When they had dried in the sun, which was now strong and warm, they were refreshed, if still sore and a little hungry. Soon they crossed the ford carrying the hobbit , and then began to march through the long green grass and down the lines of the wide-armed oaks and the tall elms. Bilbo could not swim this was established earlier in the narrative.
And even though fords are usually shallow, some swimming may be necessary. There is also the chance that one might be swept away by a rapid current. Clearly, the Dwarves were comfortable crossing the river at this point.
In fact, earlier in the story, when they were still in the Lone-lands Eriador , the Dwarves had to recover one of their ponies after it fled into a river. But where do the Dwarves actually swim?
They also wear armor when they go to war. Armored Dwarves are no more likely to float than armored Men — and our history is filled with many stories of thousands of men drowning because their armor pulled them down into rivers and seas. Can Dwarves Swim? Have you read our other Tolkien and Middle-earth Questions and Answers articles? Your email:. In historical times the ability to swim was not widespread. In modern times swimming is more widespread, at least in the industrialized world.
Dwarves should be the same way. Erebor and Moria were both bordered by water, and I think Belegost was also, so even when the Dwarves were settled in a kingdom and not wandering, they had need to save themselves from drowning. Certainly, the generation after Thorin and Balin who grew up with an expectation of roving would find swimming useful. Our closest genetic relatives, chimpanzees and gorillas, are very poor swimmers, due to their greater body density. Humans have an unusually high percentage of body fat, even lean athletic humans, compared to most land-swelling mammals.
Muscle is much denser than fat, which is why rendering fat in boiling water works, fat floats, muscle, cartilage, and bone sink.
I would suspect that dwarf bodies are denser than humans, and they would have problems swimming, just as the apes do, and would have to work to stay afloat. This Website does not collect personally identifying information for the sake of processing user data. Org earns commissions from qualifying purchases. Skip to content. Many fans and gamers believe that Dwarves are too heavy to float in water. There is no basis for this idea in J. Hobbit feet are hairy, but not necessarily over-sized.
Tolkien may have popularized many of the stereotypes we associate with Elves and Dwarves but he did not invent them. He took these from existing folklore and legend.
Conversely, the hairy-footed heroes considered in this list were, in fact, entirely his own creation. Tolkien first wrote about the Hobbit creature and the company Middle-earth Enterprises owns the trademark.
We all know what they really mean, though. In , diminutive humanoid skeletons were discovered in Indonesia. Almost 18,years-old, it is difficult to be certain of anything about these fellows. Scientists believe the Homo floresiensis might represent one of the earliest forms of human but there is still debate as to where the "hobbits" fit on the evolutionary tree. They seem to have disappeared before or around the time that modern humans arrived on the scene. We may not know if these "hobbits" liked fireworks or ate second breakfast, but, if nothing else, it is a shame Tolkien is not around to comment on the exciting discovery of real-life versions of his fictions heroes.
Fredegar "Fatty" Bolger is not a household name, but in some ways, Fatty resembles all of us more than the Hobbits who joined the Fellowship. He attempts to keep up the appearance of normality and delay the news of the Fellowship's departure. Fatty was almost persuaded to join them on the way to the Old Forest but he was too afraid. Ultimately, Fatty turns out to be one of the unsung hero of the story. It is a shame that he was not featured in the movies more. At this time there were three different types of Hobbit.
The Harfoots were the most numerous. They resemble most closely the sedentary, hole-dwelling farmers as described in The Hobbit. The second most numerous were the Stoors. These had an affinity for water and their lifestyle revolved around boats, swimming, and fishing.
Finally, the Fallohides were the fewest but also the most adventurous of the Hobbits. They lived in the woods under the Misty Mountains. Frodo, Pippin, and Merry had Fallohide blood through their common ancestor, the infamous Old Took, which might explain their more daring tendencies.
The fact that Hobbits eat an impressive number of meals a day is indisputable. In the movies, the Hobbits describe how they eat breakfast, second breakfast, elevenses, luncheon, afternoon tea, dinner, and supper.
Except of course when they are questing to save Middle-earth. Or perhaps he was exaggerating. Everyone knows that Samwise is the real hero of the Lord of the Rings. Practical, dependable, and cheerful, Sam carries the One Ring when he believes his friend is dead but immediately gives it back when he discovers him alive. He literally carries Frodo to Mount Doom. And he cooks a mean rabbit stew.
Fittingly, Sam receives the happy ending that his heroic actions deserve as he gets the girl and is elected to office. When he returns to the Shire, he marries his sweetheart, Rosie Cotton, and has thirteen children. He is made Mayor of the Shire, an important title among Hobbits, and serves seven consecutive terms.
After his wife dies, Sam leaves for the Grey Havens, following Frodo. Many of our once immature characters are now battle-hardened and wiser for their trials. Several of them marry, with Pippin settling down to wed Diamond of Long Cleeve. The couple give birth to a son, who they name Faramir. Pippin becomes Thain of the Shire. The Thain was the military leader of the Shire, first held by Bucca of the Marish, who founded the Oldbuck family. Later this title became hereditary, the Thain being chosen from the powerful Took family.
Often seen as comic relief in the movies, Peregrin Took is the youngest of the Hobbits and can be a little bit hapless. Not bad for a fool of a Took. Like many a heroic protagonist, Frodo Baggins is an orphan. Frodo spent his adolescence living with his maternal family in Brandy Hall. When he turned 21, his cousin Bilbo adopted him and he came to live at Bag End. Although Frodo refers to Bilbo as uncle, they are really first and second cousins.
Bilbo had spent his life a bachelor, becoming fond of his young cousin and deciding to leave his amassed wealth to the for a Hobbit adventurous youth.
The Hobbit movies invent warrior elf-maiden, Tauriel, to inject a female presence into a story essentially about short, bearded soldiers stealing jewelry.
It is true that The Hobbit has no main female characters. However, there are definitely female Hobbits. Although women are given very little development in the story, Hobbit society is not necessarily male-centric. Despite there being very few named female Hobbits, they are described as possessing a similar autonomy in the community as male Hobbits and Tolkien mentions several women who ruled as Matriarch of their families.
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