: Elves and men are the Children of Eru. Dwarves were created by Aule, and then given spirits by Eru. Yavanna did the same with ents. Orcs and trolls are degraded forms of elves (and possibly men) and ents. but who created the hobbits? Did the Professor ever say? Are they simply some variant form of man? I seem to recall reading a reference once to hobbits disappearing following the end of the Third Age, with some implication that they were assimilated into human populations. Is there an answer to these questions?

: Any response would be appreciated. Thanks!

: CAC

As far as anything I've read, hobbits just came about. Origin unknown. Remember, the only reason the elves had any knowledge of their own origin (and Men's) was because of contact with the Valar. Essentially, tolkien's mythology is ethnocentric. There are many beings whose origins aren't adequately explained (orcs, trolls, sentient wolves and bats, the beornings, Tom Bombadil, the Watcher in the Water). And the stories Tolkien tells aren't meant to be gospel, holy scripture written with the hand of an all knowing god. The Hobbit was explicitly written by Bilbo, and the Lord of the rings by Bilbo and Frodo (and Sam? I forget), and the appendices were written by various people. The Silmarillion was supposed to be a compilation of various ancient tales (originally told to a listener). The issue of (fictional) authorship and the origin of tales was very important to Tolkien. So it is stated (I believe several times) that the Hobbits themselves didn't know where they came from. And the Elves of Middle-earth wouldn't necessarily know - since they didn't play a part in any of the ancient tales, the elves would have no reason to ask about them. Perhaps the Valar themselves were forbidden to discuss them (the doom of Mandos?) early on. A race that was so weak, yet destined(?) to play a major role in the defeat of Sauron, might require some kind of protection. Perhaps in Valinor by the time of the LOTR, the origin of the Hobbits was common knowledge. Of course this is all speculation. But I also think that Tolkien's explanation that the Hobbits had no real clue from whence they came is enough, and makes sense given Tolkien's MO. That is, if no one in Middle-earth has a clue where the came from, why should we and how should we come by that knowledge?
As to what happened to the Hobbits after LOTR, I think Tolkien mentions it in the Preface or ane of the appendices: the hobbits become a "rustic folk." After either the decline of the Reunited Kingdom, or after anoither catastrophe or whatever, the hobbits become something like "brownies." They diminished in size, became a nomadic, woodland folk, and avoided humans so that their ability to "disappear" as it were (hobbit ability to keep quiet) seemed magical to humans. It's a neat little idea: kind of like saying, If you're really quiet and nice, and you spend a lot of time in the woods, and you're a good cook, then you might be lucky enough to come across a hobbit. And it also says that despite everything that has happened in the vastness of history, despite Man stretching out his grasp over the whole globe, despite all our science and whatnot, something survives as a reminder of the ancient days... if you know where to look.
Those are my feelings on the subject anyway.
- Dave