic and simple. The hobbits have little interest in the outside world and nothing of note that would draw the outside world to it.
Common Taboos
The weaponry used in the media include Sting, a long knife that in the hands of Hobbits was a short sword. It was made by elves and looted from the goblins by Bilbo, consistent with the idea that the hobbits would have little of their own purpose built weaponry.
They tend to be very suspicious of adventurers - as noted elsewhere Gandalf and Bilbo are outcasts for this reason.
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
In fact, they are insulate, suspicious of outsiders and distrustful of anything that disturbs the peace. In fact, Gandalf is disliked because he has a habit of getting people involved in adventures. Aragorn actually forbid all but hobbits from entering the Shire after he became king and incorporated the Shire into Gondor. The purity the Shire is presented as is often seen as inspired by the childhood memories of Tolkien’s rural childhood. The Hobbit uprising against the industrial regime of Saruman is also seen as a rejection of the sort of heavy industry that destroyed the real life inspiration for the Shire.
Lifespan
The first major thing to note is that they frequently live to be over 100 years old.
Conservation Status
Common
Average Height
But they are known for being short – between two and four feet tall.
Average Physique
Another interesting trait to me is that the skin on their feet are thick enough that they rarely wear shoes. Add in their good eyes, size and the fact they are relatively nimble and they are good at sneaking and stealth. This is a factor exploited greatly by Gandalf.
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