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.

Usage outside Tolkien

"Hobbit" 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 & Dragons and other fantasy tend to refer to Hobbits and Hobbit-like races rather as Halflings (hin in the Mystara universe, hurthlings in ADOM).

Related Topics:
Trademark - J. R. R. Tolkien - Dungeons & Dragons - Halfling - Mystara - ADOM

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The name hobbit had previously appeared in an obscure "list of spirits" by Michael Denham, which includes several repetitions. There is no evidence to suggest Tolkien used this as a source — indeed he spent many years trying to find out whether he really did coin the word. Denham's "hobbit spirits" (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- "small", 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. See Hobbit (Denham) for more discussion.

Related Topics:
Michael Denham - Hobbit (Denham)

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The lexeme hob, meaning small, is a root word for hobbledehoy, hobgoblin, and hobyah. This may have influenced Tolkien's name; see Origin above.

Related Topics:
Lexeme - Hobbledehoy - Hobgoblin - Origin

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Homo floresiensis, an extinct species of humans discovered in 2004, has been informally dubbed a "hobbit" by its discoverers.

Related Topics:
Homo floresiensis - Extinct - Species - Human - 2004

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