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Hobbit (word)
The word ''hobbit'' was used by J. R. R. Tolkien as the name of a race of small humanoids in his fantasy fiction, the first published being ''The Hobbit'' in 1937. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'', which added an entry for the word in the 1970s, credits Tolkien with coining it. Since then, however, it has been noted that there is prior evidence of the word, in a 19th-century list of legendary creatures. In 1971, Tolkien stated that he remembered making up the word himself, admitting that there was nothing but his "nude parole" to support the claim that he was uninfluenced by such similar words as ''hobgoblin''. His choice may have been affected on his own admission by the title of Sinclair Lewis's 1922 novel '' Babbitt''. The Tolkien scholar Tom Shippey has pointed out several parallels, including comparisons in ''The Hobbit'', with the word "rabbit". Use by Tolkien Proposed etymology By Tolkien's own account, the coining of the name ''hobbit'' was a spontaneous flash of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hobbit
Hobbits are a fictional race of people in the novels of J. R. R. Tolkien. About half average human height, Tolkien presented hobbits as a variety of humanity, or close relatives thereof. Occasionally known as halflings in Tolkien's writings, they live barefooted, and traditionally dwell in homely underground houses which have windows, built into the sides of hills, though others live in houses. Their feet have naturally tough leathery soles (so they do not need shoes) and are covered on top with curly hair. Hobbits first appeared in the 1937 children's novel ''The Hobbit'', whose titular Hobbit is the protagonist Bilbo Baggins, who is thrown into an unexpected adventure involving a dragon. In its sequel, ''The Lord of the Rings'', the hobbits Frodo Baggins, Sam Gamgee, Pippin Took, and Merry Brandybuck are primary characters who all play key roles in fighting to save their world ("Middle-earth") from evil. In ''The Hobbit'', hobbits live together in a small town called Hobbito ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Observer
''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and '' The Guardian Weekly''. In December 2024, Tortoise Media acquired the paper from the Scott Trust Limited, with the transition taking place on 22 April 2025. History Origins The first issue was published on 4 December 1791 by W.S. Bourne, making ''The Observer'' the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. Believing that the paper would be a means of wealth, Bourne instead soon found himself facing debts of nearly £1,600. Though early editions purported editorial independence, Bourne attempted to cut his losses and sell the title to the government. When this failed, Bourne's brother (a wealthy businessman) made an offer to the government, which also refused to buy the paper but agreed to subsidise it in return for influence over its editori ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thorin Oakenshield
Thorin Oakenshield (Thorin II) is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's 1937 novel ''The Hobbit''. Thorin is the leader of the Company of Dwarves who aim to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from Smaug the dragon. He is the son of Thráin II, grandson of Thrór, and becomes King of Durin's Folk during their exile from Erebor. Thorin's background is further elaborated in Appendix A of Tolkien's 1955 novel ''The Return of the King'', and in '' Unfinished Tales''. Commentators have noted that Thorin is Old Norse both in name and character, being surly, illiberal, independent, proud, aristocratic, and like all Dwarves greedy for gold. Tolkien was a Roman Catholic; from a Christian perspective, Thorin exemplifies the deadly sin of avarice, but is able to free himself from it at the time of his death. This deathbed conversion has been compared to the moral transformation of Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens's ''A Christmas Carol''. Thorin appears in Peter Jackson's ''The Ho ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Beorn
Beorn is a character created by J. R. R. Tolkien, and part of his Middle-earth legendarium. He appears in ''The Hobbit'' as a " skin-changer", a man who could assume the form of a great black bear. His descendants or kinsmen, a group of Men known as the Beornings, dwell in the upper Vales of Anduin, between Mirkwood and the Misty Mountains, and are counted among the Free Peoples of Middle-earth who oppose Sauron's forces during the War of the Ring. Like the powerful medieval heroes Beowulf and Bödvar Bjarki, whose names both mean "bear", he exemplifies the Northern courage that Tolkien made a central virtue in ''The Lord of the Rings''. Appearances Beorn lives in a wooden house on his pasture-lands between the Misty Mountains and Mirkwood, to the east of the Anduin. His household includes an animal retinue (with horses, dogs, sheep, and cows); according to Gandalf, Beorn does not eat his cattle, nor hunt wild animals. He grows large areas of clover for his bees. Gandalf ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eagle (Middle-earth)
In J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth, the Eagles or Great Eagles, " The Council of Elrond", "Of the Ruin of Doriath" are immense birds that are sapient and can speak. The Great Eagles resemble actual eagles, but are much larger. Thorondor is said to have been the greatest of all birds, with a wingspan of ., "Of the Return of the Noldor" Elsewhere, the Eagles have varied in nature and size both within Tolkien's writings and in later adaptations. Scholars have noticed that the Eagles appear as agents of eucatastrophe or ''deus ex machina'' throughout Tolkien's writings, from ''The Silmarillion'' and the accounts of Númenor to ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''. Where Elves are good, and fully sentient, and Orcs bad, Eagles amongst other races are in between; the Hobbit Bilbo Baggins fears he will become their supper, torn up like a rabbit, and is indeed served rabbit for supper. The scholar Marjorie Burns notes, too, that Gandalf's association with Eagles is reminiscent ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rabbit
Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also includes the hares), which is in the order Lagomorpha (which also includes pikas). They are familiar throughout the world as a small herbivore, a prey animal, a domesticated form of livestock, and a pet, having a widespread effect on ecologies and cultures. The most widespread rabbit genera are '' Oryctolagus'' and '' Sylvilagus''. The former, ''Oryctolagus'', includes the European rabbit, ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'', which is the ancestor of the hundreds of breeds of domestic rabbit and has been introduced on every continent except Antarctica. The latter, ''Sylvilagus'', includes over 13 wild rabbit species, among them the cottontails and tapetis. Wild rabbits not included in ''Oryctolagus'' and ''Sylvilagus'' include several species of limited distribution, including the pygmy rabbit, volcano rabbit, and Sumatran striped rabbit. Rabbits are a paraphyletic grouping, and do not constitute a clade, as ha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Denham Tracts
The Denham Tracts constitute a publication of a series of pamphlets and jottings on folklore, fifty-four in all, collected between 1846 and 1859 by Michael Aislabie Denham, a Yorkshire tradesman. Most of the original tracts were published with fifty copies (although some of them with twenty-five or even thirteen copies). The tracts were later re-edited by James Hardy for the Folklore Society and imprinted in two volumes in 1892 and 1895. It is possible that J.R.R. Tolkien took the word ''hobbit'' from the list of fairies in the Denham Tracts. List of the original tracts I. * «A collection of Proverbs and Popular Sayings related to the Seasons, the Weather, and Agricultural pursuits. Gathered chiefly from oral tradition.»''Lond. printed for Percy Society by T.Richards, 100. St. Martin's Lane. 1846, pp. 73.'' II. * «A Myth of Mildridge; a story anent a Witless Wight's Adventures with the Mildridge Fairies in ye Bishoprick of Durham; now more than two centuries ago.»''A B ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Hobyahs
''The Hobyahs'' is a fairy tale collected by Mr S. V. Proudfit, in Perth. Joseph Jacobs included it in ''More English Fairy Tales''.Joseph Jacobs, ''More English Fairy Tales'', "The Hobyahs" His source was ''American Folk-Lore Journal'', iv, 173. Synopsis A man, a woman, a girl, and a little dog lived in a house made of hempstalks. The Hobyahs came for several nights, shouting "Hobyah! Hobyah! Hobyah! Tear down the hempstalks, chase away the old man, and carry off the woman and the little girl!" For several nights, the dog barked, scaring them away, but the old man was angry at its barking and cut off its tail, then its legs, then its head. Then the Hobyahs tore down the house, chased away the old man, and carried off the woman and the girl in a bag. They hung up the bag at home and knocked it, shouting, "Look me!" They went to sleep, because they slept by daytime. A man heard them crying and took them home, putting his big dog in the sack. When the Hobyahs opened the sack, the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hobby Horse
In folklore, a hobby horse is a costumed character that features in some traditional seasonal customs, processions and similar observances around the world. In England, they are particularly associated with May Day celebrations, mummers' plays and the Morris dance. Etymology The word ''hobby'' is glossed by the OED as "a small or middle-sized horse; an ambling or pacing horse; a pony". The word is attested in English from the 14th century, as Middle English ''hobyn''. Old French had or , whence Modern French and Italian . But the Old French term is apparently adopted from English rather than vice versa. OED connects it to "the by-name ''Hobin'', ''Hobby''", a variant of ''Robin''" (compare the abbreviation ''Hob'' for ''Robert''). This appears to have been a name customarily given to a cart-horse, as attested by White Kennett in his ''Parochial Antiquities'' (1695), who stated that "Our ploughmen to some one of their cart-horses generally give the name of Hobin, the very word ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hobbledehoy
Hobbledehoy Record Co. ( ) is an artistic-centric independent record label in Adelaide, Australia. Founded by Tom Majerczak while he was attending university in Melbourne, the label has released notable recordings by Blueline Medic, Owen, Arrows, This Will Destroy You and others. Discography (Arranged by date of release) * Oh Messy Life – ''1+1−1=1'' – HOB001 (CD, 2006) * Oh Messy Life – ''The Literature EP'' – HOB002 (CD, 2006) * The City on Film – ''In Formal Introduction'' – HOB004 (CD, 2007) * The Leap Year – ''With A Little Push A Pattern Appears'' – HOB005 (CD, 2007) * Blueline Medic – ''The Middle Of The End'' – HOB003 (7", 2008) * Hey Mercedes – ''Unorchestrated'' – HOB006 (LP 12", 2008) * Arrows / These Hands Could Separate The Sky – ''Split'' – HOB007 (CD, 2008) * Arrows – ''Modern Art & Politics'' – HOB008 (CD, 2008) * Blueline Medic – ''42:19'' – HOB009 (LP, 2009) * Blueline Medic – ''42:19'' – HOB009 (CD, 2009) ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hobley
Hobley is a surname. A possible meaning is "The little people from the meadow", derived from a combination of the words "''hob''" and "''ley''". In Middle English, the word "''hob''" means a hobgoblin, sprite, or elf, and "''ley''" is a grassy meadow. Despite the spelling, the name is pronounced with an "obb" not an "obe". This is probably because it is a combination of two words, and the pronunciation has not changed as the words have combined. Notable people with the name include: *Amelia Dyer (1837–1896; née Hobley), English serial killer and baby farmer *Charles William Hobley (1867–1947), pioneering British colonial administrator in Kenya * Hannah Hobley (born 1988), British actress and singer * John William Dixon Hobley (1929–1993), British lawyer, Attorney General of Bermuda and then Hong Kong * Liffort Hobley (born 1962), American football player (born 1962) *McDonald Hobley (1917–1987), British actor, early television announcer, presenter and commentator *Pamela ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hobby
A hobby is considered to be a regular activity that is done for enjoyment, typically during one's leisure time. Hobbies include collecting themed items and objects, engaging in creative and artistic pursuits, playing sports, or pursuing other amusements or Avocation, avocations. Participation in hobbies encourages acquiring substantial skills and knowledge in that area. A list of hobbies changes with renewed interests and developing fashions, making it diverse and lengthy. Hobbies tend to follow trends in society. For example, stamp collecting was popular during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries as postal systems were the main means of communication; , video games became more popular following technological advances. The advancing production, technology, and labour movements of the nineteenth century provided workers with more leisure time to engage in hobbies. Because of this, the efforts of people investing in hobbies has increased with time. There are various #Types of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
