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The fields of the Shire in the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy
The fields of the Shire in the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy

The Shire is a region of J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional Middle-earth, described in The Lord of the Rings and other works. The Lord of the Rings film trilogy consists of three Live action Fantasy Epic films The Fellowship of the Ring ( 2001 Middle-earth refers to the fictional lands where most of the stories of author J The Lord of the Rings is an epic The Shire refers to an area settled exclusively by Hobbits and largely removed from the goings-on in the rest of Middle-earth. In J R R Tolkien 's legendarium, Hobbits are a diminutive race that inhabit the lands of Middle-earth. It is located in the northwest of the continent, in the large region of Eriador and the Kingdom of Arnor. Eriador (the "Lone Lands" is a large region in J R R Tolkien 's fictional world of Middle-earth. In the fictional Legendarium of J R R Tolkien, Arnor, or the Northern Kingdom, was a kingdom of the Dúnedain in the land of Eriador Its name in Westron was Sûza "Shire"[1] or Sûzat "The Shire". Westron, or the Common Speech, is an Artificial language developed by J [2] Its name in Sindarin was i Drann. Sindarin is an Artificial language developed by J R R Tolkien.

Contents

Geography

According to Tolkien, the Shire measured 40 leagues (193 km, 120 miles[3]) from the Far Downs in the west to the Brandywine Bridge in the east, and 50 leagues (241 km, 150 miles) from the northern moors to the marshes in the south. [4] This is confirmed in an essay by Tolkien on translating the Lord of the Rings,[5] wherein he describes The Shire as having an area of 18,000 square miles (47,000 km²). [6]

The Brandywine (Baranduin) river bounds the Shire from the east. In the fiction of J R R Tolkien, the Baranduin or Brandywine River is a river of Middle-earth (Hobbits also live in Buckland, which lies east of the river and west of the Hedge protecting the Shire from invasion from the Old Forest; however, Buckland was not formally recognized as part of The Shire until after the War of the Ring, when it was granted officially to The Shire by King Elessar. In J R R Tolkien ’s Fictional universe of Middle-earth, the Old Forest is a small forested area which lies east of the Shire in In the fictional Fantasy -world of J R R Tolkien, the War of the Ring was fought between Sauron and the free peoples of Middle-earth Aragorn II is a fictional character from J R R Tolkien 's Middle-earth Legendarium. ) From the north and the west, the Shire is bounded by the ancient south and east roads and by geographical features such as the Tower Hills. Minor places in Middle-earth#Place Name -->;Place name description1 Further description prefix with

The Shire was originally divided in four Farthings but Buckland and later the Westmarch were added to it. [4]

The name "Shire" harks back to T.H. White's book England Have My Bones, where White says that he lives in "the Shire" (with a capital "s"). Terence Hanbury White ( 29 May 1906 &ndash 17 January 1964) was an English Author best known for his sequence of Arthurian

The industrialization of the Shire was based on Tolkien's witnessing of the extension of the Industrial Revolution to rural Worcestershire during his youth, and especially the deleterious consequences thereof. The Industrial Revolution was a period in the late 18th and early 19th centuries when major changes in agriculture manufacturing and transportation had a profound effect on the Worcestershire (ˈwʊstəʃə abbreviated Worcs) is a county located in the West Midlands region of central England. The rebellion of the Hobbits and the restoration of the pre-industrial Shire may be interpreted as a prescription of voluntary simplicity as a remedy to the problems of modern society. Simple living (or voluntary simplicity) is a lifestyle individuals choose to minimize the 'more-is-better' pursuit of Wealth and consumption. Saruman, the responsible party for the pollution of the Shire, derives the Saru element of his name partly from Sarehole Mill, in the vicinity of which Tolkien spent "the most idyllic period" of his childhood. Concept and creation Saruman first appears in 1954's The Fellowship of the Ring, the first volume of the Fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings Sarehole Mill ( is a Grade II listed water mill (in an area once called Sarehole) on the River Cole in Hall Green, Birmingham [7] The Shire is, of course, in no straightforward way "identical" to the West Midlands. The West Midlands is an official Region of England, covering the western half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. The region in a more remote past, as Mercia, serves at the same time as a model for the Mark of the Rohirrim. Mercia (ˈmɝsiə was one of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. Rohan, is a fictional realm in J R R Tolkien 's Fantasy era of Middle-earth. In J R R Tolkien 's Middle-earth, the Rohirrim were a Horse people, settling in the land of Rohan, named after them

Iceland divided in farthings, in Hans Henrik Knoff's map, 1761
Iceland divided in farthings, in Hans Henrik Knoff's map, 1761

Regions of the Shire

The original parts of the Shire were subdivided into four Farthings ("fourth-ings" or "quarterings"): the Three-Farthing Stone marked the point where the borders of the Eastfarthing, Westfarthing and Southfarthing of the Shire came together, by the East Road[8] (Iceland was traditionally also divided in Farthings, or "fourth parts", as the Shire is). This is a list of roads mentioned by name in J R R Tolkien 's stories of Middle-earth. Iceland, officially the Republic of Iceland ( ( Ísland or Lýðveldið Ísland (

Northfarthing

The Northfarthing is the least populated part of the Shire. It is the region where most of the Shire's barley crop is grown,[9] as well as the only one of the Farthings where heavy snow is common. [10] This was the site of the historic Battle of Greenfields. J R R Tolkien 's Middle-earth fantasy writings include many wars and battles set in the lands of Aman, Beleriand, Númenor, and [11]

Westfarthing

The western and most populated part of the Shire, this is the site of the towns Michel Delving, Tuckborough (part of Took-land), and Hobbiton. In J R R Tolkien 's Middle-earth Legendarium, the Took clan was one of the most famous Hobbit families The Shire is a region of J R R Tolkien 's fictional Middle-earth, described in The Lord of the Rings and other works

On the north bank of the Water in Hobbiton was 'The Mill', with a large water-wheel and a yard behind it. Sandyman the Miller owned the Mill and operated it with the help of his son Ted Sandyman. Lotho Sackville-Baggins had the Old Mill knocked down and the New Mill built in its place. The New Mill was an ugly red-brick building with a tall chimney. It was bigger than the Old Mill and full of wheels and strange contraptions to increase production. The New Mill straddled the Water and poured pollutants into the stream. It was operated by Men, and Ted Sandyman stayed on to help them. When Saruman came to the Shire in September of 3019, the Mill was no longer used for grinding corn but for some industrial purpose; and loud noises, smoke, and filth issued from it. After Saruman was killed and the Chief's Men defeated at the Battle of Bywater, the New Mill was removed.

Southfarthing

The Southfarthing is the site of Longbottom, where the best pipe-weed was grown, owing to the area's warmer climate. This is a list of all fictional Plants that appear in J R R Tolkien 's Middle-earth writings

Eastfarthing

Eastfarthing borders on Buckland and contains the towns Frogmorton and Whitfurrows and the farms of the Marish. Originally, the Eastfarthing was under the control of the Oldbuck family. Even after these became the Brandybucks, the farmers of the Eastfarthing acknowledged the authority of the Master of Buckland in addition to the Thain and Mayor. In J R R Tolkien 's Fictional universe of Middle-earth, the Brandybuck clan was a powerful Hobbit family Thain is a variant spelling of Thane or Thegn, an Anglo-Saxon term for a minor noble probably best known from Shakespeare 's

Other parts of the Shire

Buckland and the Westmarch are sometimes reckoned part of the Shire, though they are not part of any Farthing. Buckland was described in Chapter V A Conspiracy Unmasked in The Fellowship of the Ring as being "virtually a small independent country. The Fellowship of the Ring is the first of three volumes of the epic novel The Lord of the Rings by the English author J . . a sort of colony of the Shire. " Westmarch became part of the Shire only after the end of the events portrayed in Lord of the Rings, in the Fourth Age.

Buckland

Location, villages and borders

Buckland is located east of the Baranduin (Brandywine) river. In the fiction of J R R Tolkien, the Baranduin or Brandywine River is a river of Middle-earth The hobbits living in Buckland grew the High Hay, a hedge, to protect themselves against evil from the nearby Old Forest, which borders Buckland to the east. The Shire is a region of J R R Tolkien 's fictional Middle-earth, described in The Lord of the Rings and other works In J R R Tolkien ’s Fictional universe of Middle-earth, the Old Forest is a small forested area which lies east of the Shire in Buckland is bordered in the north by the Buckland Gate, the only entrance to Buckland near the Brandywine Bridge. In the south the borders of Buckland follow the High Hay until the Withywindle joins the Baranduin near the village of Haysend. Middle-earth, the main setting of J R R Tolkien 's legendarium The most important town of Buckland is Bucklebury where the Brandy Hall is located, home of the Master of Buckland, the hereditary chieftain of the Brandybuck family. In J R R Tolkien 's Fictional universe of Middle-earth, the Brandybuck clan was a powerful Hobbit family

The Buckland Gate is, for all intents and purposes, the eastern gate of the Shire. Located at the eastern end of the Brandywine Bridge, the gate stood on the Great East Road as it approached from the town of Bree some thirty miles east of the Shire. This is a list of roads mentioned by name in J R R Tolkien 's stories of Middle-earth. Bree is a fictional town in J R R Tolkien 's Middle-earth east of the Shire and south of Fornost Erain. Beyond the gate lay the Brandywine Bridge, which crossed the Brandywine River or Baranduin, and also the road which led south into Buckland. In the fiction of J R R Tolkien, the Baranduin or Brandywine River is a river of Middle-earth The road to Buckland split off from the Great East Road just beyond the western side of the Buckland Gate but before the Brandywine Bridge. The gate itself was made into the northernmost end of the High Hay, the great hedge that separated the Old Forest from the hobbit-populated region of Buckland. In J R R Tolkien ’s Fictional universe of Middle-earth, the Old Forest is a small forested area which lies east of the Shire in

The High Hay is the name given by Hobbits to the great hedge-wall that separated the Old Forest from the Hobbit-populated region of Buckland along the Brandywine River. In J R R Tolkien ’s Fictional universe of Middle-earth, the Old Forest is a small forested area which lies east of the Shire in In the fiction of J R R Tolkien, the Baranduin or Brandywine River is a river of Middle-earth It ran from the Buckland Gate in the north ending at Haysend in the south, at the point where the Withywindle flowed into the Brandywine. Middle-earth, the main setting of J R R Tolkien 's legendarium

An important landmark is the Bucklebury Ferry, a raft-ferry used as the second main crossing point of the Brandywine River from the Shire to Buckland, after the Brandywine Bridge (which is said to be twenty miles further north; the number is believed to have been a mistake by Tolkien, and newer editions of The Lord of the Rings correct it to ten miles). It is apparently left unmanned to be used by hobbit travellers as needed. En route to the new house at Crickhollow, Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin, crossed using the Ferry just before the arrival of a Black Rider, who was forced to go around to the Brandywine Bridge since there were no boats kept on the western bank of the river. Meriadoc Brandybuck, usually referred to as Merry, is a Fictional character from J Biography Pippin was the only hobbit who had not yet reached his 'coming of age' when the Fellowship set out (being eight years younger than Merry while Frodo himself was 50 (In the film version by Peter Jackson, the encounter is more immediate. The Lord of the Rings The Fellowship of the Ring is a 2001 Fantasy film directed by Peter Jackson based on the similarly titled first )

Crickhollow was a village in Buckland. After selling Bag End, Frodo Baggins moved to a house in Crickhollow. Meriadoc Brandybuck and Fredegar Bolger prepared the house ostensibly for Frodo to live in retirement, but instead the purchase of the house was intended as a ruse to allow Frodo and Samwise Gamgee to leave the Shire unobtrusively. Merry and Pippin lived together for some time after their return to the Shire in the house at Crickhollow.

History and culture

Buckland was settled around T. A. 2340 by Gorhenhad Oldbuck, the ancestor of Meriadoc Brandybuck. Gorhenhad Oldbuck thus became the first Master of Buckland. He renamed himself Brandybuck, which remained his family's name.

Because Buckland is east of the Baranduin, it is not part of the land given to the hobbits by King Argeleb II of Arthedain. This is a list of Kings of Arnor from J R R Tolkien 's Middle-earth legendarium. In the fictional Legendarium of J R R Tolkien, Arnor, or the Northern Kingdom, was a kingdom of the Dúnedain in the land of Eriador It was thus not part of the Shire proper until the beginning of the Fourth Age when King Elessar made Buckland and the Westmarch officially a part of the Shire. The Fourth Age and the later ages that followed it are time periods from J Aragorn II is a fictional character from J R R Tolkien 's Middle-earth Legendarium.

The Bucklanders are unlike other hobbits: they are prepared for danger and are thus less naive than the Shire-hobbits. They close the Hay Gate and their own front doors at night and are prepared to rush to arms when the Horn of Buckland is blown. Most Bucklanders were originally of Stoor stock, and they were the only hobbits known to use boats. In J R R Tolkien 's Fictional universe of Middle-earth, the Stoors are one of the three races of Hobbits In their earliest recorded history

Westmarch

After the events of the War of the Ring at the start of the Fourth Age, King Elessar granted the hobbits of the Shire effective self-rule inside his reunited kingdom, banning any Men from entering the land. In the fictional Fantasy -world of J R R Tolkien, the War of the Ring was fought between Sauron and the free peoples of Middle-earth Aragorn II is a fictional character from J R R Tolkien 's Middle-earth Legendarium. The race of Men in J R R Tolkien 's Middle-earth books such as The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, refers to

He also granted the Shire a stretch of new land: this reached from the ancient western borders of the Shire, the Far Downs, to the Tower Hills. Minor places in Middle-earth#Place Name -->;Place name description1 Further description prefix with The area between the downs and the hills became known as the Westmarch. Like Buckland across the river Brandywine, it was not part of any of the four Farthings of the Shire.

The eldest daughter of mayor Samwise Gamgee, Elanor the Fair, married Fastred of Greenholm, and they moved to the Westmarch. Elanor Gardner, also known as Elanor the Fair, is a character in J After the passing of master Samwise into the Grey Havens, they and their children became known as the Fairbairns of the Towers or Wardens of Westmarch, and the Red Book of Frodo and Bilbo Baggins passed into their keeping, becoming known as the Red Book of Westmarch. The Red Book of Westmarch (sometimes Red Book of the Periannath, and The Downfall of the Lord of the Rings, also known as the Thain's Book after its principal

Towns

The principal towns of the Shire were:

History

The Shire was settled by Hobbits in the year 1601 of the Third Age (Year 1 in Shire Reckoning). In J R R Tolkien 's Middle-earth Legendarium, the Took clan was one of the most famous Hobbit families The Third Age is a time period from J R R Tolkien 's Middle-earth fantasy writings The Hobbits (who originally lived in the vale of Anduin) had migrated west over the perilous Misty Mountains in the decades before that, and before entering The Shire they had lived in Dunland and parts of the depopulated Arnorian splinter-realms Cardolan and Rhudaur. In J R R Tolkien 's fictional Middle-earth, Anduin is the Sindarin name for the Great River of Wilderland, the longest River In J R R Tolkien 's Fantasy world of Middle-earth, the Misty Mountains (also known by its Sindarin name of Hithaeglir In the fiction of J R R Tolkien, Dunland was a place in north-west Middle-earth, the land of the Men called Dunlendings In the fictional Legendarium of J R R Tolkien, Arnor, or the Northern Kingdom, was a kingdom of the Dúnedain in the land of Eriador In the fictional Legendarium of J R R Tolkien, Arnor, or the Northern Kingdom, was a kingdom of the Dúnedain in the land of Eriador In the fictional Legendarium of J R R Tolkien, Arnor, or the Northern Kingdom, was a kingdom of the Dúnedain in the land of Eriador It has been speculated that the Hobbits had originally moved west to escape the troubles of Mirkwood, and the evil caused by the Easterlings. Mirkwood is a name used for two distinct fictional forests in J In the fiction of J R R Tolkien, " Easterling " and " Easterlings " were generic terms for Men who lived in the east of Middle-earth

The Shire was a part of Arthedain, and as such a part of Arnor. In the fictional Legendarium of J R R Tolkien, Arnor, or the Northern Kingdom, was a kingdom of the Dúnedain in the land of Eriador The Hobbits obtained official permission from King Argeleb II at Norbury (Fornost) to settle the lands, which were not populated and seen as the king's hunting grounds. This is a list of Kings of Arnor from J R R Tolkien 's Middle-earth legendarium. The King stipulated three conditions to this grant; that the hobbits should acknowledge his Lordship, that they should maintain the roads within the Shire and finally that they should aid his messengers. The Hobbits therefore considered themselves subjects of the king and sent some archers to the great battles Arnor fought against Angmar. Angmar ( Sindarin: 'Iron-home' ˈaŋgmar is a fictional kingdom in J After the fall of Arnor, the Shire remained a minor but independent, self-governing realm. The chiefs of the Clans elected an official named the Thain to hold the king's powers after the North-Kingdom fell. Thain is a variant spelling of Thane or Thegn, an Anglo-Saxon term for a minor noble probably best known from Shakespeare 's The first Thains were the heads of the Oldbuck clan. In J R R Tolkien 's Fictional universe of Middle-earth, the Brandybuck clan was a powerful Hobbit family It later came to be held by the Tooks.

Its small size, relative lack of importance, and brave and resilient Hobbit population made it too modest an objective for conquest. More importantly, the Shire was guarded and protected by the Dúnedain Rangers, who watched the borders and kept out intruders. In J R R Tolkien 's Legendarium, the Dúnedain (singular Dúnadan, "man of the west" were a race of Men descended from The only strangers to enter the Shire were the Dwarves travelling on the Great Road that ran through the Shire to and from their mines in the Blue Mountains, and the occasional Elves on their way to the Grey Havens. The Ered Luin or Blue Mountains, also known as Ered Lindon, is the mountain range at the far west of Eriador, in J In J R R Tolkien 's Legendarium, an Elf is an individual member of one of the races that inhabit the lands of Arda. The Elven ports of Mithlond or the Grey Havens was an Elvish port on the Gulf of Lune in the northwest of J

This peaceful situation changed after Bilbo Baggins' acquisition of the One Ring in the year 1341 of the Shire Reckoning. Bilbo Baggins is the protagonist of The Hobbit and also makes an appearance in The Lord of the Rings, two of the most well-known of Shortly after the beginning of the events described in The Lord of the Rings (autumn of the year 1418 in Shire Reckoning), the Shire was first visited by the Nine Ringwraiths and then captured by Saruman through his underling Lotho Sackville-Baggins, who turned the Shire into a police state and began a massive campaign to industrialize the Shire which brought widespread misery and severely damaged its ecology. The Lord of the Rings is an epic Concept and creation Saruman first appears in 1954's The Fellowship of the Ring, the first volume of the Fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings In J R R Tolkien 's legendarium Hobbits are a fictional race related to Men. It was liberated with the help of Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin after the end of the Quest of the Ring through their victory at the Battle of Bywater. Samwise Gamgee, later known as Samwise Gardner and commonly known as Sam, is a Fictional character in J Meriadoc Brandybuck, usually referred to as Merry, is a Fictional character from J Biography Pippin was the only hobbit who had not yet reached his 'coming of age' when the Fellowship set out (being eight years younger than Merry while Frodo himself was 50 J R R Tolkien 's Middle-earth fantasy writings include many wars and battles set in the lands of Aman, Beleriand, Númenor, and After Aragorn's return as the King of Arnor and Gondor, the Shire became a protected enclave inside the Reunited Kingdom. In the fictional Legendarium of J R R Tolkien, Arnor, or the Northern Kingdom, was a kingdom of the Dúnedain in the land of Eriador Gondor is a fictional kingdom in J R R Tolkien 's writings described as the greatest realm of Men in the west of Middle-earth by the end of the He is known to have issued an edict that forbade the entrance of full-sized Men into the Shire. The race of Men in J R R Tolkien 's Middle-earth books such as The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, refers to The Shire was soon restored with magic soil from Galadriel's Lórien garden (presented as a gift to Sam). Appearances Literature Stories of Galadriel's life prior to The Lord of the Rings are collected in the Unfinished Tales. In J R R Tolkien 's fiction Lothlórien is a Welsh -sounding name given to the fairest forest realm of the Elves remaining in Middle-earth The year 1420 (SR) was considered by the inhabitants of the Shire to be the most productive and prosperous year in their history.

Government

The Shire was a voluntarily orderly society. The only government services were the postal service and the rather smaller police force, the Shiriffs, whose chief duties involved rounding up stray livestock. Nominal officials of the Shire were the Mayor of Michel Delving in the White Downs (and by extension considered Mayor of the Shire); the Thain from Tuckborough, who was the head of the important Took clan; and the Master of Buckland at Bucklebury. The Thain, although standing in for the absent king, had only limited authority. He served as head of the Shire-moot and as captain of the Shire-muster and of the Hobbitry-at-arms; but as these positions were required only in emergencies (which rarely occurred), his role was essentially ceremonial. The Mayor, elected for a seven-year term, served as postmaster of the Shire's mail service, directed the Shiriffs, and presided at fairs. The Master was head of the Brandybuck clan; his authority was recognized throughout Buckland and across the river in the Marish. In J R R Tolkien 's Fictional universe of Middle-earth, the Brandybuck clan was a powerful Hobbit family

The Hobbits of the Shire did obey the Rules, but there was no real need to enforce them; all Hobbits voluntarily obeyed them as they were both ancient and just. Hobbits had lawyers, but they dealt mostly with wills and such matters. Frodo stated that no Hobbit was ever known to have intentionally killed another Hobbit (and even the Elves could not claim the same of their own race): Sméagol's murder of Déagol provides a counterexample, but Frodo was always reluctant to think of Gollum as a hobbit. Character overview Originally known as Sméagol, this character was later named Gollum after his habit Biography Déagol was a Stoor Hobbit who lived in a small community bound by kinship ties - akin to a Clan.

At the resumption of the throne by King Elessar, the Shire again became subject to the law of Arnor, but a law of this king forbade all full-sized humans (including himself) from entering the Shire.

References

  1. ^ The Return of the King, Appendix F
  2. ^ Tolkien, The Peoples of Middle-earth, Vol. XII of The History of Middle-earth, p. 45.
  3. ^ Tolkien takes a league to be 3 miles, see Unfinished Tales, The Disaster of the Gladden Fields, Appendix on Númenórean Measure.
  4. ^ a b The Fellowship of the Ring, Prologue
  5. ^ Tolkien, Guide to the Names in The Lord of the Rings, in Jared Lobdell (ed. ), A Tolkien Compass, Open Court, 1975.
  6. ^ Guide to the Names, entry on "Farthing".
  7. ^ Shippey (2007), p. 56
  8. ^ The Fellowship of the Ring, Map of Part of the Shire.
  9. ^ The Return of the King, "The Grey Havens".
  10. ^ The Fellowship of the Rings, "The Ring Goes South": "Except on the high moors of the Northfarthing a heavy fall was rare in the Shire".
  11. ^ The Return of the King, "The Scouring of the Shire": "the only battle since Greenfields, 1147, away up in the Northfarthing".
  12. ^ The Return of the King, Appendix C.
  13. ^ Guide to the Names: the entry for "Hardbottle" places it explicitly in "the North Farthing" [sic].
  14. ^ Carpenter, Humphrey (1977), Tolkien: A Biography, New York: Ballantine Books, ISBN 0-04-928037-6 
  15. ^ The Peoples of Middle-earth, "The Family Trees", pp. Humphrey William Bouverie Carpenter ( April 29 1946 – January 4 2005) was an English biographer, Author, and 88, 97–101.

Works cited

See also

Thain is a variant spelling of Thane or Thegn, an Anglo-Saxon term for a minor noble probably best known from Shakespeare 's
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