[net.games.frp] perhaps a silly

dorettas@iddic.UUCP (Doretta Schrock) (09/30/85)

  This may be, as I said up there, a silly question, but it has
created a certain amount of debate in these parts.  The question is:

How tall is a Hobbit???

I believe Tolkein described them as looking like 10-year olds to
the men of Gondor, but many times people (especially in FRP games)
describe them as being about 3 feet tall (just bigger than my 2 1/2 year
old son!).  Some discussion of this sort of thing would be welcome. My
net address is changing soon, so mail may or may not get through.

		-- Mike Sellers

chris@umcp-cs.UUCP (Chris Torek) (10/08/85)

Since no one else has undertaken to answer this question, I shall
do so.  In article <2210@iddic.UUCP> dorettas@iddic.UUCP (Doretta
Schrock) asks:

> How tall is a Hobbit???

Here is the answer, right from the source---the Prologue to TLotR,
by Mr. Tolkien himself.  I have taken the liberty of extracting
only the relevant paragraph:

	For they are a little people, smaller than Dwarves:  less
	stout and stocky, that is, even when they are not actually
	much shorter.  Their height is variable, ranging between
	two and four feet of our measure.  They seldom now reach
	three feet; but they have dwindled, they say, and in ancient
	days they were taller.  According to the Red Book, Bandobras
	Took (Bullroarer), son of Isengrim the Second, was four
	foot five and able to ride a horse.  He was surpassed in
	all Hobbit records only by two famous characters of old;
	but that curious matter is dealt with in this book.

The two famous characters were, of course, none other than Meriadoc
Brandybuck and Peregrin Took.  If you wish to know more, read the
Prologue yourself; or have a chat with your friendly neighbourhood
Elf, if you can find him---we have become rather scarce.
-- 
Lindor, alias Chris Torek, Univ of MD Comp Sci Dept (+1 301 454 4251)
UUCP:	seismo!umcp-cs!chris
CSNet:	chris@umcp-cs		ARPA:	chris@mimsy.umd.edu

ji@columbia.UUCP (ji) (10/09/85)

In article <2210@iddic.UUCP>, dorettas@iddic.UUCP (Doretta Schrock) writes:
> 
>   This may be, as I said up there, a silly question, but it has
> created a certain amount of debate in these parts.  The question is:
> 
> How tall is a Hobbit???
> 
> I believe Tolkein described them as looking like 10-year olds to
> the men of Gondor, but many times people (especially in FRP games)
> describe them as being about 3 feet tall (just bigger than my 2 1/2 year
> old son!).  Some discussion of this sort of thing would be welcome. My
> net address is changing soon, so mail may or may not get through.
> 
> 		-- Mike Sellers

I don't have the books with me, but I'm pretty sure that you can 
figure it from the illustrations. My idea is somewhat like 120cm
(4ft). BTW, the name is Tolkien.



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lori@hp-pcd.UUCP (lori) (10/28/85)

	If you're a DM and you're asking the question for your own game, the
	correct answer is ,"How tall do you want them to be?"

					From the World of Vindarten

					Mark F. Cook