Hobbits

Hobbit From Serst, a mean, lean, writing machine.

''In a hole in the ground, there lived a hobbit. . .''

A hobbit (plural: hobbits), or halfling (plural: halflings), is a race inhabiting the continent of Jehnvar. Their origins are unknown as they were discovered in a secluded area of Jehnvar. It is unknown how long they’ve inhabited the area and elvish records do not recall their presence. Hobbits are naturally short, coming in at the two to four-foot range, shorter than most dwarves. They have a longer lifespan than Men. Some hobbits have lived up to 130 years old.

It is unknown whether or not interbreeding is possible. Hobbits have been kept isolated and separate from the rest of Jehnvar. They are extremely similar in appearance to humans and, considering their proximity, they may be an offshoot of the human race.

Hobbits rarely engages in warfare and are a peaceful community that lives in an agrarian society. Their emphasis on peace and love of food has made the hobbits some of the most skilled cooks in all of Jehnvar.

= Appearance =

Hobbits have an abnormally short stature at around 2 to 4 feet tall. They are shorter than dwarves but are often known to be fatter. Hobbits live up to 130 years old but reach maturity around 30 years of age. Some of their facial features include a round head, soft eyes, and slightly sharp ears. Despite their elvish ears and dwarvish stature, hobbits are remarkably human-like.

Their hairstyles are often curly and short, ranging in colors from blonde to brown. Hobbits are very fond of bright colors and incorporate them into their wardrobe.

= Culture = Hobbits are an agrarian society whose sole communal purpose is to produce food. However, hobbits enjoy their work and take great pride in it, producing some of the best food in all of Jehnvar. Hobbits, though, do not only produce food. They also produce ale and wine and often throw extravagant parties to celebrate, with food, any occasion. They can be described as “merry” and “happy” at all times of the day and it is said that it is very difficult to bring down a hobbit’s mood. Hobbits prefer a peaceful lifestyle and only tend to mingle with their neighbors and rarely other races, especially humans.

Hobbits often live in small holes that are excavated into mounds or hills. These “hobbit-holes” are described as cozy. Their isolationist tendencies have bred a mentality that disproves of outsiders as they disrupt their peaceful lifestyles. As such, hobbits are not known to wander far from their settlements.

Language
Hobbits, like humans, speak Commonspeak1. This is one of the contributing arguments to the human-hobbit theory, although it can also be argued that hobbits only originate from the same lands as the humans where Commonspeak may have been a dominant language.

Technology
Hobbit technology is mostly limited to those used in farming. They utilize plows, hoes, sickles, shaduf, and various other simple agrarian technologies. Although hobbits are fully capable of developing other technologies, they don’t view any non-farming inventions as worthwhile because they prefer manual labor and satisfaction from hard work. With that being said, the hobbits do use water- and windmills.

Society
Their fondness of a bucolic lifestyle of farming, eating, and socializing, has created an enriching social environment for hobbits. A large portion of a hobbits’ socializing comes from the gathering for meals, of which they gather for seven meals per day, not including “tea time.” Otherwise, their social communities are not of much note. As previously mentioned, hobbits live in dugouts in hills and banks. This is not entirely true as some hobbits live in small, low-roofed homes.

= History = Hobbits’ written history is mainly recorded by Hartnid Mearer, who has written several volumes of 'The History of Wesketh', which can be found in Dolstead Library in the capital village of Dolstead in Wesketh.

''1: Commonspeak, or Jehvnar Commonspeak is equivalent to the real English language. Jehvnar Commonspeak can also be middle and old English, and various other closely related Briton languages.''