J.R.R. Tolkien, master of Middle-Earth, was very careful
about names. Malevolent creatures are duly evil-sounding: Morgoth. Azog. Grima
Wormtongue. For the most part, elves have elegant names, befitting the
creatures of light who walk atop snow and speak in ancient tongues and live
forever. Galadriel. Legolas. Fingolfin. The names of men aspire to elvish
elegance, but also hint at ordinariness. Denethor. Eomer. Boramir. Dwarves’
names are largely short, no-nonsense, with a dash of whimsy but as practical as
a pick axe. Durin. Gimli. Bofur. Mim.
And then there are the hobbits. A journey into the name of
the Shire-folks is like a peek into a bubble far removed from the worries of
the world—almost childlike, often silly, exactly what Tolkien intended the
Shire to be.
Fourteen-year-old author Luke Herzog, inspired by the works
of Tolkien, is careful about names, too. In his first book, Dragon Valley, he gave his five
progenitor dragons simply descriptive names—Red, White, Yellow, Blue, and
Black. But their descendants were the likes of Frogleap and Snoweye, Darkroot
and Rohawk.
In his second fantasy novel, Griffin Blade and the Bronze Finger, he created a world
brimming with various creatures. When selecting names he occasionally
referenced Latin influences. Often, he closed his eyes, mouthing out different
sounds, taking into account the character’s species, lineage, morality… until
he came up with just the right name. A dwarf named Kwint. A dark elf named
Naymeira. A no-good merman named Ranimus. A minotaur named Bo’cul.
So, because it was The
Hobbit that sparked his own flights of fantasy, we’ve asked Luke Herzog to
rank the 61 top names of halflings who roamed Middle-Earth.
This isn’t a list of the best hobbits (we know them).
Rather, the best names, the ones that elicit the widest grins. He included some
interesting random biographical information, too, about some of the less
familiar hobbits.
By the way, Luke’s middle name is “Balin,” and he has a dog
named “Pippin.” He qualifies as an expert:
2. Daddy Twofoot -- Gaffer
Gamgee’s next-door neighbor.
3. Hilda Bracegirdle Brandybuck
4. Falco Chubb-Baggins
5. Bandobras “Bullroarer” Took -- Exceptionally
tall for a hobbit (4-foot-5), he led the defense against orcs in the Battle of
Greenfields, using his club to knock off the head of an orc named Golfimbul. It
went flying into a rabbit hole a hundred yards away. So along with winning the
battle, he invented the sport of golf.
6. Odo Proudfoot
7. Eglantine Took -- Pippin’s mother.
7. Eglantine Took -- Pippin’s mother.
8. Gerontius “The Old” Took -- Bilbo
Baggins was the only hobbit who reached a more advanced age than “The Old Took,”
who ruled as Thain of the Shire for 72 years and died at age 130. He was a
friend of Gandalf the Grey and an ancestor of Bilbo, Frodo, Merry, and Pippin.
9. Samwise Gamgee
10. Gorbadoc “Broadbelt” Brandybuck
11. Gormadoc “Deepdelver” Brandybuck
12. Griffo Boffin
13. Lotho “Pimple” Sackville-Baggins -- Nicknamed
for his complexion, he became an accomplice of Saruman when the latter tried to
take over the Shire. He imprisoned Mayor Will Whitfoot, began calling himself
“The Boss” and was eventually killed by Grima Wormtongue.
14. Andwise Roper -- Sam
Gamgee’s uncle was a rope-maker.
15. Bungo Baggins -- Brother
of Bingo, father of Bilbo, and builder of Bag End.
16. Bilbo Baggins
17. Mungo Baggins
18. Balbo Baggins -- The
first recorded Baggins.
19. Bingo Baggins
20. Dudo Baggins
21. Drogo Baggins - Frodo’s
father, rumored to have died in a boating accident.
22. Elfstan Fairbarn
23. Ferdibrand Took
24. Meriadoc Brandybuck
25. Peregrin Took
26. Hamfast Gamgee -- Sam’s
father, the old “Gaffer,” lived at 3 Bagshot Row and was a longtime gardener of
the Baggins property.
27. Rosamunda Bolger
28. Menegilda Goold Brandybuck
29. Wiseman Gamwich
30. Wilcom “Jolly” Cotton
31. Merry Gardner
32. Asphodel Burrows
33. Firiel Fairbairn
34. Hildigrim Took -- Great-grandfather
of both Merry Brandybuck and Pippin Took.
35. Donnamira Boffin
36. Rosie Cotton -- Sam
Gamgee’s true love. They were married in 3020, and she bore him 13 children
(four of whom were named Bilbo, Frodo, Merry, and Pippin).
37. Filibert Bolger
38. Sigismond Took
39. Isembold Took
40. Hugo Bracegirdle -- He
was known for borrowing books, but not returning them. So upon turning 111, Bilbo
gave him a gift—a bookcase.
41. Lalia Clayhanger Took -- An
enormously obese woman, confined to a wheelchair (in 3002, her attendant, Pearl
Took, “accidentally” killed her by tipping her over into a garden). Lalia’s son
Ferumbras never married, the rumor being because no one wanted Lalia as a
mother-in-law.
42. Marmadoc “Masterful” Brandybuck
43. Saradoc “Scattergold” Brandybuck
44. Primula Baggins
45. Tobold Hornblower -- “Old
Toby” was said to be the first person to grow pipe-weed in Middle-Earth. He
called it Longbottom Leaf.
46. Mimosa Bunce Baggins
47. Orgulas Brandybuck
48. Frodo Baggins
49. Lobelia Sackville-Baggins -- At
first, she was an unpleasant, power-hungry hobbit who attempted to auction
Bilbo’s possessions while he was gone and acquire Bag End for her family. But
she later stood tall against Saruman, surviving imprisonment and living to be
over 100 years old. In the end, she bequeathed her money to hobbits made
homeless by the evil wizard.
50. Togo Goodbody
51. Celandine Brandybuck
52. Wilibald Bolger
53. Robin Smallburrow
54. Ted Sandyman
55. Adaldrida Brandybuck
56. Will Whitfoot -- Mayor
of the Shire, later imprisoned by Lotho “Pimple” Sackville-Baggins.
57. Adamanta Took
58. Belladonna Baggins
59. Flambard Took
60. Adalgrim Took
61. Hob Hayward
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