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Originally Posted by Pitchwife
[*]The three 'breeds' of Hobbits. - These are more or less what we today would call 'races' (i.e., to coin an ad hoc definition, a population sharing the same hereditary phenotype; for a more elaborate definition see here). |
Whether this is scientifically/anthropologically/sociologically correct, I've always thought of the three divisions of hobbits as akin to the three divisions of Angles, Saxons, and Jutes, who invaded England before William the Bastard did. And by some strange fate of equivalences, also somewhat similar to the Scots, English, and Welsh of the current UK. I have no cannonical support for that last comparison, but I suspect I could muster up a fair bit for the the first.
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So yes, the concept of races in the widest sense does play a role in Tolkien's Legendarium, but how important is it really, compared with other themes (such as power and being corrupted by it, or mortality and the various ways to deal with it, or humble folk rising to meet huge challenges and being ennobled thereby)? Not in any way central or crucial, I'd think.
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It is all, I think, overwhelmed by, overpowered by, the unstated but clearly expressed/expounded/depicted idea that the crucial point is the unanimity or coming together of all the disparate groups against the concept of evil. This is why the friendship of Legolas and Gimli is so important, and not merely fodder for slash jokes. and fanfic.