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| Illustrations by ALan Lee |
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The Lord of the Rings
Prelude. The Hobbit
A Guide to Tolkien's Novel
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Races
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Dwarves: smaller than Men and Elves, renowned for their
skill at crafting objects;
"Dwarves are not heroes, but calculating folk with a great idea of the value of money; some are tricky and
treacherous and pretty bad lots; some are not, but are decent enough people, like Thorin and Company, if you don't expect too much."
"The dwarves are exceedingly strong for their height." (from The Hobbit)
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Elves: also known as the 'Fair people', immortal beings, renowned for their wisdom and grace.
Though there are different kinds of elves:
High Elves of the West: the Light-elves, Deep-elves and Sea-elves went to the West, where they
grew wiser and more learned before some came back to the Wide World
Wood-Elves: more dangerous and less wise for they never went to the West; they never leave their forests
and love starlight best;
"Wood-elves [...] are not wicked folk. If they have a fault it is distrust of strangers. Though their magic
was strong, even in those days they were wary. They differed from the High Elves of the West, and were more dangerous and less
wise. For most of them (together with there scattered relations in the hills and mountains) were descended from the ancient
tribes that never went to Faerie in the West. There the Light-elves and the Deep-elves and the Sea-elves went and lived
for ages, and grew fairer and wiser and more learned, and invented their magic and their cunning craft in the making of
beautiful and marvellous things, before some came back into the Wide World. In the Wide World the Wood-elves lingered
in the twilight of our Sun and Moon, but loved best the stars; and they wandered in the great forests that grew tall in
lands that are now lost. They dwelt most often by the edges of the woods, from which they could escape at times to hunt,
or to ride and run over the open lands by moonlight or starlight; and after the coming of Men they took ever more and more
to the gloaming and the dusk. Still elves they were and remain, and that is Good People."
"Elves know a lot and are wondrous folk for news, and know what is going on among the peoples of the land,
as quick as water flows, or quicker."
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Hobbits: also known as Halflings (to Men), Periannath (to Elves), smaller than
Dwarves, have a passion for food
"a little people, about half our height, and smaller than the bearded
dwarves. Hobbits have no beards. There is little or no magic about them, except the ordinary everyday sort which helps
them disappear quickly when large stupid folk like you and me come blundering along, making a noise like elephants which
they can hear from a mile off. They are inclined to be fat in the stomach; they dress in bright colours (chiefly green
and yellow); wear no shoes, because their feet grow natural leathery soles and thick warm brown hair like the stuff on
their heads (which is curly); have long clever brown fingers, good-natured faces, and laugh deep fruity laughs (especially
after dinner, which they have twice a day when they can get it)."
"not quite like ordinary people [...] they can move very quietly, and hide easily, and recover wonderfully from
falls and bruises, and they have a fund of wisdom and wise sayings that men have mostly never heard or have forgotten long ago."
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Longbeards (the): eldest race of Dwarves, which forefather is Durin
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Men: humans
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Wizards: also known as Istari, they were five in total,
one of highest being Gandalf. Messengers from the Far West sent out to unite people
against the Necromancer, they were forbidden to use their powers to dominate others. So they took the form of Men
and seldom revealed their real names.
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