hobits and outer racial breeding

[Lily Bracegirdle]

I agree with Findegil: we just don't know.

Tolkien calls the different humanoids of Middle Earth "Races;" there is no mention of "Species."

Men can interbreed with both Elves and Orcs and produce fertile offspring in the former case. (Eldarion) We're never told about the latter, but if you believe that orcs were elves once it seems possible. The "southerner" in Bree is suspected to be part orc, but less so than the "half-orcs" at Helm's Deep, so perhaps he was only 1/4th or 1/8th orc. (Merry and Aragorn discuss this in "Flotsam and Jetsam")

In "Concerning Hobbits," hobbits are said to be "relatives of ours: far nearer to us than Elves, or even than Dwarves." This brings up the possibility that hobbits and humans also could interbreed, however there is no reference to this ever happening. There's also no mention of dwarves interbreeding with other races, but that doesn't mean it was biologically impossible.

You can't assume that the different peoples of Middle Earth are different species just because they look different. A Great Dane and a Chihuahua look very different but they are still the same species and capable of having fertile offspring together (however unlikely this may be).

Anyway, I don't think Tolkien cared enough about biology to work out the logistics of interbreeding. He never said how many chromosomes dwarves had.

As far as hobbits being the offspring of humans and dwarves, I don't think it's likely, but can't prove it conclusively. The origins of hobbits are obscure even to them, so no one can say for sure.

-Lily