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Celebrate The Hobbit's 75th b'day with 17 lesser known Tolkien facts
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The Void Era Man
Sep 21, 2012, 7:19:51 PM9/21/12
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Celebrate The Hobbit's 75th b'day with 17 lesser known Tolkien facts
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It was on this day 75 years ago that a little children's book about a
reluctant Hobbit and his magical adventure first appeared. Today, more
than 100 million copies later, The Hobbit is a touchstone of fantasy
literature, the acclaimed and beloved beginning of a literary empire
that later spawned what many consider the greatest fantasy saga ever
written: The Lord of the Rings.
In the world of genre fiction, J. R. R. Tolkien is a superstar, a
godfather, a legend among legends, and as a result his life and work
have been studied and studied again for decades. But there's always
something new to learn.
In that spirit, we're celebrating 75 years of The Hobbit by sharing 17
facts about Tolkien and his work that you might not have known.
 Click Image to Enlarge
Tolkien was kidnapped as a baby: Tolkien was born in South Africa,
and apparently one of the family's African servants was so fascinated by
the cute white baby in his midst that he took the young Tolkien home to
show his own family. He returned the child the next morning.
Tolkien used to show up to class in Medieval armor: Tolkien loved his
day job as a professor at the University of Oxford, so much so that
sometimes when he taught Beowulf to his students, he would begin his
lecture by barging into the room in chain mail and shouting the first
lines of the poem (in the original Old English, of course).
Tolkien may have invented the word "tween": It's not clear if someone
else may have used the word first, but Tolkien coined the term "tween"
in The Fellowship of the Ring to describe a Hobbit aged between 20 and
33 (33 being a Hobbit's coming of age). Who knows what he would have
thought of Hannah Montana.
British rock band Led Zeppelin wrote three songs inspired by Tolkien:
Robert Plant, the lead singer, is a noted Tolkien fan. Their 1969 tune
"Ramble On" mentions both Mordor and Gollum, 1971's "The Battle of
Evermore" features a reference to Ringwraiths, and "Misty Mountain Hop,"
also from '71, is set in Tolkien's Misty Mountains.
Tolkien revised The Hobbit to make it a better prequel: After his
publisher requested a Hobbit sequel, Tolkien began work on the epic that
would become The Lord of the Rings. As he cemented the powers and
mythology of the One Ring, he decided the first book needed to better
reflect his intent. From the second edition on, Bilbo's first encounter
with Gollum was darker and more aggressive to show the Ring as a
corrupting force.
Turns out Tolkien may not have created the word "Hobbit": Though he's
usually credited with the word, a 2003 edition of the Oxford English
Dictionary notes that it actually appears in a 19th century book on
folklore, in a list of obscure words to describe fairies or little
people.
The first edition cover of The Hobbit was designed by Tolkien:
Tolkien was a prolific illustrator. The black and white maps appearing
in The Hobbit were his, as was the design for the now-iconic cover,
which is still used in some reprints today.
Only 1,500 copies were printed of The Hobbit's first edition: A copy
inscribed to a friend by Tolkien was sold in 2008 for 60,000 British
pounds. In the 75 years since its publication the book has sold more
than 100 million copies.
The decision to publish The Hobbit was made by a 10-year-old: When
the manuscript of The Hobbit made its way into the hands of British
publisher Stanley Unwin, he asked his son Rayner to review it. Rayner,
who was 10 at the time, submitted a handwritten book report on the novel
that was enough to convince Unwin to publish it.
Bilbo Baggins' Hobbit hole, "Bag End," was reportedly named after
Tolkien's aunt's farm.
Tolkien actually created three different "breeds" of Hobbit: In the
prologue of The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien notes that all Hobbits are
not the same. Harfoot Hobbits dwelled in mountains, had brown skin, and
were smaller than other Hobbits, without beards. Stoors lived near the
rivers and were described as "broader." The Fallohides lived in the
woodlands, and were described as taller Hobbits with bright skin and
hair.
Thorin got his nickname because he was a badass in battle: Thorin was
called "Oakenshield" because once, during a battle, he lost his shield.
But Thorin wasn't about to let that slow him down. He pulled a branch
from a nearby tree and used it as a club for his left hand while
swinging his sword with his right.
Sauron appears in The Hobbit: After The One Ring was cut from his
hand, Sauron was defeated, but he was not gone. He retreated into the
forest, which became known as "Mirkwood" because of the dark energy his
presence created. No one knew this was him, though, so the dark presence
was referred to as "The Necromancer." This necromancer is referenced in
The Hobbit.
Tolkien hated Shakespeare: Though he was a passionate lover and
teacher of literature, Tolkien had a blind spot for the Bard. He once
said he "disliked cordially" the time he was forced to spend in school
studying Shakespeare's work.
Tolkien wrote The Hobbit's first sentence while grading papers
Tolkien had been writing fiction in some form for a while, but
apparently he didn't plan this story. One day, while grading, he found a
blank page and simply wrote "In a hole in the ground there lived a
hobbit" in a sudden burst of inspiration.
Tolkien never said Hobbits have big feet: Though many depictions of
the Shire folk would later give them disproportionately large feet,
Tolkien never specified that Hobbits should have unusually large feet.
Though he was very clear about the feet having fur.
Tolkien didn't want The Hobbit published in Nazi Germany: Though he
was popular in Germany for his academic writing on old Germanic and
Norse cultures, Tolkien was disgusted by Nazi Germany, and called Adolf
Hitler a "ruddy little ignoramus." When it came time for a German
edition of The Hobbit, a German official asked Tolkien to prove that he
was "Aryan" enough, in accordance with Nazi law. Tolkien instead wrote a
letter back expressing regret that he didn't have Jewish ancestors.
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2012: YEAR OF THE ROBBY.
Tweet
It was on this day 75 years ago that a little children's book about a
reluctant Hobbit and his magical adventure first appeared. Today, more
than 100 million copies later, The Hobbit is a touchstone of fantasy
literature, the acclaimed and beloved beginning of a literary empire
that later spawned what many consider the greatest fantasy saga ever
written: The Lord of the Rings.
In the world of genre fiction, J. R. R. Tolkien is a superstar, a
godfather, a legend among legends, and as a result his life and work
have been studied and studied again for decades. But there's always
something new to learn.
In that spirit, we're celebrating 75 years of The Hobbit by sharing 17
facts about Tolkien and his work that you might not have known.
 Click Image to Enlarge
Tolkien was kidnapped as a baby: Tolkien was born in South Africa,
and apparently one of the family's African servants was so fascinated by
the cute white baby in his midst that he took the young Tolkien home to
show his own family. He returned the child the next morning.
Tolkien used to show up to class in Medieval armor: Tolkien loved his
day job as a professor at the University of Oxford, so much so that
sometimes when he taught Beowulf to his students, he would begin his
lecture by barging into the room in chain mail and shouting the first
lines of the poem (in the original Old English, of course).
Tolkien may have invented the word "tween": It's not clear if someone
else may have used the word first, but Tolkien coined the term "tween"
in The Fellowship of the Ring to describe a Hobbit aged between 20 and
33 (33 being a Hobbit's coming of age). Who knows what he would have
thought of Hannah Montana.
British rock band Led Zeppelin wrote three songs inspired by Tolkien:
Robert Plant, the lead singer, is a noted Tolkien fan. Their 1969 tune
"Ramble On" mentions both Mordor and Gollum, 1971's "The Battle of
Evermore" features a reference to Ringwraiths, and "Misty Mountain Hop,"
also from '71, is set in Tolkien's Misty Mountains.
Tolkien revised The Hobbit to make it a better prequel: After his
publisher requested a Hobbit sequel, Tolkien began work on the epic that
would become The Lord of the Rings. As he cemented the powers and
mythology of the One Ring, he decided the first book needed to better
reflect his intent. From the second edition on, Bilbo's first encounter
with Gollum was darker and more aggressive to show the Ring as a
corrupting force.
Turns out Tolkien may not have created the word "Hobbit": Though he's
usually credited with the word, a 2003 edition of the Oxford English
Dictionary notes that it actually appears in a 19th century book on
folklore, in a list of obscure words to describe fairies or little
people.
The first edition cover of The Hobbit was designed by Tolkien:
Tolkien was a prolific illustrator. The black and white maps appearing
in The Hobbit were his, as was the design for the now-iconic cover,
which is still used in some reprints today.
Only 1,500 copies were printed of The Hobbit's first edition: A copy
inscribed to a friend by Tolkien was sold in 2008 for 60,000 British
pounds. In the 75 years since its publication the book has sold more
than 100 million copies.
The decision to publish The Hobbit was made by a 10-year-old: When
the manuscript of The Hobbit made its way into the hands of British
publisher Stanley Unwin, he asked his son Rayner to review it. Rayner,
who was 10 at the time, submitted a handwritten book report on the novel
that was enough to convince Unwin to publish it.
Bilbo Baggins' Hobbit hole, "Bag End," was reportedly named after
Tolkien's aunt's farm.
Tolkien actually created three different "breeds" of Hobbit: In the
prologue of The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien notes that all Hobbits are
not the same. Harfoot Hobbits dwelled in mountains, had brown skin, and
were smaller than other Hobbits, without beards. Stoors lived near the
rivers and were described as "broader." The Fallohides lived in the
woodlands, and were described as taller Hobbits with bright skin and
hair.
Thorin got his nickname because he was a badass in battle: Thorin was
called "Oakenshield" because once, during a battle, he lost his shield.
But Thorin wasn't about to let that slow him down. He pulled a branch
from a nearby tree and used it as a club for his left hand while
swinging his sword with his right.
Sauron appears in The Hobbit: After The One Ring was cut from his
hand, Sauron was defeated, but he was not gone. He retreated into the
forest, which became known as "Mirkwood" because of the dark energy his
presence created. No one knew this was him, though, so the dark presence
was referred to as "The Necromancer." This necromancer is referenced in
The Hobbit.
Tolkien hated Shakespeare: Though he was a passionate lover and
teacher of literature, Tolkien had a blind spot for the Bard. He once
said he "disliked cordially" the time he was forced to spend in school
studying Shakespeare's work.
Tolkien wrote The Hobbit's first sentence while grading papers
Tolkien had been writing fiction in some form for a while, but
apparently he didn't plan this story. One day, while grading, he found a
blank page and simply wrote "In a hole in the ground there lived a
hobbit" in a sudden burst of inspiration.
Tolkien never said Hobbits have big feet: Though many depictions of
the Shire folk would later give them disproportionately large feet,
Tolkien never specified that Hobbits should have unusually large feet.
Though he was very clear about the feet having fur.
Tolkien didn't want The Hobbit published in Nazi Germany: Though he
was popular in Germany for his academic writing on old Germanic and
Norse cultures, Tolkien was disgusted by Nazi Germany, and called Adolf
Hitler a "ruddy little ignoramus." When it came time for a German
edition of The Hobbit, a German official asked Tolkien to prove that he
was "Aryan" enough, in accordance with Nazi law. Tolkien instead wrote a
letter back expressing regret that he didn't have Jewish ancestors.
Blastr CATEGORIES
31 Days of Halloween Advertorials Animation Announcements
Art Awards Blastr Gift Guide Blastr TV Blastr Video
BlastrTV Blu-rays Books Columnists Comic-Con Comics
Comments Conventions DVDs Fandom Galleries Games
Gossip Green Week Horror Image of the Day Infographic
Interviews Links Lists Movies Music News Opinion
Polls Posters Reviews Rumors Science Syfy Channel
Theater Top Stories Toys Trailers TV Video Web
Weird Stuff
The Blastr App
Download for iPhone and iPad
Download for Android devices
Subscribe
Follow us
Become a Fan
About Blastr
Editors: Scott Edelman edi...@blastr.com Contributors: Tara Bennett
Marc Bernardin Nathalie Caron Adam-Troy Castro Krystal Clark Kevin Coll
Evan Hoovler Kathie Huddleston Matthew Jackson Chris Kalb Don Kaye Dave
Maass Michael Marano Brian Murphy Carol Pinchefsky Phil Plait Dan Roth
Jeff Spry Staci Layne Wilson
FAQ
Feedback
Terms
Privacy
Advertising
Newsletter Signup
About Blastr
©2012, Blastr. All rights reserved.
mobileleaptop
_
/'_/)
,/_ /
/ /
/'_'/' '/'__'7,
/'/ / / /" /_\
('( ' Fuck /' ')
\ You' /
'\' _.7'
\ (
\ \
CRIPES A'MIGHTY 3RD!
SHORTBUS O'REETEE STICKLER.
BEWARE OF OL' JEEZL PETE.
2012: YEAR OF THE ROBBY.
rob
Sep 22, 2012, 11:44:18 AM9/22/12
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