Hobbit (Denham)

The invention of the word hobbit is traditionally ascribed to J.R.R. Tolkien. When The Hobbit was first published, however, there was some debate over the "actual" origins of the word. This debate would continue for some time. Generally 'Hobbit' is taken as an invention by Tolkien, and his heirs hold a trademark on the name.

"hobbit n. one of an imaginary race of half-sized persons in stories by Tolkien; hence ~RY (5) n. [invented by J.R.R. Tolkien, Engl. writer d. 1973, and said by him to mean 'hole-builder']" -The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English

Tolkien himself suggested it was possible that he'd encountered the term in his childhood and but had forgotten about it, only to have it resurface in his mind years later at a disconnected moment of inspiration. However, he believed this to be highly unlikely, and only recently has there surfaced even the slightest bit of evidence to support this.

Proposed Etymology

The Middle English word hobbe has manifested in many creatures of folklore as the prefix hob- (which incidentally would be its modern spelling, compare shoppe > shop). The word is said to mean something like "spright" or "little person". Examples include the hobgoblin, the hobbidy, and of course the hob itself.

It is because of this that the word hobbit appeared so "natural" that people questioned whether or not Tolkien had been the first to use it.

Alleged Origins

There are many alleged but as yet unproven earlier occurrences of the word "hobbit" in reference to a fantastical creature.

On 16 January 1938, shortly after the original release of The Hobbit a letter by a Habit in the English paper The Observer asked if Tolkien's Hobbits were modelled after "'little furry men' seen in Africa by natives and … at least one scientist", and also referenced an old fairy tale called The Hobbit from 1904, but Tolkien denied using these sources as inspiration, and no trace of the African Hobbits or the fairy tale collection was ever found. Tolkien replied to this letter with:

"I do not remember anything about the name and inception of the hero… I have no waking recollection of furry pigmies (in book or moonlight); nor of any Hobbit bogey in print by 1904. I suspect that the two hobbits are accidental homophones, and am content that they are not synonymous. And I protest that my hobbit did not live in Africa, and was not furry, except about the feet. Nor indeed was he a rabbit…."

In 1970 the Oxford Dictionary wrote to Professor Tolkien asking for the origins of the word, as they wished to include 'Hobbit' in the dictionary. Tolkien replied in 1970:

"For the moment this is held up, because I am having the matter of the etymology: 'Invented by J, R. R. Tolkien': investigated by experts. I knew that the claim was not clear, but I had not troubled to look into it, until faced by the inclusion of hobbit in the Supplement."

In the event Hobbit was fully ascribed to Tolkien, as no earlier source was found.

In 1971 Tolkien once again referred to his "invention":

"The Ox. E. D. has in preparation of its Second Supplement got to Hobbit, which it proposes to include together with its progeny: hobbitry, -ish, etc. I have had, therefore, to justify my claim to have invented the word. My claim rests really on my 'nude parole' or unsupported assertion that I remember the occasion of its invention (by me); and that I had not then any knowledge of Hobberdy, Hobbaty, Hobberdy Dick etc. (for 'house-sprites')†; and that my 'hobbits' were in any case of wholly dissimilar sort, a diminutive branch of the human race.

"† I have now! Probably more than most other folk; and find myself in a v. tangled wood – the clue to which is, however, the belief in incubi and 'changelings'. Alas! one conclusion is that the statement that hobgoblins were 'a larger kind' is the reverse of the original truth. (The statement occurs in the preliminary note on Runes devised for the paperback edition, but now included by A & U in all edns.)"

The Denham Tracts

The only source known today that makes reference to hobbits in any sort of historical context is the Denham Tracts by Michael Aislabie Denham. This is a long list of spirites and bogies, based on an older list, the Discovery of Witchcraft, dated 1584. Denham copied this list, and added a great number of names to it, including 'boggleboes', 'freiths', 'wirrikows', and 'hobbits'. While many feel there is good reason to suspect that Denham invented the word himself (see below), others feel it's more likely that the word was highly obscure at the time, and became virtually non-existant due to lack of use. Some believe this may have been the "fairy tale" that the Habit had referred to in the 1938 letter.

Many criticize the earlier occurrence, the Denham Tracts, on several grounds.

• Denham's intellectual integrity and/or competence. Often, critics are quick to point out that the Denham Tracts contain many repititions and several creatures that do not appear elsewhere. While the fact that the tracts contain creatures that are not referenced anywhere else could indicate that Denham had researched the subject more thoroughly than others of his time, this idea is generally thwarted by the existence of the repititions. Therefore, many believe that Denham invented the word "hobbit" as well as many other entries, and that the "Hobbit" was never a part of any system of folklore. However, even if Denham did invent the term, its usage still predates J.R.R. Tolkien's by many decades. (This is independant of the issue of whether or not Tolkien knew of the Denham occurrence, which he most likely did not.)

• Hobbits as spirits. In the Denham Tracts, hobbits are referred to only as a "class of spirit". Critics point out that the Hobbits in Tolkien's writing were not spirits, but small human-like creatures. This is refuted by some for the following reasons:
  • In some legends and mythologies, Elves were spirits or spirit-like in the context of folklore and mythology. Examples are the Norse Alfar: the Liosaelfar or "Light Elves" (angelic beings) and the Dokkaelfar or "Dark Elves" (Drow) (devilish beings). Yet other traditions had more human-like Elves. Tolkien later regretted having translated his Eldar with the Elfs, preferring the what he-saw as the pre-Shakespearian meaning of the word over the "elfin" spirits. Similarily he later removed the name "gnomes" for one group of Eldar, replacing it with the term Ñoldor.
  • Orcs were originally generic demons. Tolkien applied the term "Orc" to his corrupted Elves or Men, after the demons which appear in the epic poem Beowulf. In the course of the poem Grendel is called an Orc (demon), although he was also referred to as an Ent (giant), and by other terms as well. A relation between the old term "orc" and the word "orc-neas", applied to sea-devils (c.f. Orca) is tempting, but not linguistically proven.
    • As a side note, the word Ent is an alternate version of the word Ettin, both of which derive from the Old English Eotunn, which itself was an alternate of the word Yotunn or Jotun, which referred to the Titan-like Gods of Norse mythology. Tolkien felt the description was fitting for his gigantic tree giants, as in some texts Ents are given as the source of all wisdom. The other meaning of "Ent" appears in the "Entish lands" in Middle-earth, where Trolls are said to live.

These examples make it is almost certain that Tolkien's Hobbits were not the same as Denham's Hobbit. However, some believe that this does not mean that Denham's hobbits could not have been an inspiration on Tolkien, despite the lack of evidence.

One circular argument given by the Denham-supporters is that "elfin" implies small creatures, and that therefore, even though Hobbits were small humans, they could still be a "class of spirit".

References

• Letters 25, 316, 319 The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien
• The Encyclopedia of Arda (http://www.glyphweb.com/arda/default.htm)