Living in MiddleEarth

[Hot, crispy nice hobbit]

Hmm, I do not know whether anybody else would be interested in this, but I certainly wondered much, much more about how the folks in Middle-Earth lived than the individual acts of heroism. Consider some things that did not seem very much consistent:

1. The Hobbit folks in the Shire are said to be pretty tough folks 'in a pinch'. Bring it into today's context. Soft living is never a good educator in survival. But those Shirefolks rose up so quickly against their oppressors, that one must either give real credit to their ancestral toughness, or to the drunkeness of those ruffians. It could be said that the return of four hobbits from the outside world could trigger the uprising, but hey, those folks had been 'growing fat on the land' for so long... Hobbits are more than tough folks; they are extremely adaptable too!

2. Elves in the Lothlorien know of cram.

'So it is,' they answered. 'But we call it lembas or waybread, and it is more strengthening than any food made by Men, and it is more pleasant than cram, by all accounts.'

Okay, Gimli knows of cram. He lives in Erebor, and dwells near Dale. But elves in Lothlorien are very isolated from the outside world... Consider: Haldir spoke Westron just because he was one of those who go out to spy. How did those elves manage to find out about cram? Hmm, elven lore is a really obscure object...

Oh, I am very interested whether elves have any form of agriculture too... surely, forested lands have very thin soil and are not suited for farming? Hmm... come to think of it, did Lothlorien have any metal-working industries? Arrow-heads needed polishing even if hoes and shovels do not need mending...

3. Orcs have to eat too. They eat each other as well as others. But the point is, how could they multiply so quickly if they do not have any form of livelihood except fighting? Farming is a problem when you are afraid of the sun... and you can only rob others for so long... But considering orcish "culture", it is not surprising that slavery can take up normal chores of living... I believe I read somewhere that orcs are "spawned", although it is also said that they "breed after after the fashion of the Children of Illuvator". Now, does that mean that orcs come from eggs? And does that mean that some big giant female orc laid "orc eggs" and then waited for them to hatch just like spiders? *shudder*

4. Ditto for the Dwarves. I don't think dwarves do much farming, either... Thorin Oakenshield and his companions served as blacksmiths while in exile. I believe they traded their skills for other necessities of life though. The lifestyle of dwarves is actually quite imaginable; smoking pipeweed, carving stone sculptures, smithing most of the times... and preparing for war. It is definitely compatible... metal-working and fortress-building had only characterised one thing in history, and that one thing is not peace.

What do you think?