Celebrate The Hobbit's 75th b'day with 17 lesser known Tolkien facts
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.
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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.
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.
