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02-25-2004, 08:21 PM | #1 |
Wight
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Valhalla
Posts: 116
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hobits and outer racial breeding
this came to me a few nights ago
If A Dwarf and a Man bred, could that create what we know today as Hobbits?(Stoors and Harfoots at least) Maybe the Fallohides were a mix of the other two races of Hobbits and the Elves. Or maybe a mix of the Rohirrim or other north-men that could have had Elvish blood in them? just a thought let me know what you think
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02-27-2004, 10:23 AM | #2 |
Auspicious Wraith
Join Date: May 2002
Location: The Netherlands
Posts: 4,992
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I think you should perhaps read 'Concerning Hobbits' again.
We should also remember that there is a difference between 'race' and 'species'. Dwarves could not reproduce with Men.
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03-01-2004, 01:32 PM | #3 | |
King's Writer
Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 1,694
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Quote:
As fare as I know Tolkien never made a clear statment about this. Respectfully Findegil |
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03-01-2004, 03:47 PM | #4 |
Haunting Spirit
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uhhhh
Lets look at this as if we were dealing with animals.
A donkey and a zebra make a zonkey. A lion and a tiger make a liger or a tion ( depending on maternity) Logically, a man and a dwarf would make a hobbit, right? Wrong. Now lets looka this as if they would be people. There arent subspecies of humans, we're all Homo Sapieas Sapiens, so its very difficult to decide wether or not this could happen; personally I doubt it. It was probably a recessive gene for shortness that perpetuated and eventually became hobbits.
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03-01-2004, 06:03 PM | #5 |
Illusionary Holbytla
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 7,646
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There are lots of threads just like this. See this thread, this thread, and also here, here, and here.
You really should search before you start a new topic. I got all of these and more just with the search "Hobbit". |
03-01-2004, 06:13 PM | #6 |
Wight
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Bree
Posts: 210
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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
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03-02-2004, 10:32 AM | #7 |
Auspicious Wraith
Join Date: May 2002
Location: The Netherlands
Posts: 4,992
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But Aule created the Dwarves. They are very different from Men.
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03-03-2004, 02:29 PM | #8 |
Wight
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Crickhallow
Posts: 247
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I highly doubt that a Man and Dwarf would consumate together. It just sounds disgusting if you ask me.
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