Hobbit

Hobbits are a race from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth universe which first appears in the book The Hobbit. They also play a major role in The Lord of the Rings.

The theological nature of hobbits

Hobbits are not considered Men in Tolkien's works. However, nearly all Tolkien scholars agree that Hobbits are closely related to Men, far more closely related than they are to either Elves or Dwarves. It is thus commonly assumed that Hobbits are among the Younger Children of 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. Smeagol, 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 "thin and stretched" 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 theological nature, which is that they are the result of the act of creation that resulted in the Younger Children of Iluvatar.

Related Topics:
Hobbits - Elves - Dwarves - Iluvatar - Gift of Men - Arda - Smeagol - Gollum - One Ring - Bilbo Baggins

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