The most famous weapon in Middle-earth!

And the bluest, too! From just watching the movies, or even by reading The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, you find very little concerning the history of Sting. It takes a great deal of delving into the Appendices and the more obscure Tolkien texts to piece this sword's complicated history together. Thankfully, you will not have to do that. Here is a complete compilation of the history of Sting! 

The hobbit who slew a goblin in one blow!
This is the complete story of Bullroarer Took, famous for his extraordinary height (four feet five inches), his astounding victory at the Battle of the Greenfields, and inventing the game of golf! 

Hobbits are a very ancient people, yet much younger than men, elves, or dwarves. They did not enter Middle Earth until the Third Age. Indeed, there is not any mention of them until year 1050, when the Harfoots entered Eriador. What follows is a timeline of important events and persons in the history of hobbits.

1050: The Harfoots enter Eriador
1150: The Fallohides enter Eriador; The Stoors enter Dunland through the Redhorn Pass
1300: The Fallohides migrate westward and come to Bree
1601 (SR 1): The Fallohide brothers Marcho and Blanco are the first to cross the Brandywine River and enter the Shire; Shire Reckoning begins
1630 (SR 30): The Stoors migrate from Dunland to the Shire
1636 (SR 36): The Great Plague devastates the hobbits in the Shire
1979 (SR 379): Bucca of the Marish becomes the first Thain of the Shire
2340 (SR 740): Isumbras I becomes the thirteenth Thain of the Shire and starts the Took line; The Oldbucks populate Buckland
2463 (SR 863): Deagol the Stoor finds the One Ring, but is murdered by Smeagol, who takes it for himself
2470 (SR 870): Smeagol, having become Gollum, resides withing the Misty Mountains
2670 (SR 1070): Tobold Hornblower (Old Toby) of Longbottom in the Southfarthing grows the first pipe-weed
2683 (SR 1083): Isengrim II becomes the tenth Thain of the Shire: The excavation of the Great Smials begins
2747 (SR 1147): Bandobras Took slays Golfimbul and wins the Battle of the Greenfields in the Northfarthing
2758 (SR 1158): The Long Winter oppresses the Shire; Gandalf comes to the Shire for the first time
2790 (SR 1190): Gerontius Took, later known as the Old Took, is born
2890 (SR 1290): Bilbo Baggins is born
2911 (SR 1311): White Wolves from the north cross the frozen Brandywine River during the Fell Winter
2920 (SR 1320): The Old Took dies
2941-42 (SR 1341-42): The events that are recorded in The Hobbit take place
2949 (SR 1349): Bilbo is visited by his friend Gandalf and Balin
2953 (SR 1353): The spies of Saruman enter the Shire
2968 (SR 1368): Frodo Baggins is born
2983 (SR 1383): Samwise Gamgee is born
3001-21 (SR 1401-21): The events that are recorded in The Lord of the Rings take place
3021 (SR 1401): The Third Age Ends; Elanor Gamgee, daughter of Samwise and Rose, is born
SR 1422: The Fourth Age begins
SR 1427:  Will Whitfoot, Mayor of the Shire, resigns; Samwise takes his place; Peregrin Took marries Diamond of Long Cleeve
SR 1430: Faramir Took, son of Peregrin Took, is born
SR 1431: Goldilocks Gamgee, daughter of Samwise Gamgee, is born
SR 1432: Meriadoc Brandybuck (the Magnificent) becomes Master of Buckland
SR 1434: Peregrin Took becomes the Took and the Thain of the Shire; Samwise is re-elected as Mayor
SR 1436: King Elessar visits Frodo, Merry, Pippin, and Sam at the Brandywine Bridge
SR 1441: Samwise becomes Mayor of the Shire for a third time
SR 1442: Master Samwise, his wife Rose, and daughter Elanor visit Gondor; Master Tolman Cotton acts as deputy Mayor
SR 1448: Master Samwise becomes Mayor for a fourth time
SR 1451: Elanor the Fair marries Fastred of Greenholm on the Far Downs
SR 1452: The Westmarch is added to the Shire
SR 1454: Elfstan Fairbairn, son of Fastred and Elanor, is born
SR 1455: Master Samwise becomes Mayor for a fifth time; The Thain makes Fastred Warden of Westmarch; Fastred and Elanor make their home at Undertowers on the Tower Hills; Their descendents, Fairbairns of the Towers, dwell there many generations
SR 1462: Master Samwise becomes Mayor for a sixth time
SR 1463: Faramir Took marries Goldilocks Gamgee
SR 1469: Master Samwise becomes Mayor for a seventh and final time
SR 1482: Mistress Rose, wife of Samwise, dies on Mid Year's Day; Samwise goes to the Grey Havens and passes over the Sea
SR 1484: Master Meriadoc visits Eomer in Rohan; Meriadoc and Peregrin visit Gondor and are buried there

Part I
Part II: Concerning Etymology
Part III: Shire Reckoning
Part IV: Concerning Appearance

Sources:
Tolkein, J.R.R. The Hobbit UK: George Allen & Unwin, 1937
Tolkein, J.R.R. The Lord of the Rings UK: George Allen & Unwin, 1954-1955

LOTRProject created an interesting little quiz that tells you which character from The Hobbit you are most like. I took it, and it turns out that I am most like Gandalf the Grey. I found that really interesting because Gandalf was the only wizard who delved into hobbit lore. It was he only who cared anything for the race of hobbits, and without him, Bilbo would never have gone on his quest, nor would have Frodo. You can reach it via this link, and find out which character you are most like!

Hobbit Lore, Part IV: Concerning Appearance

Hobbits generally grow to be between two and four feet tall, with only a few exceptions, such as Bandobras "Bullroarer" Took (4'5"), Meriadoc Brandybuck (4'6"), and Peregrin Took (4'6"). The average height is about three feet six inches, though it has dwindled through the ages and hobbits nowadays commonly measure less than three feet.
Although similar in height to the dwarves, hobbits are smaller and less stocky, having short legs and slightly pointed ears, though not as prominent as those of the elves. Their feet, also, are a distinguishable feature, having tough leathery soles and covered with thick curly hair, like that of their heads, which is commonly brown. Because of this, they do not wear shoes, preferring to go barefoot, and the art of shoe-making is one of the few trades not practiced among hobbits. Their hair color, as mentioned before, is mostly brown, varying in shades, and black is not uncommon. Golden hair was, at least, until the Fourth Age of Middle Earth.
Hobbits, in the dim ages of the past, were divided into three distinct breeds, each with its own customs and physical differences.
The Harfoots, by far the most common, were also the smallest and shortest, representing the 'basic' hobbit. Possessing nimble and neat hands and feet, they had browner skin than the other two breeds, had no facial hair, and almost never wore shoes.
The Stoors were largest and broadest, having heavy hands and feet. They were also the only breed of hobbit that could grow facial hair, making them very distinct. They also, on some occasions, wore shoes.
The Fallohides were the least numerous of the three breeds. They were the tallest and slimmest, having fair skin and hair.

Part I
Part II: Concerning Etymology
Part III: Shire Reckoning

Sources:
Tolkein, J.R.R. The Hobbit UK: George Allen & Unwin, 1937
Tolkein, J.R.R. The Lord of the Rings UK: George Allen & Unwin, 1954-1955

Hobbits had a calendar of their own, called 'Shire Reckoning.' It was adapted from the King's Reckoning of the Dunedain, which in turn copied that of the Eldar. The hobbits made several contributions of their own to time-keeping. Having exact and orderly dates was important to them because of their interest in genealogies.
Their year is the same length as ours, having 365 days, and one leap year of 366 days every fourth year. The year was divided into twelve months of thirty days each. The names of these months were Afteryule, Solmath, Rethe, Astron, Thrimidge, Forelithe, Afterlithe, Wedmath, Halimath, Winterfilth, Blotmath, and Foreyule. There also were three additional Lithedays and two Yuledays. The first day of the year was called 1 Yule, and always occurred on the first day of the week. The last day of the year was called 2 Yule, and always landed on the last day of the week. Mid-summer's Day was the summer solstice, resulting in their year being ten days ahead of ours. 1 Lithe was the day before and 2 Lithe the day after Mid-summer's Day. In leap years, a fourth Litheday, called Overlithe, was placed between Mid-summer's Day and 2 Lithe. This quadrennial holiday was a time for feasting and celebration.
Each week had seven days, starting on Saturday and ending on Friday. However, the hobbits had different names for the days. They were adapted from Dunedain, and archaically were Sterrendei, Sunnendei, Monendei, Trewesdei, Hevenesdei, Meresdei, and Highdei. At the time of the War of the Ring, the names had changed to Sterday, Sunday, Monday, Trewsday, Hevensday, Mersday, and Highday. In the reign of Isengrim II, the Shire-folk introduced a small innovation they called the Shire-reform. Mid-summer's Day, and on leap years, Overlithe, did not belong to any week, ensuring that dates always landed on the same day of the week. Another result is that Highday, or Friday, never landed on the first day of the month. There was a jesting idiom popular among the Shire-folk that ran 'on Friday the first of Summerfilth.' This was the day on which unlikely events were to occur, such as pigs flying. Of course, this never came.
Shire Reckoning began in year 1601 of the Third Age. It continued on it own pace until the Fourth Age, SR 1422, and continued still, until this very day.
All this accounted for, Tuesday, December 25, which happens to be today, would be, in Shire Reckoning, Trewsday, Afteryule 3. Merry Christmas!

Part I
Part II: Concerning Etymology


Sources:
Tolkein, J.R.R. The Hobbit UK: George Allen & Unwin, 1937
Tolkein, J.R.R. The Lord of the Rings UK: George Allen & Unwin, 1954-1955

The actual word hobbit comes from the Rohirric word holbytla, which means 'hole-dweller.' In Westron, the common speech, the word for hobbit is kuduk, which is derived from the Rohirric kûd-dûkan, a synonym of holbytla. The Dúnedain refer to hobbits as 'Halflings,' which represents the Westron banakil, as hobbits are roughly half the height of a tall man. However, hobbits are not fond of this name, and certainly do not call themselves by it. They even consider it slightly offensive, and prefer just to be called hobbits. The Elves have names of their own for the little folk, as hobbits are oftentimes called in Bree, as opposed to Big folk, their term for men. In Quenya, the word is periando, and in Sindarin, it is perian. The plural form is periain, and the collective plural is periannath.

Part I

Sources:
Tolkein, J.R.R. The Hobbit UK: George Allen & Unwin, 1937
Tolkein, J.R.R. The Lord of the Rings UK: George Allen & Unwin, 1954-1955

This is the beginning of a series of posts devoted entirely to information concerning hobbits. Each post will deal with a different topic, until all the information concerning hobbit is covered. What follows is Part I.

Hobbits are a diminutive mortal race that tend to live underground. Not much is known about their history, but they do keep very detailed family trees. Overall, they have very little to do with the world at large, although a few notable hobbits did play an important part during the War of the Ring.

Sources:
Tolkein, J.R.R. The Hobbit UK: George Allen & Unwin, 1937
Tolkein, J.R.R. The Lord of the Rings UK: George Allen & Unwin, 1954-1955